Stand for Something

Fall 2010

2010-10-18T17:30:00.026-04:00

The kids had Fall Break this past week and this is what we did:

Our happy family! One block from our house is the entrance to Battle Creek Canyon. We went for a little hike on Saturday (10/16) up to the waterfall.

This is the view of Utah Lake and Utah Valley from the waterfall.

This is my sister Colleen at the top of the waterfall.

This is Joshua and Caleb at the base of the waterfall.

About halfway to the waterfall is this little pond. The kids love to throw rocks into the water.

Ellie, Colleen, Caleb, Caitlyn, Joshua and Cim hiking up to the waterfall.

On Friday we went to Pumpkinland at the Vineyard Garden Center. These are the cousins: Alex, Kailah, Logan, Ellie, Joshua, Jackson, Justin, Aubrie and Caitlyn.

Kailah, Alex sliding down, Joshua and Justin deciding which way to go down.

Jackson getting air down the bouncy slide!

Ellie, Logan, Kailah and Joshua.

Ellie inside the big pumpkin!

Peek-a-boo Joshua and Ellie!

Grumpy Caitlyn, Silly Joshua, and Happy Ellie and Caleb! Pretty much sums it up!

Also on Friday we went to Trafalga for a little game of mini-golf! Notice how Caleb has already followed through in his swing, but the ball is still on the ground! :)

The rules say you aren't supposed to swing the club above your knees, but I think we forgot to tell Caitlyn!

Ellie and Joshua. They obviously get their golfing abilities from their Mom!

Caleb and Caitlyn played VIP Special Needs Soccer again this Fall. The following pics are from their games. Sometimes it would be slow, so Ellie and Joshua would join in. I'm not sure why Ellie is making this face, but it makes me laugh!

Caitlyn making a goal!

Joshua being a goofball!!

Seriously, I don't know if we have a picture of Joshua where he is not being silly!

Caleb loves to kick the ball as high as he can!

Caitlyn playing with some of the buddies from Discovery Ranch.

Ellie and Joshua kicking it around.

Awards Day! All the players get a medal and team picture.

Spring Break 2010

2010-04-21T12:19:00.009-04:00

For our Spring Break this year we went to California. We went to Aunt Mari's house in Newport Beach and walked the one block to the warm and sunny beach! It was a beautiful day! Cim's Mom and Dad were there too.

Caleb, Caitlyn, Mom Carver, and Cim trying to help the very uncooperative Ellie into the cold water.

Caleb throwing rocks into the water.

Happy Caitlyn loves the water and the beach!

In true Dad fashion, Cim tried to take the kids out into the deep, cold water and they all cried and fought to not go in. Joshua was digging in the sand.

Ellie was not happy about Daddy taking her into the water.

We went to a really cool place in L.A. called The Skirball Center. It's a Jewish Heritage Museum and they have this huge Noah's Ark exhibit where the kids can play. The animals are made of everyday items like the zebra's mane is made from a keyboard. There are a lot of interactive things for the kids to do.

After so many days on the ark, I'm sure there was a lot of poop to scoop! There was even fake poop for the kids to clean up!

Lots of animals. Joshua is up there behind the penguins.

This was a ramp where the kids could place animals to enter the ark.

We also went to the Natural History Museum of L.A. These are the cousins...Caleb, Joshua, Becca, Megan, Caitlyn and Emma.

The kids in their natural element...with the wild animals!!
Caleb, Ellie, Caitlyn and Joshua.

Joshua and Ellie making silly faces.

Joshua showing us the map with a little attitude.

We also went to Six Flags Magic Mountain. We spent most of the day in Bugs Bunny World riding the kiddie rides.

Ellie and Joshua were fearless and loved every ride but, especially this bounce and pounce ride.

It went up pretty high, but they loved it!

Oh Joshua....

I love this picture of Cim and Caleb!

Ellie, Joshua and Caitlyn in the tea cups.

They had to go on it again!

Special Needs Basketball 2010

2010-02-23T13:10:00.014-05:00

Caleb and Justin (our nephew) shooting around. The younger kids in the program just spend the time shooting baskets. The older kids play an actual game in another gym.

Caitlyn shooting. Caleb dribbling.

Caitlyn and Justin shooting on a lower basket.

Cim giving Joshua tips and Caleb helping too.

The whole younger group. Aren't they cute?!

Caleb dribbling.

Ellie showing us the hole in her mouth. Her tooth became infected after it was chipped, so they had to pull it out. She will get a fake tooth in a couple weeks.

Still adorable!

Caitlyn, Ellie and Joshua were doing a passing drill with their Daddy.

Caleb getting ready to shoot!

They have a really fun time!

My baby turned 3!

2010-01-12T22:17:00.012-05:00

Ellie's birthday is January 9th and now she's 3! It's hard to believe that much time has gone by since she was born. She decided she wanted a "castle party", so that's what she got! I think this balloon was her favorite part of the whole event.

Ellie loves pizza, so we had everyone make their own pizza on a pita. They got to choose whatever toppings they wanted. Of course most of the kids just wanted cheese! Here are Aubrie and Joshua enjoying their pizza.

What's a castle party without a castle cake?! Joshua helped me decorate it.

Ellie also picked out her own candles and Cim decided to put the whole package on the cake instead of only 3.

Blowing out the candles!

Then it was present time.

Big hugs for Grandma Tomsik's present!

More presents that she had plenty of help opening. You'd think the kids would be all burned out of opening presents after Christmas. Apparently not!

She was so excited about her Kai-Lan and Princess and the Frog shirts! She obviously hadn't washed her face yet after eating her pizza! Happy Birthday Ellie!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2009-12-27T17:05:00.003-05:00

We didn't get a card sent out this year. If we had, it would have had the above picture on it. Merry Christmas! I hope your Christmas was as fun as ours was!

Our new home!

2009-10-14T12:33:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures of our new home in Pleasant Grove:

You can see the snow on Mt. Timpanogos behind the house. If and when I feel like the inside is clean enough to be picture worthy, then I will post some pics of the inside. HAHA! We feel very blessed and are very grateful for our family and our home!

Fall 2009

2009-10-14T11:21:00.016-04:00

Joshua found the plastic cups in the pantry and this is what he built. He was obviously very excited about his creation!

This is Mount Timpanogos and the canyon above our house in Pleasant Grove when the leaves started to change. Beautiful isn't it?!

VIP Special Needs Soccer. Caitlyn and Caleb both played and had a great time! Caitlyn is actually a very good soccer player. Caleb would rather be playing basketball and sometimes we would catch him throwing the ball in the air to some imaginary basketball hoop in the sky. But, he had fun too.

Caleb's favorite part of any activity is the cheering! Thumbs up!

Sometimes the kids would get tired of sharing the same ball, so the coach would give them each their own and let them have at it.

It's pretty easy to make a goal, when there's no goalie!

Ellie watching the game and cheering for Caleb and Caitlyn. Cute, I know!

Joshua and Ellie at the game. Joshua looks a little bit like a chipmunk because his cheeks and mouth are full of goldfish crackers. Pretty happy kids!

After the last game, the kids each received a medal and team picture. The kids had a great time and now they have to wait until January for Basketball to start.

Summer 2009

2009-08-26T13:53:00.024-04:00

We have had a fun-filled summer with baseball, Caitlyn's baptism, Carver reunion, birthdays, and cub scouts.

Caleb had the opportunity to play baseball in the VIP Adaptive league. He had a really great time! This was the hottest day of the season and apparently it was too hot to wear his glove on his hand.

The kids could either hit off a tee or the coach could pitch them the ball. Cim and his dad were the coaches for the Dodgers! Here is Cim pitching to one of the all-stars!

This is Coach Craig (Cim's dad) helping Ashley field the ball.

Coach Cim got to hand out the trophies to each of his players.

Caleb was sooooo excited to receive a trophy! He even slept with it in his bed that night.

Here is Caitlyn modeling her new baptism dress. Just a hint of pink, of course! She wouldn't wear it otherwise! :)

Caitlyn and Cim all ready for the baptism!

Ten of the 15 Carver granchildren ready to rock out the show at the Carver Camp Rock Reunion 2009! Back: Jacob, Logan, Landon and Kaylee. Front: Justin, Caitlyn, Aubrie, Joshua, Caleb and Ellie.

Caitlyn and Aubrie really having a great time!

Caleb showing us his huge muscles and actually smiling while looking at the camera!

Joshua with his football cake for his 4th Birthday!

Joshua blowing out the candles on his football cake!

Joshua clapping because he was able to blow out all the candles!

Aubrie (our niece) getting ready to blow out the candles on her Hannah Montana guitar birthday cake. She turned 8 (4 plus 4). We had to improvise a little. I told Aubrie I was going to make cupcakes, but I ran out of the paper cups and didn't have time to go to the store. As they say, "Necessity is the mother of invention!"

Aubrie blowing out her candles.

Last night we had Caleb's first Pack Meeting for scouts. This is our first experience with scouts and Caleb loves it! They assigned one of the older scouts to be his helper and it is really working out great. They had the "Raingutter Regatta" last night and got to race boats that they made. They also allowed the other kids to make boats and race them which Joshua and Caitlyn loved!

They had to blow the sails through a straw to make the boats go. It was very tricky and took a lot of patience. But, they had a great time!
We have had a great summer and we are getting settled into our new home in Pleasant Grove. We also went to Fish Lake with my family, but forgot the camera. And Caleb and Caitlyn had birthdays this summer too, but somehow we didn't get any pictures taken. We had just moved the week before, so we probably didn't know where the camera was.

Tahitian Trip 2009

2009-05-02T13:54:00.033-04:00

Well, as many of you know, Katie and I had the opportunity to go to Tahiti a little over a week ago. We had a great time and are both so grateful for the opportunity we had to go thanks to my work. Here are just a few pictures of our trip with descriptions below the pictures...

We arrived in Tahiti at 10pm the previous night. Because of the time difference, we were up at about 5:30am the following day. We had exercised and eaten breakfast before 8am and had about five hours to hang out before heading to the cruise ship. Katie passed the time by watching movies on my iPod by one of the pools at the hotel.

This is called a "motu", which is a small, uninhabited island. We passed several on our trip from Tahiti to Raiatea. The cruise sailed through the evening while we slept and we woke up a few hours before our arrival in Raiatea.

We had a little balcony in our room where we ate breakfast every day and had a front-row-seat view to the islands during the cruise.

Here we are arriving in Raiatea, getting ready to go on a long hike up to some waterfalls on the interior of the island.

We were fortunate to be on the cruise with some great friends. Here are some of them who joined us on the hike to the waterfalls. It was a pretty rough hike...it took almost 2 hours to get there and involved scaling steep hills with rope.

After the 2 hour hike...it was nice to be able to cool down in a pool of water at the waterfall.

The water was cold, but even Katie couldn't resist getting in the refreshing water after the long hike.

Here we are on our hike back down after the waterfall.

This is the dock at Raiatea as we left and headed towards our next stop. The island of Taha'a.

From the island of Taha'a, you could see the island of Bora Bora in the distance. Very cool picture.

The ship dropped anchor just next to the island of Taha'a as it doesn't have a dock for large ships. We took a boat to a nearby "motu" where we spent the day snorkling, playing volleyball, eating some great food, and drinking all the Pina Coladas we wanted. This is a great picture of the ship with the island of Taha'a in the background.

Katie and I on the dock of the motu next to the island of Taha'a. Yes, it really is that beautiful.

Here we all are at the motu near Taha'a.

Katie enjoyed many Pina Coladas during the trip. Most were served in glasses, but on the motu they were served with ice in a coconut. Cool stuff.

Here is Katie playing some sand volleyball. I think she played for nearly 4 hours that day on the motu...no wonder she had so many Pina Coladas!

Here we are after a day on the motu leaving Taha'a and heading over to Bora Bora. The ship left as the sun was setting and we snapped this before we headed off to our nightly seven course dinner (which is one of the reasons why I put on seven pounds on the trip...wow).

Breakfast on our balcony as we pull into Bora Bora the following morning. Did I mention I gained seven pounds?!

Bora Bora is absolutely beautiful. Here is one of the many bays inside the lagoon that surrounds the island.

Bora Bora....

The peak behind us is in the center of the island and is the most prominent feature of the island. We were on a "off-road" trip that took us around the island and to several spots on the interior of the island as well.

Bora Bora is surrounded by tons of these little motus. The water is incredible...We were at Bora Bora for two days and spent most of the time just relaxing and enjoying the beauty. At the end of the second day, the ship headed to my favorite island, Moorea.

We played a lot in Moorea. The first morning, we rented some "dunebuggies" and drove around the island and up to a few lookout points.

We drove up to Point Belvedere, where you can see the two major bays on the island of Moorea. Cooks Bay is on the right and Opanohu bay is on the left. Amazing.

Here is the "dunebuggy" group at the Belevedere outlook.

Still driving around Moorea and I felt like having a moment to reflect. You can see the hotel bungalows common to the Tahitian Islands behind me...

More dunebuggy fun!

The second day on Moorea, we took a boat to another motu to spend the day. Here we are on our way to the motu.

Before we got to the motu, we stopped to do a little snorkling with some of the local residents. Some Rays and Black Tipped Reef Sharks....again, the water is incredible, look how clear it is!

Swimming with the sharks!

More swimming with the sharks!

After our second day on Moorea, we headed back to the island of Tahiti where we spent our last day. Here is a beautiful Tahitian sunset on our final day in Tahiti. We had an amazing trip!

Our Funny Joshua

2009-02-18T12:47:00.002-05:00

Joshua is now 3 1/2 years old and he has plenty to say about life which tends to keep us on our toes and more importantly, keeps us laughing. So here are a couple stories to illustrate why.

It was a cold and very windy Thursday night after we left Caitlyn's gymnastics class two weeks ago. Joshua was wearing a long sleeve shirt, but no coat as he and Cim stopped by Little Caesars to pick up some pizza. After they got back in the car, Joshua announced. "Dad, I'm fat." taken by total surprise, Cim says, "No, you're not Joshua. You are a big boy for your age. You are strong, but you are not fat. So, a few seconds pass and Joshua says it again, "Dad, I'm fat." And Cim responded with the same reassuring comments about him being strong and healthy, but not fat. A few more seconds go by and Joshua says it again. By this time Cim is getting really worried that Joshua is seriously concerned about this. So Cim tells him again that he is not fat, that he is a big boy and that he is healthy and strong. Well, suddenly Joshua starts crying. Now really concerned, Cim asks what is wrong and Joshua replies, "I want to be fat... so I can be warm like Daddy!"

Then, last Saturday night we were watching Star Wars II with the kids. I'm not very familiar with the movie, but at some point, Queen Amadala (sp?) walks out on the balcony to meet Anakin (sp?) Skywalker. Her hair is down and flowing with soft curls and she is wearing a white evening gown. Well, the room is totally quiet, except for the movie and all of the sudden Joshua says, "Whoa....She is pretty!" I looked at Cim who was hiding behind a pillow so Joshua wouldn't see him laughing hysterically. I was also laughing as quietly as possible. Joshua didn't even notice. He was totally serious and just kept on watching the movie.

These were probably those types of moments where "you had to be there" and I'm not as good a storyteller or writer as Cim, but I just had to share. If you want the really funny version, you can call Cim and he will be sure to embellish it for you. :)

A month and a half in review...50 pics!

2008-12-25T22:50:00.055-05:00

Well...it has been a while. Between the move from NY and the holidays, we haven't made a post in almost 2 months. The good news is that there aren't many people who actually visit this blog. Katie had been very good about updating but she was without internet during the first month in our home in Utah...and I am about as regular as Dad's blood sugar levels when it comes to posting.

Anyway, we wanted to give a quick update on what has been going on these past few months. It has been a real whirlwind but it is nice to finally be settled in and it has been great to spend the holidays with our extended families.

We have 50 pictures to go through...so I will stop typing now and get to it!

Halloween 2008
Halloween this year was...not ideal. Dad and I pulled in from our suicidal trip across the country just a mere three days before Halloween. Unfortunately, I had to leave the morning of Halloween to go to San Francisco for work. Yeah, Katie wasn't the happiest I have ever seen her. What amazes me though is that through all the relocating, the boxes and the craziness, Katie in her typical out-of-this-world fashion managed to pull off Halloween...alone. She never ceases to amaze me.

Here are the kids Halloween evening, getting ready to head up to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Ellie is Minnie Mouse, Caleb is Steve from Blue's Clues, Joshua is Buzz Lightyear, and Caitlyn is Hannah Montana.

Ellie is growing up so fast. She had this rash on her face that wouldn't go away! Stress?

Caleb with the ever-present remote in his hand. We go through DirecTV remotes like toilet paper at our house.

Yeah, you have to love the purple skull cap Joshua...very classy.

Ellie was so sticky she had candy stuck to her dress, face, hair, and pretty much every other surface on her body!

Joshua with his cousin Alex (aka: Handy Manny)

Family Pictures 2008
After Halloween, we had a few quiet weeks to get settled down before most everyone made their way to Mom and Dad's house for Thanksgiving. During all the festivities (which we will get to in a moment) we decided to take some family pictures for the upcoming Christmas holidy.

Caitlyn and Joshua in the gardens at my work. Couple of good kids.

Here is the picture we ended up using. I had to photoshop Caleb's head from another picture but it ended up ok, you can't really tell it wasn't there originally. I also removed some dark circles from under my eyes as well as from Katie and toned down the rash on Ellie's face. In the end, it actually turned out to be a good family picture!

My girls....thank heavens they get their looks from their mother.

My boys, again, thank heavens they get their looks from their mother!

Ellie is really becoming a beautiful little girl!

Thanksgiving 2008

The night before Thanksgiving, we got toghter at our place and had a pre-Thanksgiving dinner dinner. We purchased a big filet minon from Costco and sliced it up, threw it on the grill along with some shrimp and added salads and other semi-healthy stuff to the mix. It was a lot of fun to get everyone together and to help give mom a bit of a break before the big day!

Thanksgiving morning, a bunch of the family went to Orem for the "Earn your Turkey" run. It was a 4-mile run with prizes and other cool stuff. Everyone left before the prizes were handed out, but we did all learn that Ammon is a freak of nature (blew everyone out of the water and he "isn't a runner") and that Katie can run a lot faster than Chris.

The day after Thanksgiving, we all met up again at Costa Vita for a little lunch and bowling.

Ellie and Joshua getting ready to bowl (my sweet belly making an appearance behind them)

Katie and Mari looking chipper....and it wasn't because they were bowling well...

It was great for the cousins to get to see each other. KK hadn't seen Caitlyn for a while and they had a great time playing together!

Later that night, before everyone left, we went to Temple Square to look at the lights. This may be one of the best pictures I have ever taken.

Temple Square lights...

The kids loved looking at the Christus. During a quiet moment when we first arrived, Joshua yelled "Dad, Jesus Christ is in OUTER SPACE!!!" Got some funny looks, but I was laughing pretty hard.

The lights were cool....what a great family tradition!

Joshua and Ellie were happy because they got pushed around in a stroller all night!

So...Ellie was a little tired. Katie jumped in the shower and when she came out, Ellie had finally fallen asleep...just like this. No joke. Classic.

Such a cute little girl!!!

Christmas 2008

Ok, now that finally brings us to Christmas. This year we made the trek to California to spend the Christmas holiday with Katie's family.

Santa came on the Sunday before Christmas because there were going to be a lot of kids in the house. Caleb, Joshua, and Ellie got new bikes, Caitlyn got a Hannah Montana guitar (yes, she is obsessed) and they all got helmets. We brought everything down with us so they could ride outside in the warmth of California (even though it has rained about every day since we have been here and that plan was shot to crap).

We went to Sea World...which was pretty much a disaster. It rained the whole time we were there and we lost Caleb for about 30 minutes (yeah, not fun), but I think the kids had fun. It was yet another example to me of how much work it is for parents to create memories for their children sometimes...thank you mom and dad for all the memories, I never knew how much work it was for you!

Shamu was in rare form

Yeah, you can't tell, but I am completely wet....

As you can see from the immense crowd behind us, the rest of the world understood that going to Sea World in the middle of a tropical storm isn't a good idea.

On Christmas Eve we all headed over to the church to take some family pictures. It was the first time that Katie's entire family had been together in a very long time.

Ellie was really enjoying the picture taking.

Katie was trying to keep her happy though...

After the family pictures, we headed back to the house to reinact the nativity. Katie's mom has some pretty sweet costumes...you can see how happy Caleb was about wearing it.

Caleb the donkey and Caitlyn the angel...

Ellie sporting the "belly"...

Caleb still rocking the donkey suit...

Caitlyn looking angelic...

Reading the Christmas story...

Joshua got sick that night. While we were taking family pictures, he threw up all over the place and one of his cousins, running to greet him, couldn't stop himself in time slipped and slid about seven feet through the vomit on his back. Yeah, it was gross... So, Joshua just slept through most of Christmas eve...

Christmas day arrived with the usual fanfare, the kids were so excited and in a good mood. It is really what makes Christmas for me.

Opening presents...I was in charge of keep the wrapping paper cleaned up (notice the garbage bag)

Happy boy with the Christmas afterglow

Caleb was very excited about the Cars toy he got, but most excited about his own sweet Sony headphones.

Ellie got her My Little Pony collection (or, as she calls them "me horsies")

Yes...even more Hannah Montana stuff....

Christmas playtime

Caitlyn got a blanket that Katie's mom made her featuring...you guessed it...Hannah Montana.

Joshua sporting his Diego truck. It came with dinosaurs...the perfect gift for him!

Well, that is about it! It feels good to get the blog caught up again! Hopefully I can get Katie updating again so it stays current!

Merry Christmas to all!!

-Cim

Road Trip: Day 3

2008-10-25T01:37:00.011-04:00

Ok, I am soooooooooo tired tonight. We were going to try and just make it home tonight, but after another 15 hours in the car, we just ran out of energy/desire/will-to-live and had to stop. It is after midnight, technically Saturday, but I wanted to get this posted since I know all of you are just dying to watch more videos of Dad and me in the car.

We started in St. Louis this morning at about 7:45am...we were not feeling to well (we really overate for dinner). We drove through the rest of Missouri, Kansas (the most boring place on earth), and 99% of Colorado. We stopped 3.5 hours from home, but we just couldn't do it...we had planned on trying, but just couldn't push ourselves... Click on the map below for a larger version.

Check out the videos for the details...

Here we are getting our day started...notice we aren't quite as excited as we were the previous day.

Some thoughts while driving through Missouri...

Thoughts as we begin driving in Kansas...little did we know what we were starting...

More Kansas...wow...how long is this freaking state!?!?!

We finally make it to Colorado...

Dragging ourselves into Grand Junction, Colorado at a quarter to 11pm...serious doubt creeping in regarding going all the way home tonight, but we are both still talking tough at this point.

Yeah...we are done...we don't care about being macho anymore...Holiday Inn, here we come.

Ok, it has taken an hour to do this post (videos take a while to upload)...and I am BEYOND wasted....good night!

-Cim

Road Trip: Day 2

2008-10-23T23:09:00.010-04:00

Well, my goal with today's post is to TRY and make it interesting (to quote Lauren's comment). I don't know how to make a 2,000 mile road trip in 2.5 days interesting, but we are doing the best we can. :)

We decided yesterday to put in as much time as we could today and we almost made it half way. We traveled 962 miles today in just over 15 hours (including a 30 minute lunch) and made our stop tonight in St. Louis, Missouri. Here is the progress on the map.

We started off in Paramus, NJ, after a restful night at the luxurious Holiday Inn Express. Here is dad in the car..if you look closely, he is actually wearing a seat belt! Sure, it only lasted a few hours, but hey, it was a small victory for those of us who worry about him never wearing one.

Here is a picture of what the first half of our drive looked like through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and most of Ohio. Trees and hills.

Here is a picture of what the second half of the drive looked like. Few trees and flat.

We made a quick video after about 10 hours...because we were bored and worried that we wouldn't be able to keep Lauren entertained with our post tonight.

Here we are on our arrival in St. Louis.

Another full day on the road tomorrow! We still have about 19 hours left, I am not sure how much we will get in tomorrow, at least 10 hours, maybe more... Time to go to bed!!

-Cim

Road Trip: Day 1

2008-10-22T22:18:00.007-04:00

Well, as many of you know, as part our relocation to Utah we needed to drive one of our cars from New York to Utah. Always looking for an excuse for a road trip, Dad was more than willing to make the trip with me. I thought it would be fun to keep a daily log of our trip on our blog.

So, today we flew from Salt Lake to Newark to pick up the car. We left Mom and Dad's house at about 8pm. We actually passed the moving truck carrying our stuff from NY on the way to the airport! Anyway, I was sure we would hit traffic (used to New York driving I guess), but we made it to the Salt Lake airport in less than 30 minutes. We arrived, parked, checked in, and were through security in no time. We had a little breakfast at the Dick Clark cafe in the airport...nothing like powdered eggs before a flight...yuck!!

The flight was good, very bumpy, but no real problems. Dad and I sat on aisle seats opposite each other so we could sit "next" to each other but still have aisle seats. Dad read an entire 200+ page book and didn't move once during the flight. I read several chapters of my Clive Cussler book and then finished watching movies on my video iPod.

Once we arrived in Newark, we didn't check any bags so we went right to the car and headed over to Yankee Stadium. Dad wanted to see the old stadium before it is demolished in a few months. Dad isn't a big fan of the Yankees, but loves baseball and its history. We walked around the stadium, took some pictures, and grabbed Dad a piece of the wall of the stadium.

We then met up with Ammon in the city for dinner at a great little Mexican restaurant called Salsa y Salsa. Dad had enchiladas and tried mole for the first time and I had a Chile Relleno which was excellent. Now, I am a little nervous that we both had Mexican food before our first day on the road...

From there, we headed to our hotel in Paramus, New Jersey. This will be the starting point of our trip.

We will be getting up tomorrow morning and heading out! Look for another update tomorrow!

Moving Fun! (ok, not really)

2008-10-18T16:30:00.008-04:00

I just wanted to take a quick second to make a post giving everyone an update on our move.

We just got back to the hotel from the house. Everything was packed up on Thursday and almost everything was loaded on Friday. Turns out they determine the amount of space allocated you on a truck based on estimated weight. Problem is we have a lot of big stuff that doesn't weigh a lot (can you say HUGE beanbags anyone?!) so...well, they ran out of space and another truck had to come this morning. They sure tried hard to get everything on, they even pulled out the ramps, set a piece of plywood across the back and strapped down a bunch of our stuff in an effort to get more on! It was the craziest thing I have seen in a while. I had Katie snap a picture with her phone (for insurance as well as story purposes), check it out.

Of course, I thought this was all kind of funny until I took a closer look at the picture and noticed that my Triathlon bike is one of the things strapped to the back! ARRGGGHHHH!!!!!

So, now my poor bike is strapped to the back of some freaking semi driving across the country with all the weather, road grime, and other things that could do damage! I was not a happy camper!

Anyway, we finished doing all the touch-up painting last night and cleaning the house. The carpet cleaner came this afternoon and I cleaned some windows. Finally, the house is ready to turn back over to our awesome landlord and we are ready to go.

We have been in a hotel with the kids since Thursday, the Comfort Inn and Suites (trying to be budget conscious, plus I don't like my kids destroying other people's nice property) and it isn't that bad.

They have been very hyper (as usual), but nothing that I didn't expect. They are a little out of their routine with all of the changes, but we are hoping to get everything settled down before the end of the month.

We have church tomorrow followed up by dinner at a friend's house. We leave for Utah on Monday morning at 7am. From there, things keep up the hectic pace. We expected to have our stuff not arrive until the 27th, but the driver told us Thursday that it will be there on the 22nd...which may not sound bad, except that I won't be there. I fly back to NY on Wednesday with Dad to get my other car and drive it back to Utah (about a 3-day drive) so Katie will have to oversee the unpacking and unloading by herself! Yeah, we aren't too excited about that.

I get back to Utah on the 25th or 26th with Dad and am there until the 31st when I have to go to San Francisco for work. I fly back to Utah from San Francisco on November 2nd and then leave back for New York on November 3rd (yes, the very next day) and am here until November 10th to finish up things here.

I also just got word that I will probably have to make one more trip out before Thanksgiving...oh boy, it just gets better and better! Can't wait for Christmas!

We want to thank all our family and friends for all their support. We will sorely miss living in NY but are excited to get back to our family and friends in Utah. I am going to do posts of my trip with dad across the U.S., so stay tuned!!

-Cim

Our New Home!

2008-10-02T10:18:00.005-04:00

After many hours driving around Utah County this past weekend, we have finally found our new home. We are just going to rent for a little while until things settle down with the economy, but we are really happy with the new home. We will be moving on October 20th and we will stay with Cim's parents in Orem until our stuff arrives. Then we will move to Springville, Utah. The home has 3900 sq ft and is very roomy which will be nice with our 4 crazy kids! It also already has a playground in the backyard and a built-in drinking fountain. I haven't decided if the drinking fountain is a good or bad thing yet considering how much my kids like to play in the water. Anyway, we are happy to be done searching and we are excited now to get packed up and go. Although we are not looking forward to another 5 hour flight with the kids to go back to Utah, it beats 4 days in the car!

Sticks and stones will break your bones...and so will the ground!

2008-09-22T21:38:00.002-04:00

We always thought the first broken bone among our children would probably happen to Joshua, but we were wrong. Today during recess Caitlyn was swinging on the playground and she fell off the swing onto the ground. At first she was more concerned about her lip which was bleeding. She went to see the nurse and Caitlyn also mentioned that her wrist was hurting, but it looked fine. So, back to class she went. About an hour later, Caitlyn's wrist was hurting more and it started to swell. So, the nurse called me and I went to pick her up from school. We went to the regular pediatrician first who looked at her wrist and then referred us to an Orthopedic Surgeon. It was swollen, but not displaced or anything and she wasn't crying or upset. She and Caleb (who was home from school with a cold) were even wrestling, as usual. Anyway, they took an x-ray and discovered a small crack in her wrist. She doesn't even have to have a cast. She just has to wear a wrist splint for three weeks. Oh yeah, and as every kid dreams, the break is on her right arm and she is right-handed. So, no writing at school or for homework. She wasn't exactly complaining about that. In fact, she wasn't complaining at all until I told her she couldn't take the brace off because there was a crack on the bone. Up until then she didn't really understand what had happened.
On a side note, there is one thing that I won't miss about New York which I was reminded of again today. I didn't have time to find someone to watch the other 3 kids while all this was going on. The doctor was about to go to lunch so we had to rush over there and the Ortho had said to send us right over after that. We were just running from one thing to another and my kids hadn't had lunch and it was Ellie's naptime, etc. So when the Ortho walked in he said, "Oh, are there any more kids running around here?" Now I know it's not fair to make generalizations about people, but I'm going to do it anyway. People in New York are children-a-phobic!!! Ok I know that's not even a real word. But, I am sick and tired of people thinking I am from another planet because I have 4 children. It's not that big a deal people! Get over it and I will try to do the same about you! Okay I'll get off my soapbox now. I'm going to bed, finally! Good night.

Update on the BIG MOVE!

2008-09-18T21:52:00.003-04:00

In case you haven't heard, Tahitian Noni, the company that Cim works for, is relocating us back to Utah. Cim will be starting a new position and will be working in Provo. So, I have spent countless hours looking online for homes and we are heading out to Utah next weekend on the 26th to look at homes. We will return on October 1st and will then have 2 weeks to get ready to move. Originally our plan was to fly out to Utah on the 18th, but we just found out that the Primary Sacrament Program is on the 19th, so we will probably leave on the 20th. We moved to New York exactly 3 years ago today! It was a huge adjustment at first and took some time to get use to the NY way of life, but it has grown on us and there are a lot of things we will miss. We have made some really wonderful friends here in our ward and we will really miss them. Fortunately, we know that most of them will visit Utah every once in a while, so we know we will see them again. We will really miss the schools and the special ed programs! Caleb only has 8 kids in his class here with 1 teacher and 5 assistants. Caitlyn only has 7 kids in her class with the teacher and 1 assistant. It will be hard to find those ratios in Utah schools. But, we really feel like moving back to Utah is the right thing to do. So, this adventure we call life continues! We will keep you all posted and let you know where we end up, when we know.

Joshua's 3rd Birthday!

2008-08-27T15:29:00.005-04:00

It's a small miracle I know, but Joshua survived to see his third birthday! There were days when I had my doubts that he would make it. Oh yeah, and I survived to see him turn three too! Even though he is 40 pounds and wears clothes the size of a 4 year old, I swear he's only three. We like to call him "mini-Cim" although there isn't a whole lot that is mini about him. Joshua loves all things animal and dinosaur and decided he wanted a "dinosaur birthday party". (Go ahead Wiggles fans, sing the song. I know it's hard to resist).

Here is the dinosaur birthday cake that I made.

Cim is lighting the candles and the volcano. These are Joshua's buddies here in New York. From left to right we have Cim, Max, Joshua, Mercer and Elliott.

Here's Joshua opening his present (sea life creatures).

Happy Birthday Joshua! I love you!

Happy Birthday to my Best Friend!

2008-08-20T15:49:00.002-04:00

Today is Cim's birthday and I just want to say how happy I am that he was born. Even though he is in Switzerland today without me, I still love him! :) Unfortunately I can't make any jokes about how old he is because, as he always reminds me, I am 2 years older than him. Well, I honestly don't know what I would do without my better half. I love you Cim and am so grateful for you. Thanks for making me laugh, for helping me through all the difficult times and for helping me to be a better mom, wife and person. Thank you for loving me in spite of all my weaknesses. Happy Birthday!

Birthdays and other stuff....

2008-07-26T22:00:00.019-04:00

Well, we are behind in our posting. Summer kind of gets a little crazy and these types of things tend to slip unless you are on top of them. Katie has been asking me for a few weeks to post pictures of the kids birthday party at their respective schools and since other things have happened since then, I figured on good post of everything would get me caught up. Hope you enjoy!

Caitlyn had an absolute blast at her birthday party at her school. She wanted a Cinderella theme, which the boys weren't to fond of...but she knew that going in and didn't care so we went with it. She was sooooooo happy, she couldn't stop smiling. She helped us hand out the cupcakes and treats to all her classmates and they all sat together and ate while Katie and I dolled out additional juice boxes and napkins as needed. Joshua wrote on the class white board with a Sharpie, you can see his legs at the top of the picture in the act....

As you can also tell, Joshua was enjoying the Cinderella cupcakes. If he has my genes, this may be the only moustache he ever grows.

We did the same party at Caleb's school (without the Cinderella theme). He had a great time as well. Caleb's good friend, Ryan who has Down's, is in the bottom-left of the picture. They are inseperable at school and we are glad they will have another year together.

And yes, Joshua did enjoy the cupcakes at Caleb's party as well. As you can see, he has graduated from the blue moustache to the full brown goatee.

4th of July
A few days after we celebrated the kids birthday it was the 4th of July. We did a simple bbq with some of the ward members who were still in town and then headed over to a local park for the town's fireworks show. There was a little carnival there and the kids rode rides for a few hours until the fireworks show started.

Here is a quick video clip of the fireworks show. Yes, it was raining and Caleb and Caitlyn weren't too excited about all the loud noise, but they handled it well and we all had a good time!

Trip to Utah

About a week after the 4th, Katie, Caitlyn, Joshua and Ellie flew to Utah. Caleb and I stayed behind for a few days so Caleb would miss less school, but joined them that following weekend. It was great to see everyone again and to let our kids reacquaint themselves with their cousins and grandparents. Dad has build a kid's wonderland in the backyard, with a fort, trampoline and sweet sandbox! The kids were in heaven!

This is a great picture of the "girls"...Ellie couldn't get up the ladder fast enough to be part of the shot.

Everyone know understands Ellie's obsession with ice and popsicles...

Joshua loved the sandbox! He is so into building things and has a very creative imagination and would spend hours in there playing and getting dirty!

Fish Lake

While we were in Utah, we split time between my parents house and Fish Lake. Fish Lake has been a gathering point for Katie's family for decades and is a tradition we try to participate in whenever possible. It was the first time that Joshua and Ellie had been there and they had a blast. Caleb and Caitlyn played with their cousins, got dirty, and had a good time as well. It is such a beautiful place.

Here is Caitlyn with Megan and Emma on the lake.

Ellie though that stumbling around the boat as it rocked from side-to-side was fun...until she fell and hit her head! This was taken before that took place....

Joshua loved being on the boat and immediately wanted to fish...

Jeremy (Katie's brother) let Joshua put a flat fish out the back of the boat first and within the first 5 minutes, he had caught his first fish. He was so determined to reel it in that he would only let me do it when his arms got tired, but then grab it right back when he had recovered. He was so excited about catching it!

Caitlyn also caught her first fish. However, she wasn't that excited about reeling it in so I did most of it and she was even less excited about getting close to it once it was in the boat. But hey, at least she caught one, right?

After Fish Lake, we returned back to my parent's house for a day to get ready to return home to NY. We got back Saturday afternoon and Katie and I were exhausted. I think family vacations aren't relaxing for the parents until the kids are a little older because it felt like I needed a vacation from my vacation. But we had fun and the kids had a blast and we hope to do it again soon. Thank you to Mom and Dad Carver and Mom and Dad Tomsik for all your hospitality!

-Cim

A new nephew!

2008-06-27T15:19:00.006-04:00

My sister Sarah had another baby boy on June 19th at 12:54 pm. Wyatt Gary Robinson weighed in at 7 lbs. 9 oz. and 20 inches long, tiny compared to her last one, Regan who weighed in at over 9 lbs! Sarah even asked the nurse to double check the weight because she didn't believe her. That makes 6 grandsons and 9 granddaughters for my mom and dad. Christmas is getting more expensive every year! :) Congratulations Rhett and Sarah!

Grandma Tomsik, big brother Ryan, baby Wyatt and big sister Regan

Proud Moments as a Parent!

2008-06-17T18:17:00.006-04:00

I have been so proud of Joshua because he recently accomplished potty training and he's not even three yet. And today, he learned how to apply his own lipstick and he is so proud of himself!

Cute, huh!

Then, last week the kids decided there was no need to dirty a swim suit when they wanted to go swimming, just wear what you have on at the time, shorts, skirts, pajamas, whatever.

Sometimes you just have to let them live a little!

Another Niece!

2008-06-16T13:05:00.004-04:00

My brother Jeremy and his wife Natalie welcomed girl number four on saturday, June 14th (Flag Day)! She was born at 12:03 pm and Jeremy almost missed the birth because he was in the drive-thru at Taco Bell when Natalie called and said it's time, get back to the hospital! He was trying to pick up some lunch for himself and the girls and they thought they still had a couple hours. Anyway, Hailey Noelle Tomsik arrived 11 days early at 7lbs. 14 oz. and 21 inches long! She is beautiful, of course, just like the other three girls! Congrats Jeremy and Natalie! We are so happy for you!
-Katie

Hailey Noelle Tomsik

Becca, Natalie, Emma, Hailey, Jeremy and Megan

My boy Caleb

2008-05-30T10:00:00.003-04:00

I have been meaning to write this posting for a couple weeks. I just haven't had time until now. And our camera isn't working so I haven't had any new pictures. Anyway, a couple weeks ago I had a meeting with Caleb's teachers and the school district people. Caleb is almost 9 years old and is in the third grade. We discussed how Caleb is doing in school and we reviewed his IEP which contains his goals and services for the year. He was put in a self-contained special ed classroom this year in a regular school instead of a special ed school like he was in before. It has been a really great year! When he started the year he couldn't write any letters or numbers. Now he can write his first and last name and most of the numbers and letters. He is even reading over 60 words now! As most of you know, he is a great athlete. He gets to play with the 5th graders at recess and lately they have been teaching him to play kickball. I am so grateful to those kind 5th graders who allow Caleb to play with them. It just so happens that Caleb's teacher is also the bowling coach for one of the local high schools and she was voted bowling coach of the year and she is in the bowling hall of fame. Well, about once a month Caleb's class gets to go on a field trip and they have gone bowling a few times so she has seen his skills. She told us that Caleb is an excellent bowler and that we need to get him in a league! We are pretty excited about this. It's an individual sport where Caleb won't have to worry about all the social rules and strategy that is involved in other sports. Anyway, they said he is a great kid and has a beautiful smile and I happen to agree! Even though I still have to change his diapers, I do really love my boy Caleb!

Katie

Cute Kids!

2008-04-28T19:19:00.007-04:00

Ellie and Joshua were looking cute before church. Look how mischievious Joshua is!

Ellie's first words were mama, dada, uh-oh and shoes! She loves her shoes!

Ellie and Caitlyn were very excited about their matching Cinderella pajamas! Can you tell? Well, at least, Caitlyn was.

This and That

2008-04-17T13:21:00.009-04:00

Joshua and Ellie on the swings in our backyard. They love to swing!

Spring has finally sprung!

2008-04-09T13:25:00.008-04:00

I didn't think Winter was ever going to go away! But, the proof is in the daffodills! Yeah! The kids played outside in the backyard and enjoyed a little sunshine. It was about 55 degrees outside and mostly sunny. Today is supposed to be closer to 60 and tomorrow around 70! We are so excited! Then the rain is going to return on friday, but we will enjoy it while we can.

Watch out Eli Manning! Caleb is coming after your job! These are really not the best videos of him throwing. He throws an awesome spiral!

New England Aquarium

2008-04-03T13:28:00.004-04:00

A couple weeks ago we went to Boston and we took the kids to the New England Aquarium and to the Dolphins and Whales IMAX 3-D movie. It was freezing cold outside, but it was a fun time inside. Caleb has a new obsession with Seals and Sea Lions, so he was excited to see them. Joshua loved the sharks and Caitlyn loved the gift shop! We were also really surprised at how excited Ellie was to see all the fish and other animals. But, her favorite part was the 3-D glasses at the movie!

Happy Easter

2008-04-03T13:17:00.004-04:00

Here are some pics from Easter. We had a really nice day. The Easter Bunny left some goodies for the kids and we had an Easter egg hunt which we didn't get any pictures of. Ammon came up for dinner and our friends haven't stopped talking about how good looking he is. I don't know why they are so surprised, they know he is Cim's brother. :)

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2008-03-11T16:47:00.005-04:00

For those of you who don't know, I love brownies. Especially the Ghirardelli ones with three different types of chocolate chips in them. So, I made some brownies for dessert on sunday and Joshua wanted to lick the bowl. So, I gave him the bowl and a spoon and I sat him down at the table. But, when I turned around Joshua wasn't the one licking the bowl. What can I say? Ellie has great taste!

Look at the handprint on the floor!

The Long and The Short of It!

2008-03-08T15:21:00.006-05:00

Ok, so here it is... Caitlyn's hair was long, at least longer, and now it is short! Caleb started the fun and excitement last sunday with some orange-handled scissors by chopping off the sides and front of Caitlyn's hair. Then the guy at supercuts was not so super, turning her mullet into a shag. So, we tried the kids' salon at the mall and all she did was trim the shag! AAGGHH! Not exactly what I had in mind. So, finally we made the trek into the city, where we should have gone in the first place and Ammon saved the day! So, here is the new Caitlyn:

Foof Chair Fun!!!

2008-02-08T12:51:00.000-05:00

We bought these Foof chairs a couple weeks ago. They are just big bean bags, not quite as soft as the love sacs, but they are fun! I was laughing really hard while I was trying to take these pictures, so some of the video is a little shaky. Enjoy!

Katie

Caitlyn really gets up there!

Air Cim - bad back? what bad back? Don't show this to his Physical Therapist!

Air Joshua! He refused to let go of the balloon.

Air Caleb!

67 CDs and DVDs!!!

2008-01-31T16:04:00.000-05:00

Our treadmill hadn't been working since we moved into our current home three months ago. I called customer support and they told me that sometimes wires will become disconnected in a move. They explained how to remove the motor cover to see if this is what happened. So, I removed the motor cover and made an amazing discovery! Not only was there about half a pound of paper but, there were 67, that's right, I counted, 67 CDs and DVDs inside the treadmill! Caleb thought it was really cool to put a disc on the treadmill and push on the belt and watch it disappear. So we have discovered one of the black holes of this household! The proof is in the pictures! Oh yeah, on a side note, the wires had been disconnected, so I reconnected them and fixed the treadmill and Cim said, "You are such a good husband Katie!"

-Katie

Glenn Beck's Tribute to President Hinckley

2008-01-31T10:40:00.000-05:00

I was touched by this and thought I would post it in case no one else had seen it.

For those of you unfamiliar with Glenn Beck, he is one of America's top radio personalities (with a TV news show that does quite well also). He is a convert, joining the church in 2000 after overcoming some major challenges in his life, both personal and professional (Google his bio if you would like).

Enjoy!

Ellie's First Birthday!

2008-01-24T11:31:00.000-05:00

I had one of those moments that make you feel old this past week.

As I was sitting on the stand in church looking down at Katie and the kids, it struck me...I have an eight year old son, a six year old girl, a two year old...and my baby, my little girl, just turned one. I am older than I think I am. The good news for me is that no matter how old I am...Katie will always be older. I anticipate that this fact alone should be sufficient enough to ward off any future mid-life crisis episodes.

Katie and I have an unwritten, but verbally agreed upon rule: We never discuss having more children until the youngest completes their first birthday (there was no real discussion before Ellie was concieved...she didn't have the patience to wait for her parents). This rule allows us to; hopefully, make a decision based upon promptings of the Spirit regarding our family and not from the emotianally driven desire to sleep, not change another diaper, or the fear of having one more screaming voice added to the already rock-concert-decible-level we have in our home on a daily basis.

In years past, this has worked well for us and every time, at about the youngest one's first birthday, we would start to get those little feelings, fleeting thoughts and impressions, that there were more members of our clan in the wings, waiting for their turn to join us.

But this time...it has been different.

As Ellie's birthday has come and gone, Katie and I both have not experienced those same indications we have had in the past. Maybe that means we have our crew, that the phase of bringing them into the world has passed and the next phase is beginning. Maybe not, I think it is still to early to tell.

Part of me is excited about moving on to the next phase, anxious to watch my family grow, excited to build memories and do all that I can to raise children of integrity and character. But there is another part of me, to be honest, a bigger part of me, who is hoping that it isn't so. As I watch my little girl Ellie grow, see her learn to interact with her world, see the unconditional love she has for her parents and siblings (that is definetly tested), I loathe even the thought that this phase may be over.

Already I see the innnocence of youth starting to fade in the eyes and hearts of my older children, not much, but a little...in ways that maybe only a parent would notice. I know that in the not to far distant future, I won't be greeted by a chorus of "DADDY!!!!" when I get home from work followed by the patter of little feet running up to give me a hug. Soon, my boys won't jump at the chance to go with me to the store just to get milk because it is fun to ride in "dad's car". My little girl won't be interested in having my undivided attention for hours on end to just talk about the random things in her life, nor will she run up and beg and plead for me to tickle her. I know all these things fade with time, and the side of me that fears change more than anything continues to grab onto those moments and hold on for as long as possible.

I am comforted to know that there will be other great things that take their place as they grow...but since I don't know what those things are, it is hard to take comfort in them just yet. There is so much joy in watching your kids grow up, but there is also an element of sadness as each year, as they blow out the candles on their cake, you realize that they are getting older and things are changing.

Ellie, my little baby, I love you. I am so proud of you and excited to see what the future holds for you. Just as with your brothers and sister, you will have excuse your overly-sentimental father when he gets like this.

A parent's love is always torn between the consistent drive to protect and shelter their children and the knowledge that they need to give them room to grow and experience life for themselves. I hope that you will know someday that, inspite of our inperfections, your parents try with all their might to teach you right from wrong, to help you understand the value of work, to built your testimony and your relationship with your Father in Heaven, to value honesty and integrity, to be kind to those around you, and to always try to leave anything you touch better than how you found it. And that to do this, and then have the strength and courage to allow you to experience it on your own and grow, to mess up and let you pick yourself up and keep going, is a demonstration of our love and care for you and your brothers and sisters.

Happy birthday my little baby girl!

Tahiti baby!!!

2007-11-16T03:19:00.000-05:00

Well, somehow we pulled it off. We managed to actually leave our kids for over 10 days and enjoyed some R&R...I mean work...in Tahiti. It was an incredible trip and we really enjoyed ourselves.

Here we are on our way to the island of Moorea on the Ferry.

This is Cook's Bay, one of the two main bays on Moorea

Here we are at Opanohu bay, the other main bay on Moorea.

This is point Belvedere, the two main bays are on each side of the mountain in the back

Here is Katie in front of a noni tree...

We rode these little buggies around Moorea...it was awesome..check the videos for more.

It was a little painful...but we managed to climb the coconut tree for this picture...

Here is Katie at the docks of our hotel as we headed out to the "motu" a small uninhabited island for lunch.

A Tahitian sunset...beautiful.

Here we are at an orphanage that our company helps sponsor...check out their backyard.

One of many waterfalls on the island of Tahiti.

This is a Tiki burger..imagine a Big Mac on freaking steroids. Two 1/3 patties, two mostly raw eggs, four strips of fairly raw bacon, two pieces of cheese, tomatoes...basically 700,000 calories in one bite....I had to try it...no, I didn't finish it.

Here we are at the temple in Tahiti...it was beautiful.

The videos...

Here we are on the ferry on our way to Moorea

Here is our hotel "room" on Moorea...nice!

Cruzing on the road in our buggie...

Off roading in the buggie...it was a little bumpy...

Hanging with the rays on the motu in Moorea

Tahitian sunset...

These are called "Jack" fish. A local restaurant on Tahiti keeps a bunch of them in a pen outside their restaurant and uses them as...well, a garbage disposal. They are super agressive carniverous fish....imagine a freaking HUGE parana. They feed them all of their organic scraps.

Cool Tahitian fire dance...

Here is Katie on our cruise with the dolphins...it was really cool.

Halloween 2007

2007-11-16T01:33:00.000-05:00

Ok, believe it or not...I have actually found time to post! Sorry for the absence, things have been pretty crazy around here lately. Good news, the new office is up and running, we have moved, and we were able to get to Tahiti and back (see the previous post)...so hopefully things will calm down!

Anyway, here are some pictures and sweet videos from Halloween.

Ellie the elephant at Caleb's Halloween parade.

Moe (Joshua) & Deedee (Caitlyn) ready to trick or treat.

Yes...I am a freaking good looking man

Ellie sporting my hot mullet

Here are some videos....the first one is my favorite

Hope you enjoyed them!

Chose to be grateful

2007-09-27T14:56:00.000-04:00

I came across an article that really hit home with me and I thought I would post it for all of you to read. It was written by a man named Craig R. Smith. He is the CEO of Swiss American Trading Corporation, a US investment firm as well as an author and a bunch of other stuff that is pretty cool. You can read about him HERE.

Anyway, he wrote this article at about this same time last year so maybe a lot of you have seen it already, but if you haven't, I would highly recommend taking 5 minutes and reading it.

Here it goes:

"The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe.

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3rd of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I starting thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.
Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they are going to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife but if he did … insane!

Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

I close with one of my favorite quotes from B.C. Forbes in 1953:

"What have Americans to be thankful for? More than any other people on the earth, we enjoy complete religious freedom, political freedom, social freedom. Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of the United States, 'the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.' Yes, we Americans of today have been bequeathed a noble heritage. Let us pray that we may hand it down unsullied to our children and theirs."

I suggest this Thanksgiving we sit back and count our blessings for all we have. If we don't, what we have will be taken away. Then we will have to explain to future generations why we squandered such blessing and abundance. If we are not careful this generation will be known as the ''greediest and most ungrateful generation.'' A far cry from the proud Americans of the ''greatest generation'' who left us an untarnished legacy."

Very good stuff! Keep the number of positive inputs in your life much greater than the negative ones...there is so much to be thankful for!

-Cim

California Dreamin'

2007-09-07T22:13:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from our little family vacation to California. I don't know how Katie's parents put up with us for so long, but it was great to spend so much time with them! Enjoy the pictures!

Here are the kids with Goofy. They really had a lot of fun seeing all the characters.

A little video of the ride "Its a Small World"

Caitlyn was absolutely in love with being able to meet all the princeses. I don't think her grin could be any bigger.

Ellie really loved the Playhouse Disney show...as did Katie.

Joshua was looking to cool down after spending almost 12 hours at Disneyland.

Here we are cruzin' at the Santa Monica pier.

Joshua seeing the ocean for the very first time...and enjoying some icecream.

Joshua still enjoying the ice cream, or what was left of it.

Here we are at the Santa Monica beach, it was sooooo hot they couldn't even stand on the sand.

Here are a few of us at the LA Zoo...in case you were wondering, it was insanely hot there as well!

Hope you all enjoyed the pictures! We look forward to seeing everyone (well, almost everyone) at Christmas!!

-Cim

Caleb's Baptism

2007-08-26T20:23:00.001-04:00

We had a wonderful experience yesterday. As many of you know, we baptized Caleb yesterday during our family vacation to California. We were so honored and happy to have so many of our family with us and grateful that they shared that experience with us.

Earlier this year when Katie and I started to discuss Caleb turning eight, we were unsure if we would baptise Caleb this year or not. Caleb isn't nearly as comfortable in the water as Caitlyn is and we wanted to try and make the experience a positive one for him. We decided earlier this year that we would proceed forward with everything and began talking about baptism in detail during our Family Home Evenings.

The day before the baptism, we were able to spend some time in a swimming pool at Mari and Chris' house where Caleb and I were able to do some practice runs. I quickly discovered that the best way to do the baptism was to wrap my arms around Caleb and have him hold on to me then whisper "1-2-3" in his ear and sit down in the water until we were both submerged. With his arms wrapped around me, he had the confidence to actually let his head go all the way under the water.

The day of the baptism went very smooth. We prepared a simple program that you can see HERE and ran a few errands. We got Caleb dressed in the suit that I purchased for him about 6 years ago while I was in Mexico (I had no idea about kid sizes back then) and he was looking sharp! While he was getting dressed, he started to get a little nervous and was unsure about everything, but we pressed forward. When we got to the church, Caleb's nerves had increased to some serious anxiety, but he was still hanging in there. I showed him the font and gave him a quick run-through of everything.

We got Caleb dressed in his baptism clothes and Jeremy got dressed as well. Jeremy was going to be in the font with me to help make sure that all of Caleb made it under the water the first time and we were very grateful for Jeremy's willingness to get wet to help us out! Since I was conducting the program, I didn't get changed at first. We began the service with a song, prayer, and a simple talk by Grandma Tomsik (see program). During the talk, I slipped out and changed into the baptism clothes and was amazed just how good looking I was even in a 1960's white jumpsuit with a moderate case of camel toe. :-)

After getting dressed, I headed back to the primary room where Mom Tomsik was just finishing her talk. From there, we proceeded to the baptismal font. Caleb got really nervous at this point. He was hesitant to get in the water and I was afraid for just a moment that all this attention may be too much for him. I stepped in the water, and with a firm grip on Caleb's hand, I guided him in the water and as soon as he felt that the water was warm, he relaxed a bit and joined me in the font. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, all our training kicked into gear and Caleb started putting his own head under water and I had to tell him a few times that he needed to wait for the prayer!

The baptism went very smoothly, we only had to do it one time and Caleb did a great job. It was such a relief to have had everything go smoothly, I hope he will carry positive memories from the experience, I know I will.

After the baptism, we got dressed again and Caleb was noticeably relaxed and in a very good mood. We rejoined the group in the Primary room and finished the program with another talk by Grandma Carver and the confirmation of the Holy Ghost. It was a very spiritual program and I think everyone in attendance was edified, I know I was at least.

After the program, we all went to the gym to have dinner and celebrate the August birthdays in attendance. It was a great end to a great day. Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers on Caleb's behalf, he is so lucky to have the family that he has!

-Cim

Caleb is looking sweet in his new suit!!!

A quick group photo before starting the program. You can see from Caleb's face that he is a little anxious.

Mom and Dad Carver were there to support the baptism of their first grandchild.

Chris and Mari made the drive as well and it was great to have them there. We were so glad we were able to use their pool to practice with Caleb, it really made such a difference!

Here we are just before the beginning of the program. Caleb really is nervous right now, but he was hanging in there and doing great!

Here is Joshua opening one of his presents; a Diego helmet!

Stand for Something

2007-08-06T11:10:00.000-04:00

Well, I have been working on another "soap box" post in all my free time (believe it or not, I do actually put some thought into those things), but the Daily Gems email from the Church had one of my favorite quotes from Elder Uchtdorf and I decided that it was definitely worth of a quick post.

"When we bear testimony, we declare the absolute truth of the gospel message. In a time when many perceive truth as relative, a declaration of absolute truth is not very popular, nor does it seem politically correct or opportune. Testimonies of things how 'they really are' (Jacob 4:13) are bold, true, and vital because they have eternal consequences for mankind. Satan wouldn't mind if we declared the message of our faith and gospel doctrine as negotiable according to circumstances. Our firm conviction of gospel truth is an anchor in our lives; it is steady and reliable as the North Star. A testimony is very personal and may be a little different for each of us, because everyone is a unique person."

As we progress down the road we are on as a society, the fear of absolutes will only increase. Absolute truth is intimidating, it is a hard pill for some to swallow, it eliminates the gray area where justification and rationalization of wrong thrive. Because there is no gray area, a person really must decide who they are and what they stand for. You can't fence sit and this often makes people feel uneasy.

Having the courage to stand for something, to not succumb to the cultural pressures to conform to a world of relative truth, will be increasingly more important as the years pass. Having values and standards is not elitist, it is not wrong, it is not something that we should ever apologize for in any way. These same standards and values that make us a peculiar people are our anchor point that holds us firm in a world thrown about by the volatile whims of special interest groups and an increasingly unreliable and unbalanced media.

Ok, I have to go catch my plane. Hope everyone is doing well!

-Cim

Trip to Upstate NY

2007-07-24T00:53:00.000-04:00

Well, as I have briefly mentioned a few times on this blog, we had a trip planned to upstate New York this month. We made this trip last week, and in spite of a nasty virus that made everyone sick, we had a great time. There are a TON of pictures to share and a few videos, so I won't waste any more time blabbing here. Remember, you can click on any of the pictures to see a larger version. Enjoy!

Day 1 - The Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY

Here we are at the entrance of the Baseball Hall of Fame. It was an absolutely amazing experience! I have no idea what the cow was for, but it looked like a great spot for a picture.

The week after our trip, the Hall of Fame was inducting its two newest members: Tony Gywnn and Cal Ripken Jr. They had a display for each of them at the entrance.

Here are the boys at the plaques of the very first players inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1936. Top left: Christy Mathewson, bottom left: Babe Ruth, center: Ty Cobb, top right: Honus Wagner, bottom right: Walter Johnson.

Joshua at the kids area in the Hall of Fame.

Here are Caleb and Joshua standing next to Lou Gherig's locker. It was his real locker with his actual uniform, glove, shoes, etc...

Here we are sitting on benches taken from a stadium I can't remember, but am sure is historically significant.

This is at the exit of the Hall of Fame. We needed a quick photo with the Babe.

This is Doubleday Field, where the game of baseball was invented by General Abner Doubleday. They still play baseball on the field today.

Doubleday Field

Day 2 - Church Historical Sites: Palmyra, NY

This is the Smith's log cabin. It was rebuilt after 20 years of research to determine the exact location, size, and style of the cabin. They built it in the winter, just like the Smith family did, only using tools and methods that the Smith's would have used. There are no nails, screws, or anything of the sort...it is pretty amazing. The top of this cabin is where Joseph slept and where the Angel Moroni appeared to him to tell him about the plates. Behind this cabin is the Sacred Grove.

This is the back of the log cabin. Katie and Caleb just finished taking a look around.

This is the "Frame House", that the Smith's oldest son Alvin started to build for the family. Alvin died before he could finish it and the family finished it later. They lived here for a short while before they were, well, basically ripped off and forced to move back into their log home which is located about 300 yards away.

We are on the path between the log home and the frame home and saw this great view of the Palmyra Temple. The Smith's originally owned 100 acres of land and the temple, along with the Stake Center, is built on that land.

Here is another shot of the temple.

Here we are just outside the Sacred Grove. It was a really, really amazing experience to be there!

Here is a quick video of us about to enter the Sacred Grove. Joshua is very excited to see the monkeys in the grove...I had no idea there were monkeys in the Sacred Grove, but Joshua was convinced. Oh, and if you can't tell, Caitlyn isn't feeling very good...

Katie and Joshua walking through the Sacred Grove.

I imagine that what Joseph saw looked something like this, but just a little bit brighter... :)

Me and the babies in the Sacred Grove.

Um, yes, she is cute.

More chillin' in the Grove...

This is the location where the first edition of the Book of Mormon was printed. Martin Harris, who lived up the road about a mile, mortgaged his property to pay for the initial printing.

Here are Katie, Caitlyn, and Ellie on top of the Hill Cumorah at the memorial.

This is a statue of the Angel Moroni on top of the Hill Cumorah. Pretty cool.

So, we got to the pageant about four hours before it started, we got good seats, but the kids did lose it after a while from all the waiting...

Here is the stage for the pageant. It was huge!

Here is one of the final parts of the pageant when Christ appears to the Nephites.

Day 3 - Niagara Falls: Ontario, CA

Here are Katie and the kids in front of the American Falls. There are two, separate falls that make up the Niagara Falls. The first is on the American side of the boarder and the second is on the Canadian side, called the Horseshoe Falls because of its horseshoe shape. The pictures don't do it justice!

Here are the American Falls again.

Here is a picture of the Canadian Horseshoe falls. You can see the boat, the "Made of the Mist" at the base of the falls.

This picture shows you the location of both falls. Pretty amazing!

Here is a quick video of us at the falls.

Here we are at the falls...

Ellie got tired of walking and made me carry her on my shoulders...she is so lazy!

A shot of Katie and the kids near the Horseshoe Falls.

The Horseshoe Falls...absolutely incredible.

This was the place we ate dinner. It was called the Rainforest Cafe and it had all these really cool animals that would move and make noise. The kids loved it, but the food absolutely sucked.

Well, that is everything! It was a blast!

-Cim

Elizabeth is sitting up!

2007-07-19T09:48:00.000-04:00

Ellie just crossed another milestone in her development, she is sitting up! As you can tell from the video, she absolutely loves it!

We are off on our three day journey to upstate New York in about 20 minutes, but I wanted to post this quickly before we left. There will be pictures of our trip posted on Sunday.

Enjoy!
-Cim

Fourth of July

2007-07-15T19:54:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know the Fourth of July was a few weeks ago, but I thought I should post a few pictures of what we did for the holiday.

Originally, we had planned a pool party for the kids followed up by a nice barbecue on the grill for the adults. However, the morning greeted us with overcast skies and cooler than anticipated weather. Pool party cancelled.

At least we were able to get our family pictures taken care of. Please know that the idea for matching shirts was Katie's and not mine.

Shortly after the family pictures were taken, it began to rain. It was a light rain at first, but before long it was raining buckets. I was not about to let a little rain slow me down, so I grabbed an umbrella and worked the grill. All were fed and went home semi-soggy, but happy.

A few days later, we went up to West Point for their annual fireworks show. It was impressive to say the least and I remembered how cool big fireworks shows were. We will be going next year.

Here is our family picture. Notice the matching shirts....and the bumper of the car on the left side of the picture. It is actually a very nice picture, I can't believe that all the kids are looking in the direction of the camera.

Katie and Ellie in a candid shot after the family picture.

Joshua is a very good big brother to Ellie. He can be a little rough, but he means well.

Joshua hanging out next to the fence covered in bird turd.

Joshua is your typical active two-year old...he loves to play!

Caleb loves to play ball and he got a Spiderman football for his birthday which he completely loves. You can't be over at the house more than 5 minutes without him asking to play catch with you. Great little kid!

Caitlyn and Ellie, the sisters!

Rain was not going to stop the cookout! The hard part was the smoke that would get trapped by the umbrella and sting my eyes.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! We are heading to our little vacation in upstate New York this next week, so I will be posting more pictures soon!

-Cim

The Peanut Gallery...

2007-07-09T00:09:00.000-04:00

Careful…I am on my soapbox today…

A few days ago I was watching TV while getting ready for bed. A well known celebrity was being interviewed and was discussing Paris Hilton and her whole mess. I can't believe that whole situation was such a story...I have no idea why people care about it, but apparently somebody does because it got more press than anything else for a few days. Anyway, towards the end of the interview, the celebrity was asked what they thought about President Bush. Before she even answered, I knew what she was going to say: "I think he is an idiot, a complete idiot". The interviewer then asked her why she felt that way, to which this celebrity responded "I don't know, he just isn't doing a very good job and is making a lot of people mad". She had no idea why she thought he was an idiot; it was just the fashionable thing to say.

I don't want to get into a political tirade here as I believe that everyone has their right to their own opinion and having strong opinions on both sides is healthy for a democratic system. But, I have a pet peeve, something that bothers me, call it a weakness if you will, but as I listened to this celebrity pontificating as if she were an expert, the frustration from this weakness came roaring to life and all I could think of was…

Oh no, the Peanut Gallery had struck again...

Everything is always easier for people in the Peanut Gallery because they pass judgment on things that they have no real responsibility over. The Peanut Gallery are comprised of people who prefer to keep themselves out of the fray, to keep their hands clean of decisions to be made or any real involvement, but have no problem sitting in the safety of the gallery and passing judgment on those responsible for making decisions and judging their actions while ignoring their own inactivity.

The people in the Peanut Gallery generally do not get involved and have no idea what it takes to be a decision maker, to be the one who understands that not everyone can be satisfied but a decision still has to be made. While they don't really understand the entire picture or have the information that the decision makers have when a decision is made, they still feel like they have all the answers and that the decision makers are unwise for not considering a course of action they deem more prudent through their uninformed opinion. These people rarely, if ever, acknowledge the fact that they don't possess all the facts and present their opinions as common sense, even though their common sense is absent of complete information.

Don't get me wrong, I believe strongly that we are all entitled to our own opinion and I believe we should be able to express that opinion. However, if you are going to express your opinion about others and their actions or decisions, you should also be responsible enough to also admit you are not in possession of all the facts or take the time to get the facts before you represent your argument as being the only sound one available.

The Peanut Gallery is not limited to politics, in fact, more often than not, the worst Peanut Galleries are found in groups that continually engage in idle gossip. To be honest, these Peanut Galleries of gossip are the ones that bother me the most.

There is not one instance, that I can think of, where engaging in gossip does not place you in the middle of the Peanut Gallery...and a very damaging Peanut Gallery at that. Gossip is often full of speculation; inaccurate facts based mostly on emotion, and sensationalized bits of information; often allowing the Peanut Gallery participants to feel that they are just discussing facts and not engaging in gossip. Gossiping is damaging to the Peanut Gallery members as well as the subjects of the gossip.

Often, it is quoted from the scriptures that we shouldn't judge. This isn't completely true. It says we are not to make an unrighteous judgment. This is an important clarification that is key in relation to belonging to the Peanut Gallery with your opinion or not. We have to judge every day, to determine what is right and wrong, to determine what we want to allow into our lives and what we don't and so on. In fact, exercising our free agency, in a lot of ways, depends on our ability to make righteous judgments and choose the right as we overcome temptation and the carnal urgings of the natural man. However, once you have made that decision for yourself, expressing that decision to others is one thing; passing judgment on someone else's ability or perceived inability to make the same decision is where we get tripped up. This is where self-righteous pride enters in and can be at the root of many of the Peanut Gallery's weaknesses. Remember, President Benson said that there is no such thing as righteous pride. The path of any form of pride will eventually lead away from our Heavenly Father. The Peanut Gallery’s most damaging effect is the creation of pride amongst its members and is the damning part of gossip. I have found in my own life and in the life of others that frequently when we participate in the Peanut Gallery and gossip about others, our Heavenly Father allows us to pass through trials and challenges similar to the ones we were critical of in our gossip. I think he does this to teach us this principle…that it is easy to be in the Peanut Gallery, but you never know what it is like to walk in someone’s shoes, so forgive your fellow man, love them, be patient and long suffering and let Him be the one who passes judgment.

So, the next time we find ourselves tempted to engage in gossip, or find ourselves tempted to ridicule the decisions of others, let's take just a moment and make sure we aren't allowing ourselves to be a part of the Peanut Gallery. What you are most critical of in others today just may be what you have to endure yourself tomorrow.

Wow, I feel better.

-Cim

Trip to Philadelphia

2007-07-01T23:35:00.001-04:00

Well, it has been a crazy week for us. Katie left for Utah on Tuesday for her Grandpa's funeral. She reports that everything went very well and she had a wonderful time with her family as they celebrated the life of her grandfather.

Back on the home front, I was doing my best to keep the chaos under control and handle the situations that arose at work as best as I could. Joshua had a hard time not having his mom here and didn't sleep well..consequently, neither did I. But it was a great opportunity to spend some time with the kids that I normally don't get the chance to do.

We left here to pick up Katie from the airport on Thursday morning. Because of the cost of the tickets, it was cheaper to have her return flight go through D.C. Anyway, we picked her up at about 4:30 in, a four hour drive from our house here in New York, then we made the two hour trip from D.C. to Philadelphia where we were going to enjoy a little weekend together.

The kids were absolutely thrilled with the idea of staying in a hotel...with a pool! We were in the hotel less than 10 minutes before we were in the pool. The water was very, very cold so when I say "we" were in the pool I mean I was in the pool trying to coax the kids in with me. It was fun. We ordered some pizza and had a picnic on the hotel room floor...I felt really bad for the person who had to clean the room the next day.

Friday was overcast and raining and we went to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in the morning and then we headed to the Sesame Place, a relatively small water and amusement park based on Sesame Street that afternoon. We didn't get in the water on Friday, as it was too cold, but we did go on several of the rides and had a great time!

Saturday, I headed over to a work meeting I had in the morning while Katie and the kids packed up the van and got some breakfast. After the meeting, we headed back to the Sesame Place. This time, we were dressed for some water fun. The place was PACKED, almost to the point where you really couldn't do anything so we didn't last long. The kids were tired, and, well, so were Katie and I.

The drive home was uneventful...oh, except for the fact that Ellie cried the entire time! Man, I can't wait to get back to work on Monday! :)

Here are a few pictures and a video from our trip! Enjoy!

Here are Katie and the kids in front of Independence Hall. Caitlyn was really determined to make a frownie face and Caleb was avoiding the picture as best as he could, but we still got it!

Ellie is enjoying the time outside at Independence Hall.

Joshua didn't really understand what Independence Hall was...but he was having a good time anyway!

Katie and the kids at the Liberty Bell. We were in line for about 30 minutes before we got in and there were a lot of people there, so the kids, who were thoroughly unimpressed by this piece of American History, were ready to leave before we even got there...but we were determined to get the picture (note the look of frustration on Katie's face).

Here we are at the entrance to Sesame Place. Notice how much happier the kids are here...apparently Elmo has more of a positive impact on them than the history of our country.

Cruisin' at Sesame Place.

While Caleb and Caitlyn weren't too excited about the characters walking around, Joshua loved every minute of it.

Caitlyn on the big slide! She is growing up so fast!!

More character pictures. Caitlyn has a nice smile in this picture and Caleb, well...he wasn't that excited to be there.

Ellie had a lot of fun, she was in a good mood that day!

Ellie and mom playing at Sesame Place.

More character pictures. Caitlyn, in spite of her fears, really wanted to get a picture with Elmo.

Swimming on Saturday. I don't know who is better looking here, me or Ellie...ok, it is probably Ellie.

The water was so cold...but that didn't stop the kids

We had a great time in the water and the kids slept great that night!

Our quick to Philadelphia was a lot of fun. It was definitely tiring, but hopefully the kids had a good time and were able to build some fun memories. We are looking forward to our upcoming trip to Palmyra to see the Church history sites, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and Niagara Falls next month!

Ellie the Spitter

2007-06-27T10:06:00.000-04:00

Ellie has picked up this habit (from Katie) of spitting and blowing bubbles. It is actually pretty cute (when Ellie does it, when Katie does it, well, it is kind of unnerving). Anyway, thought I would post a quick video of it...enjoy!

Its a Party!!

2007-06-26T00:27:00.000-04:00

My last few posts have been...well, a little bit like a sacrament meeting talk. So, I promised myself that I would keep my next post more simple.

We just celebrated Caleb and Caitlyn's birthday this past Sunday and it was a lot of fun. Because it was Sunday, we tried to keep it a pretty low key, well...at least we tried. As is the custom, we fed the missionaries dinner before the party started. We tried pork chops for the first time and they didn't turn out that bad...Anyway, after dinner, some of the kids friends from the ward came over to join us for some cake and a few little party things. We asked everyone to please not bring gifts because, well, our kids already have too much crap they don't play with.

Caleb and Caitlyn both have been talking about their birthdays for months now. We tried to give them both their own party, even though we were combining them. Caleb's was a Blue's Clues theme and Caitlyn's was a Barbie theme. We had the kids decorate some bags with stickers, crayons, etc, so they would have something to put the candy in from the pinata. After the mad dash for the candy (see the pics), we had the kids blow out the candles on the cupcakes and unwrap the few presents that we had for them.

Anyway, it was fun...enjoy the pics! If you click on the picture, it will open up a larger image so you can see it better.

Here I am with Ellie waiting for the craziness to begin. It is nice to actually get a picture of myself with the kids every once in a while...usually I am the man behind the camera but this time I had one of the missionaries taking the pictures.

Here are the kids decorating their bags before busting up the pinata.

More craziness at the table decorating bags. There was some real art being created!

Joshua just keeps on growing. Even though he isn't quite two yet, he keeps up with all the kids that are older than him just fine.

More action at the tables. I absolutely love the fact that we are able to have the missionaries over every Sunday. I love my kids being able to see them and be around them.

Here is Caitlyn heading to the pinatas..looking a little worn out!

I cannot believe that he is 8 years old....Happy Birthday buddy, you are such an example to me. Thank you for being you and for the joy you bring to our home through you happy spirit.

Here we are preparing to bust open the Barbie pinata. Katie sees something wrong with mercilessly beating the tar out of figures that our children watch on TV...so we get these wuzzy pull-string kind...I guess it is better to pull on Blue's tail until his guts bust open and his entrails (in the form of candy) fall out then beat him till his head falls off...

Here is Blue...with all his entrails still in his body. He has no idea what is about to happen. Poor little puppy.

If you are a dentist, this is what you call job security. I actually had to kick the missionaries out of the fray as they were stealing all the kids' candy. They said they were just getting the bubble gum, but we all know you can never trust the missionaries. :-)

I just took this picture earlier this evening. I think the kids love it when Dad is in charge of dinner. I had a clear strategy. Bring out the pool, make them play in the water and sun for 2-3 hours, order pizza that we would eat on the lawn with all plastic ware, put the kids to bed early and enjoy a quiet evening. Well, the first part went well, the pizza was good, Caleb and Caitlyn went to bed early, but Joshua didn't go to bed until 11pm! He misses his mommy, he kept asking for her (she is in Utah right now for her Grandpa's funeral).

-Cim

The Backdoor Curveball...

2007-06-21T23:54:00.000-04:00

We are currently going through an unexpected family event. Katie's grandfather experienced a very serious stroke earlier this week and is not expected to make it. I have now received two phone calls from Katie with this type of news. The first one was in 1998 when her grandmother unexpectedly passed away, and then on Monday when she called me about the news of her Grandpa. We love you Grandpa and, while it hurts to think we will be seperated for a season, we know you are anxious to see Grandma again and you have work waiting for you. Your example and legacy has left a clear path for your posterity to follow and we will honor you by staying true to the things you taught us.

My love and admiration for my wife is something for which words are insufficient, and watching how she handles these moments makes those feelings even deeper. How I got this lucky, I will never know...aside from being extremely good looking, I don't bring much else into our relationship. Grandpa, you will never have to worry about your granddaughter deviating from the straight and narrow, I just hope we can keep up with her.

As I have been thinking about this unexpected event in our lives, my mind has been marinating on the role of challenges and trials in our lives and their refining and humbling role in our time here on earth. So, as is now my custom, I thought I would right some of these thoughts down on this blog.

When I was learning how to play baseball, I remember a moment of truth for me was finally figuring out how to hit a curveball. That slow, bending pitch required a certain discipline to first recognize it for what it was and then react accordingly. While I wasn't successful at hitting it all the time, I hit it more than I missed it...except for the backdoor curveball. The backdoor curveball was my kryptonite, my Achilles heel. As a right-handed hitter, this pitch was thrown by a left-handed pitcher and started outside the strike zone only to break across the outside of the plate at the last minute. It seemed that no matter how prepared I thought I was, this pitch always caught me by surprise and left me feeling frustrated as I walked back to the dugout.

Sometimes, when the unexpected bumps in life come our way, we say that life is throwing us curveballs. Being a baseball fan, I like and really appreciate this analogy. I think that life's curveballs are a vital part of our probationary time here on earth and are critical to our progress. I believe we grow the most through our trials as they stretch us and pull us to win our battle with the urges of the 'natural man'. These curveballs are often the salt of life, the things that, while not always pleasant, build character, develop self-confidence, and teach us lessons through necessary experiences. Just like my experience with baseball, when we have this understanding, I think we can learn to how to handle these types of curveball trials when they are thrown at us. We understand what they are, we can recognize them when they come, and eventually, we are able to successfully go through them more than we let them beat us.

But then...one of those freaking backdoor curveballs of life comes our way.

Sometimes they come out of the blue; sometimes they sneak up on us, and sometimes they come as a result of the accumulation of several smaller of life's curveballs we may have missed. Regardless of the reason, when we are in life's batter's box and one of these backdoor curveballs comes our way, it seems like no matter how prepared we are, it catches us completely unaware as it is aimed directly at where we are the weakest. These are the monster trials of faith that attack our testimony, that weaken our resolve, whose shockwaves resonate in all areas of our live and whose tremors can be felt by those around us. They instantly make a sunny day cloudy, a positive outlook turn pessimistic, and erode self-confidence.

For each of us, these backdoor curveballs are different as each of us have unique weaknesses. Unfortunately our older brother, Satan, knows us well. He understands what our weaknesses are and just how to throw it at us to try to bring us down. Overcoming these trials can take days, weeks, months, or even years. Personally, I believe that we all have a certain number of backdoor curveballs we will face in our life, and that we agreed to stand in the batter's box and face them before we came to this earth. We knew that we would have to face them and overcome them to achieve our ultimate goal of returning home to live with Him once again.

These trails are necessary, they expose our areas of greatest weakness with the ultimate goal of "making weak things strong" for us (Ether 12:27) and to help us understand that we are our strongest when we humble ourselves enough to keep our will in line with the Father's...how quickly we tend to forget that his goal for us, his entire purpose for us, is to bring to pass our eternal progress (Moses 1:39).

From my own experience with these backdoor curveballs of life, I believe it is critical to always have this eternal perspective if we hope to handle this type of trial. We have to understand why these types of things happen and have the faith to believe that our job isn't:

to question why and demand an answer of Him
to curse god and question His plan for us
to feel like a victim
to feel sorry for ourselves
to spread misery to others
to distance ourselves from the things we have always known to be right
to use it to leverage sympathy and pity from the world
to hide and hope it all goes away

In fact, when we do this, we are fulfilling the aims of the 'pitcher' who throws those curveballs at us. He wants us to cower, to retreat, to complain, to sour ourselves and to breed distrust in our hearts. If he can do any of these things, he knows he can get at our testimony, at our faith, and if he can get at that, he can erode our understanding of our relationship with our Father in Heaven, of our reason for being here and our ultimate goal. If he can do this, he can destroy your family, your relationship, and bring misery to you on all fronts. It doesn't happen all at once, but if you let him get his foot in the door and keep it there...this will ultimately be what happens.

When we catch ourselves in the throws of one of these trials, keep in mind why we go through them here, remember that you knew you would be going through it here before you got here, and have faith that if you stay strong in your testimony and weather the storm, in the end it will all be for your gain. When the skies get dark in these moments, remember our Savior who suffered all and take comfort in the fact that he knows you and has been through what you are feeling. He has promised you that if you stay true to what you know to be right, he will always provide a way for you to come through it (1 Nephi 3:7).

Does this make these backdoor curveballs any easier to handle? Not really, but it should bring a measure of comfort as you understand that there is a purpose, a reason for it and that in the end, it is for your good.

Thanks for reading...I know it was a lot. Grandpa, we will miss you, tell Grandma that we love her and remember that we will always love and honor you.

Glory Days

2007-06-14T21:40:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week a good friend of mine, Craig Colyar, send out an email with a few pictures that I haven't seen for a very long time. They were picture from our 1991 city All-star baseball team. We were both 15 years old and thought we were pretty tough.

It is funny how things like this make you feel nostalgic for the "good ol' days", the days when life was a little more simple, back when I actually used to wish the summers would more quickly because I was so bored, and when naps were something I tried to avoid.

Sometimes, in the craziness of life, I think it is natural for us to wish for those simpler days. We look at the challenges or trials we are facing and want to just make it all go away and escape or at least make it slow down a little bit. I think we all have felt or are feeling this way, I know it applies to me.

I just returned home from a quick trip to Arizona where I had the chance to spend some time with Grandma Christensen. I had hoped to spend about fifteen minutes, but ended up chatting with her for almost two hours. I will never forget the stories she told me about our mom, about her challenges of raising a young family, of the challenges they had to overcome, of their successes and their struggles. She spoke with an easy pride about her family, about the people they are and who we have become.

Just speaking with her made me never want to do another thing in my life that would violate her grand vision of who we are and what we represent to her.

After speaking with her, my mind centered on the experience and I found myself thinking about where I am in my life and if I will be able to say the things that she said when (and if) I reach her age. What do I really want out of my life? Who is the person that I really want to be? What legacy am I going to leave behind? These are very deep questions for a very simple mind like mine and it struggled to boil it down to something I could understand.

When I finally got home after yet another very difficult experience at JFK airport (the worst airport in the US), I came across a quote that Katie had tacked to the refrigerator. It said:

"Don't cry because its over; smile because it happened."

This quote summed up perfectly my feelings. Looking at our past with a smile and with the insight born of experience is wise. Longing so much for days past that we miss the present is not. The present of today is our past of tomorrow. Living each day to its fullest, experiencing all that we can now, finding a way to be happy now, and not letting anyone or anything rob you of living in the present ensures your future years will be full of happy memories. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to speak with Grandma and be reminded of this yet again.

Live today, prepare for tomorrow, and let life's past experiences bring value perspective and flavor to your life.

Just like everyone, I have experienced the highs and lows of life. I am experiencing them now and I am sure I will experience them again in the future. I think that the trick is never taking yourself too seriously, always realizing that things will work out one way or another, and always trying to live so that your mom would be proud of you. Maybe it is just that simple.

I am getting off my soapbox now, thanks for

listening.

-Cim

My life as an addict...

2007-06-11T00:12:00.000-04:00

Ok, I admit it. Publicly, here, on this blog, I officially admit that I am an addict. I never thought it would come to this, never thought that it could grab me so quickly and not let go. It all started with a simple curiosity. So many people talking about it, saying how great it was, and how much they couldn't live without it. At first, I discounted it, thought they were crazy. Then, it happened to me...I still remember how it all started.

I was in Target with my family. As usual, Caleb ran directly for the books section and, as usual, we all followed him there. Not wanting to dissuade Caleb from such a noble pursuit, I decided to let him peruse the amazing world of Wiggles and Blues Clues books and waited a few minutes. As I was waiting, I saw it. There it was, plain as day. It was almost like it was waiting for me, like it was destiny...plus, it was on clearance. I knew, right then and I there, I couldn't resist anymore. So I took it, and my world hasn't been the same since.

I am officially addicted to 24. Yeah, that's right, the TV show 24. It just finished its sixth season and I had never watched one episode before I purchased the complete first season on clearance at Target for $14. That was about a month ago, and since that time, I have gotten my online Blockbuster account setup and have stayed up late way too many nights wondering how Jack Bauer will save the day yet again.

Unfortunately, it is taking its toll on me. Now, one month later, I am almost done with Season six. I have been on a non-stop 24 binge for the whole month. It has gotten to the point where I am now having a hard time telling the difference between Jack's world and my own. I am living in two parallel universes and I go from one to the other without even realizing it...I am losing my mind! Even the sub par acting doesn't bother me anymore...I don't know what it is about that show, but it is like visual heroin! My sleeping patterns are all messed up because once I start a four episode DVD, I can't stop until I have watched all four 45 minute episodes...unfortunately, I don't start watching them until 10pm!

So, let this serve as a lesson to all you kids out there...beware of highly addictive TV dramas, even if they are on clearance at Target.

Ok, I gotta go now...I have 5 episodes left of Season six to watch before I go to bed. You may be wondering how I have Season six since it isn't on DVD yet...well, don't tell Katie, but I paid $40 to iTunes and downloaded the entire season (13 gigabytes!) last night because I couldn't stand the thought of waiting for months to get my fix. I am a sad case, but after these last episodes, there are no more until this fall...I am not looking forward to the withdrawals.

-Cim

Fun in the Sun

2007-06-08T23:48:00.000-04:00

Hello again! Well, I just got done uploading the pictures on our camera from the last month or so and thought I would post some of them here. If you want to see all the pictures, click here!

Also, in case you were wondering...the heat in New York is A LOT different than in Utah...it may be only 85 degrees, but when it is at 90% humidity it is suffocating! Of course, it doesn't help that I am fat....

BTW, I have been listening to a band called Fall Out Boy a lot lately...I just purchased the CD they released last year (I already have their most current one), and I have to tell you, these guys are freaking AWESOME! I have a hard time not just cranking the radio everytime I put on their CD. I would highly recommend checking them out...speakers beware!

Anyway, here are the pictures

Here is Ellie and Taylor (Sterling and Stephanie's little boy) sitting on our couch after Sunday dinner. They were born 11 hours apart, but Taylor definetly is the bigger of the two! Ellie is looking festive in her Memorial Day outfit that Katie got for her from Children's Place.

What would summer be without time in the pool. The kids love to have the slide go right into the pool. Truthfully, I have no idea how they don't break bones on a daily basis, but somehow, they get through it unscathed and they love it. We love it because it completely drains all their energy and they go to bed early...it is a win-win!

Joshua and Caitlyn are both so fair skinned, we have to cover them in spf 50 sunscreen...BTW, in case you hadn't noticed, Joshua is a freaking rock!

Caitlyn doing a half-gainer off the slide...Joshua is overseeing the entire performance and making sure there is ample water in the pool. Gotta love cooperation!

Summer Saturdays are full of swimming lessons and trips to the park. I am trying to find a park without any swings as they only serve to make me tired (from pushing them for an hour) and not the kids (who just scream, "Daddy, push me!"). This is one of the Saturdays when I was actually home!

Joshua is just cruisin....

Joshua and Ellie, after all the fun in the sun, getting ready to go to bed. To say that Joshua is a fan of Elmo would be an understatement...

I love this picture of Ellie. It really illustrates her personality! She is such a fun and good natured little girl (unless she is hungry).

Caleb is a great big brother. Ellie just loves him and he loves to play with her and make her smile and laugh.

Katie and the kids at a local zoo...again, another fun summer thing to do. The kids are all at the age where the zoo is a total blast for them (except for Ellie). Personally, I only go to the zoo to watch the kids get excited...

Caleb at the zoo pondering off into the distance, wondering where Mom is....

Joshua loves the zoo....loves it! When I got home from work, he literally spent about 5 minutes talking to me about it (which is long for a 22 month old)! I couldn't believe he remembered the names of so many animals!

Aside from a sweaty back and face, summer is also a great time to build family memories. My mom and dad taught me that and we are trying to do the same for our children!

-Cim

A Candle on a Hill...

2007-06-06T18:42:00.000-04:00

With all the increased attention coming towards members of the church as of late because of Mitt Romney, the way that Jet Blue CEO David Neely handled the recent problems his airline faced, and BYU sports, it has been interesting for me to see the media attention that has been given to the church.

As you would expect, a lot of it focuses on the sensational and mostly erroneous points that make for an interesting drama, but offer little in the way of accuracy or truth. While not all the reports are negative, in fact, quite a few are very positive, I found myself deciding to focus on the not so positive and feeling frustrated at the information being "reported" as facts. This information is offensive to something I hold very dear to me and so it is expected that I would feel frustrated at it. While I would imagine that most of these reports are not by people who have an axe to grind with the church, I do wish they would consider the source of their information and be more balanced in their reporting.

Last night I started to feel really frustrated about it and made it a point of prayer. As I pondered on it, I realized something that I am sure all of you already understand. That, in spite of being one of the quickest growing religions in the world (in my opinion, illustrating the truthfulness of the message), the church is relatively unknown on the world stage. There are a considerable amount of misunderstandings about us and what we believe and as more and more people become aware of us, hear about us, and investigate us, there will be more and more written about us. While we would love for all of it to be positive, this isn't realistic, so we have to take the good with the bad. The members of the church aren't perfect (hence, the reason to have a church in the first place, to perfect the saints and learn) and sometimes bad behavior from one of us reflects badly on all of us...although it is interesting to note that this doesn't seem to apply to most other religions. However, before our Savior returns more and more people will have the opportunity to hear his gospel and seek him, so the increasing visibility of the church is inevitable. Even more, it is a very positive thing! Already, I have had more opportunities to discuss our beliefs and who we are as a result of this increased attention in the media.

I believe, as time goes on, we will become a more unique and peculiar people as our beliefs and standards will grow farther and farther away from what is accepted by society in general. This is something that will be difficult, but necessary as there is less and less gray area in terms of living a life that follows the teachings of the Savior compared to the teachings found in our increasingly secularized world where there is no room for Him.

We will need to be courageous and steadfast in our faith and our standards. There will not be any room for us to try to have it both ways, we will have to decided whose side we are on and act accordingly. This isn't supposed to sound so bleak, in fact, it is full of wonderful opportunities. If you haven't read President Hinckley's message this month, it is absolutely wonderful and deals with exactly this very topic. Check it out here.

So, as the church gets more visible, we need to be ready to answer more questions that people will have about us. We need to be ready for people to misunderstand us and believe incorrect and inflammatory information and respond thoughtfully and explain the truth without getting defensive. Remember, what one person or group may report doesn't affect what we know to be true nor does it put in question the validity of those things that have been confirmed to us through the Spirit.

Wow, that was more than I anticipated writing, but it feels good to get some of my thoughts down on "paper".

-Cim

Update from New York

2007-06-05T12:31:00.000-04:00

Well, I figured it was time for me to join the Blogging world. While I do have thoughts that I like to share from time to time, I have no real vision of changing the world with this blog. In fact, it will probably just be a forum for me to ramble when I need to and post pictures of our adventures hear in New York.
It has been a crazy month, full of ups and downs. My young family is growing and it is amazing to watch my children come into their own personalities. Caleb will turn eight in a month and I can't believe it! Caitlyn really is becoming her own person, she has an opinion about everything and is as stubborn as her mother (in a good way of course). Joshua is a ball of energy and is reminding us what it is like to have a two-year old running around the house and getting into everything. Elizabeth is a beautiful little girl who smiles a lot when she isn't screaming :). We are anxiously looking at her development and are happy to see the progress she is making. Katie continues to amaze me. She is a great mom and a great wife and truly makes marriage easy. I don't know how she can put up with me, but I am not complaining.

Anyway, I have to get back to work...I have wasted too much time already! Mom and Dad, here are a few pictures for you to enjoy.

The kids at the Brooklyn Aquarium. We were watching the sea lion show...truthfully, it wasn't that impressive, but the kids really seemed to like it, not that you could tell from their faces!

Katie and Joshua on a ride at Coney Island. It was on the ride home from Coney Island that we got the phone call from the doctor informing us that Ellie didn't have Fragile X, so it really was a very, very good day all around!

More fun at Coney Island. The tea cups always make me think of Disneyland and dad making us feel sick from going around so fast...

If you can't tell, he is a pretty happy kid...

Baby Ellie in her Easter Sunday dress.