Merry Christmas...

O Christmas Tree

Silent Night - Mormon Tabernacle Choir

This is one of my most favorite, if not my most favorite christmas moments. This video doesn't show the entire segment, but enough to get a taste of how great impact this production. If you do not own the DVD with the Mormon Tabernacle choir with special guest Walter Cronkite it is well worth the money to have this in your home inventory of Christmas shows/music.

My favorite part is Silent Night sung by the men. Enjoy this clip.

Merry Christmas

gratitude

Enjoy this beautiful song "Gratitude" by Nicole Nordeman

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Thankful
I have been thinking that I really need to post about what I am thankful for seeing that Thanksgiving is this today. I have been un-employed for the past 3.5 months which has my memory scattered on some days and I forget things more that I'd like to admit.
I am so grateful. SO GRATEFUL All these experiences has given me the opportunity to be served. It has shown me the Gospel of Jesus Christ in action. I've recieved much love and care from so many friends, and family. One of the greatest securities is to know that you can show up amongst friends and family in any condition and know you will be well taken care of. I am excited for Thanksgiving this year.
I am of course thankful for my family, home, life but here are a few things that I may not normally think about but that I am thankful for nonetheless:
I am thankful that I my kids drive me crazy, because that means that I have my sweet kids and that they are independent and happy
I am thankful for my electric bill because that means we have lights and heat.
Dogs. I love dogs, how they like to cuddle, and be a friend. I do like the like things that bark. The love so unconditionally, what a wonderful gift.
I'm grateful for glasses. I can't imagine what it would have been like to not be able to see and live life in a blur.
I'm grateful for my freedoms. Regardless of what people think of our Government we live in a country where we really do have the opportunity to succeed beyond measures of any other country. I'm grateful for government leaders, church leaders, leaders of large and small corporations that work to keep this country moving. What other country is the world is so grate that thousands of people are rushing to enter each day
I'm grateful for the gifts of Tolerance, Patience, Wisdom, Forgiveness, Knowlege, Empathy, Concern, and Peace. I know those around me have been blessed with an overabundance of these things for my benefit.I'm grateful for prayer and the knowledge that I can talk my Heavenly Father and KNOW that he hears my cries and will answer my prayers.
I'm grateful to know that in all my wrong doings he still wants me to succeed. He will meet me where I am in my time of need and give me the tools the endure whatever trials he places before me.
I am grateful for trials and the refiner's fire they bring me through. I am grateful for freedom. I think we are living in a time where freedom is misunderstood, and not appreciated. I am grateful for those that are willing to give everything so that we can live the way we choose.
It is important that we always remember to be grateful for all the blessings our Heavenly Father has given us. Take some time today to think of all that you have been blessed with and share some of those thoughts with friends and family. For myself, I am grateful for so many things. I'm thankful that I found Christ and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints again. I am thankful for all those blessings connected with the Church--the priesthood, temples, scriptures, prophets, and so forth.
I am especially grateful for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us. I'm grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost and for our Heavenly Father and His love and concern for each of us. There are so many blessings associated with the gospel that I cannot name them all.
Through my struggles I am here to day that I am grateful for all that God has given me and I will not wait until my struggles are few to show that gratitude and testify of the Love and Goodness of The Lord.I hope that we will always be a grateful and appreciative people. May you have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving Day!
Give thanks this year for all you have, and be sure, during this holiday season, to help those that are less fortunate then you.

Other peoples sufferings....

...doesn't generally give me pleasure, but I just overheard this in a Target this morning from a little boy who had, only seconds before, been bopping his head up and down with the rest of his family as they listened to the music overhead.
Boy: You ALWAYS ruin my day.
Dad: It's my job to ruin your days.
I couldn't stop laughing to myself and thinking that I'm not alone in this world of parenting
pre-pre-teen age kids.

TrUNk Or tREaT

My Cowboy Best Friends

jusT loOk at How Adorable thEy R

MY Little FISH!!

I think that MOMmy HaD mORe Fun then the

KIDs

I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get these pics posted it has been a very hectic 2 weeks.

We attended our ward trunk or treat at our church building. Belinda signed up to bring Nachos so she whipped up something extremely easy (diced tomatoes and chopped lettuce) and then drove to the chapel.

it's been really fun to get to know the new people in our ward. we were recently split and about 70% of our ward is new to me.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Just to Clarify

Here are some random things that have been on my mind. You might not care, you might not agree, but I need to get them out of my head so there's room for other happier things.

I am disappointed. I don't want to dwell on it but I think some very sad things happened in our country tuesday. And I wonder what kind of change we'll be ready for in 4 years. That being said, I am patriotic. I may not like what happened but I'll deal with it. I am grateful for the country we live in. On that note, hate is never the answer. Never, ever.

I've got too much worry in me today. I fear for my country. I fear for our military. I fear the idea of redistribution. I fear for Wall Street. And partial-birth abortions that my new president-elect is perfectly okay with. And all other abortions, for that matter. I fear the partisan people Obama is already putting in place (Rahm). I fear that many, many people see Obama as some kind of "Messiah". Dangerous. I fear for small business owners. I think that a $3000 tax credit for every full-time employee hired is a complete joke. Yeah, that's REALLY going to stimulate something. I can breathe easier, however, because I do believe that the country DOES have some core conservative principles in place. Arizona, California, and Florida all voted FOR marriage. Awesome. Now can we please find a candidate that will walk the walk of conservatism, please? Of limited government and INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY that we NEED to get this country back on the side of RIGHT. Not left, not liberal, not democrat, not republican. Just RIGHT.

Lying is not okay. There's a saying around the Carter house that goes "Any communication with the intent to deceive is a lie." I think that's incredibly true. Don't be dishonest. Just don't. Even about a small thing. It's tacky. And trust is a hard thing to earn back. Also, making excuses is lame too. Fulfill your commitments, keep your promises, and accept responsibility for your actions and choices.

Life is precious. Too often it is brutally wasted in the name of choice. To people who want an abortion I say that your choice was to have sex. That was your choice. Taking a life isn't your choice. I think abortion is atrocious. Absolutely sickening. And I can't believe that we are standing by and letting it happen to over 1 million tiny lives a year in this country. You don't get to waste a life just because you think it will ruin yours. I'm also appalled that almost half of all abortions are performed on women who have already had one. LEARN YOUR LESSON! Abortion is not birth control!!! As for me, I believe a life starts at conception and it is sacred.

Basically it all revolves around standards I guess. Do I always live up to my standards? No. Sometimes I get frustrated with my kids, sometimes I'm unkind, and sometimes (like right now) I let anger get the best of me. But I am always trying to be better and I always accept responsibility for the mistakes I make, apologize, and move on. Is it hard? Certainly. Is it worth it? Most definitely.

Reaping What We Sow - A Message On Liberty

The Perfect Law of Liberty President Marion G.

Romney Second Counselor in the First PresidencyEnsign,

Nov. 1981, pp. 43-45

(These are excerpts from this talk. The talk in its entirety can be found online.)

As a youth, I was stirred by Patrick Henry’s famousbattle cry, “Give me liberty or give me death!”

The meaning of the word liberty is difficult tocircumscribe. Abraham Lincoln was of the opinion that“the world has never had a good definition of [the term].We all declare for liberty,” he said; “but in using the sameword we do not mean the same thing. With some, theword liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleaseswith himself and the product of his labor; while withothers [liberty] may mean for some men to do as theyplease with other men and the product of other men’slabor.”While perhaps it is seldom, if ever, contended thateither political independence or economic freedom alonebrings perfect liberty, it is not, however, uncommon forfree agency to be considered as synonymous with freedom of the soul. And it is true that the God-given right to choose one’s course of action is an indispensableprerequisite to such freedom. Without it we can scarcelyenjoy any type of liberty—political, economic, orpersonal. It is one of our greatest heritages. For it we aredeeply indebted to our Father in Heaven, to the FoundingFathers, and to the pioneers. God gave it to man in theGarden of Eden. (See Moses 7:32.) The FoundingFathers, under the Lord’s inspiration, wrote a guaranteeof it into the fundamental law of the land. And thepioneers, led by the inspiration of heaven, gave their all toperpetuate it. Surely we ought always to be alert in itsdefense and willing, if necessary, to give our lives for itspreservation.Free agency, however, precious as it is, is not of itselfthe perfect liberty we seek, nor does it necessarily leadthereto. As a matter of fact, through the exercise of theiragency more people have come to political, economic, and personal bondage than to liberty.The Nephites, for example, at one time, by theexercise of their agency, brought themselves to such astate of affairs that their only course led to politicalbondage. This they did [page 44] while living under agovernment providing for the freest exercise of agency.“Their laws and their governments,” says the record,“were established by the voice of the people, and they who chose evil were more numerous than they who chose good.” Therefore, “they could not be governed by the lawnor justice, save it were to their destruction.” (Hel. 5:2–3.)Under these circumstances, they chose as rulers wickedmen, who would certainly destroy their political liberties, to replace righteous men who had in the past protectedand preserved those liberties and would have continued todo so in the future.The freewill choosing of a king by the Jaredites leddirectly to their captivity. (See Ether 6:21–7:5.)This sequence was repeated in the days of Israel. Thepeople—rejecting government by judges, which God hadestablished—clamored for Samuel to give them a king.Notwithstanding Samuel’s warning that a king wouldmake servants of their children, lay heavy taxes andservices upon their backs, and send them to war, “thepeople refused to obey the voice of Samuel, [saying,]Nay; but we will have a king over us;“That we also may be like all the nations.” (1 Sam.8:19–20.)Samuel therefore anointed Saul to be their king. Indue time, just as Samuel had predicted, heavy burdenswere laid upon them, their sons and daughters were madeservants of the king, and war came. The nation wasdivided into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, both ofwhich were, in their turn, carried away into captivity. Notonly did they lose their political freedom, but their verypolitical existence as nations was terminated.We have a classic example of the loss of economicfreedom by the [page 45] misuse of free agency in thebook of Genesis. The Egyptians, instead of exercisingtheir agency to provide for themselves against a day ofneed, depended upon the government. As a result, whenthe famine came they were forced to purchase food fromthe government. First they used their money. When thatwas gone, they gave their livestock, then their lands; andfinally they were compelled to sell themselves intoslavery, that they might eat. (See Gen. 41:54–56; Gen.47:13–26.)We ourselves have gone a long way down this roadduring the last century. My counsel is that we beware ofthe doctrine which encourages us to seekgovernment-supported security rather than to put faith in our own industry.That God may attend and prosper each of us on ourway to perfect liberty, I humbly pray in the name of JesusChrist, amen.

Note:

I think it is critically important that we understand what is behind the message of "change" that we keep hearing today:Karl Marx, the Father of Communism said:"My object in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism." Karl Marx, along with Friedrich Engels, was the author of theCommunist Manifesto.

Funny, Funny, Funny!

No Suprise Here...
'Cause Obama and his cronies have done such a fabulous job in Illinois:

BODY COUNT IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS:

292 MURDERED IN CHICAGOOUR LEADERSHIP IN ILLINOIS:

SEN. BARACK OBAMA SEN. DICK DURBIN REP. JESSE JACKSON, JR.GOV. ROD BLOGOJEVICH HOUSE LEADER MIKE MADIGANATTY. GEN LISA MADIGANMAYOR RICHARD DALY ALL DEMOCRATS!

STATE PENSION FUND $44 BILLION IN DEBT, WORST IN THE NATION.COOK COUNTY (CHICAGO) SALES TAX 10.25%, HIGHEST IN THE NATION.CHICAGO SCHOOL SYSTEM ONE OF THE WORST IN THE NATION.

So telling of what's to come if he's elected.

Obama Citizenship: Over Two And Half Million Viewers Have Seen This On You Tube... Take The Time To Watch It!

turn the music off on the blog to hear this

Another One To Watch

And what are left wining about - Sara Palin's expensive suits....

Things that make you go hmmm.....
A President's pension is currently $191,300.00 per year, until he is 80 years old. Assuming the next president lives to age 80, Sen. McCain would receive ZERO pension as he would reach 80 at the end of two terms as president. Sen. Obama would be retired for 26 years after two terms and would receive 4,973,800.00 in pension. Four point nine MILLION.Therefore, it would certainly make economic sense to elect McCain in November.

Do You Have A Strange Mind?

This is weird, but interesting! fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psot it on yuor own bolg!!!!

Sleepless...

As I woke up to get my 4.00am glass of water my mind was restless. So I tried to get back in bed but my thoughts of Pres. Hinckley kept me from doing so....

President Hinckley was 97-years-old, when he died this last January. I still miss him terribly. I miss his smile, his jokes, his testimony and when he'd wave his cane to the audience. It just makes me happy to know that he's with his sweetheart again.

This quote is one of my many favorites."Being humble means being teachable. It means acknowledging where our strengths and abilities come from. It also means recognizing that we are not here on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others."

I have had a hard week. I'm trying to make some changes in my life, but I am so impatient with myself. I am not a "long distance" kind of a person. I would rather just "run sprints" and get it over with fast. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way and I keep learning that lesson over and over the hard way. Two of my favorite scriptures are Isaiah 28:10 "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" and 1 Nephi 16:29 "...And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things." You would think I could apply this to my life more often. Anyway, I listened to President Monson's talk from the last general conference again today and it really helped. A tender mercy of the Lord. I was reminded to make sure those you love know you love them. Here are a few of my favorite quotes he shared. “Find joy in the journey...NOW” -"You pile up enough tomorrows and you will find you've collected a lot of empty yesterdays" -Music Man "Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now. Doing all we can to provide pleasant memories in the future." -President Monson

SEASONS.....

SEASONS…

I can't believe it's October, its officially fall and thanks to IKE we finally after 3 weeks got our phone, cable, and internet restored. Maybe the 92 degree, Houston weather is throwing me off a bit not really, but I swear that I am never going to get use to the seasons here. But, spring is long gone and now summer is officially over. It's interesting to me how fast, and slow, the seasons come and go.
I've been thinking a lot about different ways to find happiness, or create happiness in every season of life. I'm definitely still looking for more answers. But I think for me, just living in the season I'm at, not before or after, plays a big part.I've known so many people, who wish all the time that they could go back to their high school days. I know others that admit never wanting to leave college life. Other people can't wait until they get married, have kids and start their "real life." I recently read somewhere so I thought that I would steal this today and share it with so since I thought that these words were so insightful…
How Great would it be to just live in the Season you're at? Forget about what you wish could have happened. Forget about things that didn't work out. It doesn't matter anymore. You can't change last week. Last month. Last year. (Or two.) You can't control what happens tomorrow. At all. Today matters. You can control how happy you are today. If you regret yesterday, you will regret tomorrow.
If you live today, you will LIVE tomorrow.

Essentially, I think that by enjoying the season of life I'm in today, I will be ready for the next season that will inevitably come. Regardless of what it entails, or how near or far away it is from now, I'll be ready. If I live for today, I will be ready for the Lord's timing tomorrow. If I live for today, I'll stop insisting that I know more than Him, and I'll actually be happy. I am truly inspired and I needed this today, I needed to remember that my HEAVENLY Father and Savior love me individually, and want me to find happiness in this life. I guess that it is to get caught up in the past or future, but then sometimes you lose the PRESENT. TODAY MATTERS.. You can control how HAPPY you are today. If you regret yesterday, you will regret tomorrow. If you live today you will live tomorrow.I'm gonna try it out and see what happens. I'll let you know how it goes.

Here is Celeste on her first day of 3rd grade

Cele and Samu waiting for the Bus
3nd Grade
It's official, Celeste has begun 3nd grade. Her first day of school went really well. I still had my lump in my throat, and fought some tears-but I did win the battle. She really wanted to ride the bus, but also wanted us to follow the bus in the car. Which of course we did. All the teachers lined up as the kids entered the school They were also playing some kind of Olympic or Rocky music over the intercom. It was pretty cute. Cele is extremely excited for the new school year. She loves her new teacher, Miss Bevil. She is just awesome, and has already done some really great things in her class. Celeste has also been doing well with her homework. She has been doing her reading, practicing, and household chores with little complaining.

Very proud of his success -->>

This is him standing, trying to muster the courage to walk!

Can anyone say YOGA

My little guy's first steps!!!

It’s funny to me how your baby's first steps are just as exciting when it is the first child or the 5th. Bryce took his first steps right after school started. He is 13 months now and it is so neat to see him work up that courage and step his way toward me for the very first time. It was great because our whole family was there all together in the play room playing, and we were just messing around with him getting him to stand on his own (which happened all in the same day), and there it was, one, two and three...then he realized what he was doing and sat down immediately. These are from a couple nights after, but he is so proud when he does it because we all jump up and down and make a huge scene. He knows that crawling is still the fastest way to move right now, so I am not pushing him. I have had such a different view on raising Bryce then I did with Celeste. I know that Bryce is my last baby for a while and I wanted to savor the baby a bit longer. I pushed Celeste to hurry her way to that next phase so that i could see it, and this time I have probably slowed Bryce. Everyone says that I baby him, but oh well...we have such a short time with them as babies and I want to enjoy it as long as i can. Bryce is doing the most incredibly funny things, he mimics everything we do. I make these growling sounds at him and he will do it back at me. I am amazed at how you can fall in love with your kids everyday over and over, deeper then the time before.

HOWDY from down in TEXAS. Welcome the CARTERMANIA I am new to blogging so you will just have to bear with me while I get familiar with all this. I will be working on getting the page set up and giving updates and pictures of what we have been doing, so as to keep y'all up to date on our comings and goings so please stay tuned.

The Carter Clan