We wish you a Merry Christmas!

The Five Carpenters are living in Santa Clarita with Grandma & Papa until we find a place of our own (closer than the 70 miles Har drives now to work). The kids love school. We get to see Grandpa Mike every week. We love getting to visit with Great Grandma Stewart and helping get her house ready for when she recovers well enough from having her tumor removed to come home. The kids go to a great school where they both love their teachers and have made great friends. We really enjoying being closer to Vista so we can go down and visit more often. Life is good. Thanks for being part of ours! We promise to be better at updating our blog in the coming months. Big fat hugs!

Cutest Kids Ever!...according to me

Every time I look at this picture of Nash from the Four Seasons kid party I think of a magnet on my mom's fridge that you push and it says, "I looooove chocolate!"

Lula got a new dog bed from Grandpa Mike and the kids had to try it out. How cute is Emma...holy cow the teen years are going to be here too soon.

Dedan has as much fun in all aspects of his life as he is expressing in this picture. What a joy he is in my life!

Emma turns 10

Emma made her own cake on her actual birthday while we were in Colorado.
Emma had her "After Party" back in Cali with (left to right) Chloe, bday girl, Amber, Ruth, Kaylie & Taylor. Cutest pre-teens ever.

Grateful for our Colorado family

Our 10 days in Colorado were spent:

*playing credit card Monopoly

*Black Friday shopping

*learning (and benefiting from) auto repair with Uncle Terry

*eating turkey

*watching Nash & Briseis enjoying each other

*rolling around in Auntie Tracy's backyard with her dogs (ok, that was mostly Lula)

*celebrated several family birthdays

*getting spoiled by...everyone

*playing in the yard of dried leaves

Halloween

2 pirates+Superman+a Rock Star=lots of candy

Dedan turns 6

We celebrated Dedan's birthday with a round of mini golf and dinner at Farrell's Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor. Gram and Daddy made sure he got his birthday spankings.

Summer Fun

My cute sister, Tressa, and I went with our kids (minus baby Nash who stayed home with Dad), mom and T's friend, Kaysie, & my BFF, Rach, to Legoland in August. A great time was had by all, but I love this picture of me and my favorite sister...ok, my only sister.

Har's new job

Har is enjoying his new job in Santa Barbara. He took this picture of himself in his office-his first office!

Monday's Monsoon

Yes, we were supposed to be packing while Rachel was here to help, but who can resist dancing around in a major rainstorm? NOT US!

California, HERE WE COME!

Right back where we started from!

Har got a great opportunity and promotion to Loss Prevention Assistant Manager at the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara (aka The Biltmore). We'll be moving to that area sometime in July. Don't ask me exactly where or when yet, because I don't know. I'm just excited that we are going!

Dedan's Favorite Teacher

Ok, so she's his first teacher, but he still loves her.

Dedan's Kindergarten Promotion

My sweet boy almost ready for first grade.

Nash the toddler

Check out Nash cruising the hallway. He's 13 months and walking like....a gorilla...no frankenstein. Whatever. He's cute!

VIDEO!

I figured out how to add video to my blog! Cool, huh? This is just Nash playing in the tub. Look for some video of him walking soon.

Lula

Lula is just over 3 months old now and sweet as ever. We praise her with "Good girl!" so much that Nash thinks that's her name. He says "Go gah" whenever he plays with her.

She's got a boyfriend, Jake, who belongs to our excellent neighbors, Sara & Checel. They have a play date almost every night out front. Once it starts to stay hot after dark their play dates will have to move inside, I think.

Nash's First Birthday

Kids from church, kids from the neighborhood, kids that belong to me...all staring with envy at Nash and the cake just for him.

As family tradition dictates Nash got his own cake to dig in to. At first, he wasn't sure it was ok, but once he figured out it was he got right in there and really enjoyed himself. The rest of the kids got yummy cupcakes...also made by Nash's talented mother.

Nash's First Haircut

I borrowed some hair scissors from the neighbor, practiced on Emma & Dedan, sat on the kitchen floor with Nash on my lap and gave him his first haircut. It wasn't as easy as it sounds, but he looks good! Maybe he won't get so many people asking if he's a boy or a girl. Now they'll just ask why his skin is so orange...it's all the carrots and sweet potatoes! We make him eat the green veggies that he doesn't like, too. Honest!

Dedan lost his first tooth!

Before church this morning Dedan asked Dad to check out his loose tooth, and it was so ready the baby tooth popped right out.

Dedan was very pleased that it didn't hurt and feels like such a big kid now!

Easter Lula

A few days before Easter, and after months of debate and searching for just the right one, we surprised the kids with a puppy. Her name is Lula and she is part Jack Russell, part Lab. Both her parents are full bred, papered dogs who were meant to be bred - but with other dogs of the same breed. Their owners didn't think they "could" because of their size difference- guess what?! Their "OOPS!" is our gain. She is a great puppy. She loves everyone....so maybe not a guard dog. The kids have been great in taking responsibility, but then again we haven't even had her a week.

This is how you'll find Dedan most of the time at my house.
Way cute picture of Nash and one of his many funny faces.

Camp Getaway

Rachel & I got a girls' weekend while my mom watched my kids. Camp Getaway http://www.campgetaway.com was in the Big Bear Mountains. We slept in cabins, ate the yummiest camp food ever, tried desperately to win the scavenger hunt with our great roommates Patti & Jenny (but didn't), each had a full body massage, took a GREAT class on photography, hiked, scrapped, celebrated St. Patty's Day, and relaxed!!! Like they said, "No cooking. No cleaning. No kids. Just relax." That we did! After St. Patrick's Day feast we retired to the cabin for us scrappers and had fun reminiscing!

Spring Break

The kids and I journeyed to the Golden State during the Spring Break from school. We spent time visiting family and wishing we were living back in California. One of the days we went with Grandpa Mike, Grandma JR & Papa John to Griffith Park where there were pony & train rides. THEN - mom (AB) took off to CAMP Getaway! The kids stayed with Grandma who even took them to Magic Mountain! Quite an adventure.

Do you think they liked the pony rides? Back to front: Papa John, Dedan, Grandpa Mike, Emma, Grandma, Nash. AB's behind the camera...as usual.

Dedan's not yawning. He's saying, "MOM! Remember: 'Keep your hands inside the train!'"

Here Grandpa and his "Nash Rambler Bridges" are in front of an old Nash Rambler on display at Griffith Park.

President's Weekend

We made a quick trip to Vista for the long weekend in Feb and visited the beach even though it was windy and cold. Rachel took this picture of our family.

Tiny 10 month-old

If you've known Har & I for any decent length of time you know we make cute babies...and usually big ones, too.
NOT THIS TIME!
Since October Nash has only gained 2 lbs and grown just over an inch. Don't worry! Nash is in perfect health, and he eats more than Dedan most days.
He's shorter than half the babies his age, and his adorable, wonderful head is smaller than 80% of babies his age. I like to call him my "portable baby."
Poor boy. Runt of the litter and the youngest. He's destined to be mama's boy...but I'm not complaining!

http://www.the3day.org/sandiego07/annabeth

I'm walking November 9-11 in the Breast Cancer 3-day. Check out my website...and make a donation!

Right now I'm walking about 6 miles a week to train, but I'm working my way up to 12+ miles per week. Check back on my progress!

~AnnaBeth

NASHZILLA

Dedan loves to play with this train set Grandpa Mike (a.k.a. Santa) gave him for Christmas

....but so does Nash. We like to watch him grab the train right off the track and suck on it. Dedan and I nicknamed him Nashzilla! The giant, slobbery creature who eats everything that moves!
Of course, Dedan needed a turn at being the Zilla!

Winter Break

In the 2 weeks the kids had off school we've been busy! First a short trip to California for Christmas with my family. Then the Knowltons came out to see us for 3 days. New Year's eve brought Hartungs from Prescott and Vista to us for a fun celebration that ended with the stroke of midnight New York time. This last week has been one of setting goals for ourselves and trying to spend lots of time as a family (even though Har's had to work lots of overtime - a double edged sword).

Uncle Greg hooked Nash up with Finding Nemo on iPod. Chillin with his snacks and a movie!

After Christmas Eve dinner Dedan gets love on both sides from Grandma JR and daddy.

Grandpa Santa (aka Michael) and his "favorite granddaughter". Ok, his ONLY granddaughter.

Rachel after she learned to throw the football. It was quite impressive!

Caitlyn and Emma were so excited that we pushed the New Year's time up to 10 o'clock and ended the party early.