The Gardner Gazette

Oh, one more thing

2009-12-13T15:14:00.000-08:00

I for got one major highlite! It snowed for my Birthday! It was so fun to have a "white" Birthday, and get the kids home from school!

We've Been Having a Lot of Fun!!

2009-12-13T14:05:00.001-08:00

I know I have been a huge slacker when it has come to our blog.

We have been having so much fun since last I wrote. I've posted a few random pictures, but thought I would give a brief over view as well.

In June Chad's parents and sister came to visit us. Dannette, Chad's sister, came with her whole family. We had such a great time with everyone! We swam, went to Sea World, the alligator park (no matter what Dad says, he didn't get chased by an alligator), the beach, children's museum, and just loved being together! We hated to see them go. We love our family! :(

The entire summer flew by with Scout Camp for Jer, Day Camps for Coy, Caleb and Samantha, a huge trip out west, a special visitor, and Girl's Camp, in that order. Everyone loved their camps! The trip west included the Forsgren Family reunion in Nebraska. It was wonderful to see everyone and, believe it or not, Nebraska has some of the most beautiful seanery I have ever seen! Carolyn spent a couple of weeks between Wyoming and Utah visiting family and friends with the kids. Chad worked and flew back and forth for some of the visiting. We all had a great time! We brought the kid's cousin, Jordan, home with us. She is in between Jer, Jesi and Coy in age, but everyone loved having her. We had to visit Sea World, the beach and the alligator park again, of course. It was so fun. This time we went to Galveston to the beach. Galveston is not my favorite place to go to the beach, but the ferry ride was a ton of fun! We saw a ship wreck, fed the seagulls off the back of the ferry, and watched a dolphin jumping out of the water.

A highlight of our summer was Caleb's baptism and having family attend! It was a wonderful day! Many thanks to all who took the time to come and share that special day with us!

With school starting our schedule went crazy. Samantha started a combo. ballet and tap class, Caleb started piano, Jer continues piano, drama, and basketball, Jesi is in chior, drama and basketball, Coy started playing the Tuba, and everyone continues with their regular Church activites. I often feel we are too busy, but we do find time to play board games and go on family dates. We really like where we live and have loved getting to know our neighbors better over the past year.

Matt and Kandice brought their family to visit for Thanksgiving. We loved seeing them, taking them to our usual sites (It was my favorite trip of the year to Sea World!), and just being together. There is a special bond with cousins. I love that no matter the age difference, they love being together.

I hope that was a helpful update! We sure love everyone! I'll tag the pictures below!

Love ya,

Carolyn, Chad, Jesi, Jer, Coy, KK and Nanna

Samantha and Carolyn on the First Grade Field trip to Oil Ranch. (Very fun place!)

Matt and Kandice came to visit with their family for Thanksgiving! Some of the cousins made our center pieces. I think they are the best Thanksgiving center pieces ever!

Sammy doodle at her ballet class. She loves it and can't wait for the recital!

In September coy's favorite author, Brandon Mull, came to town. We had a great time seeing him. He did a fireside for our Ward, presentations at a few local schools, (Coy got to intruduce him at his school.) and he came to dinner one night. It was wonderful!

In September Carolyn was able to attend the adoption finalization and sealing of her two cute nephews to her Brother, Mike, and his wife, Jessica. It was a great experience!

Jordan, my children, and some friends on a hike at Brazo Bend State Park, the "alligator park".

Caleb and Chad right before Caleb's baptism.

2009-06-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

My camera was lost for a few weeks, but it finally turned up. So, here are some pictures from then end of school.

We've been having a great summer with cousins visiting and camps to go to, but I don't have pictures. We have recorded some of the hottest June days ever in this area so we are really looking forward to our trip west, seeing family, friends and cooling off.

Caleb and his friends Joey and Ryan at the zoo

Jer and Jesi with their NJHS Certificates

Jesi singing at the school's end of year talent show.

Nanna and I having a stick horse race during field day.

KK climbing the rock wall at school.

MY NEW KITCHEN!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!

Another view of the kitchen.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Have a great month!

2009-05-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Jesi as the Scarecrow in the Big Bad Musical

KK out with Flat Stanley
Jesi feeding the dolphins.

Nanna with the dolphins.

Before the 4 D movie at Sea World.

Nanna getting after it in soccer.

Nanna hugging her soccer friends, Gracie and Kyla.

Coy turning 11. Nanna decorated the cake with her Easy Bake Oven Decorator

2009-05-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to choose a new light for my new bar. So if anyone has an opinion, I would love to hear it.

I am leaning to do this one over the table with the one below over the bar.

Here is an almost done with the demo pic.

Here is a nice before pic of my kitchen. Notic ethe Carolina Blue tile and countertop.

Day one of the demolition. No more big waste of space bar.

2009-04-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

The Mall at night is beautiful!

Coy getting his Arrow of Light a few hours after we got home from DC.

In frount of the DC Temple

At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Jer at the WWII Memorial! It is so cool to visit the memorials at night!
It made for a long day, but it was worth it. The kids were troopers, walking all over!
Sorry I thought I turned it before I posted it.

Nanna holding a hissing cockroach at the Museum of Natural History! She held a few bugs.

It didn't even occur to her to be scared.

The kids at the National Zoo. We spent a whole day there. Our favorite things were the Pandas and the giant octopus.

I swear I turned these picutres before posting. Oh well, I'm too lazy to change it now.

I thought this was a cute picture of KK.

Nanna, at the Pandas.

There is a funny story behind this one. This beaver took an interest in Jessica and seemed to be showing off for her. Samantha noticed and said, "Jesi, I think that beaver thinks your hot!" We all cracked up laughing and poor Nanna didn't know what was so funny.

This was right after our White House tour. We couldn't take a camera with us or take pictures inside, so we just got this one little picture on my cell phone after the tour.

Taking a break at the botanicle gardens. I just thought this would be a nice place to rest, but the kids loved looking at all the plants.

Our first day of touring!

Chad in the clink at Williamsburg.

This is a carousel at Pollen Park in Raleigh. I worked this Carousel as part of my job in High School. It was a cold rainy day while we were there so our family got to ride alone. I told the guy why we were there so he let it run extra time and took our picture for us. It was so fun!

Camping In February!

2009-02-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

This was our first Texas camping trip. It was awesome! The weather was great, there were hardly any people around, and we had a great time. We decided February is a great time to camp in Texas. The kids wanted cousins to come, any takers?

I have never seen an Armadillo alive before! He was really cool to watch!
Coy, Kickn' back at the campground with a book.

True to Forsgren fashion, Caleb broke his hand as we headed out on our first hike. (running, trip, fall) He is such a tough kid. He hardly cried, never complained, and still played his heart out. We took him to urgent care after we got home, just to make sure, and sure enough, it was broken!

We loved canoeing on Lake Sommerville. It was beautiful, the fish were feeding, and no one was there. The weather was fantastic! It couldn't have been more perfect!

You have to get good and dirty when you are camping and Coy, Caleb and Nanna made sure they did their part.

Changes

2009-02-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

A few things have changed in the last month or so:

Jer and Jesi are 13

Basketball ended

Spring Musical tryouts started

Coy earned his Arrow of Light

KK rides his electric scooter everywhere

Nanna is almost ready for a family bike ride

Here are some pics!

Enjoy!

Coy and Nanna in the 100th Day of School Parade! Nanna was so excited to walk with Coy! She talked about it all week.

Nanna & her friend Catelyn are peas in a pod!

Coy and KK having a morning snug in the hotel on the way to Aunt Ann's

Three of the cutest cousins around; Eli, Nanna, and Jade eating dinner at Aunt Ann's

We love being teenagers!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T12:06:00.000-08:00

We've had a wonderful Christmas. Here are just a few pics. We are off to MN tomorrow to visit my sister. There will be Aunts, Uncles and cousins galore!! We are so excited!

2008-12-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning! Ready for presents!

Our Easy Bake oven girl! She loved to bake and how cute is that hat!?

T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house every creature was stiring!

Christmas Update

2008-12-14T14:29:00.000-08:00

It has been quite a year for our family. We started last year in a home and
town surrounded by people we admire and love, comfortable and so happy to see
family on a regular basis. As the year progressed it became obvious that we were
going to have to leave our happy comfortable life and start again in a new
place, something none of us wanted to do.

Chad was offered and accepted a job with ConocoPhillips, helping start and
build an alternative energy business for them. He started with Conoco in mid
May and we moved as a family to Houston as soon as the school year ended.

The move was heart wrenching for all of us and many tears have been shed
over this change. Chad misses the camaraderie of his Priesthood Quorum in North
Salt Lake, Carolyn misses all the wonderful women and young women she was
privileged to know there, the kids all miss their dear friends, Cousins, Aunts,
Uncles and Grandparents. We feel, in many ways, we left our ideal life behind.
We, especially at this time of year, miss the close association we enjoyed with
our families.

That being said we feel very blessed that Chad is gainfully employed during
this very difficult time in our country. We feel the Lord has watched over,
protected and guided us as we have made this change. We have a new home that
fits our family very well. Our new Ward is wonderful and the school system here
is amazing! The kids are learning a lot.

Jer, Jesi and Coy all feel very keenly the pressures of being one of very
few LDS students at their school. Jer and Jesi have made many friends from
different backgrounds and are learning to stand tall in what they believe. They
both really enjoy the Youth program at church, they have the exact same schedule
at school, they are both on their 7th Grade basketball teams and in Drama Troupe.
It seems that all the effort they put in avoiding each other's interest so as not
to compete against each other, has not gotten them very far. They are, as always,
great friends and it is a joy to watch them grow up together. I hope they
realize what a blessing they are to each other.

Coy is struggling. He has made a couple of friends, but mostly he feels
very much on the outside. He is a sad, lonely boy. He feels very strongly about
right and wrong and when he has voiced his opinion to others at school, he has
been teased, ridiculed, and bullied. This is a very difficult time for him and I
wonder why it is he has not been able to find friends with high standards and
open hearts, like Jer and Jesi have been. There are a lot of tears shed and he
misses his sweet friends in Utah a lot. I believe with all my heart there is a
wonderful life lesson for him in this, but that doesn't quell my aching heart
on his behalf. Coy was placed in the GT program here and he participates in the
school choir. Both have helped him, but he still is having a hard
time.

Caleb (KK) is as exuberant and full of life as always. He loves soccer and
has finally started to really play instead of just running around the field.
School here is quite a bit more demanding and moving was the equivalent to
skipping a grade. He has at least an hour of homework every night, plus he has
had to play catchup on things covered in First grade here that he had never seen
before. He is almost up to speed now and has never complained. He just takes it
all in stride.

Samantha started Kindergarten this year, which is full day here. She loves
it, but it wears her out. She is so tired when she gets home from school! She
too has regular homework. She is learning so fast! I the first six weeks of
Kindergarten she learned more than my other kids did in a full year. I guess
that is what a full day does. I'm still not sure it is worth it in the long
term, however. (I'd still like to have her home.) Nanna started soccer this year
too and was able to play on the same team as KK. She loved it! She especially
liked playing goalie. She is so cute, sweet and full of love that we have a hard
time not spoiling her, but her siblings will make sure that never
happens!

It has been an adjustment for me to have all the kids gone. I volunteer at
the school a lot so I can see them. I am at the elementary school three days a
week and I am on the Jr. High PTA Board. That, along with keeping up with the
kid's activities, house, yard, and pool maintenance, I stay pretty busy. I now
realize why my Mother left the TV on all day whether she was watching it or not.
It is way too quiet during the day around here!

Chad has a adjusted to his new job. He is learning a lot about alternative
energy and we are all enjoying the major drop in his stress level that this new
job has brought. Chad continues to play guitar and we run together. Our plans to
do a marathon together had to be put on hold when Chad pulled up with a stress
fracture, but we are starting over again now.

We feel extremely blessed in all we have. We have been privileged to meet
and associate with some of the finest people this world has to offer in many
different places around the world. We feel especially blessed to be related to
many of these people. We are so grateful to all of you for your love,
friendship, the lessons you have taught us and the many happy memories we have
enjoyed.

May the Lord watch, bless and keep you safe throughout the new
year!

Much love,

From the Gardners

Chad, Carolyn, Jer, Jesi, Coy, KK and Nanna

2008-12-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

This is Samantha and her friend, Evan, at the Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast.

Caleb's Second Grade Dance!

2008-12-07T20:15:00.000-08:00

We are ready to trick or treat!

KK and Nanna, ready for soccer!

Let's go play!

We always have crepes on Conference Sunday! YUM! YUM!

Caleb had a great time playing with the mirrors at the Drs. office.

It has been a while

2008-12-07T15:37:00.000-08:00

I haven't been keeping up with the blog very well, but here is a quick update for the last couple months.
Jer and Jesi, both made the Jr. High 7th grade basketball teams. Neither one of them have ever played before so we were surprised and excited for them! They are both on C teams, but like I said they haven't every played organized ball before, so we think it is great! Most importantly, they are having a blast even with 5:30 am practicing!
Coy boy is in the school choir. He hasn't liked doing things like this in the past, but he wanted to try it and is really liking it.
KK and Nanna are just finishing up soccer season. Ike pushed the season back a little, but the weather is still beautiful and they love playing. They are on the same team which is so fun and great for scheduling. Caleb has made a lot of progress this year and is really into every game. The past couple of years he hardly knew where the ball was, but he is really focusing this year. Nanna just loves to run around and kick the ball.
Chad and I are doing great! Chad has recovered from his stress fracture and is back running up to six miles. The stinker is getting fast, too. If I don't start to pick up the pace, I'm going to be the third fastest in the family, behind Jeremy and Chad. (Jer runs about a 7 minute mile right now.)
When I'm not running erans or doing chores, I'm usually at the school. I volunteer a little three days a week and then I'm on the PTA Board at the Jr. High. I really like being more involved and getting to know people. With all the kids in school I have been able to go on all the field trips so far this year! I love that!

We have purposely tried to slow life down since moving and it has been a huge blessing for us.

At any rate, life is good and we are having fun.

We love this time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior. This year has seen many unexpected changes for our family. We were very sad to leave behind wonderful friends and frequent contact with our dear families as we moved to Texas, but we have met wonderful people here and we are very aware of the many blessings we have. We have been blessed, watched over and protected in so many ways. We have nothing to be but grateful!

We hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season and we hope to hear many wonderful things from you over the next year!

I will be e-mailing this and posting it on my blog with pictures, if you want to check it out! www.ccgardner7.blogspot.com

Love,
Carolyn, Chad, Jer, Jesi, Coy, KK and Nanna

We having fun!

2008-10-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

We have been having a great time the past couple of weeks. The kids were out of school for over a week becuase of IKE and we took advantage of the time. We went to College Station (Home of Texas A&M) to visit the George H.W. Bush Preisdential Library. It was very fun! We also went to San Antonio to see some of our friends from Notre Dame. It was a fun week.

We got back to real life when school started again. Reportcards came home for the first time. It seems too soon for that already! I am at the elementary school three days a week volunteering and I love it. I spend my other time keeping the house, yard, and family in order.

Jer and Jesi are doing great! Jer had a couple friends over on Friday and they decided they wanted to swim. So they ran home to get their suits. The next thing I knew we were hosting a swim party for about 10 kids in the neighborhood. It was pretty fun. Jesi had her suit on and was outside a little too quick for my liking when she saw about six boys her age out there. This boy/girl twin thing can be tricky. Jer and Jesi are trying out for the drama troupe this week. So, lets keep our fingers crossed.

Coy has made a couple friends in our neighborhood as well. He also started chior at school. I am really surprized, becuase he doesn't usually like that sort of thing, but he is really enjoying it. School is going good for him. They are very structured at Katy Elementary and it has been great for him. I don't ever have to worry about what he is supposed to be doing. He is always right on top of it.

Caleb is just awesome. He wants to do everything. Right now he is working on a poster for a contest at school. He is very diligent and puts time into it everyday. He left his bike out last week and it got ran over by a car. He was so sad, but he had enough money to chip in for half of a new bike, so we helped him out with the rest and he loves it!

Nanna is on two wheels now! I am so excited! One of my favorite things is to go on bike rides after dinner. Some of the kids choose to swim and other bike. Nanna isn't quite ready to go all over the neighborhood, but she will be soon. Nanna also got her first love note. She came up to me with it cupped in her hands and said, "A boy at school loves me." It was pretty funny. This little boy is by her side when ever he can be. It is pretty funny, but I am keeping my eye on him!

Lastly, We are loving General Conference! The talks yesterday were amazing! We are also very excited about our football teams (BYU and ND). They are both doing good, especially BYU. Chad and I are trying to work out going to the TCU v BYU game in Dallas in a couple weeks. It should be fun! I'll post pictures.

That's about it! Hope you enjoy the update and the pictures!

Fighting Irish

2008-09-17T07:06:00.000-07:00

The kids are out of school for over a week due to Ike. There isn't much to do because everything is closed, but they keep themselves entertained. I walked into Jer's room and about died laughing at this sight!

IKE

2008-09-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

I thought you might like to see som eof the damage in our neighborhood. There isn't much really. We were very lucky!

Study Time

2008-09-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

The kids all have a lot more homework than they are use to. KK works so hard and is so cute doing it.

Waiting for the Hurricane

2008-09-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

This is how we spent our time waiting for Hurricane Ike, that's after we cleared everything out of our yard and made sure our emergncy prep. stuff was in order, of course.

Home

2008-09-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

So that's about it, minus five bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths. We are really enjoying it. Hope you like the pictures.

2008-09-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

Library/music room. I don't like all the cords, but more playing gets done if everything stays plugged in and Chad and the kids fully believe in the louder the better.

2008-09-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

Frount yard

2008-09-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

Gameroom

2008-09-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

I don't know why this keeps turning on me, but this is the dining room.

2008-09-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

Living Room

Our New Home

2008-09-02T14:07:00.001-07:00

We love our back yard and spend a lot of time in the pool.

The kitchen is big, but needs some updating. That is in the plans for spring.

Some of you have asked to see pictures of our new home. So here are a few.

September 2, 2008

2008-09-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure what I'm doing, so this is more of a practice entry, but I am excited to join the world of blogging. I'm thinking this will replace my monthly e-mails, if I get it figured out. We'll see.

School started last week and here are the pictures to prove it. My babies are gone! They sure are a bunch of good looking kids, if I do say so myself!

Yes, Jer, Coy, and Caleb all wore the same shirt to school on the first day! Their choice, not mine.