The Age of Princesses and Pirate Ships

January 2011

2012-01-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

The year I only blogged 15 times. Oops. Guess this won't be a "review" for you, but for me it will be a way to make up my lack of "scrap booking"in the form of blogging.

January

Much unlike the current January, last January we had snow. Lots of snow. The girls enjoyed many "snow days" off from school and played outside as much as they were allowed. If it must snow, a foot at a time is the way to go.

That is a foot long ruler!

G would venture out and when he was forced inside, he did a very good job of expressing his displeasure.

R started her first official organized sport, cheerleading. We went through Upward, and R loved every second of it. L also loved it. She would go to practice with R and was right on the sidelines during games making sure the girls did all the moves right.

We heart basketball.

L enjoying popcorn and watching the girls cheer. She was in heaven!

G did not like the buzzers, so he wore these ear muffs. Reminds me of chubby bunny.

It was the cutest thing watching them all do a cheer together.

R lost her second tooth, on New Year's Day at O'Charley's.

Since we had so much snow and cabin fever seemed to rule my thoughts, we had a playmate at Monkey Joe's. The kids always have so much fun there, and it totally wears them out for nap time!

L tried to start a new fashion with her headbands worn like a 70s sweatband complete with a hair tie on her upper arm. She has style, just not sure where she got it from?? (sorry, it's a phone pic!)

I was going to do a whole year in review in one post, but that would be the longest post ever, so I am just going to do one month a day! This will teach me not to blog as I go!

Intentional

2012-01-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

I need to be more intentional about blogging. I had the mindset that nothing particularly exciting happens to us, so there is no point in writing about it, but this is our life. Pretty mundane. I need to remember that I'm not writing to draw a crowd or to entertain the reader, I'm writing so we have something to look back on, remember what happened when, and see some pictures together with the story.

So here we go. Intentionally writing when nothing much is going on. :)

We had a great Christmas break. R is back in school today and L goes back tomorrow. She is still three days a week for three hours each day. She is not looking forward to Kindergarten, but that is only because she knows she has to get a few more shots before she goes (we staggered her 5-year old shots).

It is extremely cold outside (20s). No snow, but too cold to go outside. I stare out the window at the frozen pool and dream of summer. Five or six months to go.

I started playing Words with Friends on Facebook and I am extremely addicted. Didn't they used to have Scrabble on FB and then they had to take it down because Scrabble had a fit? I vaguely remember this and I do believe I was addicted back then as well. There was a huge uproar.

I'll have to post some pictures from Christmas. The kids scored a bunch of cool new things. As L just told someone this morning, "I must have been on the nice list, because I got presents!"

In 2012

2012-01-01T22:22:00.000-08:00

I will...

finish the baby books I started for R, L, & G.

drink more water.

drink less Dr. Pepper.

run a 5K.

blog more.

That's all I got.

Fantastic at Five

2011-11-29T12:03:00.000-08:00

L is five. A firecracker who can be definitely be described as "the spice of life". She is a force to be reckoned with. Still our little mama, who wants to take care of and boss all the littles. I cannot imagine what life will be like next year when she goes to Kindergarten. There will be a lot less mess, but also a lot less laughter and fun.

She can be quite the little performer, singing as loudly as she can to anything that comes on the radio in the car.

This year L is in the Pre-K preschool program. Three days a week for three hours. She loves it most days, but sometimes insists she wants to stay home and play with G instead. She is in her second year of Cubbies at church. She is very athletic, but so far hasn't been in any organized sport. We are going to get her signed up for a gymnastics class soon. It is the perfect thing for L.

My girliest of girls, L pretty much wears a dress every day (some days I have to make her wear pants because we have way more pants than dresses in her size) and glams it up as much as she can. She likes to wear her hair in "two tails" and usually follows that up with a headband on top. Shoes are an important accessory as well, and she changes them a few times a day. Although they never seem to stay ON when we are out in public.

L with her signature "two tails"

A mover and a shaker, the girl can barely sit still to get her hair done. She doesn't really walk anywhere, she gallops and runs. For being so girly, she is strangely borderline tomboy. She can keep up with the boys and has already married one of them (on at least two different occasions).

She had a Rapunzel/Tangled birthday this year. Girl loves her some princesses and fairy tales. Of course for the past year we've talked about a Barbie Birthday, and the week of she changed her mind. Of course.

She is my little L G and I love her very, very much!! We all do.

And what is a birthday post without a picture from her actual birth day.

R Turns Seven

2011-08-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

In typical mother-of-three fashion, this post is late.

Our first-born child turned seven this summer. So hard to believe it has been seven years since we coaxed her out of me! R's birth was induced, and after 27 hours of "labor", which included 3 hours of pushing, she made us parents. I couldn't believe they let us just take her out of the hospital to our home without some kind of certificate of normalcy or verification that we would be fit parents.

We have loved every minute of the past seven years and couldn't be prouder of the way she is growing into a beautiful young lady, inside and out. xoxo

Happy Birthday My Handsome Boy

2011-08-18T05:20:00.000-07:00

Two years seems like such a short time, and yet, I barely remember what our family was like before your arrival. Before the invasion of all things boy. Blue footie pajamas, cars and trucks, muddy fingernails, blackened feet, and sweaty hair. We couldn’t have asked for a sweeter boy than you! You adore your sisters, “NuNu” and “LaLa”, as you call them. They know how to push your buttons, and you know how to push right back. Ah, sibling ~~rivalry~~ love.

You love to play with your cars, trucks, trains, and planes. Load them all up in your big dump truck and haul them all around the house. Shhh. Don’t tell your daddy that you sometimes like to play with your sisters’ dollies and Barbies. I guess that is normal for a little boy with two older sisters. You love to watch the movie Cars on daddy’s phone. That is the first thing you want in the morning when you wake up. You also like to watch Thomas movies on Netflix, much to your sister’s chagrin!

Happy 2^nd Birthday, G. We love you!!

Pickle Festival and an Amish Buggy Ride

2011-08-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went to Sechler's Pickle Factory and toured their plant. It was very interesting to see how the pickles were made.

St. Joe, Indiana has an annual Pickle Festival. We tasted pickle ice cream (it wasn't as bad as it sounds, to me it tasted like a Necco candy wafer) and the kids bounced out some energy in the bounce houses. There was also a parade where the kids collected lots of candy.

Later that night we went to eat at an Amish restaurant. The food was delicious and after our meal we took a buggy ride. It was definitely the best part of the day for my girls, especially R, who is totally obsessed with horses.

Number 3

2011-07-19T18:09:00.001-07:00

R lost her third tooth today. It was fairly traumatic for her. That snaggle tooth was hanging on for dear life for a few months now. The new tooth is already through. L punched her in the face, and that is how it happened. To be fair, R asked L to punch her in the face. I couldn't make this up if I tried.

The First and Last of First

2011-07-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Here is R on her first and last day of first grade. What a difference nine months makes!

Baby on the Way

2011-07-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Don't get your panties in a bunch. This is just a post of reflection. I'm linking up to Kelly's Korner, remembering how we shared the news of pregnancy with friends and family.

Husband and I were married on August 30, 2003. Just 50 weeks after our first date. When you know you know, and we knew. I've always wanted kids, and lots of them. We wanted to start our family right away. I'd hold the babies in the church nursery and just dream of the day we would have our own. We waited three months and then we started "trying".

Christmas Day we were at my parent's house. I had a few days before I could start testing, so I wasn't really thinking about being pregnant. I knew so many people who tried months and years to get pregnant, so I just figured it would be the same for us. That night as my mom was cleaning up, she was soaking a pan that had scalloped potatoes in it. I caught a whiff of it and it made my stomach turn. At that moment I knew. I didn't say anything, but went home and took a test. Sure enough, I was pregnant. I had previously bought a Precious Moments mother who was pregnant and reading a book of baby names. I wrapped it up and gave it to Husband along with the test. We were so happy, pretty much everyone we had ever known knew by the next afternoon. We wrapped up bibs for our parents to open. R was born on August 29, the day before our one-year anniversary.

When we got pregnant with L we told our parents and then they told everyone else. Bahahaha. Grandparents get so excited. She was our gender surprise baby, and we were ecstatic to have another girl!

G got a cute little announcement of his impending arrival on the blog. We also bought "Big Sister" t-shirts for the girls. We took them over to my parent's house dressed in the shirts and R said, "Look, we got new shirts." They said, "Oh, yours says 'big sister'." What does L's say, "Little Sister?" Ummm no. "Big sister" too! That was fun. A few months ago I bought all the kids those matching shirts again. The girls both had the "Big Sister" shirts and then G's said "Little Brother". Lots of people were taking a good look at G's to make sure it didn't say "Big" instead of "Little".

Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Back and Forth

2011-06-25T19:37:00.001-07:00

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that the one thing I am most paranoid about is.....ear infections! I guess it has something to do with the fact that all three of my children have had constant ear infections, almost from birth. Ear infections that don't go away, ear infections that clear up only to return after the antibiotics are over, fluid in the eardrum that isn't infected, but that makes my child feel like they are listening to the world through a glass of water... With our first we waited and waited, hoping they would clear up, before putting her "under" for tubes. As soon as we relented to the surgery, she only had one or two ear infections for the next 2 years! The second child, we didn't wait nearly as long, although we still waited longer than we should have. G, he got those tubes in as soon as the doctor suggested it. I think he was around 7 months old. R had two sets of tubes, L has had three sets (she still has a set in), and G has just had the one set. Since they were inserted it has been smooth sailing, until this week. He has been super clingy, wanting me to constantly hold and entertain him. He is normally a fairly independent guy, following after his sisters or playing cars and trucks with the two boys I watch. I've noticed him pulling on his ears, pressing his hands against his ears to "hold" them, and poking his fingers in his ears. So you know what my conclusion was.....oh dear, G's tubes have fallen out and now he has an ear infection! I thought about taking him to the doctor yesterday, but then talked myself out of it. You know how this conversation goes in your head:

Should I take him in to get checked?

No, he's probably fine. He doesn't have a fever or anything.

But he just isn't acting himself. He is never this clingy.

He is sleeping through he night though. And he is eating and drinking his normal amounts.

But he has grown so much these last few months, I bet those tubes fell out.

Well I haven't seen the tubes come out like I did with the girls.

I should just take him in.

No, I think he's okay.

Back and forth. Back and forth.

You don't want to be an annoyance to the doctor, but you don't want your child to suffer because you didn't take him in. Such a guessing game. I almost always go with "Better safe than sorry" and take him in. Which I did, today. No ear infections, but his tubes are kind of "hanging out" in his canals, waiting to fall out. They might be itching him, which is why he is messing around with his ears. He also might be getting his molars. Hopefully we won't need to get a new set of tubes. Time will tell.

Around the World in 80 Seconds

2011-04-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

I just love that little segment Mr. Smith does on Fox News. Since I am such a bad blogger and have been absent for more than a month, let's recap on the going ons of our world.

Husband had a birthday. Oh yeah, I covered that one already..... :)

We took the kids to the zoo on a lovely spring day. Then we tried to get a picture of all five grandkids. This was the best we got.

Mommy' little monkey.

And suddenly it was Easter. We colored our raw eggs, since no one really eats boiled eggs in this house, and we had our usual casualty of one. Small price to pay to not have 3 dozen boiled eggs in my fridge.

The Easter Bunny dropped by our house. He promised no candy, but didn't follow-thru. Probably because R went ON AND ON about how much CANDY the EB was going to bring her. I'm pretty sure R doesn't really believe in the EB and is just playing along.....

What?! The EB didn't know I got my hair cut and can't use these?! haha Just give them to L.

That is the extent of our Easter pictures. The rest have L opening her basket in her underwear. I did not get a single picture of the girls in their dresses. Bad Mommy. Or of them hunting eggs.

We joined a fruit/vegetable co-op in our area and I am super excited about it! We get produce every two weeks. :)

And that, my friends, is all I've got to say.

Sweet Sleeping Sisters

2011-03-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

Lately there is nothing sweeter to me than watching these two become best friends. It is precious. I'll save this picture for when they are teenagers and fighting over clothes and boys.

Husbands and Fathers

2011-03-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

When have you known me to bite my tongue? Well, it happens a lot more than you think. All the time, in fact. All. The. Time.
Since it is Husband's birthday today, let me tell you a little about him. He is a great father. I mean GREAT. Exceptional. He does way more with his kids than most fathers I know, and he has caught a lot of flack for it. I mean seriously, why would someone look down on a father for helping his wife care for his children? And I know that isn't the only reason why he helps out the way he does--to help me. He enjoys spending time with his children. He is at work all day, while I am, yes, at home with them. Just because a mother stays home with her children doesn't mean she should do every single thing. It doesn't give the father a slack card. Well maybe it does at your house, but not at mine. And not because I insist, but because he wants to.
So yes, my Husband, the father of my children, helps me tremendously with our kiddos. He is the bather and the puttem'-to-bed guy. He helps keep their room clean. He goes over their AWANA verses with them. We are parenting together, and that is what makes him the best father to our three munchkins.
Happy Birthday, Husband.

Britax B-Ready Giveaway

2011-03-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

Ya'll know how much I love my Britax car seats! And now I am in love with this stroller, the Britax B-Ready. It's similar to my Phil & Teds, but so much more versatile and easy to use! My favorite part about the stroller is that you can have the babies/kiddos facing you. I wish all strollers had that option.
Lucky for one person, The Bragging Mommy is giving one away! It is valued at $499. And that would be why I don't have one yet...
There are lots of ways to get entries to this giveaway. Go here to start! And promise me that if you win it, you will sell it to me for $1. Deal?
Now, where do I get in line to test these products? I'd love to receive a free one of these bad-boys for a review!

We Pulled the Plug

2011-03-15T18:11:00.001-07:00

on DirecTV. We got the idea here. The suggested Playon software has a lifetime membership of only $80. That just a little more than we were paying monthly for our DirecTv service. So rather than approximately $65/month for DirecTV, we are paying only $9.99 a month for Netflix, which lets us stream movies and TV through our PS3 onto our TV. The kids are loving all the new shows and movies that they can watch. Bonus: we have eliminated the compound word Spongebob. Bye-bye Spongebob!! The girls new fave is Hello Kitty. Circa 1987. Wow! Not all movies are available to be streamed instantly, so we get one DVD at a time through the mail.
We are watching all the same shows we used to, with the exception of anything on TLC. :( Sniff, sniff. I'll have sneak over to a friend's house to watch Sister Wives. I can wait for 19 Kids and Counting to come out on DVD, and then I'll watch it through Netflix.
We bought and installed a digital antenna, so we get all the local channels for news and such. There is even a PBS channel that always has cartoons on for the kiddos.
So far, so good. We've been at it for about a week now.

1.5 years

2011-02-18T10:40:00.000-08:00

There is something about 18 months....they just don't seem like babies anymore! New words every day, new "tricks" all the time. They just seem so toddlerish.

G is talking quite a bit, and has even put two words together. The same two words. Over and over. I am mortified that those two words are sponge and bob. I might just skip that factoid in the baby book. I mean really, spongebob is really one word right? one compound word? I have always hated spongebob squarepants. I really don't deem it appropriate for young children. And then out of nowhere, it is the girls' favorite show. One they actually agree on. I think we are going to yank them from this obsession when we pull the plug on DirecTV (but that is another post!).

So, other than the compound word spongebob, G also says these: mama, dada, papa, bye (clear as a bell on this one!), Bella, eat, bath, hat, no, car, snow, nose, baba (for cup). I'm sure there are more but I just can't think of them right now. He points to his nose and loves to give high fives.

G is 24 pounds and 33 inches.

He LOVES to be outside. He wasn't walking yet when we ran into winter, so this past week when he had his first taste of outdoors (we went to the park many times, went to the zoo, and played in the back yard and rode bikes in the front drive). Now there is no place he would rather be.

He walks, runs, climbs into his highchair all by himself and then claps for himself, climbs up and down from beds, tables, stools, etc. Even though he walked the latest of my three, he is definitely ahead of the game on climbing. Must be the boy gene.

We are so in love with this boy! Happy 18 months to our dude!

My Scare with G

2011-01-10T17:06:00.000-08:00

In response to the question about G....how the Angelcare monitor saved his life........

Like any mother, I have a healthy fear of SIDS. We've all heard the stories, read the blogs, and seen the stories on the news.....healthy baby dies in its sleep. Can anything more heartbreaking happen to a mother? This fear is what wakes mothers out of a sound sleep, prompts them to crawl out of their warm beds to tiptoe down the hall, into the rooms of their sleeping children, to watch for the rising and falling of baby's chest, making sure they are breathing. Several times a night, in fact. And did you know that boys are more likely to die from SIDS than girls are? Why do they figure these statistics out? Just to scare us? Seriously. Today I heard on a morning show that if a mother waits less than two years before getting pregnant with her next child, the resulting baby has a much higher risk of developing autism. Seriously? Tell that to the Duggars....(who I love BTW). But I digress....

While we don't have any of the risk factors of SIDS (cigarette smoke exposure is really high on that list), and even though I laid my children "Back to Sleep", I still had a fear that something would happen to my child in the night, and I would not know until morning. Until it was too late.

Oh how I wish I had this monitor with my first two! This monitor is awesome! It has a sensory pad that goes under the baby's mattress, and if the baby doesn't move (breathe) for more than 20 seconds an alarm goes off. The alarm is quite loud, and it goes off in the baby's room and on the monitors. I'll be honest, there were several false alarms. The first couple times that alarm went off---oh my, you should have seen how fast Husband and I shot out of our room and into G's. Usually he had just squirmed his way to the very edge of the crib and the sensor couldn't feel his movement.

But there was this one time...this one time where the alarm went off in the middle of the night. I hurried in, more so to shut it off before it woke him up than to make sure he was okay. I walked in, looked down at him, and he was laying on his back. His eyes were open wide, but he wasn't looking at anything. I put my head right over him, but he didn't "see" me. He never moved. He was grey. My heart stopped in an instant, and I quickly put my hand over his chest/stomach and kind of shook him. He turned his head and saw me, took a big gasp of air, and pinked up. Then he cried and I had to get him back to sleep. No complaints! I can't remember exactly when this happened, but if I remember correctly it was right around 4 months of age. I remember thinking he was right at the end of that danger zone (most SIDS cases are around 2-4 months of age).

We still turn the monitor on every night. My monitor shows what temperature the nursery is and it also acts like a regular monitor as well. If someone takes G out of his crib, the alarm will go off. R decided to get G out of his crib one Saturday morning and ended up giving her mother a heart attack instead. But most of the time I can lay in my bed, look over at the monitor and see the pendulum swinging back and forth (indicating that my baby is breathing), and keep my toes nice and warm. :)

Out With The Old

2010-12-31T16:26:00.000-08:00

..........in with the new. Year, that is. I cannot believe it is going to be 2011. I graduated from college TEN years ago. If that doesn't make you feel old, nothing will.

I've been married SEVEN years. I have THREE children. Huh??? Where does time go?!

Here's to a happy, healthy, hilarious, heartfelt, hopeful, hip TWENTY ELEVEN!!

Happy New Year Bloggy Land.

So This Is Christmas

2010-12-27T05:36:00.000-08:00

And so this is Christmas

And what have you done?

Another year over

And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas

I hope you have fun

The near and the dear one

The old and the young

A very merry Christmas

and a happy New Year

Let's hope its a good one

Without any fear

A very merry Christmas

and a happy New Year

*Lyrics by Oko Yono and John Lennon

From Our Family, To Yours

2010-12-25T18:15:00.000-08:00

Favorites on Friday

2010-12-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

Although I'm not Oprah, I still have my favorite things. Here are two of my favorite things for this fabulous Friday.

This should be at the top of any expecting parent's registry. I credit it with saving me from tip-toeing out of bed every few hours to check to make sure baby is breathing. Even more than that, I credit it with saving G's life when he was four months old. The Angelcare monitor system. Loveit.

Excedrin Migraine. I'm not sure that they are technically migraines, but these little white pills get me through those unbearable headaches (a.k.a caffeine withdrawals).

An Angel for the Top

2010-12-15T11:11:00.000-08:00

In keeping with tradition, R put the angel on the tree again this year. She actually got it on all by herself this time.

Check out her previous attempts: 2009 and 2006-2008

Definitely enjoying these "not ornaments at the bottom of the tree" years! Christmas is even better with littles.

December Flying By

2010-12-11T19:44:00.001-08:00

L had her birthday party last Sunday. She is now the proud mama of several babies. The kids decorated their gingerbread houses as well.

G is already practicing his fatherly skills. He loves to feed his sister's babies. He also tosses them in the baby swing and pushes them.

Money! :) Thanks Uncle Mike!

R had her Christmas program at school. My girls LOVE to sing. We rock out to Taylor Swift on the way to school every morning. For weeks R has been singing her Christmas songs around the house, getting ready for the big program! R is in the second row from the bottom, third from the left. Can you spot cousin K?

Fabulous at Four

2010-11-29T18:24:00.000-08:00

When I think about how to describe my firecracker of a Four Year Old, an old Garth Brooks song comes to mind. Well, not all of the lyrics (for obvious reasons) apply, but a lot of them ring true for my L.

She's sun and rain, she's fire and ice
A little crazy but it's nice
And when she gets mad, you best leave her alone

She's anything but typical
She's so unpredictable
Oh but even at her worst she ain't that bad
She's as real as real can be

You know how they say the middle child is often ignored and can be overlooked? Not my L. She is loud, vivacious, and full of personality. She can make me want to pull my hair out one second, and the next minute melt my heart. She loves fiercely. We love her the same way.

L is my curly-girly-girl who takes mama'ing her babies seriously. She will promptly correct you if you happen to call one a doll or babydoll. They are babies. At least one must accompany us on any errand or trip.

She loves real babies as well. Poor G! He has been carried just about everywhere by L. I think he about matches her with weight at this point, but she still wraps her arms around his middle and hauls him off. L makes the cutest comments about any babies she sees. "Awww, look at his cute little feet. They're so tiny." Gee, I wonder where she gets that from???

Mac-n-Cheese, chicken noodle soup, turkey, cheese & crackers...without these menu items my little L.G. would starve. She somehow manages to acquire massive amounts of energy from the very little amount of food she does eat. No naps, and sometimes she isn't asleep until 10. Wired. She is not allowed to have caffeine, but if she sneaks a sip of my Dr. Pepper, I'll know it.

Such a trooper she's been this year! She has had three or four surgeries--she is on her third set of tubes, she had her adenoids out, and she also had her tonsils taken out. She also had her first cavities and fillings. :(

Happy Birthday L! We love you so much!

L at One

Speak Now

2010-11-26T17:44:00.000-08:00

Real life is a funny thing you know. In real life saying the right thing at the right moment is beyond crucial. So crucial, in fact, that most of us start to hesitate for fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. But lately what I've begun to fear more than that is letting the moment pass without saying anything. I think you deserve to look back on your life without this chorus of resounding voices saying, "I could have, but its too late now." So there's a time for silence, and there's a time for waiting your turn. But if you know how you feel, and you so clearly know what you need to say, you'll know it. I don't think you should wait. I think you should speak now. --Taylor Swift from her Thanksgiving NBC Special (emphasis mine)

Fifteen Months

2010-11-18T17:12:00.000-08:00

Today, on his fifteen-month birthday, G decided that he would much rather walk than crawl. He has been walking a little bit for a week or two, when prompted, or across the room, only to drop down for a fast crawl. But not today, today crawling is so fourteen-months......

I feel like I say this at a lot of different ages, but this is one of my favorite stages! Learning to walk, talk, express themselves in different ways (other than crying)...so fun! G says a handful of words. His favorite, by far, is "Mama." He says it over and over and over. It sounds like one of those little baby dolls that say "Mama" when you squeeze its tummy. He will say "Mama" over and over while he goes through the house looking for me. G also says "Dada", "Ba-ba" (bottle), "no-no-no-no", "hi", "bye", and "ba" (for ball). I think he is trying to say "baby" too, but it comes out different all the time. He makes a bark-bark sound when he sees Bella.

G still has his bottle (ignore this post). He was sans bottle for a full two weeks when MOM caved and gave it back to him. He was teething something fierce (6-8 teeth at once, and some still aren't through yet), so I gave him the bottle back to make him happy. It definitely worked. And you know my motto, "Whatever works." Words for a mother to live by.

G wears size 18 months and a Size 4 Diaper. His shoe size is around a 5. He weighs 24 lbs 3 oz (50th percentile) and is 31 inches long (75th percentile).

He is a bundle of fun and we are enjoying watching his little personality emerge full force!

Here is is exactly one year ago!

The Advent Conspiracy

2010-11-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

Walking with a Walker

2010-10-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

The Last Hoorah

2010-10-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

It went way better than any other "taking away" we've done. It's safe to say that Momma had a harder time with it than G. He's just not a baby anymore, and that's sad for a Momma!

Obligatory Pumpkin Patch Post

2010-10-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

Note to self: attempt group photo amidst pumpkin pile at the beginning of your trip--not three hours after you arrived . . . Yes folks, that is the best I got. Granted I only snapped two before G started crawling off. Umm yeah, we are still crawling at 13 1/2 months (NOT going to worry about that, NOT going to worry about that....).

The best part for the kiddos was the wagon ride out to the apple orchards and pumpkin patch. We were just along for the ride, and what a bumpy ride it was! I had a flashback to a bumpy wagon ride at a pumpkin patch in 2006--when L decided she didn't like said wagon ride and turned breach inside me. Yep, she still has that stubborn streak going for her ...

R is missing from these pictures because she was in school. Her class is going to the same place in a couple weeks for a field trip. Daddy will be going with her. She told me she didn't want to visit the pumpkin patch with me until AFTER she went with her class, because she wanted to be surprised with the experience with her classmates. Seriously people, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

Bella Baby is One

2010-10-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

On October 2 Bella turned ONE! We have had Bella since Christmas morning when Santa left her under our tree, in a box. :)

Oh yes, I have turned into one of those people that bake birthday cakes for their animals. :D It's really more for the kids and me than it is for her. I found the recipe online. It has flour, eggs, honey, peanut butter and carrots. Shredded carrots for "sprinkles" and beef baby food for "frosting". The cake smelled very yummy when it was baking, but when I added the baby food to the top I had to breathe through my mouth to prevent hurling.

Can I tell you how hard it is to get a picture of a dog? A black dog? Her eyes are always spooky or you can't see them. Or she is running away.

I didn't want her eating inside, so we gave her yummy goodness to her on the front porch. Of course it was raining (and cold).

So happy birthday to our furry friend who brings much happiness and occasional frustration (i.e., chewing up one of the kid's toys or chasing the kids in the yard).

Bella shares my birthday. I will never forget how old our furry friend is, because she was born on my 30th birthday. The math isn't too hard people--I'm 31 years young.

Grass Skirt

2010-09-20T09:06:00.001-07:00

Today is the start of R's Spirit week at school. Today's theme: Hawaii. Last night R and I went to all the stores looking for a grass skirt or lei. Nothing. Apparently that is a summer item, and didn't you know this is the Fall? I may have been able to find something at a party store, but of course I waited until Sunday night to get this done. Our local party store was closed, and the closest one that was open was about 25 minutes away. Stink.

Guess this uncreative mother was going to have to get creative. My mom told me to find some crepe paper, but the last store I went to didn't have it in green or tan (the normal colors of a grass skirt). They DID have a green plastic table cover. So that is what we used. I just folded it in half the long way, kept the folded end at the top, and started cutting strips from the other end. I cut enough strips so that I could wrap the skirt around her twice. I just used clear packing tape to tape it together in the back, and a little bit of masking tape at the end, just to make sure it didn't come apart.

It turned out pretty good. Note to self: Google "How to Make a Hawaiian Grass Skirt" a few days before you need it, not the night before!

I didn't want my baby to be the only student without a grass skirt. This morning at drop off--R was the only one I saw in a grass skirt! LOL Aside from a few Hawaiian shirts and leis, I didn't see many dressed up for the Hawaii day. I didn't go in, so hopefully there were some more "creative" moms to the rescue! Every store I went in and asked about the Hawaii stuff--they all said they had so many requests for that stuff that day!

One Fish, Two Fish

2010-09-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

A Horse of Course

2010-08-31T10:47:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe we pulled the surprise off. R knew she was having a birthday party Sunday, but she didn't know where. We managed to keep it a secret despite sending the invitations to school with her. She had it in her mind that we were going to Chuck-E-Cheese, even going so far as to tell me so-and-so can't have pizza there because it makes her throw up.

When we pulled into the driveway she didn't quite understand. She was like, "A farm?" Then we pulled in a little farther and she saw the horses. She got so excited then, but she still didn't know the best part, that she was going to get to ride them! She thought were just going to look at them.

She loved it, and so did her friends. There is something about young girls and horses, I just haven't figured it out. I do not remembering having a fondness for horses at her age.

It was a gorgeous day and we all had a great time. She scored a ton of horses, all colors and sizes. I think we'll hold off on riding lessons a little longer. We'll see if the obsession continues.

Seven Blissful Years

2010-08-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to Husband! My husband of seven years. The father of my three children. Here's to seventy more!
Ahem....seventy more years, not seventy more children....

This is where we were headed seven years ago:

Three more years to Hawaii, Husband!!

Six Years

2010-08-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

Dear R,

Today you are six years old! I cannot believe it. So maybe twenty years from now you'll wonder, "What was I like when I turned six?" Well here it is, for your memory and for mine.

You are in first grade and learning so many new things. You can read quite well. You really enjoy school, although I think that has more to do with your friends than the actual learning part. You love to pick out your own outfits, and they almost always go with a pair of flip-flops.

We have really picked up on your "artsiness" lately. You are very good at drawing, coloring, and building all sorts of nifty little things. You are very artistic, something neither Mommy or Daddy know anything about.

You are still an animal lover. You are completely obsessed with horses. We aren't sure whether to encourage this with riding lessons or not, considering how expensive a "hobby" it can be. For your birthday you really wanted a "real horse." Sweet girl, you are still at that age where you think Mommy and Daddy can deliver on just about anything you ask for. Instead we surprised you with a birthday party at a local horse farm, with an hour of riding with all of your friends. You are already hoping you can have your party there again next year! You scored many toy horses at your birthday party, so we'll see if this satisfies you for now....

This summer you have learned how to swim on your own. You can swim from one end of our pool to the other, and back, without help of a floaty or swimmies. It makes me nervous and happy all at the same time.

You play well with your little sister L, although some times she annoys you. She likes to follow you and repeat everything you say, and this drives you crazy! She just looks up to you. :) Some day you will understand. You aren't a real big baby-lover, but you do well helping me with G. You'll pick him up and bring him to me or take something away from him that he isn't supposed to have.

You are an early riser. Earlier and earlier these days. Some days it is as early as 6 to 6:30. Lucky for us you now know how to turn the television on by yourself, so we can get a little more sleep. At night you fall asleep very fast. A girl after my own heart!

At school your teacher had you fill out a paper, "All About Me". According to this sheet your favorites:

Food--Cookies (you spelled it "cokes" and mommy thought you meant soda)

TV show--Johnny Test

Sport--jump rope

Song--"Picture to Burn", by Taylor Swift

Part of school--Field Trips

Animal--dogs (really?! I thought it was horses!!)

You also wrote that when you grow up you want to take care of horses. If this came true, it would not surprise me a bit!

My little R, still the compassionate one who shows concern for others. You aren't as shy as you used to be, you are really getting comfortable with who you are. You know Mommy and Daddy love you just the way you are. You are a special girl, and we are so glad that God chose us to be your parents!

Love,

Mom & Dad

8/29/2010

Let's Have a Party!

2010-08-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

I stole this construction themed birthday idea from a friend, who was actually planning on using it for her sister's baby shower. Lucky for me, her sister found out she was having a girl instead of a boy!

I still can't believe my baby boy is one. His "boyness" is starting to come out, so the differences between girls and boys are coming to light. As little babies, boys and girls really aren't much different. Now that G's little personality is coming out, it is amazing how different he already is from the girls at this age. He is automatically drawn to "boy" toys. Trucks, cars, trains, balls. He gets a little matchbox car in is hand, presses the wheels to the floor, and then races around the house on his hands and knees making the car go "vroom". He even makes the car noises. He gets a ball in his chubby little hands and he somehow just knows to throw it. As hard and as far as he can.

Tonight he discovered climbing up the slide. I'm pretty sure he would make it to the top if I let him. I am going to have to keep my eyes on this little guy! No fear.

You always hope they will rip those presents open on their first birthday, but they are usually too enamored with the bows and boxes. The middle picture on the right column below cracks me up. L was ripping open his presents and getting so excited for her little bro.

When anyone asked what to get G for his birthday, I didn't hesitate to say "boy toys". Although he is perfectly happy pushing the hot pink Barbie Jeep around the house, I'm sure Husband is thrilled he has some manly cars and trucks to push around instead.

Chubby Bunny

2010-08-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

Twelve Months of G

2010-08-23T09:51:00.001-07:00

Click to Enlarge.

Smash and Smear

2010-08-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

Click to enlarge.

First Day

2010-08-19T08:58:00.001-07:00

Today is your first day

of first grade.

A whole new year.

A lot more to learn.

You've come so far.

Wasn't it just yesterday?

That it was another first day?

Your first day of Kindergarten?

A lot has changed in a year! Good luck this year kiddo! I know you will do well! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you.

One Year Ago

2010-08-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

This boy came into our lives. Into our family. Into our hearts.

All 8 lbs, 6 oz of him.

He fits perfectly with us. He may be our third child, but he is certainly not the third-wheel.

We love him so much. He is such a happy-go-lucky little guy! He puts up with being toted around by his two big sisters, even laughs when they lug him around like a life-size baby doll.

And yes, he is finally sleeping through the night. I think we'll keep him.

Happy first birthday to our little dude!

More birthday celebration to follow........

I Guess Some Things Never Change

2010-08-16T19:05:00.001-07:00

This week my firstborn baby girl will be entering the first grade. That seems so grown up, at least compared to Kindergarten. Tonight we went to visit her new teacher, drop off school supplies, and have ice cream with old friends. Change. New teacher. New classroom. New kids (but lots of the same ones too!). New pickup time. New things to learn. I sure hope R is better with change than her mommy.

Afterwards we had dinner at Culver's. We love that place. Some things never change. Kids still love ice cream, loaded up with candy bits.

Baby boys still love their mommas.

G is loving the change in his menu. No more baby food for this little guy. He is eating so well. Too good, because now we have to buy him his own kids meal. Little oinker.

L still shys away from the camera.

The picture below was taken 8/14/09, one year and two days ago. So much has changed! You can tell that R is now taller, thinner, more "grown up" looking than last year. L was still in diapers a year ago (now that is one change that mommy has fully embraced). This time last year G hadn't yet arrived. WOW. So much change, in just 365 days! Most of it good. :)

Family Reunion

2010-08-09T08:46:00.001-07:00

L was in heaven on this big trampoline!

R, K, and R in front of the barn.

My Grandma.

Grandma with seven of her children. She had eleven.

Grandma with the grandchildren. There have to be dozens missing from this picture. Mostly boys.

Grandma with her great grandchildren. Again, many are missing from this picture! Mostly girls!

Attempt

2010-07-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

A few weeks before Father's Day I attempted to get a good picture of all three kids together. I took probably 50 pictures, and not a single one turned out! We went to a professional photographer a few days later with my three kids and my brother's two kids, and we got a perfect picture in minutes! Lesson learned: leave the photography to the professionals!

This one would have been so cute if the girls weren't making wonky faces.

L trying to coral G. He is crawling and does not sit still for a second (unless he has a bottle plugged in his mouth).

Now that is is July and I made my new "July 2010" folder for my computer, I noticed I hardly took any pictures last month! I only blogged a few times too. Guess we have been too busy with summer, surgeries (L) and swimming!

This is the collage I made and printed it out in a 4 x 6. I had a "#1 Dad" frame that I put it in. I thought it turned out cute. Not a single picture from our photo shoot. R's picture is from her Kindergarten graduation, L's picture is from Easter, and G's picture was taken in March (it is one of Husband's favorite pictures of G, even though it wasn't very current).

Say "Mama"

2010-07-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

Summer Fun, Week One

2010-06-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

Alternately titled "Really. Long. Post."

Our first week of summer was packed with all sorts of fun times. This little man has a favorite toy (if you can call it that). The dog bed. It is a soft, velvety material, much like his "blankie". He crawls right to it, climbs in, and snuggles his face on the material. Bella is hardly ever in her bed, I think G thinks it is his personal perch!

Monday was Memorial Day. We had a bbq at our house and then we enjoyed the pool with friends and the kids. I definitely have a love affair with water, just like Brad.

I love G's face on this picture. He has the cutest smile.

R in the kiddie pool, inside the big pool. A bright idea from a kid at heart (a 20 something newlywed who has a baby on the way).

Tuesday we went to the library first thing to sign up for the summer reading program. We missed the kick-off party earlier in May. :( Got the girls signed up, checked out some books and DVDs, and then we were off to the mall for our free Chick-Fil-A spicy chicken sandwich (that thing is SPICY!). The mall is near our favorite park, so after our chicken (and the kids being terrified by the Chick-Fil-A cow dressed in a firefighter's outfit), we headed over there. It was a hot day, over 90 degrees, and the best part of the park (the splash pad) was closed. BOO!

Wednesday we had friends over to swim, although it was very hot, it was also cloudy and sprinkled a little. And yes, it's true, you burn worse on days when it is overcast. :-/

Thursday was a last minute dash to the movie theater for a free summer movie, Ice Age. It wasn't too bad (two mommas with five kids), although G made it challenging. He is a squirmer and I finally just let him crawl all over the FILTHY floor. Next time I'm bringing lots of food and snacks to occupy him.

Friday was Krispy Kreme's free donut day. Yummy. We went last year too. Before the delightful donuts we ate at O Charley's. Kids. Eat. Free. Need I say more? There were 6 kids and two adults. hehe

G loved their honey rolls!

L loves their mac-n-cheese.

R loves their cheesy potato soup. It is one of my favorites too.

G would not take a bite of donut. I had to force his mouth open and shove a taste in. He still wouldn't take more after it melted in his mouth. Guess he filled up on rolls for lunch.

I wasn't kidding about this bed. I'll have to get a video up of him crawling in and then snoogling down. It is so cute!

Saturday we went boating with my brother and his family. It was really fun. We went to a beach area and the kids had a lot of fun together.

K&R

L was a little afraid at first. She cannot stand loud noises. Or big cows at the mall.

K&L

Swimming

My kids always seem to have food on their face for pictures.

Buried Alive

Four Cousins (G was at a friend's house)

This week is VBS for R, so we don't have much planned. VBS is all morning, and the smaller kids take a nap in the afternoon, so that doesn't leave much time to do anything. Plus, it is supposed to rain all week. BOO!! That's one kind of water I can do without.

Laundry Service

2010-06-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

I try to make a point out of taking the girls places by themselves, for one-on-one time. It usually involves sneaking out the garage door and not telling the other one (to avoid a meltdown from the one left behind). Friday night I took R with me on a quick grocery store run and to pick up her plate that she had made on her Kindergarten field trip. It is amazing how much more the girls will talk and converse with me when they aren't competing for talk time.

On our way back, just before we got home, she asked me why her daddy never did the dishes. She thought that was the strangest thing. I told her it was just the way mommy and daddy did things. I reminded her that daddy does things that I don't do, like mow the lawn. I never mow the lawn, and she has even noticed that. Last year the teenage girl down the street was mowing her lawn and she was flabbergasted that a girl was mowing grass!

Then she tried to think of something else that daddy didn't do. The laundry! She came up with this all on her own. "Well what does daddy do that you don't do, since he doesn't do the laundry?" Hmm. Trying to think of something for a few seconds and then she says, "I know! He goes to work and you just stay home."

There you go. I guess that is a pretty fair trade. Daddy goes to work for 40 hours a week and I do the laundry. ha!

My Little Kindergartener No More

2010-06-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

Seems like just yesterday it was your first day of Kindergarten. They really aren't kidding when they say time flies . . .

Here we are at the end of your first year in elementary school. You have learned so much, grown so much, changed so much. We are so proud of all you have done, the friends you have made, and the love you continue to show towards others. You. Our firstborn. Our sunshine. We love you so much!

Oh how you love school. The love you have for your teacher and friends, it is just precious.

Look at you, all grown up. That precious smile we've seen for almost six years now. You are becoming quite a little lady.

Mom & Dad were a little nervous about putting you in school, knowing that you would be so much younger than the rest in your class. No worries though, you have taken off and don't show signs of slowing down. You are reading everything in sight. It totally amazes me. Nine months ago you could spell your name and a few other words, and now you sit down at the table and write stories. You are so creative. We love it. We love you.

I had to include this picture. You are standing next to someone we heard an awful lot about this year. LOL

God has big things in store for you. Follow Him, and He will direct your path.

We thank God for the incredible year you have had in Kindergarten. It just went by too fast! We couldn't have asked for a better teacher, someone who really loves you kids, as if you were her own. A school that strives to give you an education for eternity.

So much to be thankful for!

My Little Corn Husker

2010-06-02T07:04:00.000-07:00

She does a great job!

Double Take

2010-06-01T13:32:00.001-07:00

R was never a girl who carried around a baby doll. She would carry around stuffed animals, treating them like they were baby dolls. L is our baby doll toting daughter. Especially lately. She carries her new baby doll, Linley, everywhere. She has to lay her down at bedtime, and the blanket has to be spread over her in just the right way.

Sometimes I find Linley in various places throughout the house, and I always do a double-take. My mind sees it and automatically thinks it is a real baby. I've found Linley in G's crib, bouncer, walker and jumperoo. Linley shows up in my bed, in Bella's bed, poking out of a drawer, etc. It always makes my heart skip a beat when I see the doll. Am I the only one?

Well, imagine the double take and heart-stopping fear I had when I opened my back curtain this morning and saw this:

That isn't Linley, that is Bella's baby (She grabs it and races round and round the pool with it). L must have thrown it in the pool last night. She nearly gave her mama a heart attack.

An Ordinary Day

2010-05-25T07:20:00.001-07:00

I found this on another blog and thought it was great inspiration for those mothers like me, in this season of diapers, snotty noses, toddlers running through the house causing havock. An ordinary day, but so precious!

Nine Months Old

2010-05-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

Today you are nine months old. I think this is a great age to just keep you at forever!

You are such a happy baby!! I took these photos of you this afternoon when you were running a fever. I don't have to work hard for a smile, just say your name and you look at me and smile. Such a happy boy!

You are crawling everywhere. Fast. You are pulling up on things, but very cautiously still. You are eating Stage 3 baby food and some table food. You take about 3-4 oz of formula a few times a day. You LOVE fruit puffs. Especially the WalMart brand, for some reason.

You had tubes put in your ears, so now we can rest easy knowing you don't have another ear infection! You still are not sleeping through the night, however. Whether you really need that bottle in the middle of the night, or if it is just habit, we have yet to find out. We still give it to you! After a few ounces you are back out.

You usually take two naps a day, but if you go all day without one, you do just fine. Sometimes you try to come off as a serious baby,

but usually you break out in a smile!

I think nine months is a great age! You have now been outside my belly the same amount of time you were inside my belly. You have grown so much in those 18 months!

We love you Baby G!

The Birth of L

2010-05-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

I was making a collage print of pictures from L's birth day, so I thought I'd share some of the pictures here. I started the blog right before L's first birthday, so I never posted many pictures from the day she was born.

I just love baby feet. Love. Love. Love them.

Eight pounds, 2 ounces. My doctor was right on with his estimate. She was a week early, a scheduled C-section because she was breech.

We didn't know that L was a girl, we had decided to wait to find out. I was disappointed that I had to have a C-section, because I had envisioned pushing and having the surprise be the end reward. I wanted the baby laid on my chest so I could check for myself. I knew, knew, KNEW, it was a boy.

Instead, Husband got to tell me what we had as he peered over the curtain, fumbling with the camera trying to take a picture. "It's a . . . . . girl." Almost as if he was in disbelief too. I was elated. I wanted another girl, a sister for my R.

R wasn't really that interested in her new baby sister. She held her twice, each time being bribed with candy or food, so that we could get a picture of the new sisters. Looking back, R looks like a baby herself in these pictures. She was 27 months old, to the day.

This is the photo I took once we got her home. We used it for her birth announcement. R was standing near her talking, and when L heard R's voice, she smiled. Just a few days old. She looked up to her sister from the get-go.

Look here to see month-by-month pictures of L's first year. You will think she looks familiar, a look-a-like of a certain eight month boy who has just mastered crawling.

2010-05-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I went with my brother to a farm that had a LOT of little baby lambs. They were so cute and R was in heaven. She loves animals of all kinds. L was a different story. She didn't want to touch them or go near them.

The girls were chasing the sheep all over the place. I felt sorry for those mama sheep running all over the place after just having given birth to twins or triplets. There was even one mama that had quads!

Two little girls, twenty-seven months apart. Same mama. Same daddy. Totally different. Life is interesting at our house! We love both girls for who they are.

I would not be surprised if R didn't grow up and work with animals in some way. Her current obsession is horses.

Isn't it just too cute?!

Before There Were Babylegs

2010-04-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

i cut up socks so my babies didn't hurt their knees crawling on the wood floors.

These are pictures of L at the age G is now.

Gerber Biter Biscuits

2010-04-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

Occupying. Sooo yummy.

The downside? Messy. Very messy.

Tubes Times Five

2010-04-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

Friday G finally got tubes put in his ears. He did have another infection in his left ear, but it has cleared up right away. He went through the surgery great! He did not cry at all when he came out of anesthesia, and the nurses had a hard time giving him back to me when they let us back in. He is definitely a charmer! We go back to the ENT in three months for a check-up.

A few weeks ago L had her sleep study. It was scheduled for May 2, but they had an opening, so we went in early. I still haven't heard the results of that, they made me wait for the doctor's review. It was a rough night for me on the pull-out and conscious of the video camera and microphone hanging above the bed. L slept like a champ, only waking up once and pulling the cannula out of her nose. She was such a trooper. She had about12 leads glued to her head, legs and chest. They woke us up at 5:30 the next morning so we could make it to L's field trip on time. Glad that is over. If I don't hear something by Wednesday, I will be giving them a call.

Eight Months

2010-04-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

G, you are EIGHT months old!! You are such a happy baby boy! Even with all of your ear infections, you have been so smiley and have brought much joy to our house!

You are wearing mostly 6-9 months still, but I have bought a few 12 month outfits that seem to fit you just the same. My favorite thing to dress you in is a cute onesie with some babylegs.

Those babylegs are going to come in handy now that you are CRAWLING!!! You are still at the very beginning stages of crawling, but you are definitely doing it! You have also just learned how to get back to a sitting position on your butt from a crawl or from laying on your tummy.

You have become such a little mommy's boy. You are fine with other people holding you, but if you see your mommy, even if she is across the room, you will cry for me. I've always been told that boys love their mommies!

You eat two Stage 2 baby food jars every 3-4 hours and you take some formula here and there. It is really hard to get you to drink a bottle these days. You are just too busy to sit still in your chair for a bottle. You are a mover and a shaker! You take your first bottle around 6, and that one you will usually drink all-gone. You just started eating fruit puffs, and hopefully soon we can switch you to table food.

You tolerate stroller rides, and actually fell asleep in the stroller for the first time this morning on our walk. You LOVE be in the Moby wrap, preferably facing OUT so you can be nosy. Your sisters and puppy Bella are still your best friends.

You have two teeth now. Both on the bottom.

Mommy isn't sure if it is proper to pose baby boys in front of flower beds for pictures, but you are sure cute!!

L's First Field Trip--Bowling!

2010-04-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

Thursday L had her first field trip. It was her first time bowling. I think her favorite part of the whole day was riding the BIG bus to the bowling alley!

She had to wear the bowling shoes since she had black-soled shoes on. I had to wear them too to help her push the ball.

We'd set the ball right at the foul line and she would push it, and then I would give it an extra shove. If we didn't give that bowling ball and extra "umph" then it wouldn't make it to the end of the lane, and the bowling alley attendant would have to walk down and get the ball for us.

She ate a bowling alley hot dog and chips (where's the cheese?!). She ate the whole hot dog, not the bun, and all of the chips!

We didn't get to finish our game (it took FOREVER), but she was winning!

Easter

2010-04-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well now that Easter has been over for half a week, it's a good time for me to post about it! My girls only had three days off for "spring break", Thursday, Friday and Monday. Thursday we colored Easter Eggs (or was it Friday?--THIS is why I blog, so I can remember these things!). They all did very well with the coloring.

We traded colors for each egg. These are raw eggs, since R is the only one in the family who will eat a hard-boiled egg. We only had one break, and it was saved for a scrambled egg for lunch. :)

Here are the beautiful eggs!

Saturday our church had an Easter Egg Hunt. There were over 1,000 eggs and only 12 kids, so you do the math! We had QUARTS (about 10) of candy!

We had face painting, a first for my Baby Bunny G.

It is just about impossible to get a good picture of all three looking and smiling at the same time. I still can't believe I have THREE kids! Those three kids on the couch, they are mine! And Husband's too I guess. :)

Sometimes the outtakes are just as precious.

Easter Egg Hunt at Grammy and Poppy's house. More candy! That's okay because they didn't get any candy from the Easter Bunny at my house. :)

G taking mental notes during the hunt so he can haul for some eggs next year.

All the cousins.

Saturday we also had Easter with Husband's family. I don't have any pictures because I didn't have my camera. We barely made it there, and we came empty-handed. Oops!

Easter Bunny

2010-04-06T19:55:00.001-07:00

The girls found this baby bunny this evening as Husband was mowing the lawn. He kind of mowed over the nest, but no bunnies were harmed! This was the only bunny the girls could see, and they were convinced it was the Easter Bunny! How that sweet little baby bunny delivered all that candy and goodies, well, I really couldn't explain.

They wanted a carrot to feed their new friend, but all we had was celery. It was too nervous to eat (obvs), so I had the girls leave it alone. Hopefully the baby will be okay tonight, as we are supposed to be getting a big storm.

Number 5, or did Number 4 never leave?

2010-03-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

Our ear re-check was scheduled for Monday for G. It seems as though he never really got better this time around. Since Wednesday he has been running a low grade fever off and on. He seems pretty happy during the day, although he will hold his arm up in the air and rest his head/ear against it. He hasn't gone back to sleeping through the night yet, and I was waiting until the re-check to have him "cry it out".

Yesterday G certainly was not happy throughout the day, and he would not take naps. He wanted MOMMY to hold him most of the day, wouldn't eat much, and then during the night he got up twice to eat and once just to cry. Even while on ibuprofen he is cranky and wakes up to be comforted.

I went back and forth, talked to Husband and my mom, not sure whether to take him in this morning to be checked, or wait for our Monday appointment. Well there is no price tag on peace of mind, so I went ahead and made the appointment. Husband took the girls to an Easter egg hunt and I took G to the doctor. Sure enough, his left ear is still pretty nasty. They put him on an even stronger antibiotic, Suprex. He only gets 2ml once a day, for 10 days. We are going to need to see the ENT asap to get the tubes put in.

Now I have something else to wonder and fret about: do we use the same ENT we have for the girls, even though he isn't a pediatric ENT? L was 15 months old when she got her first set of tubes, and R was about 18 months. I just worry about the anesthesia, and I feel like it would be safer for him to have it done at a Children's hospital instead of a regular in and outpatient surgery center where they don't see babies often (or ever?).

That is where we are now. I'm just documenting this for my purposes, I'm sure no one really cares about all these details. I just looked up on the blog when L got her first set, to remember how old she was. It is nice to have everything documented!

Seven Months

2010-03-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

Seven Months! These days are flying by way too fast. You are such a happy baby boy!

You are about 19 pounds. You are on your fourth ear infection, but still doing fairly well with sleeping through the night. Last night you only got up once. =) Hopefully once we get rid of these nasty earaches you will be sleeping through the night again!

You really are a happy baby. When you get fussy, mommy KNOWS what is going on (i.e., ear infection!). You love to be outside and watch your sisters and Bella play.
Your hair is coming in blonde, just like your sisters' hair did when they were babies. You are colored like L for sure.

You sit up very well now, rarely tipping over. You are able to maneuver yourself around when laid on your tummy or back. However, you prefer to be upright, either sitting up or playing in the walker or jumperoo.

You eat two Stage 2 baby jars of food every 3-4 hours, and you take about 4-5 ounces every 3-4 hours. But not usually at the same time. You usually get fed every 2 hours or so, either food or a bottle. You hold your bottle all by yourself now. You are such a big boy!

You have the cutest little feet and you love for us to kiss tickle your toes and feet. You are very ticklish under your neck and on your tummy and chest. You laugh when we laugh.

You say "ma-ma" and "da-da", although it must be noted that you said "ma-ma" first. For about a week you said "ma-ma", and then you added "da-da". =) You are the first of my babies to do this, because we all know "da-da" is easier to say. I have yet been able to get it on video though. When I pull out my camera you just want to grab for it and immediately stop talking.

We love you so much baby G!

Bella Gets a Haircut

2010-03-18T11:36:00.001-07:00

Today Bella had her first hair cut. It was time! It was probably past time! Her she is before her appointment:

I about fell over when I saw her. She looks completely different! Her fur feels like thick velvet. It is so soft. She is so pretty, but I do miss her curls! The groomer said her hair will grow back fast since she has poodle in her.

She even got little bows in her hair.

Happy St. Patty's Day

2010-03-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's

Day!

One thing worth celebrating? The spring-like weather we have been having recently!

The two girlies ready for school this morning. R was all about wearing green today so she didn't get "poked". When I was in school it was "pinched", not "poked." L wanted nothing to do with anything green. That dress looks like it goes to her knees, but when she came home it was up to her panties. Time to put that one in "the bucket."

Number 4

2010-03-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

Number 4 is here. Number 3 was in the right ear, and he got Number 4 while ON antibiotic for Number 3. We are now on a stronger antibiotic and hoping this clears it all up. We go back for a check in 2 weeks and are praying for crystal clear ears. Otherwise we will most likely be heading in for tubes. :(

KC the Koala Bear Part II

2010-03-08T16:05:00.000-08:00

Remember R's Kindergarten class friend, KC? This Koala bear travels home with classmates for weekend adventures. Last time we had KC, it was November.

Here is what R turned in today with KC:

Weighing the envelope with Gingerbread baby in it. Headed to Julie!!

KC weighs a half pound. Must be all those weekend treats he gets.

Mailing the gingerbread baby (think Flat Stanley). R is so excited about it!

It was such a gorgeous weekend! The girls were able to use their new scooters for the first time on Friday. They've been waiting patiently since Christmas.

Sunday we had a farewell lunch for a family in our church who is moving to Greece. Traditional Colombian arepas and black beans and rice. Yummy!!

Number 3

2010-03-06T12:14:00.001-08:00

G has his third ear infection. He has had major screaming fits the last two nights. Of course this happens the week we finally get him to go through the night without a bottle. I think in a few days we'll be back to normal.

A Boy and a Dog

2010-03-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

A boy and a dog. They just go together. Like pb&j.

Just a Trim

2010-02-27T19:28:00.001-08:00

Today I loaded up the three kidlets and headed to get a haircut. The first place we went to, the place where R and L both had their first cuts, had a 30 minute wait. I may be a brave woman taking three kidlets out on my own, but I'm not crazy. A 30-minute wait with three little ones after an already full day spells nothing but meltdowns and tears. So we headed to another place, just a mile down the road.

This little booger is getting soooo heavy in his pumpkin seat. I'm not sure how much the seat weighs, I've heard the Keyfit is one of the heaviest, but G weighs just short of 18 pounds himself (if you must know the exact weight, it is 17 lb. 12 oz). On the hunt for a new seat, either for him or for L....but I digress.

We were out for haircuts. I am holding off on L. I just know her curls will be gone forever if we cut them off. R's hair was getting a little shaggy, so she was first. I don't have a final picture of her, I'll get one tomorrow for ya. I will say that they cut it a little shorter than I wanted, but in the end it just means we can go longer before another one. =)

L took this picture. She took a ton. She was quite entertained with the camera, so I let her go to town with it.

Then she wanted me to take her picture with G, in his seat. Yes, I am aware of the fact that they look exactly like each other, and they almost look to be the same size.

Photo by R. I'm thinking L would have done a better job? This was the best of the measly three pictures she would take for me. I was holding G.

And the after cut picture. I think it really changed the way he looks. I'll try and get a better picture tomorrow. These don't do his cuteness justice.

She mostly just trimmed. Maybe 1 1/2 inches? I have his clippings in my purse. Lets hope they make it to the baby book . . .

Hair Cuts for Two Please

2010-02-25T11:44:00.000-08:00

I've been going back and forth on this one. He is only 6 months old, but clearly he has hair issues. He needs a hair cut before the little old ladies at the grocery store insist that he IS a girl with gorgeous hair. Plus he keeps waking up with this crazy bed head hair do.

Well this one....oh dear, this one . . . .

She was trying to get her pigtails out so that she could put her princess crown on. I usually cut the rubberbands out of her hair. Apparently she tried to do the same.

Instead she clipped off most of her pig tail. Oh dear. What have you done? Looks like we'll be in for two hair cuts very soon.

I think this one is relieved.

Zero and a Half

2010-02-18T08:20:00.000-08:00

Today G is 6 months old! He is 1/2 way to his first birthday!!

What is he up to? He is eating every 2-3 hours, usually 4-5 ounces (yay!!). He just started rice cereal twice a day and sometimes I can get him to eat some vegetables mixed in (he seems to only like the rice taste). He will NOT eat bananas, even if I mix it with rice cereal. What kid doesn't like bananas?!

G rolls over from tummy to back and from back to tummy. He loves to play with his feet, and especially loves to stuff his toes in his mouth. He does not have any teeth. He can sit up on his own (well if we put him like that, you know what I mean!), but almost always falls over after a few minutes. G LOVES his jumperoo. He really goes to town jumping in that thing. He likes his walker too, but sometimes he tries to jump in it. He can hold onto his toys and stuff them in his mouth.

G kicks when excited. He sometimes will play with his hair while taking a bottle, something that L always did (got that from their daddy!). Speaking of hair, I may not be able to hold off on that first haircut much longer. His hair goes right into his eyes. I try to comb it over to the side, but it is getting so long. It is only long on the top, he has very short hair around the sides and in the back. Both girls had the same thing going on at this age, but with them I could put a clip or a bow in. Daddy forbids a bow, so we may need a cut soon.

G takes two naps a day, sometimes three (if one of the others gets interrupted by noisy sisters or because we have to pick R up from school). He goes to sleep on his own after only a few minutes of fussing.

His six month checkup is on Wednesday, so I'll let you know what his weight/height are!

**UPDATE** He weighed 17 lb 12 oz and was 27 inches long. He was 50th percentile for his weight and 76th percentile for his height. =)

Woe is Me on a Wednesday

2010-02-10T15:08:00.001-08:00

We're up to our eyeballs in you-don't-want-to-know-what at our house. Lets just say that our 3 year old girly-girl princess who was completely potty trained was put back in a diaper for a few days, and even that didn't really contain it all. Thankfully she is over it (five days later, and hopefully I'm not speaking too soon, as I did that once before three days ago), but it has moved on to R. I'm just hoping that it doesn't make it to G.

The saddest part is that R had to miss her Valentine's party at school today. You know how much these kiddos look forward to their school parties! She had all her Valentines ready and we had a special outfit ready for her to wear. :( Instead she got to stay home and sit on white porcelain, take lots of play baths, and have a Polly Pocket kids meal from Burger King.

R and L have been playing hide-and-seek today, and they are discovering that it isn't as easy to hide when Bella pounces on you, alerting the seeker to the location of the hider. I keep meaning to do an update post on Bella, but haven't got there yet. She is growing huge. Mini goldendoodle minus the mini, I'm beginning to think. . .

Cabin Fever

2010-02-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

We are having quite a week. Water heater died. Thankfully it was still under warranty (only 2 years old), so we get a replacement one for free. Only problem is that we had to go Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and all day today without one. Baths at my mom's house. Husband is trying to install the new one now.

This little guy is all about his feet lately. A fun toy that is always there when you want it.

These two have been taking a lot of "play baths" lately. Of course, this was BEFORE the hot water heater died. It has been cold, rainy, snowy, icy, icky outside for way too long. And we're supposed to get more of that stuff tonight and tomorrow. If it was a ton of snow I'd be all for it, but we keep getting skunked with a trace amount.

And G has been holding his own bottle, but only when he wants to. I've started feeding him rice cereal, and yesterday he had his first baby food, sweet potatoes. He made a funny face with each bite. He seems to be getting up more and more each night, so I'm going to try and stuff him full of food all day and see how it goes this week with nights.

Two Princesses for Tea

2010-02-06T15:16:00.001-08:00

This is the first year L has gone to the tea party with us. I thought she was a little too young last year. The year before that she was just a baby. I don't think she was feeling too well today, so she doesn't look too thrilled in these photos.

The princesses all sign a book. The girls just love this! They come to your table one a a time, and you can talk with them a little and take pictures.
Ariel seem to be my girls' favorite lately.
L was supposed to wear an Ariel outfit (hence the green/purple cape my mom made her), but it was nowhere to be found!

At the end the girls can get a picture with all of the princesses together.

I just love this age of princesses and pirate ships . . .

The Princess Horse by R

2010-02-03T19:24:00.000-08:00

Results

2010-02-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

After my poor baby boy had to go almost seven hours with no bottle, the barium swallow (there is no such thing according to Big City Children's Hospital) was a complete success. G sucked, swallowed, and breathed in perfect rhythm. He even used the super fast flow nipple and had no problems. No aspirating. Weird. Some babies just need a slower flow. I don't count it as luck to have had the top-rated feeding expert on hand to watch the test. She is normally stuck in the NICU to help those sweet babes learn how to eat. She said to keep using the thicker formula and the slower nipple. So that is what we will do. We are also going to try stretching the time between feedings, and hopefully before his first birthday he will be sleeping through the night. =)

I'm not sure how two of the best OT therapists can come to completely different conclusions with regard to G's feeding issues. I'm just going to leave well enough alone. He IS a fat, happy baby, and if I have to devote lots of extra time to feeding and keeping him that way, so be it.

Barium Swallow

2010-01-31T16:48:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow morning is G's scheduled barium swallow. I've spent this weekend worrying about whether or not to even go to the appointment. I don't like the thought of G swallowing/eating something that contains some type of metal (so they can see it on x-ray). It seems so unnatural and unhealthy. I read online that a "risk" of doing the barium swallow on an infant is aspiration. Well duh. That is WHY we are having the test in the first place! What happens if he aspirates the metallic liquid? I don't know, but you can be sure I will be asking before we take the test.

Another thing that makes me extremely uncomfortable is that I have to keep G from eating from 4:30 a.m. until around 9 a.m., when the test is scheduled. He normally eats 3-4 times during that time period. Lets hope I am not driving to the Big City Hospital with a screaming baby in the back seat (yikes!).

Photography by L

2010-01-25T08:35:00.001-08:00

L ran off with my camera. Two minutes later she had taken over 100 pictures. Here are a few snapshots of life from my daughter's point of view.

R

Self-portrait

Baby gear overload?

Number 2

2010-01-23T07:48:00.000-08:00

We went to the doctor yesterday and G has his second ear infection. He is already doing much better after having the antibiotic 3 times.

I Wish

2010-01-21T19:34:00.000-08:00

I wish . . . I could just think "oh, he's fussy tonight" instead of "oh, I hope he doesn't have an ear infection!"

I wish . . . I wasn't right most of the time when I suspected an ear infection.

I wish . . . This feeding issue was sorted out so I didn't have to lay awake at night worrying about it.

------

G slept in his crib all night last night! He woke up about the same amount. He woke at 12:30, but went right back to sleep with a couple of "pats". He woke again at 2:30 and took a bottle. He woke again at 3:30 and cried until about 4:15? Patting wasn't working that time. He woke at 5:30 and had a bottle. He then slept until 7:30, which is actually an improvement, because he normally has a bottle at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 and then 8:30. I'm trying to focus on the positives here. Slept in his own bed instead of mine! Had a longer stretch in the a.m. while I was getting the girls ready for school! Small steps.

Which brings me to my next thing. For G's barium swallow he isn't allowed to eat for 4 hours prior. His appointment is at 9, and we have to be there at 8:30. This means no bottle after 4:30 a.m. He normally has FOUR bottles in those FOUR hours.

---------
Don't mean to complain and bore you with the little details, but if I don't log it, I'll forget! Of course I am thankful to have G, love him to death, and wouldn't trade him for anything or anyone else. I need to clarify. It doesn't mean I can't share and write about hard times. You know? Well it is my blog, so I can write what I want anyhow.

First Night

2010-01-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

We'll see how this goes. G's crib is all set up and ready to go.

He looks like he likes it now . . .

L took this picture and I thought it was cute.

I'll let you know how it goes. I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to let him cry it out or try to feed him when he wakes. I know he WILL wake, and I probably know WHEN he will wake, but I'm not sure what I'll do when he does. Maybe nudge Husband to get him. ha!

Kind of Like Triplets

2010-01-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

Sleeping Patterns

2010-01-19T16:18:00.001-08:00

Five Months

2010-01-18T13:47:00.000-08:00

Can't believe we've made it this far! G is five months old!

And he can grab my sign now! He grabbed it right up and tried to put it in his mouth.

A show-off? Who me!?

He is very animated. He smiles, laughs, talks, squeals, etc. He is such a happy, easy-going baby!

Someone doesn't like their Bumbo seat quite so much anymore. He can just about get himself out of it on his own. Thankfully he is very close to sitting up by himself.

What G is up to:

He is rolling over from back to stomach. Once he gets there he DOES NOT LIKE IT!! He does not enjoy tummy time, but tolerates it for a few minutes at a time.

Eating every 1 1/2 to 2 hours, about 3-4 oz. at a time. We have a swallow study scheduled in a few weeks. We had some therapy appointments where they discovered G is holding his breath while eating, letting the milk pool in his mouth, and then gasping for a breath (and possibly aspirating the milk--the swallow study will let us know for sure). We've tried all different types of bottles, nipples and formula. We are starting a new acid reflux medicine.

Enjoying time in his walker and occasionally the jumperoo. He loves to watch his sisters play and he loves to watch the puppy also. He is pretty content on his own as long as he has a toy or something to watch. He still loves to watch football!

He goes to bed around 8:30-9:30 and will usually sleep until 1:30 or 2:30. Then he usually goes until 5:30, then 6:30, then 7:30. Silly boy.

We are going to try to start rice and possibly some fruits and vegetables this month.

DeLurking Day

2010-01-14T10:05:00.001-08:00

is today, or so I'm told. So you know what to do.

Bringing our Soldier Home

2010-01-13T11:51:00.001-08:00

There are a lot of things that we do as a family that I can't share on the blog. For one reason or another. Mainly because I am too worried about someone seeing something in a photo that would tip them off as to where we live, who we are, etc. Not that everyone is reading my blog, but you can never be too safe when it comes to your kiddos and the safety of your family! I thought about sharing this story for a while, and I'm pretty sure the soldier from our Tiny Town is not the only soldier to have given his life for our country in the past month. So here it is.

Our Tiny Town suffered the loss of a soldier serving in the war. It really brings it home when it is someone close to you. I didn't personally know this soldier, but this soldier was from my town. This soldier probably mailed a letter at the same post office I go in to mail a letter. This soldier probably hung out at the same park I take my kids to. That really brings it home. I won't go into detail about the family of this soldier, but I'm sure it is the same for most soldiers who gave their lives for our country. Children are left without parents and parents are burying their children. It just doesn't seem fair. But it is what it is.

We did a very small thing and I hope it brought a small amount of comfort to the soldier's family. We stood out on the street with flags in the freezing cold to pay our respect to this soldier who gave his life fighting for our freedom and to this soldier's family who will never be the same. I saw a look of amazement and gratitude in the face of the spouse who was left behind as the limo that followed the hearse slowly drove by the hundreds of Tiny Town residents who joined us on the side of the street.

May the Lord bring peace and comfort to the family who was left behind. May we never forget what others have given so that we can continue to live a life of freedom.

Seven Years Ago

2010-01-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

Seven years ago I bought a set of three Tommy Hilfiger 6-9 months shirts for a baby boy who had just been born. A friend's son. But they were so cute, I just had to keep them for my "hope chest". Don't worry, she got lots of other gifts. I just couldn't help myself back then. I love(d) babies. I love(d) baby clothes.

Who knew that seven years later they would fit my own little chunky monkey. And that he would have two sisters.

One sister who just couldn't give him enough love and kisses.

And who knew that he would be one of the happiest little guys around?

Even allowing his sister to practically squeeze the stuffing out of him. =)

Snow Day

2010-01-07T15:11:00.001-08:00

School's out.
It is VERY cold.

Very windy.

Look at those red cheeks!

They lasted about 20 minutes, then they were ready to come in.

Now what to do with the rest of our school-free day?

Cheater, Cheater

2010-01-02T09:19:00.001-08:00

I post dated my Christmas posts, so if you don't read my blog through a reader, then you'll have to scroll down or click on the links below.

Merry Christmas I

Merry Christmas II

Merry Christmas III

New Year's Eve

2009-12-31T19:34:00.000-08:00

December 31, 2009. The ending of a year, the ending of a decade.

2009. The most memorable thing of course, is the birth of our first son, G. It was also R's first year in elementary school and L's first year at preschool. And yes, all that happened within a few days of each other. What a week that was!

2000-2009. Once I stopped to think about it, I realized this will probably be the most memorable decade of my life. So many monumental things happened in this decade. Lots of big, once-in-a-lifetime things. Graduating from college. Marriage. Motherhood. Turning 30.

Happy New Year everyone. Here we come Twenty Ten.

Go Ahead and Compare

2009-12-30T18:22:00.001-08:00

As parents, we really aren't supposed to compare our kids to each other. Except for looks. Then we go crazy analyzing every little feature on the new babes, trying to figure out just exactly who takes after who. So what do you think?

These are all the kids at four months.

L
G

RSV, I Loathe You

2009-12-29T07:38:00.000-08:00

G has RSV. And an ear infection.

G is a healthy baby, and was not born premature (remember, he was four days late), so it isn't as scary as it sounds. It is basically a really bad cold, but since he is only four months old, it can go from bad to worse rather quickly. I took him to the doctor yesterday because I just knew he had an ear infection. He had started crying in his sleep a little and then the two previous nights were a lot of crying and very little sleeping. He's had a cough for a few months, but it suddenly got worse, sounded like barking and gasping. The doctor listened to him and said he was wheezing, so they did an Albuterol treatment right there in the office. He did have an ear infection in his right ear. There was a lot of drainage, so it looked like it had broke open. Poor little dude!

This illness confirms that he is just about the happiest baby ever. During the day he is all smiles and no tears. He slept a little better last night, but his cough seems to be getting worse. The doctor said he will probably get worse since she saw him only a few days after the symptoms started. RSV can be a long battle. Of course we know all about it, since R and L both had RSV around 6-7 weeks. L was hospitalized for a day with it. I got nervous when G was that age, but instead of getting RSV, he scared us with meningitis instead.

Hopefully he can get over this quickly. I just hate RSV! The doctor said maybe I should plan for a spring baby next time. Ha! I'll get right on that . . .

Merry Christmas Part III

2009-12-25T19:49:00.000-08:00

Around 11 we headed to my side of the family for Christmas Day. The girls were excited to bring Bella with us.

Cousin K feeding G.

The girls on their new scooters. Here's to hoping for some warm weather soon!

Merry Christmas Part II

2009-12-25T13:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning R woke up VERY early. I think it was around 6:30. Remember the great Christmas surprise, Bella, was at my parent's house. My mom was going to bring it to our house around 7:30, and we were planning on waking the girls then to have them "open" the puppy up. Well when R came into our room early that morning we had to scramble. Husband went in her room with her and laid back down. I called my mom to hurry over.

These next two photos are still shots of the video I made with my camera when she was opening the puppy. She had NO idea. I wish I could show you the video, but Husband and I both said the girls' names a bunch. We tried not to, but we couldn't help it! I stopped the video each time we said a name, and started over, but all of the videos have a name in them. If you are on Facebook you can see it there.

She said, "It's a puppy!" and then repeated that about ten more times as Bella pranced around the girls. It kind of scared L and Husband had to hold her.

This is right when Bella decided to hop out of the box.

The girls opening their stockings. Notice the empty milk glass and cookies with bites missing. Santa must have been hungry last night!

Christmas really is all about the kids. I get more joy out of watching my kids open their presents than I would opening up something for myself.

Of course the girls were tired after getting up so early. We actually had to wake L up and that never goes well . . . She snuggled on the couch in her blankie and Bella joined her for a little snooze.

Not too much time to rest, because we have one more Christmas coming up with my side of the family.

Merry Christmas Part I

2009-12-24T17:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas begins for us on Christmas Eve. We spend Christmas Eve with Husband's side of the family.

G among the presents.These three girly cousins are excited with anything "princess".

L gets The Ladybug Game

"Stockings" from Grandma & Grandpa

G thinking about opening up his first Christmas present.

My girls are very into games and puzzles right now!

We dress the girls in their PJs before we head home (it is about an hour's drive). When we get home we leave out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa. R makes sure to remember the carrots for Rudolph.

Baby Bella

2009-12-23T18:29:00.001-08:00

Here is our new baby girl, Bella. Husband picked her up today and she is now at my parent's house until the big surprise Christmas morning. She is sweet as can be. Very quiet.

And no people, she was NOT named after Twilight. I have never read any of the Twilight books, nor have I seen any of the movies. Nor do I plan to. Bella is just a name I have always loved, but I felt it was too popular of a name to give to one of our children. I love to name animals with people names. So far we have had Bailey, Sammi, Chloe, and now Bella.

She was very interested in G, the only kiddo to meet her so far. Please forgive my photos with the nice fingerprint included.

Bella was born on my 30th birthday, October 2. She is a mini goldendoodle, and she was one of the smallest of the litter, so she should probably be around 25 lbs.

Her mom and her dad were both goldendoodles. She looks more like a golden retriever to us, and that is why Husband liked her so much. Husband hates poodles!

Can't wait to see the girls meet Bella!!

Happy Birthday Jesus

2009-12-22T19:43:00.000-08:00

This is another one of those things I've always wanted to do with the girls, but Christmas week is always so busy, and I never made the time. This year at R's AWANA Christmas party they had a birthday cake for Jesus, and this year, by golly, we were going to do it at home too!

Singing happy birthday to Jesus:

Blowing out the candles for Him.

G wondering what all is going on.

Licking the candles like ravenous wolves.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

When I was adding the sprinkles and writing "Happy Birthday Jesus" on the cake L was asking me what I was doing. I told her I was making a cake for Jesus.

Me--Do you know whose birthday it is?

L--She points to herself.

Me--No, it's Jesus' birthday. Christmas is Jesus' birthday.

L--Is Jesus coming over, to our house?

Me--No honey, He is in heaven, but He can see us.

L--I never saw Jesus before.

PS: Don't you love my mad editing skills with L's shirt?! And don't you think Jesus appreciated His pink writing and pink candles? :) It's all I had, I wasn't making a statement!