My Life

A mother's love

2011-08-27T17:05:00.002-06:00

A mother's love is walking .38 miles to the bus stop when it is 115 degrees outside to greet your kindergartner because she LOVES walking home. And her eyes light up when you tell her that you walked not drove.

And it's true devotion when you run the last 5 houses (4 months pregnant) because she wants to race you.

What a waste

2011-08-21T19:29:00.002-06:00

So I am the first to admit that I am somewhat strict with our kids. I spent a lot of time in junior highs and I know what I don't want my kids to turn in to. (Not that my rules are guaranteed to work, I know.)

One thing I am fairly strict about is eating all of their food, in particular their dinner. I try to be a good judge of what they can eat. With foods I know they don't really care for, I onlyy give them 2 or 3 bites. But they are expected to eat their dinner. And they may not have anything else to eat if they haven't finished it.

So at Laney's school, all the kids are given breakfast in their classrooms every morning. (I am pretty sure it is some grant from some agency.) I have always been skeptical of the program because it seems like a big waste of food and money. When she came home on the first day of school, I asked her what she did with her milk, cereal, and juice. And her reaction pretty much summed it all up for me. She half-laughed and then said, " The other teacher said I could throw it in the garbage. So I did." Followed by another half-laugh. It was as if she was saying to me, I am actually allowed to throw food tin the trash and so I am going to.

Like I said, what a waste.

And don't worry, Erich and I have been trying to reinforce taht it is not good to waste food and that she shouldn't throw it away just for fun.

Because I don't want to forget

2011-08-21T15:16:00.002-06:00

Last night I felt my baby girl move for the first time. I love feeling the baby move. It makes it all a little more real.

First Week of Kindergarten

2011-08-20T23:01:00.004-06:00

Last Monday, Laney had her first day of kindergarten. She has been counting down the days all summer and was so excited to go. Erich had taken her to meet her teacher the week before and she was anxious to go back on Monday morning. I seemed to be handling the situation well until Erich gave her a Father's blessing on Sunday night. And then it hit me that she was really going away to school.

She got up Monday morning and got herself ready in her outfit of choice. We packed her lunch and she kept asking if it was time to go yet. I walked her to her classroom and was able to go in with her for a little bit. And while she was still so excited, I could see she was a little nervous. But she sat at her table and tried to get me to stop taking pictures. (She was pretty much over the photos before we started taking them.) The parents were able to go on a little tour with the teacher and then her teacher told the kids to say good-bye. Most kids went to hug their parents, mine waved and said good-bye. I insisted on a hug and kiss and told her to be good.

I cried as I left the school- not so much because I was sad she was growing up but because I have spent way too much time in the school system. I worried that kids would be mean or that she wouldn't have friends. Or that she wasn't going to like it. And then I went home to a house that seemed extra quiet. (Laney is definitely our loudest child.) And Allie and I kept checking the clock to see if it was time for her to come home yet. We made her a special treat and were excited when it was finally time to walk to the bus stop. And while she almost didn't get off the bus and then had a slight breakdown when Allie reported that we had already been swimming without her, she was so excited about school. She skipped part of the walk home (which is saying a lot since it was 105 degrees out.) And while she was pretty quiet on what she did at school, she reported that she liked it and was excited to go back the next day.

So now we have finished one week. And it's been a good week. Everyday she comes home with a little more information. She is finally learning peoples' names. She chases boys at recess (She's only 5!). She received an invite to a BOY in the class's birthday party ("His mom invited the whole kindergarten" according to Laney. She doesn't get that there is 6 classes of kindergarteners). Allie, Nixon and I joined her for lunch on Friday which she loved. But was quick to leave us when she saw her friends going to recess. She is learning to do proper jumping jacks from Mr. Mike. She thinks the bus is great. She was able to check out a book from the library. And when I asked her Friday morning on our drive to school if she liked school, she replied, "yes." And when I asked her if she like her teacher, she replied with "I love it all." It makes me happy to know that she is happy. (But if she gave me some info about what they actually do at school for 7 hours that would be nice too.)

Now if I could just figure out how to keep Allie entertained all day, then life would be great.

Numbers

2011-07-28T14:17:00.003-06:00

It's no secret that I am a math person and there are always some numbers going through my head. Here are some that are currently on my mind.

2 weeks from today we will find out the gender of #4.

25.5 weeks till #4 joins the family. (For you non-number readers, that means I am abbout 14.5 weeks pregnant. Just finished the first trimester. EDD January 23rd- just for you Becky, Megan, and Pam.)

19.5 months between Nixon and #4. (That is 2 more months that Laney and Allie.)

5.5 years between 1 and 4.

2 out of the 4 that was "planned".

And I try to imagine the number of people who think we must be crazy. But we are excited. I am excited to find out the gender. Laney really wants a brother for Nixon to play with. Allie really wants a baby sister. Nixon has no idea what's going on (if he knew what was going on, he might not smile at me so much!) . And Erich and I see the benefits of boh genders so we don't care.

A date at the pool

2011-07-06T22:19:00.002-06:00

Today Laney and I spent our afternoon at the pool all by ourselves. (Allie has suddenly started napping again every few days.) And I don't want to forget the time all to ourselves.

Today she wanted to practice her strokes for swim team.

And then she told me she wanted to skip count by 2's to 100. (And that made her math teaching mom smile just a bit even though I was not the one who taught her about skip counting.) And then we talked about 100s and 1000s and millions.

And then she wanted to play.

And then she wanted to talk about kindergarten and what it would be like. And whether it was okay to ask her knew friends their name. And to ask them again if she forgot. And what she would do there. And we talked about how I was excited for her to go but how I was going to miss her since she will be gone all day.

And then she wanted to play some more.

And then we talked about counting and numbers more.

And we talked about how when she gets old and becomes a mom she still wants to come over to see me.

And she just wanted to be by me. And we talked and laughed. And enjoyed our time all alone.

She starts kindergarten in 6 weeks and seems to be maturing everyday. And growing more curious and independent and helpful. I like to see her grow. I like to see her take responsibility. And I like to see her care so much for Allie and Nixon. But I also like to see her being willing to still snuggle with me. And still hold my hand. And still hug and kiss me. Because no matter hose old she gets, she will always be my Laney.

When I'm a mom

2011-07-01T21:37:00.002-06:00

At least once a day, the girls tell me something they are going to do dinner when they are the mom. Sometimes I think, maybe you will be nicer than me. And sometimes I just laugh, knowing that will never happen.

So here is a list of some of them so that when they are a mom I can remind them what they are supposed to do.

When I'm a mom,

I'm going to let my kids eat snacks and treats all day

I'm going to let my kids stay up all night

I'm going to pick up all of the toys by myself

I'm not going to make my kids do jobs

I'm going to wake up the dad early so the kids can be loud

One

2011-06-30T20:55:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago, this kid turned one. I had big plans of doing cupcakes at lunchtime/swimming with Colleen and Grandma. Then we were going to go to dinner as a family and do cupcakes again. Unfortunately, I got the flue. And for the next 3 days I lyed on the couch doing pretty much nothing at all. Lucky for Nixon, he did get his lunch time cupcakes.

And even though Allie is convinced that he is still 0 because he isn't walking yet, I think he is pretty perfect. At 1,

he has 2 teeth

he is my first baby to weigh over 20 lbs at one year

he likes to clap and give high fives and on occasion wave

he talks a lot of babble but doesn't say much that actually means anythings

he walks all over the furniture and with toys or people but nothing solo yet

he is done with formula and the bottle

he likes to eat a lot

he doesn't appear to be a morning person as that is about the only time he cries (I guess he takes after his dad)

he likes to play with his sisters though they do not like it when he takes their toys

he loves the bath

he likes the pool- especially floating- but I usually make swimming time during his afternoon nap

he snuggles right up to you when you get him out of bed

he likes to lounge on me when I am lying on the floor with him

he has a cute giggle and is quite ticklish

he warms up to just about anyone but he does have a slight preference for mommy

he has curly hair that some people think is getting too long

he is a thumb sucker

and I think he is as cute as can be

Miss Begina

2011-06-29T21:50:00.005-06:00

One of my good friends and also my running partner, Regina has taught preschool out of her home for the past few years. This past year Laney and Allie have been lucky to be apart of it. to say they loved preschool and Miss Begina would be the understatement of the year. What makes the end of the year even worse is that Regina, Scott and kids are moving to Memphis in a few weeks. I'm not sure my kids will survive the move.

Erich and I were able to go for the last hour on the last day of school and watch them in action. It was fun to see them in their element and with their friends.

But my favorite part of the day probably came when I dropped the girls off. Laney is always at her front door and inside while Allie is still getting her backpack on and getting out of the car. But on this day, I watched as Laney opend up the screen door and said, "Come on, Allie." Then she held the door open and waited for Allie to join her before going in. I love these girls and I love how much they love each other.

Ants

2011-06-28T22:07:00.005-06:00

Laney and Allie are slightly obsessed with bugs. So we bought them an ant farm. For the first week or two, they were obsessed. And then Erich left town for 2 weeks and Laney started being scared of it. She would wake me up in the middle of the night because she was scared of it. (Might be because Erich gave the girls this huge talk about not touching the container because the ants might get out and get them.) I finally had to hide the ants in my closet and tell Laney that they were having a sleepover somehwere else. And now they are all almost dead. Nonethless, it has been a fun little pet/experiment for the girls.

Dealing with dad

2011-06-28T21:53:00.002-06:00

For anyone who knows Erich, you know that he can be a little sarcastic and sometimes do and say things just to get a reaction. And while the kids ADORE him, sometimes he drives them crazy. Tonight, Allie was coloring and Erich asked what she was coloring on. She replied, "Paper." He asked again and she gave him the same answer. He asked again and she gave him the same answer. And then she mumbled under her breath, "I already said that." I could only laugh. She has a long life of those questions ahead of her.

FIVE

2011-04-26T14:43:00.003-06:00

Laney turned 5 last week. Really, how can she be that old? I love this little girl. She is lots of fun and sometimes lots of drama.

Here is a little bit about her according to her:

favorite color: pink
favorite show:the red movies (Netflix)
favorite book: Harry Potter (no, she has never read them)
favorite food: treats
favorite thing to do: crafts
favorite part of school:playing in centers
favorite song:Butterlies where are you hiding- it's a Laney original complete with movements
What do you want to be when you grow up: a mom
What are you best at: doing crafts

San Diego

2011-04-26T14:32:00.003-06:00

Next weekend, Erich and I are going to San Diego- without the kids! He has to be there the next week for work and since we haven't been away together since having Laney 5 years ago, I decided to make a trip out of it. Plus, both of us have May birthdays and it's Mother's Day. All good reasons to have a few days to sleep in without the kids, right?

While discussing the upcoming trip with my sister, we discovered that the Queen Bee Market happens to be the same weekend I am there. So we have a date to go. Anyone else care to join us? It's May 6th (4-9pm) and 7th(9am-4pm) at the Del Mar Hilton.

Nancy, are you jealous you aren't coming a weekend earlier?

"Please bless. . .

2011-04-11T22:30:00.006-06:00

that my cousins will come back after my mommy and daddy's birthday."

That was my favorite line of Laney's prayer last night.

You see, last week all of my siblings were in town. And better yet, all of my nieces and nephews on my side of the family were here- including the 6 who live far, far away.. And my kids were in heaven. We counted down their arrival for more than a week. And every night after we said good-bye to them, the girls would ask what we were going to do the next day with them. And then their prayers would include something like "Please bless we can go to the pool tomorrow with our cousins" or "Please bless Uncle Gay and Aunt Tay and Lulu can come to Grandma's house for breakfast tomorrow."

And so even though we were all sad on Friday afternoon to say our good-byes, I could tell the kids that we would see the cousins soon. That after mommy and daddy's birthdays, they would be coming back. And knowing that makes everything better.

For a better recap of our trip and some fun pcitures of the chaos, check out my sister's post.

Yesterday. . .

2011-03-31T22:11:00.005-06:00

I registered this girl for kindergarten. Can she really be that old? Most of me is so excited for her and part of me is just a little bit sad. What am I going to do with her gone so long everyday? And what is Allie going to do? And who is going to help her when she gets hurt or frustrated? Will someone else appreciate her like I do?

On the registration paper, it asked me to describe her and her personality. And the first think that came to my head was "Laney has a lot of spunk!" And I think that pretty much sums up my first born. She is fun and crazy and likes to learn. Yet, she can be a little forgetful, mainly because she gets so excited about something else. She feels emotions deeply whether they be good or bad. And I couldn't imagine my life without her.Laney will attend the same school that for kindergarten that I did. It was a little strange walking into those halls and that office. Yet at the same time, it reassured me that all would be fine come August. That school was good to me, and I am sure it will be good to Laney as well.

Week in Review

2011-03-29T13:52:00.001-06:00

It must be the hair

2011-03-29T08:49:00.002-06:00

When I was playing with Nixon the other day, I kept looking at him and being reminded of this picture of Laney.And I don't know what it is, but I think it must be the hair that reminds me of Laney at this age. Whatever it is, I'm glad they are mine.

Mommy guilt and some firsts

2011-03-28T22:01:00.003-06:00

Recently the girls found Laney's scrapbook of her first year of life. They love to look at it. It's been all fun until yesterday it finally hit Allie that there isn't a book like that of her life. So I tried to redeem myself by showing her the pages I had done of the first 5 months of her life. And that was great. But she wants her book printed NOW. And I am having serious mommy guilt. So last night I did March 2008. And as soon as I am done with this post I will do April. And I promised to have her orange book (Laney's scrapbook happens to be red but Allie insists on orange since that is her favorite color!) done by Easter. But while remembering March of 2008, I was glad I was a good blogger then. Because I could read over my entries and look at pictures and I totally knew what Allie learned that month. So as to remember Nixon in March of 2011, I must record that while he still prefers the army crawl/use one arm as momentum to pull himself across the room method of crawling, it has been proven in the past few weeks that he can really crawl. And in an effort to one up his older sisters he broke his first tooth last week. Who knew kids actually got teeth before turning 1? That is another story about mommy guilt and being the worst mom around but will leave that for another day. For now, just enjoy that adorable face.

Role Reversal

2011-03-06T19:18:00.002-07:00

I have a big sister. She is 4 years older than me. And growing up I wanted to be just like her. I wanted to have clothes like her. And hair like her. And act like her. She was the boss and I was just fine with that. I often based my decisions on what she did or was going to do. (That all ended when I was in college and realized accounting was BORING. And then again when she had 5 kids in less than 5 years and I knew I would never be as patient or relaxed as her.)

So naturally when Allie came along, I thought she would often follow Laney's footsteps. And want to be just like her. Funny thing is, these 2 have the roles reversed. Laney wants to be just like Allie. When it's time to play, Allie normally decides what they will play with. And during house, 95% of the time Allie is the mom and Laney is the sister. And if I ask Laney what she wants to wear, half the time she says, "What Allie is wearing." (And on those days when Laney picks first, very rarely will Allie ask for the same thing.)

Luckily, even thought they are reversing roles, they seem to have the sisters are best friends thing figured out. And I guess that is all that really matters.

Some more Week in Review

2011-03-06T19:16:00.001-07:00

Week in Review-Playing Catch Up

2011-02-27T07:15:00.006-07:00

While it is easier to do a few weeks at a time of these pages, I never intended to be 2 months behind. Hopefully I will be all caught up in the next few days.

Nixon

2011-02-22T08:37:00.001-07:00

This pretty much sums up his life right now- always pulling himself up onto something.

Oh and eating and sleeping but that's what he has been doing for the past 8.5 months.

London's Run

2011-01-30T21:37:00.004-07:00

Last fall, I had some crazy ideas going through my head. One was that I should sign up for some sort of running event to help keep me motivated to run. (I have a hard time using the word race since I'm not in it to win.) I decided to sign up for London's Run. It is a run in honor of a young child who died of cancer in Queen Creek, Arizona.

For the past few months you could catch the girls and I and the double jogger around the neighborhood in training. And for the past month, my Saturday mornings have been spent with Regina doing our "long" runs.

Well, January 29th finally came. We showed up in Queen Creek and were ready to go. We had a an original goal of 2:20 but with a little motivation from John we were really shooting for 2:15. (You can't pass up free lunch at Barro's can you?) About half way through the race I wasn't really concerned with time, just finishing. And I was really excited when at about 12.5 miles I could see the balloon arch finish line. We crossed the finish line at 2:06 and I couldn't have been happier.

It felt good. We did something that I never would have dreamed of doing until a few months ago. And I loved the feeling of the race. All along the way there were signs telling us we could do it and pictures of young cancer patients. I couldn't help but think of John and how lucky we are to have him around. And I'm not going to lie, I liked the rush of actually crossing a finish line and knowing I had just run 13 miles. I liked it so much that I was easily persuaded by Regina to do it again in 5 weeks.(Talk about another moment of insanity.)

So back to the jogger the girls and I go.

2 Weeks

2011-01-30T21:21:00.002-07:00

Yesterday Erich came home from 2 weeks of working in California. To say that there were some happy faces at our house yesterday afternoon would be an understatement.

Two weeks is along time for someone to be gone. The girls and I only had a few times were we almost went to battle. (And I learned the second time that if I turn on the primary music it really helps calm us all down.) We had one plumbing problem courtesy of Laney and too much toilet paper. (Luckily, my mom who is a jack of all trades only lives a few minutes away.) We had a lot of oatmeal and scrambled eggs for dinner. (Meal plan, schmeal plan when dad is away.) And Nixon's napping schedule went out the window. (With dad not in his office, I can't very well leave him home alone while I drive the 2 minutes to take the kids to school.)

Luckily, we have family and good friends close by who are willing to help out and keep us all sane. My mom watched the girls multiple times including one Saturday at 6am so I could run and a weekend sleepover with all 4 other cousins before my big run. She also watched the girls one night so I could have a girls' night out and accompanied us to Yogurtini because I felt I deserved a treat. Thanks mom for all your help.

And welcome home Erich! We are excited to have all of our happy family back.

Recording us

2011-01-11T20:51:00.003-07:00

For the past few months, I have been feeling the need to scrapbook. I still have half of Allie's baby book to finish and all of Nixon's. And I have wanted a better way to document the ins and outs of our family. I tried the photo a day things- twice and failed both times. So I wanted something not quite so stressful to me. (Making sure a I took a photo everyday was stressful to me. I know, I need help.) I liked the idea of Project Life and other products like that but again I didn't want to worry about having a photo for everyday. And then I found this template from Shabby Princess. And it just clicked. I could do my own twist on these other projects. So one of my goals for 2011 is to take pictures every week, but not necessarily everyday, to document who we are and what we do. And then I will scrapbook them using this same template. Here is week 1.

Since one of my other goals for the year is to find better balance in my life these pages will be simple like this one. But that is part of the reason I like it so much. And since I like to have a partner in my goals, I think I have Courtney convinced to join in on the project. (right, Court?)

Meal Planning

2011-01-11T17:39:00.004-07:00

I thought I would give an update on my meal planning. I thought about doing a scheduled meal plan like a friend sent me. But I didn't think I could handle the rigidness of it. So I decided to come up with 5 meals a week for the next four weeks. (I did 5 because I usually do a leftover night and it seems like we go out, do take out or do finner with friends or family one night a week.) So I made the list and bought the ingredients I could for all of them at the beginning. (I am in the middle of week 2). I am trying to go to the store just once a week now to get fresh ingredients that I need.

So far, so good. Fewer grocery trips is good for my time and my money. And knowing my meal plan for the week saves me a lot of daily stress. I usually look at our calendar for the week and decide on Sunday what we will do each night.

For anyone interested, here are our first 20 meals (by weeks but in no particular order within the week):
Pot roast
Asian Chicken Pasta
Tacquitos
Grilled Cheese and Tomatoes
Baked Fish and Chicken (which we actually didn't eat as we went out one night last week and had dinner with my family one night)
Cafe Rio pork salads
Creamy Baked Ziti
Breakfast for dinner
Beef with Broccoli
Black Beans and Rice
Lasagna
Steak Sandwiches
Garlic Chicken Farfalle
Fajitas
Mexican Corn Chowder - but after seeing PW's enchilada soup yesterday I might switch this
Baked Potato Soup
Ski Country Pasta
PW Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas
Homemade Pizza
PW Beef with Snow Peas

For all of you who have given me suggestions, thanks. I am excited to incorporate some of those ideas in future meal plans.

CP #2

2011-01-09T06:56:00.005-07:00

This post could also be titled, My name is Mandy, I am a Mormon, and I am a working mother. (And I don't believe that makes me any less of a Mormon or a mother.)

Four years ago, I started this blog. My first entry was about the guilt I felt about working part-time when Laney was a baby. Here I am, 4 years later in a similar situation. Now I have 3 kids and I actually was recently hired on full-time at my current job working for an online school. (Health insurance is a lot better when you work for a company then when you are self-employed). The main difference is that I am able to work entirely from home. Aside from 6 set "office hours" a week, I am able to set my own schedule. I do a lot of work when the girls are at school or asleep or when they are busy playing make-believe in the playroom. Luckily, I overhear all their conversations and can laugh and wonder at their imaginations. I can stop the fights from my computer. Nobody knows that I am holding Nixon as I work. And I can take a break to snuggle on the couch, make snacks, fold laundry, etc.

One of the biggest differences for me is that my guilt has almost subsided over this issue. Aside from reading or hearing comments from other people about the subject, I do not feel bad about this decision.

So I am hear to stick up for myself and for others in the same situation as me.

Just because I have a job, it doesn't mean I am not a good member. I attend church weekly, hold a calling, try to do my visiting teaching, attend the temple, and try to teach my kids the gospel.

Just because I have a job, it doesn't mean that I am of little faith or not following the counsel of my church leaders. I've read and heard what many leaders say on the topic. And I do not think any of them would condone me for what I am doing. I also know that we have been instructed to get an education and use it when necessary. I have the job I do today because I have an education, I continued taking classes after graduation and have kept my certifications current. I feel my job now is a blessing for following that counsel.

Just because I have a job, it doesn't mean that my kids and family are not my top priority. They always have and always will be first. Anyone who has been to my house lately would know that the house isn't always perfectly clean, there are probably some toys on the floor, and the laundry might sit in the basket for a day or two waiting to be folded. But my kids are loved and taught and played with. The girls know that if I say, "Guess what?" the following phrase will be that "I love you." They know that I am always here for them. And I love to hear them talk about our happy family.

Do I dream of the day when I quit my job? You better believe it but until then I am going to enjoy my life as is. I like my job. I love teaching. And I have discovered that I CAN love my teaching job and my church jobs and most importantly my family jobs and do all of them. And not feel guilty about it.

Edited to add: I should note the nothing was said directly to me about situation. (I think most people know me well enough to not get in that debate directly with me). Just more general terms about being a working mom in different things I have read and conversations I have heard.

Controversial post #1

2011-01-07T21:05:00.002-07:00

So Erich and I are of the do not encourage nor discourage Santa Clause camp. Our girls know about him, sing about him, and even sat on his lap at the ward Christmas party. But we do not push the whole Santa idea to them. They receive presents on Chrsitmas morning and the from part of the tag is left blank. They are young enough that they don't ask too many questions. I could go into our reasonings but this is not the point of my post.

I have read/heard things about people being so upset when their kids find out the truth. And often they learn it from other kids (sometimes those who are never led to believe). My question is, how as parents can we be mad when our child finds out the truth about a myth we are leading them to believe? Can we really get upset that they find out the truth? I mean, in almost everything else in life aren't we teaching our kids to seek for the truth? So why do we keep it a secret for so long and become so emotionally attached to the myth as adults.

I have no real personal experience with this because my kids are young. But I discovered the truth at 7 because I happened to be on a shopping trip with my mom in which she purchased a gift that Santa later left for a sibling. And I never thought Christmas was any less magical knowing that mom and dad were Santa. I didn't spread the truth. I just accepted the story of it all. Maybe that makes me weird.

I am sure some people think I am crazy and the grinch. But this is my blog and my thought process for the evening so I am sharing.

I need your help

2010-12-29T09:09:00.002-07:00

One of my goals for 2011 is to be a better meal planner. I am hoping it will help me enjoy cooking dinner more, make fewer trips to the grocery store, save a litle money, and a little time.

So, what are 3 to 5 of your favorite dinners? I don't want all gourmet meals that will take me forever and my kids won't eat. Feel free to leave (or email me) a recipe or leave a link to it. And if you are so kind, I will share with you too.

Christmas Recap

2010-12-28T15:24:00.007-07:00

We spent Christmas Eve at my parent's house with my 3 local brothers and some family friends. We had did, the kids acted out the nativity, and we sat around and talked. It was a fun night. Then we came home and the kids opened their Christmas jammies and went to bed.

We got up Christmas morning and opened the presents. The kids were excited about dolls, new blankies, Legos, dresses, movies, books, stuffed animals, a high chair, cars and pretty princess dress-ups handmade by Grandma Karen. The kids spent the day going from one activity to the next- almost overwhelmed with so many new things. (Our kids are deprived. Mom never gets them new toys.)

That night we went to Steve and Colleen's house for dinner. We munched on appetizers and desserts for way too long. But we had fun being with family again.

We had a great Christmas season. We enjoyed doing so many fun activities with friends and family. And we are especially grateful to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Gingerbread House Part 3

2010-12-28T15:01:00.008-07:00

The local JW Marriott Resort does a large gingerbread display every year. This year there theme was Will Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I took the girls and their friend Ellie one day to look at it. It was pretty amazing. It was 20feet by 25 feet and took a month to make. the girls liked that they were playing the movie so that they could see parts on the movie and then see them on the display as well.

For any locals, it is up til the 2nd I believe if you are looking for something to do.

My favorite gift of 2010

2010-12-28T14:47:00.004-07:00

Nixon has mastered the art of moving around the room. This is where we found him one day. Let's just say between him and the girls, the bottom part of our Christmas tree never looked good.

Happy Christmas!

2010-12-23T18:13:00.002-07:00

Seeing Santa

2010-12-22T18:19:00.000-07:00

Here are the girls in Santa's lap at the ward Christmas breakfast. I thought about putting Nixon up there but I didn't. I regret now seeing the irony in the fact that this Santa's helper delivered my Nixon 6 months ago!

Temple Lights

2010-12-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

This is our third Christmas in Arizona and every year I have wanted to go see the Mesa temple lights. We have never made it. Luckily, this year some friends wanted to go as well so we made a night of it. We ventured to a restaurant with 12 kids. Luckily they were pretty well behaved. Then we went the "train house". It was crazy/amazing what this guy had done with his extra garage full of trains and tracks that went all over his backyard. And then we went to the temple and walked around to see the lights there. They have different stations set-up that depict different parts of the nativity story. The kids loved all the lights and were worn out by the time we got in the car to come home.

Gingerbread House Part 2

2010-12-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

Since Erich had a plan in mind for his gingerbread house, the kids were not really involved. They begged and begged to be able to make one. So one day in their advent calendar, their activity was to make their own. They were verye xcited even though they were only the graham cracker type.

Unfortunately for Laney some poor contstruction by her mother and poor engineering by her led to a collapsed house. (For future advice, make sure your child doesn't put too much candy on the roof.) Luckily, the girls had a good time.

Playing house?

2010-12-12T08:06:00.001-07:00

We have a fake plastic fly. (I don't know where we got it or why we have it but the girls found it the other day)

After finding it, Allie approached Erich and said, "You be the daddy and I'll be the mommy and this can be our fly."

Whiteboard

2010-12-12T07:32:00.003-07:00

Erich bought a whiteboard for the girls and hung it up in the toy room. To say they like it would be a huge understatement. They also like to take pcitures of their letters and words and pictures they create on the whiteboard.

My camera skills are only slightly better than the girls but no, I didn't take any of these pictures.

Cousins

2010-12-12T07:23:00.003-07:00

Taylor and baby Eloise came to visit in November. We loved seeing them. And we couldn't resist taking pictures of the thee grandbabies all born within 1 month of each other.

Three

2010-12-12T07:04:00.003-07:00

In October, this little girl turned 3. (We had a really fun Halloween-themed birthday party but those pics are on my old desktop that doesn't want to turn on. I am waiting for Erich to save them for me but he hasn't yet. Maybe that is what I will ask for for Christmas.)

I love this little girl so much but she gives Erich and I a run for out money. She is as stubborn as they come (I don't understand why, neither of her parents is at all stubborn. ;)) She has a little bit of a temper and sometimes has to go on "Fit Patrol" with her dad when things don't go her way. Yet, she is too smart for her own good. She loves her family. She has a cute little giggle. She almost always shares. She is a good little cuddler. She has the cutest curly hair and tiniest little body. She is full of energy. She never wipes off her dad's kisses but wipes mine off half the time. She still consumes as much food as the average teenage boy. She is counting down the weeks until she gets to join Laney and I in primary. She likes to sing and dance. She has a great imagination. And she is usually quick to obey.

Love you, Allie Jane.

Halloween

2010-12-12T06:50:00.005-07:00

Erich asked this year when Halloween became a marathon event. The girls had Halloween party on Friday at pre-school. Saturday night we went to Tunk or Treat at the church. And Sunday we did dinner with friends and then went Trick or Treating to Grandma and Grandpa's house and a few neighbors.

Laney wanted to be Super Girl this year. Allie was Sleeping Beauty and Nixon a cow. We received more candy than I wanted in the house but a good time was had by all.

6 months

2010-12-10T21:23:00.005-07:00

This little face is 6 months old. Where has the time gone? I am lucky to say he is dream baby. He is happy, eats well, sleeps well, and seems to be holding up to all the attention his big sisters give him. (The oldest one in particular.) And who can resist his sweet dimples?

At 6 months old, Nixon Ralphie (thanks Uncle John for teaching the girls that endearing nickname) likes to:

roll and roll and roll- into the wall, under our Christmas tree, to a toy or a cousin (Sorry Abs)
eat food. He seems to enjoy his rice cereal and his green vegetables. Next week we might venture to the orange veggies.
look at whoever is talking to him and give a big smile. I love when he is sitting on my lap and I start to talk and he cranes his neck back to see me.
get on his hands and knees and rock. Really, stop growing up so fast.
put everything in his mouth. The girls are learning the importance of not leaving legos or other small toys on the floor. And their shoes.
hold his own bottle. Well, I'm not sure he loves to hold it but his dad and I sure love that he can do it.
sit up for short periods of time.
spit up. It's something I hope he grows out of quickly.

Really, we can't get enough of him. Laney and Allie like to claim that he is their baby but I feel lucky that he is mine.

Gingerbread House Party

2010-12-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

Sometime in November, I had a crazy idea to host a gingerbread house party. Originally, I was going to make house for each family that they could pick up, decorate, and then bring to the party for judging. I totally UNDERESTIMATED the time and work it takes to create a gingerbread house. Luckily my guests were happy to bring their own decorated houses.

We had some judging, some dessert, some Home Alone, and a of course some chaos. But I think it was still a fun party. Erich's house is the house in the front that is Gingerbread house meets Ghostbusters. I know he took some pictures of it but I can't find those.

Primary Program

2010-09-16T16:11:00.004-06:00

I am currently the Primary President in our ward. Last week was our program in Sacrament meeting. It was a source of major stress for me as I tend to stress about things like that. We added parts, deleted parts, changed parts, etc. But all of the lost sleep was worth it. The kids were so reverent, they did a great job on their parts, and the music was great. I found myself crying multiple times. I couldn't have asked for a better program- and we ended up right on time.

It was Laney's first program as well. She learned her part and did a great job. She sang most of the songs. And even did most of the sign language. It is so fun to watch her grow.

I feel so lucky to serve in the primary. I work with great women (they also changed my counselors the day of the program) who love these kids. I love the energy of the kids and the teaching moments we have there. It was a great day!

And I know that isn't the best picture but I didn't have one with both girls looking I chose this one because Laney always is the kid looking away.

Stephanie

2010-09-16T15:55:00.006-06:00

My good friend Stephanie just emailed me these. She took all of them when we have been at their house. It's always fun to go to Steph's house because she always has yummy treats (Laney's lovely chocolate mustache is proof) and the girls love to play with Ellie and her make-up. And Steph always captures the best pictures of Allie. The best part is, she will help you out in a second. Last week Erich and my parents were out of town and I had a church meeting I needed to attend. Steph quickly volunteered to save the day. She fed us all, took the girls swimming, bathed them, shared Ellie's night gowns with them, and gave them popcorn as a bedtime snack. You can see that my girls loved it. Thanks Steph!

Treasure Box

2010-09-15T12:17:00.003-06:00

As part of Laney and Allie's pre-school, we are supposed to record all the books we read. I do my best to record most of what we read. Every 20 books, the girls get to pick something out of the treasure box. The girls have LOVED the bubbles they chose. Even so much that they want to go outside in the 105 degree heat to play with them.

So I don't forget

2010-09-14T23:03:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, Sept. 13th, Nixon rolled from back to tummy. And none of us saw it.

Luckily, he did a repeat performance for the girls and me this morning. And was close another few times but if he saw the girls and I watching, he quickly moved from his side to his back.

I guess he doesn't like the attention!

3 months

2010-09-13T13:49:00.004-06:00

3 months old and still smothered to death by his sisters. He is a great baby. Rarely cries, sleeps through the night, give me lots of smiles, talks and talks, growing big, even enjoys skyping with his dad when he is gone for work! Practically perfect in everyway.

August 19th

2010-09-05T21:58:00.005-06:00

It was a Thursday. Erich had been out of town for 1.5 weeks. He was set to return on Saturday. The kids and I were excited to have daddy home. And the dreaded phone call came- he had to go straight to California the next day for week. And would be there for a week or so. I couldn't tell the girls- they wouldn't understand.

So, I made some calls myself. And Friday I packed the kids up and went to San Diego to my sister's house. Erich was able to join us on Saturday night. And we enjoyed a little vacation. Erich had to work later afternoons/evenings so we played during the day and then sent him away. I had plans to come home on Monday night until Erich discovered he wouldn't have to work on Wednesday. We decided to use our passes to Disneyland and took our vacation to Anaheim.

So Tuesday afternoon, Erich dropped the kids and me off at our hotel in Anaheim and he went to work. I packed the kids up in the stroller and we headed to Downtown Disney. We had some dinner and walked around. And then I took them home and put them to bed.

Wednesday we got up and got ready. And walked ourselves to Disneyland. Laney was so excited when she figured out where we were and Allie asked to go home. But I think by the end of the day we all had fun. We rode rides, visited Toon Town, ate inside Pirates of the Caribbean, met princesses and fairies, ate churros, enjoyed a parade, and wore ourselves out. During the parade, they came to get kids to come dance with them. Laney was all over it. Beebs wouldn't leave out side. In fact, she knelt down on the ground and started to suck her thumb. We left about 7:30 or 8 that night and the girls were asleep before we were off the park grounds.

Thursday morning Erich had to go to work for a few hours so the kids and I hit the pool and hung out. And then we drove home.

While I was so mad when Erich called with the bad news on the 19th, by the time we drove home on the 26th I was grateful for our fun vacation.

Thanks to Court, Jeff, and kids for letting us come stay- even though we stayed a few days longer then we originally planned!

Name and a blessing

2010-09-05T19:13:00.015-06:00

Erich blessed Nixon at church today. We were lucky to have 3 of my 4 brothers there with us as well as many close friends including Garrett and Jeff who Erich consider the brothers he never had. After church, we had a family dinner at the house. It was a great day to celebrate the newest addition to our family!

We were in California last week (that's another blog post) and so I took the blessing outfit so Courtney could take come pictures. And I couldn't narrow it down to one picture so here a few.

Why does he have to grow so fast?

2010-09-01T21:22:00.002-06:00

Nixon's 3-6 month summer clothes are currently in the washing machine. What happened to my newborn? Don't get me wrong, I love the sleep I am getting since he is sleeping about 11 hours straight but how can he almost be 3 months. Before I know it, he will be rolling. And then the doctor will be telling me to introduce solids and such. I miss my newborn already.

An announcement of sorts

2010-09-01T21:16:00.003-06:00

Nixon was born almost 3 months ago. Before he was born, I designed a baby announcement that I was going to use. At 2 weeks old, we went to California. My sister took some pictures of Nixon and while I loved a lot of them, I really loved one of them. I knew it was the picture I wanted to use on the announcement. But the background didn't match with my previously designed announcement. So Courtney helped me come up with a simpler design. And so for 2 months now, I have had this announcement waiting for me to have them printed and mailed. And it hasn't happened. And I am pretty sure it's not going to happen. So please imagine that this baby announcement came in your mailbox today. (That way I won't feel quite so guilty about never getting them in the mail.)

This is for you Courtney

2010-08-16T23:15:00.007-06:00

My sister just commented that she thinks Nixon looks more like Allie than Laney. I totally agree but that isn't saying much as I never think my kids look like anyone. So you be the judge.Laney at 2 months old

Allie at 2 months old

Nixon at 2 months old

Can you guess which picture goes with which daughter?

2010-08-16T22:54:00.003-06:00

This afternoon the kids and I had FHE. (When your husband is out of town you can do it anytime you want, right?) They wanted to color these pictures they saw on lds.org of the earth. So we had a short lesson on the creation and then I let them color the pictures. Before starting, Laney asked me if she could just scribble. I told her to color the best she could. And so they began. Every 30 seconds, Allie would show me her picture and say "see, mom." And I would tell her that it was great or that I liked it. Obviously, Laney did not think that was appropriate because she quickly turned to Allie and said, "Scribbling is not cute, Allie."

2 months

2010-08-16T22:42:00.003-06:00

How is it that every week that I am pregnant seems to last forever but every day after the baby is born seems to fly by? I can't believe he is already 2 months old.

He weighed in at 12 lbs 8 oz. (And the nerdy math teacher in me loved that the dr pointed out that he had already gained almost half of his birth weight.)

He smiles.

He sleeps a consistent 9 to 10 hours a night.

He is a great napper.

He likes the water. He loves the bath and has enjoyed his 2 times in the pool.

He doesn't seemed to bothered by his sisters' being so close to him and all over him.

He has turned into an easy baby. (I might not have said that a month ago.)

We love him and our lucky to have him in our family. And no his hair isn't red. It must be the lighting.

First Day of School

2010-08-16T22:23:00.002-06:00

Today the girls both started pre-school. One of my good friends teaches out of her house and she agreed to take both girls. (Yes, I know Allie is not quite 3 but she has been begging to go since Laney started last year.) All I have heard about for the past week is preschool this and preschool that. They have been so excited about it starting. And to be honest, I have been a little excited for it as well. Laney gets bored with me. Which leads her to bother her sister. School allows her more time to interact with other kids and have some free time from her mean mom! And since Erich has been gone about half of the summer I have been looking forward to being able to go run errands with just one kid or without asking my mom to watch them all.

Amidst all the excitement, my girls very different personalities came out this morning. As we started to drive to school, Allie told me multiple times she no longer wanted to go to school. When we arrived, I unbuckled the girls. Laney quickly exited the car, walked straight past me, and went inside. She never gave me a second thought. Allie, on the other hand, had to be coaxed out of her carseat. As I carried her to the door, she hid her head as to avoid looking at anyone. When I mentioned leaving, she grabbed me tighter. And not until she saw a familar toy and I promised she wouldn't have to come back if she didn't like it did she finally let go of me. I told Ms. Regina if she wasn't okay to call me. And I am happy to report they both loved it. Allie told me she wanted to go back on Wednesday and Laney has been asking all night if she gets to go tomorrow. I can tell it's going to be a great school year.

Remembering: Summer 2010

2010-08-05T07:36:00.002-06:00

While it will still feel like summer for another few months here in Phoenix, summer itself is quickly coming to an end. The local schools start on Monday. The girls will start preschool in a few weeks. And I have started training for my new job as a "virtual" teacher from the comfort of my own home. And there are some things I want to remember from this summer.

Mainly, I want to remember the huge smiles on my girls faces with bubbles coming out of their noses and slightly tinted green hair flowing in the water as they swim to me. It's become one of my favorite scenes everyday. I wish I had a picture of it as their faces show pure joy.

Here are a few other things I want to remember:

Popsicles, the smell of a newborn (even if it is sometimes the smell of spit-up), lots of swimming suits hanging to dry on the shower rod, big bowls of fruit with dinner every night, bottles and diapers, trips to CA, cousins moving closer, baby dolls named Karly and Lulu and Abigail, swimming with Grandma and Colleen (and knowing that saved all of us the first few weeks after Nixon was born), the look on the girls' faces (and mine) when Erich comes home from a business trip, playing make believe, flip flops, monsoon storms, moving and then moving again, Nixon's first smiles, Laney diving to the bottom of the pool, Allie learning to swim all by herself, staying in our pajamas until we put our swimsuits on, playing with cousins, Allie requesting "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ" EVERY TIME we get in the car and then asking to listen to it again and again, having a newborn sleep on my shoulder, hot breakfast request by #2 almost daily, dress-ups, playing with friends, and listening to my girls giggle together at their made-up words and oth silly antics

I have loved summer 2010. I hope fall is just as good.

Year of change

2010-07-28T08:38:00.004-06:00

If I had to pick on word to describe 2010 for our family, it would be change.

Here are some of the changes we have experienced:

we went from 2 kids to 3 including being introduced to boys!
we are on our third residence this year. we knew the first two were temporary. we plan to be here a little longer.
our vegetarian daughter suddenly likes meat. at least deli meat and costco orange chicken.
we no longer own a shave ice business. Hallelujah!
we both are driving different cars. since I wrecked the integra and we added a child, I now drive an odyssey. and since we don't own trailers, erich downgraded from the truck to some old bmw-think 1995.
we are learning to adjust to erich traveling for work. i just counted and erich was gone for almost half of this month and august looks the same way! it makes for easy dinners but we miss having him around. especially allie when she is in trouble, that's when she always cries, "i want daddy." this is a major change since erich has worked from home the entire 7 years we have been married.
and my biggest change is that i have resigned from my job. it looks like after 9 years of teaching at a school, i will be staying home. i am looking to do some work from home but i think i might finally get to be a stay-at-home mom. that being said, it was one of the hardest things i have done. i think because of the small setting, i have developed close relationships with my girls. they were almost like little sisters/daughters to me. i will be sad to not see them on a regular basis but am excited to be home more as well with my own daughters and son.

hopefully the rest of 2010 doesn't have too many big changes. i can handle little ones but we don't need any life-changing ones right now.

edited to add:

one of our bigger changes is that we decided to cancel our cable. while we still watch some shows on the computer, it has done wonders for the girls screen time. i thought i would hate it, but truth be told, it's not that bad.

Oh, what do you do in the summertime?

2010-07-27T07:17:00.005-06:00

It's 110 here in Phoenix which means we either play inside or swim. For my kids that means lots of dress-ups, dancing, babies, and playing house. And sometimes lots of tears and whining. but we are trying to look past those moments.

Still in love

2010-07-26T22:39:00.001-06:00

6 weeks

2010-07-26T22:38:00.000-06:00

One month

2010-07-26T22:30:00.002-06:00

Abigail Milly

2010-07-11T09:39:00.004-06:00

7 years ago this month, my youngest brother John was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent a few months of chemo and has been cancer-free ever since. He is one of the lucky ones. He is healthy and has had very few side effects from it.

1 year ago, he married Stephanie. We love her and are glad she is part of the family. She knew John's history and what comes with being a cancer survivor and she married him anyway (that is minor in comparison to his baby of the family/mama's boy issues he also has.) And shortly after getting married it was confirmed that they could not have children courtesy of cancer.

About 1 month ago, an opportunity to adopt was placed before them. And so they quickly began filling out paperwork and getting approved by the state.

On Friday night, sweet Abigail Milly was born. She weighed 7lbs 3oz and was 19.25 inches. She is adorable. Steph was able to witness her birth and John texted details from the waiting room. And we are excited to have this new baby in the family- the 3rd in one month!

And I can't help but be grateful for this sweet baby's birth mom. For her willingness to give this baby to John and Steph. I hope she knows that baby Abigail will be loved and adored by her parents- and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We feel lucky to have baby Abby in our family. And we admire her strength and her courage and her selfless love.

Cause I'm a big sister

2010-07-06T21:44:00.004-06:00

Laney became a big sister at 17.5 months. After figuring out the concept of being soft/gentle, she has been a great big sister. 95% of the time Allie idolizes her. Yet in the 2.5 years between the birth of Allie and Nixon, never once do I remember Laney referring to her self as a big sister. She was a big girl and Allie was a baby or a little girl but never the big sister. But becoming a big sister again at the age of 4, she gets it and she is good at it and she is so, so proud of it.

Everywhere we go, she points out to people her new brother. She always asks me questions like, "Do you think my cousins (or grandpa or whoever we are going to see) will like my baby brother?" And she is willing to drop everything to help with her baby brother. (The girls very rarely refer to him by name- almost always as baby brother sometimes just brother.) If I need a diaper, she gets it. If I want the bottle in the sink, she takes it. When he spits up, she is ready to wipe his face up. And then she always says something like, "I got you a diaper, mom, cause I'm a big sister." It's almost as if being a big sister is the most important job in the world. And it makes me happy to see her act that way .

Unfortunately, it only holds true for Nixon related tasks. If I ask her to pick up her shoes or toys or messes, she quite often declines or says Allie can do it. That is until I start counting or threatening to throw them in the garbage or to take away her Popsicle privileges for the day. (And that one is no good of a threat if she knows she will see my mom who will give her a few Popsicles anyway.) Any suggestions on how to teach that being an obedient daughter is the most important job in the world?

And I should acknowledge that all pictures posted in the last week are courtesy of my sister, Courtney.

California

2010-07-04T21:49:00.007-06:00

After I had Laney and Allie, I self-diagnosed myself with post-partum anxiety. I wasn't depressed. Just scared- nervous- anxious. I worried a lot about my mom leaving us and whether I was really capable of being a mom of 1 and a mom of 2. Strangely, I haven't had that issue since the birth of Nixon. In fact, everything has seemed so natural. Recovery has been easier and life as a mom to 3 has not been nearly as crazy as I thought. (Part of me wonders if it is because I live so close to my mom so she didn't come to stay with us. She was just a 2 minute drive.)

So when I figured out that Erich and my mom were both going to be out of town the same week, I decided to drive to San Diego with my kids to stay with Courtney. Not because I was afraid to be alone with the 3 but because I thought my kids would go crazy being home with me all day. (Remember, Erich works from our house so they see him a lot and my mom has been taking the girls swimming for a few hours everyday because all 3 of them think they are part fish. Plus, the kids and I drop by my parents a couple times a week just to hang out)

And though some thought I was crazy to pack up my kids and drive 350 miles by myself with a newborn, I thought nothing of it. I knew there were McDonalds along the way and I knew I had AAA if I really needed help. And so we went. And I am so glad we did. We had a nice, relaxing trip with my sister and her family. My kids loved playing with their cousins. And I loved being with my sister. It didn't matter if we were both on our own laptops, we were still together and still having fun.

We had fabulous breakfasts every morning. (Allie was in heaven.)

We went to the park quite a few times.

The kids swam everyday.

My kids slept past 6 everyday.

I was able to have a few short naps.

Courtney took new pics of my kids for me.

There were scooter rides and fashion shows and princesses.

We had snickerdoodles. (Again, Allie was in heaven.)

My sister did all the cooking and washing of clothes.

We came home with 3 boxes of clothes.

The kids made ice cream in a bag for FHE.

Thanks to the DVR, we were able to enjoy Twitch and Alex's dance on SYTYCD more than once.

And we laughed a lot.

Thanks for having us Court. I am already planning our next trip!

3 weeks

2010-07-01T22:17:00.003-06:00

I can't remember life before him.

And can't get over how cute he is.

R and R

2010-06-28T14:41:00.002-06:00

Erich left town for Utah yesterday. My mom went to NY today to see baby Lulu. And my older sister has been begging me to come visit her in San Diego since Nixon was born. So I packed the 3 kids up and we drove on over yesterday for some R&R with Courtney and family.

The drive didn't include rest or relaxation but today has so far. We are loving the cool weather, the cousins, the sister, and just being able to do nothing. It should be a good week.

New cousins

2010-06-28T14:37:00.002-06:00

Last Friday, my younger brother Craig and his wife Taylor welcomed Lulu to the world. We are so excited to meet our newest cousin. We think she is pretty adorable.

And we should be welcoming another new cousin within the next few weeks. Life is good. (now if only someone was having a boy baby we would reallybe happy!)

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-20T20:40:00.002-06:00

I had good intenetions of taking a picture of Erich and the kids before church but he had choir practice. And then I was going to when we got home, but Laney had chocolate on her dress by then. And so the cuddle time before bedtime will just have to work.

Happy Father's Day!

In heaven

2010-06-17T22:50:00.002-06:00

If Laney had her way, this is what she would so all day long every day. She would just sit and watch this little guy. And she would be sure to wipe his face anytime he spit up. And help him with the pacifier if it fell out. And she would say "Shh, shh, shh" anytime he started to cry. This is heaven to her.

I don't let her though because it also means she gives me commentary of every sound he makes. And she tries to keep Allie away from him-causing some fights. And she thinks she should feed him and change him and do everything for him. And that is not heaven to me. So we compromise with doing this for a portion of the day and doing other things the rest of the time.

Unit

2010-06-17T22:19:00.003-06:00

Laney was Babensteins and then Babens. And now she is Laney or Pookie or Pooks or Elaina.

Allie was Part 2 and then Bebe. Now she is usually Bebe train or Beebs or Pookie Beebs or Allison.

So people have been wondering what Erich intended to call Nixon. His reply was whatever comes. And for now, Nixon is Unit. Weird I know. I am sure it will change and evolve a million times. But today, he is called Unit.

The best part is when he refers to him as that, Allie gets very mad. She replies with something like, "Dad, he isn't Unit. He is just my baby brother," in her best whiney, pouty voice.

1 week

2010-06-17T22:17:00.001-06:00

Going home

2010-06-14T21:48:00.004-06:00

Friday, June 11, 2010

26 hours old and going home

A lot of people wonder why I was so ready to come home when Nixon was just 24 hours old. So here is why.

While I only stayed one day and night after he was born, I really had been in the hospital for 2 days and 2 nights. And that was about all I could handle of it.
That hospital nursery does not take the baby for you at nighttime. (Yep, I am one of those moms who sends their newborns to the nursery so that I can have a good night of sleep. Call me selfish or mean or heartless if you choose- I prefer to think I am smart.) So having him sleep next to me at the home would be no different than at the hospital. Plus, nobody would be taking my vitals and drawing my blood at crazy times in the middle of the night.
For some crazy reason, this has been my easiest recovery. I felt pretty good on Friday considering that I had delivered a baby the night before. If I stayed another night, I would have left Saturday morning and I didn't think I would feel that differently.
But most importantly, my Laney needed me. I knew she was fine with my parents and with Erich. And she was. But I couldn't handle telling her one more time, that I wasn't coming home yet. I couldn't handle her tears or mine. You see, Wednesday as my mom and the girls and I were leaving the pool, my mom took the intertubes and such home with her. And Laney was confused. And so I tried to explain to her that Grandma and Colleen would be bringing her swimming on Thursday because mom would be at the hospital. And she cried. And Thursday night when leaving me and Nixon at the hospital, she cried. And she told me she would miss me. And Friday morning, she called me twice, crying, that I wasn't home yet. And telling me that she missed me. And so I came home on Friday, because I didn't want to have to hear or see that sweet girl cry one more time about the fact that I wasn't coming home.

First Visitors

2010-06-14T21:37:00.003-06:00

Once Nixon was finally here, Erich left to pick up the girls from my parent's house to come and meet their new brother. They were excited beyond belief when they arrived at the hospital. Unfortunately, the nursery had taken him to bathe him. They were able to peek at him through the window. When visiting hours had ended, Nixon was still not back. I felt bad for the girls (And my parents who had tried to come see him but missed him as well.) I said good-bye to Erich and the girls and off they went.

About 5 minutes later, I heard familiar voices in the hallway. Erich, Laney, Allie, and Nixon were all on their way back to the room. They only stayed for a few minutes but the girls were so EXCITED to finally meet their baby brother.

On Friday, John and Stephanie came to visit as well. They brought me lunch and Steph snuggled Nixon the whole time they were there. (John doesn't do newborns). They were kind enough to stay long enough so that I could get a shower in. It was nice to have a little company during the day- even if it is only because they are trying to be the favorite aunt and uncle.

Nixon's birth story

2010-06-13T22:20:00.005-06:00

On Wednesday my doctor's office called about scheduling an induction time. I had tentatively been scheduled to go in Thursday night with hopes of a Friday delivery. That would have Nixon here about one week early and hopefully still small enough for me to deliver. (His size had been a small concern since my 3d ultrasound at 30 weeks.)

They offered me the opportunity to go in that night instead. Since it was 105, I didn't pass up the chance to go in a day early. I had some mixed feelings about being induced so early. I knew that it might take longer as my body had been showing no signs of labor. But truth be told, I was pretty miserable at the end. I was HOT and tired and ready to be done.

I was told to expect a call between 10 and 11pm telling me if and when they had a bed for me. I spent my afternoon packing bags for my girls and myself (thanks to Regina for taking my girls). Trying to do some last minute laundry and cleaning. And I went to pick up my girls a little early because I wanted a little more time with them before everything changed. Unfortunately, they just wanted to go to grandma's house. So we went there. I let them play for a bit and then I put them to bed. I cried a little. I don't like to leave my kids. And I knew everything would be different next time I saw their faces. That night I went to sleep, left my phone with Erich, and was a little surprised at 10:55 when they called and actually had a bed for us and wanted us to come in.

So off to the hospital we went. They checked us in and monitored me for about an hour in the triage area. And then they took us to our room. They started me on some gels to try to help my body get ready. It meant that from 1 to 7 I was woken up at least every hour, instructed to walk around at some times, and getting very little sleep. Erich slept for a few hours in between watching old episodes of Lost. And before long it was morning.

Around 8 am, my doctor came to check on me and break my water. Around 8:30, the anesthesiologist came in and gave me an epidural. And about 9:00, my nurse started me on pitocin. And that's went things got worse. Apparently, my epidural made my blood pressure drop. So they gave me some medicine to solve that problem. Which led to Nixon's heart rate being all over the place. Which led to a stopping of the pitocin and starting of oxygen for me. After about 20 minutes, his heart rate seemed to have stabilized and so the picotin was turned back on. And about 10 minutes later it was turned off again. Around 11am, all was well and the pitocin was turned back on for the final time.

I rested for the next little while and watched some tv. I was progressing very slowly much to the disappointment of Erich and myself. (And my family who kept texting and emailing and calling to see if anything new was happening.) About 2:15, I realized that my contractions were starting to hurt on the right side. I called for a nurse, she rolled me over and pressed the more painkiller button for me hoping gravity and an extra boost would solve my problem. She told me to call her back if I was still in pain in 2o minutes. Sure enough, I was. By this time, I had had it. I was exhausted- both physically and mentally. I was crying. And I had Erich give me a blessing. I called the nurse back. She reported that the anesthesiologist was in on a c-section but would have him come help me as soon as he was done. Around 4, I received an extra dose of something and in no time, I was once again pain free.

Luckily, around this time, my body seemed to finally be preparing to deliver this kid. Nixon was finally dropping and I was almost at a 10. My doctor came in around 5, he told me I was just about there. And then he commented on the Lakers-Celtics game that was supposed to start at 6. He was sure the baby would be here in time to watch the game with me. I doubted.

Around 5:20, I started pushing. And at 5:41, Nixon entered the world. I was shocked that after 14-15 hours of waiting to be ready, he came so quickly. He was 8lbs, 2 oz and 19.75 inches long. And to me, he was perfect. And he did watch some of the Lakers-Celtics game with me.

Transitioning from 4 to 5

2010-06-12T21:51:00.003-06:00

June 11, 2010 Nixon and mom are home from the hospital

This is how I want to remember our transition from a family or 4 to a family of 5. And not because today has been a day completely full of smiles and joy. Because it hasn't. There have been tears and tantrums and lost patience and maybe even some yelling. But because these 2 girls are completely smitten with Nixon. They adore him. The want to help feed him and diaper him and hold him. They have tried to introduce him to all of their toys. And at one point Allie was trying to get Laney to play outside with her and she said, "No, I am just watching my baby brother." They asked if he could sleep in their room with them tonight. And I can't tell you how many times they have told me they love him.

So I want to keep this picture fresh in my head. Because I know the next little while might be a little hard. An I am sure I will be close to losing it at times. But I never want any of us to forget the joy that this sweet little boy has brought to us. Or the overwhelming love we all have for him. And the excitement we have felt about finally having him here with us. I want to remember those smiles now and in 20 years. It really is going to be a good transition for us.

Nixon Ralph

2010-06-10T19:43:00.003-06:00

Born at 5:42pm.

8 lbs, 2 oz and 19.75 inches

Already in love with the sweet litte boy.

Waiting game

2010-06-10T06:55:00.002-06:00

At the hospital, waiting for my son to make his appearance.

Hopefully it's sooner than later.

A little prayer humor for you

2010-06-06T15:30:00.003-06:00

Today Laney was asked to give the scripture and closing prayer in primary. I went up to help her. We made it through the scripture just fine. The prayer was a different story.

It started fine, I would say something and she would repeat. We got through the standards like "Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. And for primary. And for our teachers."

And then I said, "Help us to obey."

And she looked at me and said (loud enough for everyone in the room to hear) "Mom, I can do it by myself."

And then she started over with "Heavenly Father Thank you for everything. . . pause, pause, Mom, I need your help." The pianist, myself, and a few others in the room almost all lost it.

I quickly prompted her with "help us to be good, We love you." And closed the prayer.

Real converations at our house

2010-05-24T07:17:00.002-06:00

Both of these conversations occurred at our house yesterday.

Laney: Mom, what day is it?
Me: Sunday.
L: So can we play outside?
M: Nope, not today.
L: Mom, what day is it?
M: It's Sunday, Laney.
L: So can we go swimming?
M: No, not today.
L: But I really want to go swimming.
M: Sorry Laney, we can go tomorrow.
L: What day is it mommy?
M: Laney, it's still Sunday.
L: Can I go potty today?
M: Yes, Laney, you can go potty today.

Maybe we should have a lesson on the Sabbath day.

Allie: Mom, it's not nice to cut people, is it?
Me: Nope, it's not. That could hurt someone and we don't want to hurt other people.
Allie: But Ammon can. He can cut those guys arms, right mom?
Me: Umm, sure Allie. He was allowed to cut those guys arms.

Asked by Allie

2010-05-17T18:59:00.002-06:00

When I came home from work today and looked just as large as I did when I left (which is a whole other post), Allie asked, "Did the baby come out yet mommy? " She was a little sad when I told her no.

A tad bit of guilt

2010-05-17T15:57:00.004-06:00

I grew up in a home where my mother quite often made hot breakfast every morning for us. She took our requests and tried to please us. Even during the 1.5 years we lived with them, she would still quite frequently make breakfasts for my dad, my kids, Erich, and I.

I have tried to do the same for my girls since moving out. Luckily, most days they would prefer a bowl of cereal. And so maybe once a week, I have to make breakfast. This morning at breakfast time Allie brought me a box of cereal. And Laney brought me a box of muffin mix and requested cupcakes. And I was so tired and impatient (courtesy of her getting up at 5:15 for the past week and then waking up Allie unnecessarily most days as well), that I turned her down. And she asked again, and I still turned her down.

And still 9 hours later, I feel like a bad mom. Maybe we should have muffins for dinner.

April 21

2010-04-22T11:17:00.005-06:00

2006

2007

2008

2009
2010
I love this kid. I can't beleive she is 4. And I can't imagine my life without her!

FOUR!

2010-04-17T21:37:00.011-06:00

Laney turns 4 this coming week. For the past 4 or 5 months,she has been talkinga bout having a birthday party. I tried to ignore it but couldn't anymore. So my love to plan parties sister, Courtney, helped me come up with a party based on the rainbow.

We had pizza and a rainbow array of fruit. We made pictures out of raibow color dyed pasta. We had some spoon relays with Skittles- to taste the rainbow. We went on a hunt around the backyard to find homemade crayons that were all the colors of the rainbow. The kids also did some sidewalk chalk and played around. And we ended with rainbow cupcakes and rainbow shave ice.

It was pretty low key but Laney enjoyed it and that is what counts, right? Happy birthday Laney girl!

Best part of Passover

2010-04-07T22:03:00.003-06:00

I decided right before Passover that I needed to potty train Allie over my break. I knew if I didn't do it now I would have to wait til school was out which was right before the baby is due. And I didn't want to do potty-training and newborn at the same time. I was dreading it because of my difficulties with Laney. I have gone back and forth about it with our trip and then with cousins coming.

But I decided to take the plunge. I knew the diapers would run out on Sunday and I let it happen. Sunday morning we put on underwear and haven't looked back. Aside from pull-ups during naps and bedtime, she has been great with the underwear. Allie has only had 2 accidents- and both were in the backyard. It's been a breeze this time around. I hope it goes well tomorrow for Erich!

I am excited to have 2 months diaper-free. It will be our first time in 4 years!!!

Passover 2010

2010-04-06T20:44:00.009-06:00

We've had a fun 2 weeks of Passover vacation. Laney keeps asking me if I have to go to work and I have loved telling her that I still had the day off.

We hunted for eggs.

The girls took a quick trip to San Diego to play with cousins while the boy took a quick trip to Pittsburgh for work.

We dyed Easter eggs while enjoying visits from our Casey and Kamy and crew and John and Stephanie. We also had a candy egg hunt in the living room. And we played lots and lots outside with them. Laney even asked to go home with them. Allie, on the other hand, wanted to stay with me and wanted to keep baby Karly with us. Neither happened but we can't wait for our next visit with cousins.

And we had an enjoyable Easter that included treats in a basket. And the girls insisting on wearing their Easter dresses to lay on the couch and listen to President Monson.

I am sad tomorrow is the last day of Passover break. But I think the past 2 weeks have been enough fun to get me through the last 8 weeks of school.

Hope you all had a enjoyable Passover and Easter as well.

In the backyard

2010-03-16T22:38:00.003-06:00

The girls spend hours a day playing outside. (AZ weather is that good right now.) When I was checking on them yesterdy, I found this:

One of my students is very perceptive

2010-03-16T22:17:00.003-06:00

I took last Friday off after the car accident- I was tired, sore, and still a little shaken. As I try to do anytime I have to call in a sick day, I emailed in some assignments for my girls to do. (I wouldn't want my girls to have a free day!) When the rabbis informed the girls that I had been in a car accident and wouldn't be at school, the expressed concern over the girls and I. (I love that my students were that concerned about me. The joys of a VERY small private high school.) They started to ask about my condition and whether we were all okay. Then one of my more perceptive students pointed out that I had emailed in assignments so obviously I wsn't too injured. You have to love the insight of that student.

100 days

2010-03-15T16:31:00.002-06:00

Part 3 is due in less than 100 days. I am in my third trimester. He supposedly already weighs 2 lbs. And according to measurments from the u/s at the hospital the other night, his head measures big. He is obviously related to my family.

I am really going to be a mom of 3. I can't wait to met him but hope he waits the next 100 days!

Done with a capital D

2010-03-14T22:12:00.002-06:00

Erich left for UT last Sunday. He came home on Friday. By Thursday afternoon, I was feeling good. The girls and I had made it. We had one more night and then dad would be home. My mom, the girls and I got in the car to run a few errands and get hair cuts.

I went in first and had one thing changed on my hair. Then my mom went in for her haircut. The girls and I drove across the street to pick up a few things. I loaded everything up and was on my way back to get my mom. I was waiting to turn left into the shopping center. I went and the next thing I know, we were being hit. It was loud, the girls were scared, and then came their tears. I turned to make sure they were okay. Physically they were fine but I knew they were shaken up. I quickly called my mom to come out and get my girls. And then I started to rescue them from their car seats. There was ice (aka glass) all over the car. We calmed them down and my mom took them onto El Pollo Loco while I dealt with everything else. I was in a state of shock and panic but somehow managed to keep it together.

My good friend Stephanie willingly left her kids' little league games to come rescue my mom and girls as I drove my car home. And on that drive, I lost it. I blame it on pregnancy hormones and mommy guilt and my tendency to second-guess and feel guilt and all of the sorts. After getting back to my parents house, we (meaning my mom and I) decided that we should at least call my ob, a family friend, about the pregnancy. He insisted that I go to the hospital to have the baby monitored. Once again, I broke down. What if I had done something to my baby boy? My dad and our neighbor Steve, gave me a calming blessing. And since Erich was gone, I left the girls with my parents to eat and go to bed. And my long-time neighbor, Colleen, willingly drove me to the hospital.

Once I checked in, the nurses reported that I would have to be monitored for 6 hours. Being the math teacher that I am, I quickly calculated that to mean 1 am. I was dying. All I wanted to do was go home and snuggle my girls. To hug them. And let them know we were all okay. But I followed doctors orders. Thankfully, blood work, an ultrasound, and other monitoring, all report that the baby is just fine. After my mom got the girls to bed, she came to join me at the hospital. We talked, laughed, and tried to sleep. And then finally were able to go home. We arrived home to see my brother Brad sleeping on the couch with Allie. I guess she woke up, was confused, and started screaming. Brad rescued her and took her to the couch where they both fell asleep.

I am happy to report that we are all fine. I was sore for a few days but feel fine now. The girls seem fine though Allie is not afraid to tell me she is scared of the truck. And I am starting to move on. My mom and Erich keep reminding me that questioning the "what ifs" will not change anything. And so I am trying to only focus on how I grateful I feel that we were all safe and not let the guilt creep into my head.

As for my beloved Integra, Erich says that is is done with a capital D. Mainly because it is 11 years old and not worth what it would cost to fix and the fact that we knew in a few months it was going to be useless to us and our 3 car seats. I'm not going to lie-I am going to miss it. I bought her 8 1/2 years ago when I graduated from college. And she has been nothing but good to me. But Laney and Allie are infinitely more important to me than that Integra.

Dinner

2010-02-18T19:24:00.002-07:00

We had this for baked manicotti for dinner. And it won approval from all members of the family, even from Laney, my pickiest eater.

And I even made this bread to go with it.

Erich was pretty impressed.

You should try either or both.

Gospel Teaching

2010-02-17T13:15:00.002-07:00

I do not claim to be any sort of expert in parenting. I am far from it. But I do try to teach my girls right from from and about my religious beliefs. We pray and try to read scriptures daily. We go to church and on good weeks have FHE.

And everyone once in a while, my kids surprise me. Like last Saturday as I was explaining to the girls that Paigey was sick and we needed to make sure that we remember her in our prayers. Allie quickly said, "I say prayers for Paigey." And then she said a pray that sounded like this, "Heavenly Father, thanks nice day. Pray for Paigey. She feel better. Name of Jesus Christ, Amen." It made me feel good.

And then sometimes, I am caught a little off-guard by my kids. Like the other day when they were playing in the backyard. I could tell they both had a rock and were messing around. Next thing I know, I heard Laney say, "Get your Liahona, Allie." I couldn't help but laugh. And I just turned on Harry Potter for Laney and when Dumbledore came on the screen, I asked, "Who is that?" She matter of factly replied, "Heavenly Father."

I guess we still have a way to go with them!

Courtney

2010-02-15T06:07:00.002-07:00

A few times a week, I like to catch up on the blog posts at Segullah. Yesterday I was happy to read about the Valentine's post about sisterly love. I would guess that 99% of my readers know about my sister Courtney and know how close we are. It's not unusual for us to talk 3 or 4 times a day. It's a good year for us if we don't have to go more than 3 or 4 months without seeing each other (though there have been years when it's been almost monthly!) When one of us needs to talk through something and our spouse is not there or they are not concerned about the topic, usually we call each other. Some are surprised to know that we are 4 years apart. We haven't lived in the same state since 97-98 when I was a freshman at BYU and she was in her last year. (Which makes it nice since we like to buy the same clothes.) And I can only remember 2 real fights in our lives- and I only vaguely remember what one of those was about.

And while we get along almost perfectly, we are different. I was the babysitter and very into young kids. She wasn't. Yet, she is the patient, easy-going mother of five in less than five years. She an accountant; I am a teacher. I am the crier and she is the strong-one. I used to be the crafty one but she is quickly trying to take over that role. She is outgoing and can talk to anyone while I am more reserved. She the leader, I the follower.

Don't tell Erich, but I would probably say that Courtney is my best friend.

So you can imagine my concern and fear, when she called me Friday afternoon crying. I had talked to her 45 minutes before and knew she wanted to talk later about a birthday party issue. But I knew she wasn't crying over that. I knew something was wrong. And as she got out the words that she couldn't get a hold of our parents and that she was just told she needed to take Paige to the hospital because of some sort of infection. My heart broke. Not just for my sweet niece Paige but for Courtney. Because as a mom, I know how it feels to love a child. And I know how my sister loves her kids. And I could sense a little bear of fear in her voice.

But this weekend, Courtney has continued to be Courtney. She has remained strong. She has been patient in waiting for test results. She has continued to be the best mom to all 5 of her kids- making sure all their fears were calmed and that they still had Valentine's from mom and dad. And while I have wished I lived closer so that I could give Paigey and Court a hug or cleaned her house or watched the other kids, I have mainly been grateful that Courtney is my sister. That I share with her sisterly love. And that she continues to be the best example to me about how to love your kids and be a mom. And how to remain calm when things get hard. And what faith really is.

2010-01-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

My girly girls

2010-01-25T06:26:00.005-07:00

Pictures courtesy of Kara Layne.

I need help. . .desparately

2010-01-20T06:14:00.002-07:00

We moved a few weeks ago. In the process, I moved Allie out of a crib and the girls into the same room. For the most part, it's great. Except for one small problem. My girls have been waking up between 5 and 5:30 ever since. And it's killing me. They wake up and are grumpy for a good portion of the early morning. And I am tired, so I might be slightly impatient. And it's a bad combination.

Any suggestions on how to get my girls to sleep in later. Or to get the one not to wake the other one up. We're desperate.

And as an fyi, Laney has been an early riser before. But the few months prior to the move she had been sleeping in a bit. And when I say I want them to sleep in, I am just asking for sometime after 6 for now.

I interrupt my blogging break for this

2009-12-09T06:10:00.004-07:00

I know I haven't blogged in 2 months. And I know that in the 6 months before that I have been a terrible blogger. But I am okay with that. It was a choice I finally made a few months ago. With my job and the girls and everything else, I felt like I had too much going on and something had to go. The blog is what went. I hope to be able to bring it back. Not quite yet though. But this is something I just can't forget. ever. So I am blogging. Just this story.

On Monday, most people who receive a Christmas card from us received this (btw, I really haven't updated my card list in 2 years. I should have. I will do that this week.)

Yes, the card is an announcement as well as a Christmas card. (And yes, I know I used holiday and not Christmas, but I do teach at a Jewish school.) And it was a surprise to 99.9% of people who received it. We had told one of our good friends here who is expecting a few weeks before us. and I had told one of my closest friends in Utah who is not somehow intertwined to any of my family. So it became a well-thought out process to make sure people all found out at the same time. And that is what I want to record.

A few weeks ago, we decided that we would include an ultrasound picture on the Christmas card as out method of telling people. I knew I would be near the end of the first trimester when we sent them and we like to keep it a secret. But I also knew that I had to email what I thought it would look like to Courtney because that is just what we do. And I knew the moment I brought my cards home, my mom would want hers right then. So I made a fake card as well. And I sent it to Courtney and brought one home for my mom. (The fake card is just like the real one except it includes another family picture and not an ultrasound.)

And then I mailed out cards. And I was careful to mail the out of state ones the day before the in-state ones so that everyone would find out on the same day. (Too bad I miscalculated the East coast ones, sorry.) And then it happened. John and Stephanie received theirs. And John tried to call. But I was teaching. So he called my mom, who happened to be in a sewing class and had not yet received her "real" Christmas card. And he asked my mom if I was pregnant and she said no. And then he asked about the ultrasound pic on the card and she thought he was crazy. She told him him she had seen the card and there was definitely no ultrasound picture on it. And then Courtney told me I was rude because Costco knew before her.

And then I came home from work. And my dad opened the card. He was shocked but excited. And then my mom came home from sewing class. And she starts going on about how John called her and was very confused about my Christmas card and she was sure that he thought some snowflake or something as an ultrasound. And she needed to see it again. Just as she is saying this, she pulls out the real card. And looks at it and then looks at me and then asks, "Are you pregnant?" I laugh and confirm. And then she asks again. And then she pulls out the fake card. And looks at them. And tells me I am deceptive. I wish I could have taped her talking about how John was crazy. I can't do it justice. So there it is.

Now to answer the most common questions I have received:

1. due June 19th

2. we will find out the gender of the baby at the end of January. Laney is sure she is having a baby brother. I think girl number 3.

3. Let's just say, we like surprise babies and we couldn't be happier about the new addition.

4. No, the girls don't really get it. When I was helping Laney say prays for dinner last night, I encouraged her to bless the baby. She said, ""Bless the baby in mommy's tummy and in Laney's tummy and in daddy's tummy and in Grandma's tummy and in Grandpa's tummy." And when we mentioned it to Allie, she tried to find her baby doll up my dress. Maybe when I start to show more.

And now back to my blogging break, until I can get a better grip on my life.

Two

2009-10-12T21:26:00.004-06:00

On the second of this month, this kid turned two. Where has the time gone? I could go on and on about her but basically can sum it up by saying that we love this girl to death.

Photo credits of course go to my sister, Courtney. She documents my children's lives for me. Don't worry though, I was inside her house building haunted houses for her Halloween party during the photo shoot. It was a fair trade.

Break

2009-10-12T21:11:00.005-06:00

I have had the past 11 days off of work (really only 7 work days). To celebrate Sukkot, we went to San Diego last weekend to play with my sister and her family. And right now we are in St. George, UT, so I could get fingerprinted to renew my UT teaching certificate. It has been a lot of driving but we have enjoyed the family time.

Both trips have been relaxing and lots of fun. In California, we played at the beach and the parks, had lunch at school with the girls, did preparations for my sister's Halloween party, had yummy food, and just enjoyed being with cousins/sisters. And in true Courtney fashion, I came away with another priceless picture of my girls.

More photos of this trip to come. Thanks Courtney, Jeff, and kids for letting us come play.

St. George has been all about relaxing. We have played outside and at the park, walked around the temple, loved having a few hours with John and Stephanie yesterday afternoon, watched Shrek about 10 times, and sat around and did nothing. Oh, I also went and did my LiveScan fingerprinting as well. It's been great. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for having a house to let us come and relax in.

Tomorrow it is back home and back to real life. I think it's time to check my calendar for the next major Jewish holiday.

Giveaway

2009-10-07T14:55:00.002-06:00

My sister's former roommates have a stationery company and recently started a blog. I love the blog. And today they are doing a giveaway for some notecards. Check it out.

http://blonde-designs.squarespace.com