Bits & Pieces

Happy Birthday!!

2010-03-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

This little sweet gal is TWO today. I'm actually just pretty sad about it!! Why do they have to grow so quickly!!!! She definitely keeps us on our toes with her busy little self. She ADORES her older brother and sister. She keeps them laughing with her antics. She is so much fun to have around. I can't get enough of her sweet hugs and kisses knowing they are are not going to be so freely given in the future :(.

So pleased with herself.....

2010-01-26T09:45:00.000-08:00

As I fold all of the laundry this little one unfolds and tries on most of her sisters folded clothes. But she is so cute I can't be upset with her. She even has some style! Except for the off the shoulder bit there ;-) Hopefully she'll grow out of that one.

I have been neglecting this blog something fierce! Mostly due to the activities of the above pictured child. She is giving me a run for my money. But, I need the exercise and she makes me laugh (most of the time) while doing so. I've actually had pictures saved on blogger for a month now waiting for me to post them. Oiy! So I'm going to try and play a bit of catch up.

The Shepherd

2009-12-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

For the Christmas service our church has the children that wish to, dress up for the nativity scene. Summer really wanted to participate this year with her friends. She was a shepherd. Sorry for the poor pictures, the lighting in there is horrible.

Pajama Day!

2009-12-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

Pajama day at school with a yummy breakfast and lots of fun planned!

Smile........

2009-12-17T21:08:00.003-08:00

Summer, Age 6

In the craziness of this beautiful season these are the things that make me smile.

Noah's Christmas

2009-12-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

Noah's presented up with his handmade gift the morning of his program at school. So sweet this boy is! Could just gobble him up!

Miss Lisa

Miss Julie

Loving the lights

Trip to the Farm

2009-12-10T19:32:00.000-08:00

The preschool the kids go to traditionally go to a local tree farm every year for their fall field trip. The kids love it and they have so many fun things to play on.

Sitting on Miss Lisa's lap. She SO thinks she is a part of the class. I have to drag her out of there every time I drop her brother off at school.

Rockin' with The Hip*waders

2009-12-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

Noah's preschool does a cookies with Santa every year to kick off the holiday season. The kids wear the jammies, eat cookies, and do crafts. This year was even more fun the school had been donated a performance by this band. The girls LOVED it! Summer rocked with her air guitar with a few of her friends. Jillian insisted on being right up from hanging off the podium while shaking her little self. I'm a bit worried about the visions I see of this little girl in my future! Noah, my poor little sensory guy didn't enjoy it so much. He preferred to stand outside with Mommy or Daddy and do his own air guitar performance away from the loud music and crowds. He did warm up at the end when most of the kids had left and they started playing the Sco*oby theme song.

No comment about the sticker on her behind. This is where she spent most of the moving and groovin'. Isn't that where all the groupies hang out??

His first ever happy Santa visit.

For someone who was pushing in line to get to the front and ran up to Santa - well her toddler-ness kicked in once he actually touched her.

Merry Christmas Jammies

2009-11-30T20:04:00.000-08:00

An unsuccessful attempt at Christmas card photos. Which looks like the Christmas cards were unsuccessful as well! Just ended up being one of those seasons where it just wasn't going to happen so I let myself off the hook. Love that I can do that!

Thanksgiving weekend we always go and chop down a tree, decorate it and give the kids their Christmas jammies to wear and enjoy for the holiday season.

Doing some leaf diving

2009-11-27T19:52:00.000-08:00

This is becoming a tradition.

Thanksgiving Feast

2009-11-24T19:16:00.000-08:00

Noah's Thanksgiving Parade and feast. Think Jillian enjoyed it as much as he did.

No matter what I will love you...

2009-11-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

This is Jillian's precious bear Barley. When he was soft and fluffy and bright. She has slept with him every single night and nap time. We have to hide him when she is not sleeping for fear of losing him or worse that he would be attacked by our stuffed animal loving dog. Honestly, I'm surprised the he has survived this long. I even tried to purchase more "Barley's" being afraid that something would happen to him. Of course, he has been discontinued. Leave it up to me to allow my baby to become attached to a one of a kind item. That should have been my red flag!

The babysitter came yesterday and I returned home to Barley and his insides (removed from his face no less) sitting sadly on my desk. Seriously, my heart dropped to my stomach and I just stared at him. Then my poor little girl comes running in "Bawee, Bawee, Ouweeee, Ouweeee,......." And this goes on as I try and figure out what I am to do. I then shove his poor little empty head into my sewing machine and try and stitch his face closed. His eyes are now where to be found - and I don't plan on sifting for them for the next week. At bedtime, she kept hugging him and looking at his poor little distorted face. She threw him a few times madly. But she loves him too much for that and would go pick him up and hug him. This is her Barley post surgery. She still loves him the lucky little guy!

So Proud

2009-11-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

We had our first parent teacher conference for Summer this year for 1st grade. I always get nervous before these things. I don't know why. I have no reason of course to be worried about this girl. She is doing even better than I thought. Not just with her school work, but with the person she is. Which I think is the most important part. Her teacher had only wonderful things to say about Summer. How helpful and compassionate she is to the other kids. A wonderful friend to everyone. Her Daddy and I couldn't be prouder of the person that she is becoming. They have been studying geology this fall so she is a bit rock obsessed. This is a poem that she wrote and read to us at our family conference with her teacher. I think it's pretty awesome for a first grader.

ZOINKS!!!

2009-11-06T11:51:00.000-08:00

Summer's co-op had a harvest party the week before Halloween. I am SO glad because a few days later we were hit with the flu, which put us out for Halloween. They had a lot of fun recreating the characters from Scooby Doo. Noah was BEYOND happy that his sisters had entered into his latest obsession for a night.

Not quite sure what this pose is about but she struck it every time I snapped the camera.

This was taken in the short amount of time that Velma wore her geeker glasses. Is she not hte cutest Velma you've ever seen?

Summer, takings notes about everyones costumes in her clue book.

Secret Messages

2009-10-30T14:47:00.001-07:00

While cleaning off my sewing table I find this in between the fabrics:

"Dear Saint Nicholas, I want a rock polisher and a table and lots of pretty rocks and crystals."

Guess every rock polisher needs it's own special table.

Edward Scissorhands has moved in

2009-10-30T14:41:00.001-07:00

Every time I turn around lately this is what is happening at the kitchen table.

We have bats and ghosts

pumpkins

robots and bakugans

Even though I feel like I'm cleaning up confetti a gazillion times a day I'm thankful that he has finally shown an interest in drawing, writing and cutting.

2009-10-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

"Mama, I REALLY don't like it when he tells me what to do."

Expressing her creative spirit

2009-10-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

Livin' her dream

2009-10-01T14:47:00.001-07:00

Meet Sunny. Summer's new best friend. At least on every other Saturday and talked about every other day in between.

Shin guards and cleats

2009-10-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

A happy soccer player running off the field

Hugs in passing as one runs off and the other runs on

A much needed rest

A focused girl

A little sister wishing very much that she was a few years older.

So we've entered the world of soccer. The kids have been wanting to play for a while now but our schedule just doesn't have space for the time involved for practices and games. Our city has soccer classes that are fantastic. No practices, no competition, just class on Saturday. Gives them an opportunity to be exposed to the sport with out all of the time commitment. They have really been loving it. And I love sitting on the sidelines watching them run around with breathless smiles on their faces.

Her 2nd first day of school

2009-09-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

At least I now have pictures of one of her first days of school! Summer switched schools about a month into Kindergarten. She had been on the wait list for the school districts co-op and a spot opened up. Though I was really worried about how she would handle the transition it has gone very well. She loves it over there and it really is a good fit for our family. She is learning so much and excited to be there. Which does this mommas heart good.

Let's SORTA go camping

2009-09-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

Seriously....this was taken while we were UNLOADING. She received a good long soak when we came home 3 days later.

My seashell hunter. She spends most of her time searching.

Not so sure what the excitement is about the water. She does this every time we go to the beach. Very hesitant and then decides it is pretty fun.

The kids have been begging us to go camping this year. My parents introduced them to it a couple of summers ago and they fell in love. The only weekend John had free was Labor Day weekend - probably one of the most crowded weekends of the year to go, but the kids had fun and that made it worth it. We ended up just styaing in a cabin because I just wasn't ready to stay in a tent with my light sleeper of a baby. We still roughed it a little bit by cooking outside on the grill for all our meals and the kids thought that was super. Spent the days at the beach and they were happy little people.

More vacation photos.....

2009-09-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

More vacation photos.....

2009-09-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

Getting a bit braver.....

This guy lives in the water........can't get enough of running and jumping through the waves.

Lot's of sand dollars to be found.

Noah's First day of PreKindergarten

2009-09-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

Who's all about posing? This little guy is VERY excited to be going to the 4 year old room. He remembers taking his sister there and can't wait to go "read in the loft". He thinks he knows all the rules so he is very confidant. LOL. His teacher is one that he already knows very well so it should be an easier transition this year for him. He LOVES Miss Lisa.

Let's Celebrate

2009-08-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

This birthday was a very exciting one for Summer as it is the first one that she was able to celebrate during school! WooHoo!! Healthy treats are the request by the school so we brought Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins. Seemed to be enjoyed by the kids and she loved being in the spotlight for a bit. Can't believe my girl is going to be SIX!

Off to Kindergarten

2009-08-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

As of right now I have NO pictures of Summer's first day of Kindergarten. They were in the batch of pictures from the past few months that are with the computer visiting the infirmary. Hopefully I will be able to add them some time soon. Still keeping fingers crossed for that one.
She had a great first day. A big surprise was one of the girls from Early Kindergarten is in her class. That made it an easier first day for my slow to transition girl. Her teacher seems very organized and on top of things so I've been very pleased about that. We are looking forward to a great year!

This is my excuse....

2009-08-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

This little bundles of cuteness. My sweet little passive baby turned into a toddler. She must have been suppressing lots of energy, opinion, and daredevil stunts in that little baby self of hers. Around June a little spirited girl woke up one day and there has been no turning back. She thinks she is six, just like her sister, can do everything that everyone else does. No matter the danger. Cuteness is her means of survival. She is also very funny. Falling into her little sister role quite well. She is the life of the party. I think I'm in for quite a ride with this one. At least she'll keep me laughing.
Oh, and she was trying to be oh so helpful and give her brother his milk that he had left on the kitchen counter (don't ask how she got up and down so quickly because I'm not quite sure). At that time he was playing on the laptop. Our only computer. Ahem. Didn't turn out quite right and now our computer is in the infirmary. Trying to recover our hard drive. Is it wrong to pray for your hard drive? Because I have and continue to do so. I'm missing ALL of my photos from the past few months - since my last backup - through Summer starting kindergarten. So now at our new computer, I'm going to attempt to play catch up. The new one with the wireless backup (constantly backing up!) . Because it seems that we can't keep up with the possibilities. But catching on my blog might be a slow process. She is very busy and I can't take my eyes off of her sweet self. Mostly because she is cute - but also because she is full of OH so much mischief.

I'm back!! For the moment....

2009-07-09T16:15:00.001-07:00

I have been a very neglectful blogger the past few months. Sorry! We have been crazy busy around here. The kids seemed to have been sick for the months of May and June. We took a trip to Colorado - which we spent the whole time with the stomach flu. The end of year programs for school and all the activities that wrapping up a school year entails. Summer spent a week at Art Camp and then the following week at VBS. This past week my sister-cousin Analisa has been here with her two kids. Birthday festivities that have stretched out for the past week. Phew......I'm ready for summer vacation. So we have spent today with Noah at swim lessons, Summer has a friend over to play, Jillian down for a nap and I'm sitting on the couch for the first time during the day that I can remember. Thinking we'll just have popcorn for dinner. From the microwave. So I am going to try and keep up again with the happenings around here. Several posts below updating you on our festivities from the past months.

Happy Birthday Noah

2009-07-08T21:31:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Noah's Birthday with several of his friends at the pool. All things ROBOT was the theme and he loved all of it! He had a great time just diving for toys and filling his water gun with friends. I don't think there is a better way a boy to turn 4!!

Today

2009-07-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

1st day home

1 year

2 years

3 years

4 years

Today:

you LOVE star wars

you enjoy all things space and love to learn about it

you adore your older sister and she is your favorite playmate

you are imaginative

you require that we lay with you "just 2 minutes" every night

you love robots

you can swim all the way across the pool without help

you prefer classical music - John Williams Star Wars Trilogy being your favorite

you prefer to be with Daddy if he is home

you only eat a small menu of items, as long as they are at room temperature

you would play Wii all day if I let you

you are usually patient and loving with your baby sister

you are a snuggler

you are inquisitive

you are sensitive

you are a chocoholic

..........you are perfect and I wouldn't change you for anything.

Goodbye Early Kindgarten

2009-05-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

The end of the school year is always so sad to me. I love the beginning of the year with all the excitement. The end of the year just seems to come so quickly and I can't believe another school year has come to pass. I really enjoyed Summer's class this year. It was a great group of kids and her teachers were fantastic. She did great being in the classroom days a week and enjoyed her time there. She is a little nervous about going to kindergarten next year and claims that it is going to be SO BORING. I think she is going to love it though.

Miss Nancy

Miss Nicole

With her friends (and little sister) Kaitlyn and Calista

End of the year

2009-05-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

This year was great for Noah. We definitely had our ups and downs with him. Some weeks (the ones after he was on break) could be such a battle leaving him. Then he got into his routine and loved being at school. His teacher was wonderful with him and he really did enjoy it once he was there. He is looking forward to going to the 4 year old room next year.

Nice smile there Noah

Sharing with the mooch, I mean little sister .

Miss Christie

Please Pray for Lindsey!

2009-05-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

A close friend of mine in Chicago recently, with her family, adopted a baby girl from China. They adopted her knowing she had special needs though they are a bit more extensive than previously thought. They have been back from China a little over and month and have spent a good portion of it in the hospital, including an open heart surgery last week. Here is a link to her blog if you would like to read her story:

http://web.me.com/bdobbertin/Dobbertin_Family/Blog/Blog.html

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

We had a nice Mother's Day. We went to church, then met friends from brunch. That afternoon I worked on some sewing projects and just hung out. It was really nice.

The Mom's

My girls

JillyBug

And so I'm not leaving my precious little man out. Here he is in the bushes. Not wanting his picture taken with me. He did tell me today that he loved me more than Star Wars so I think we are good (Seems to be a trend in our family now).

Quote of the Day

2009-05-08T22:18:00.000-07:00

"Mommy, I love you so much.....I love you more than a horse." Summer

Mmmmm

2009-04-21T19:12:00.001-07:00

Look's like she will be joining us in our obsession with the local strawberry patch! We were so excited to turn the corner today and they were OPEN! Yum!

Goodnight R2

2009-04-13T15:44:00.000-07:00

My guy is totally submersed in Star Wars. He has a new found love for Lego's as well and he plays happily in his imaginary land of robots, light sabers, pewers (the little blasters the storm troopers have) and jedi cloaks. Here is R2's humble abode where he seems to be taking a little snooze. I love listening to his elaborate story lines and the interaction he creates between characters.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting to my Easter Sunday pics. We had a fabulous day with some friends out on their family's farm. It was at least a 400 acre farm harvesting Almonds mostly, but also wheat and alfalfa. They do an egg hunt every year amongst the almond trees and have lots of yummy food to share. Then the BIGGEST event occurs when the Easter Bunny himself does a fly over. I thought they were kidding. He flew by several times then threw out lots of stuffed bunnies for the kids. I'm still finding them in every nook and cranny of their rooms but they thought it was fantastic! The 4 wheeler was a big hit as well and they took many a ride through the trees on it. Even John drove it for a while. He might make a pretty good farmer!

Begging for a ride

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

Summer's Easter Hat Parade

2009-04-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

Noah's Easter Hat Parade

2009-04-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

The week before Easter the kids school has an Easter Hat Parade to celebrate. They get to bring in a hat that they decorated (or if your Noah and have a strong aversion to anything involving crafts - you wear your favorite ball cap). A little parade goes around the school - the Easter Bunny comes - which Noah DOES NOT want any part of - and they have a big breakfast together. Afterwards they sing a few songs, which Noah always chooses to pretend like he doesn't know. Though he goes around the house singing them like he was on Broadway. I didn't get many pictures as I'm wrestling with Jillian at most events lately.

This is the new "cheese" smile. Isn't it lovely?

Springing forward!

2009-04-06T14:57:00.001-07:00

These are not something that I wish to collect. March was sure filled with lots of lion for us. Both outside and inside. Several weeks ago the kids caught a terrible upper respiratory virus that kept them out of school for a week, sent Jillian to the ER the end of that week with Bronchitis, double ear infection, and pink eye. We seemed to be coming out of it and the kids allergies kicked in, John left for a week and the night before he came home I spent the night in the ER with Noah. We were worried he had appendicitis due to his extreme belly pain and fever. Thankfully, it ended up being ear infection, bronchitis, and a horribly gassy belly. Poor kid. John came home Saturday, I took a loooooong nap and we all slept 12 hours Saturday night. Whew! John suprised me with the beauties below when he came home from the airport. I really needed those to end my 3 week infirmary (1 week minus daddy). We seem to all be healthy and so we are finally going to spring into spring. Hopefully with the gorgeous weather we are also leaving behind us the lions of March!

Happy Birthday Little One

2009-03-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

So hard to believe this little gal is one today! Seems like just yesterday I couldn't believe we were adding another little one to our family. We had no idea what we were missing! She is sweet, funny, lovable and of course adorable and the kids are with us in not getting enough of her cuddly hugs and kisses. She continues to be easy going and pleasant almost all of the time.

I guess I'm a slow learner. By the third child, I just put the cake in the grass and we ate outside. Let her go to town. And she surely enjoyed every BIG bite of it. So cute.

*this dress is from Heather Ross' new book Weekend Sewing. I highly recommend this book - although for this particular pattern measure first because it runs small.

San Francisco

2009-03-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

While our friends were still here we took a day trip to Muir woods and San Francisco - forgot my camera for the woods but I've already tortured you enough with big tree pictures. We went to an overlook I had not yet been too. Was a great view, although very foggy and cold.

How Noah decided to enjoy the Golden Gate Bridge.

Summer and Kiley

Mommy and her girls

Hitting the slopes

2009-03-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

Our good friends from Texas came and joined us at Tahoe for a little spring skiing. We put Summer in ski school for 3 days for the first time. We also let Noah go for a day. They both loved it and Summer took to it really quickly. Don't think she want to be skiing with her slow cautious mom next year.

Took her out of school at noon and sent her up the mountain with Daddy.

Kiley, Summer and Brett taking a pizza break before hitting the slopes again.

Summer and Kiley with their ski instructor

The snowboarding snowman they built out back of the townhouse.

Throwing the snowballs

A little swap

2009-03-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Liz has a great big orange grove at her house. They are the most amazing oranges and they taste like candy. Delish. Anyway, we have a grapefruit tree and also an avocado tree. So we did some trading this year. Collected from our yard and went and picked from hers.

Getting the goods ready!

Liz telling Noah why they are called Navel oranges.

Taking home our loot!

Does anyone have a juicer that they like and recommend??

His own galaxy

2009-03-03T15:42:00.001-08:00

Those that know Noah, know that when he is "in" to something, he is IN to it. And it is always something. This past year he has progressively gotten into space. I think it all started with WALL-E commercials back in January 08, then some glimpses of Star Wars, and he just took off from there. He is totally dedicated to whatever his latest interest is and it is all he thinks, talks, sleeps, eat about........His library check outs are all about space. All of our rooms in the house are different galaxies, he is always traveling to some planet on his spaceship (bed). Poor Jilli's toys even get taken away to become different galaxies. Oh, and there are black holes EVERYWHERE. So watch out, because they are VERY dangerous. You could get sucked in you know.......And his name is now Mario (Daddy has Mario Galaxy for Wii and he begs to watch him play on the weekends). He has a vivid imagination that boy and we love every second of it. So as a surprise while he was at school, I put a galaxy with all the planets, with some stars above his bed. (All of you astrology people out there please don't look too closely, because I know they are not exactly accurate. I just put them in estimated distances from the sun - totally guessing).

He was SO excited. They glow, so we spent a lot of time last night turning on the lights, letting them soak up the light, turning off the lights and gazing at them. This was all super exciting until about 6 am this morning when he came running through the house "Summer!! Summer!! they are glowing!! Come look! My planets are GLOWING!!!" And now of course everyone is awake, except of course Summer who sleeps through most anything.

And then this little one.....I'm really having trouble believing that she is turning 1..ONE..1 !!!! this month. I can't stop taking pictures of her trying to just freeze her. I tried to get the kids in on canceling her birthday all together and they just wouldn't have anything of it. Jillian didn't seem to mind ;-).

A designer in the making

2009-02-27T16:45:00.001-08:00

I was trying to come up with a project to do with the kids. My friend Kim happened to call that day and tell me a project that she had just done with her girls. I guess there are these new dolls out, Uglydolls, that are popular with the elementary age kids. And of course they cost a fortune. She had her girls draw their own and then help her sew them up. I was telling Summer about it, we went to the website to see see what these Uglydolls were all about. Next thing I know, here she comes with a stack of paper and pencil and starts drawing up dolls for herself, and her brother and sister. So of course I had to oblige and do some sewing. I think they turned out really cute - especially for a 5 year old.

Her pattern for hers and Jillian's - her's is a worm and Jilli gets a bear

Her pattern for Noah's - he wanted a bat

Off to the fabric store we went to pick out fleece and voila!

Mr. Uglybat

Uglyworm and Bear - Jilli thinks it's super squishy and fun

They are so proud of them and have been playing with them non-stop for 2 days. Noah has told me repeatedly every day - "Thank you so much for my ugly Mommy." THAT makes it more than worth it.

Tahoe or Taco

2009-02-15T20:45:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we took the kids up to Lake Tahoe to get a little mountain air and snow play in. The kids loved it. Noah kept saying "I love it here in Taco!" So now, it is affectionately called Lake Taco. They actually hadn't had any snow for a few weeks but we were still able to find some places to satisfy the kids. Of course now that we are back they are getting dumped on up there with all the rain we have been having. Funny how it always works out that way.

Ready to hit the ice at the skating rink. Summer loves to ice skate no matter how many times she falls.

Goes down hard with a smile on her face.

Jillian preferred the warm bath tub to going out in the snow.

We found this lodge that had some tire tube runs out back. The kids had a blast. The snow was pretty packed in and slick which made them FLY down the hill. After one run with Daddy they were ready for their own run. Preferring to go on their tummy head first.

New Etsy shop

2009-02-14T11:01:00.000-08:00

I have a very creative crafty friend, Jaime, that has started her own little etsy shop! She is having a fun giveaway to help get her shop going!! Head on over to her blog and shop and see what she has been up to!

A LITTLE imagination

2009-02-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

It is so funny to listen to Noah talking to himself and often his sister while he is playing. He is a very talkative little guy and Summer usually just plays along with him listening, occasionally saying something. Or giggling. While sitting here today, John and I heard him go on like this.

"This is my home. I don't need to do homework because it is my home. I need to go home to a different galaxy. But not the Rocky Road one because it is scary. It has black holes. If you go to Mars it will melt you into Apple Juice. So just watch out for the black holes. Because there are black holes in outer space. I'm going to go to Mars. Well this dinosaur is going to Pwooto. Then he was still in his ship. ..........Actually, I'm going to go to Pwooto......" And on and on he went.

I just pray he doesn't melt into apple juice.

Ten Months

2009-01-30T21:43:00.000-08:00

Where has the last ten months gone?? Her first year is flying by so much quicker than the others. Stop it NOW!!! Don't know how much more this mama can take! She continues to be a very joyful and sweet baby which makes us all just want to smother her that much more with hugs and kisses. The kids are enjoying her so much and it is fun to see them with her. She just lights up when they are around. She thinks she is particularly cute and funny, so she is falling quite well into the third child, baby of the family role. Daily she is found admiring herself and giving her self lots of juicy kisses in the mirror. Guess we just don't give her enough. And she is very mobile now so, she likes to tell herself "No" all the time. With a big smile of course. Because we all know how worthwhile it is to tell a 10 month old "No."

Month of fun!

2009-01-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

The month of December was super busy and is part of the reason I have been a blog neglector! My cousin Analisa and her family came for Thanksgiving. Her husband was going to be gone a large part of December so she and her two kids stayed until a few days before Christmas. We had lots of fun and the energy level in the house doubled. Noah loved have his cousin Jack around. Finally a boy to play with. Analisa and I attempted to get as much crafting in as we could and worked on lots of Christmas projects. It was ton of fun and we can't wait to see them again!

Lined up for movie night

My three in their fort under the dining room table (me trying to keep them busy on a non- school day). Jillian was in charge of lighting I think.

On our Christmas Tree hunt.

I just want some beans

2009-01-01T09:57:00.001-08:00

The plan was to go to the Jelly Belly factory to visit Santa and Mrs. Picking them up at school and going straight there was the plan since hopefully the line wouldn't be too torturous. The first part of the line wasn't too bad. Noah was excited and telling me everything he was going to ask Santa for. He played with Jillian.

Then he started to get a git bored and thought about things a little bit more.

Then Nope. Not gonna do it. I just want some beans. I'm not one to push Santa and we really don't make a big deal about him. It's fun to have the pictures each year and so we usually go at some point. If they talk or sit with him, great. If they don't, no worries. I told him he did not have to do it but Summer wanted to and that we were going to continue to wait so she could. He didn't have to talk to him or sit with him at all.
We are finished with the pictures and all of the sudden he starts talking and WON'T stop. Telling him his VERY long list involving WALL-E, Star Wars, Eve and more and more of the same. I had to drag him away. He's so funny. And yes, he got his beans.

Some more random pics from our trip out.

She's becoming a poser I think.

I tried to take her beans "shaker". I don't suggest this.

Then we tried to take some pictures of Jillian and Hannah together. Didn't go so well. Jillian wa a little too happy to be sitting by Hannah. Hannah was not so happy about it.

Quote of the day

2008-12-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

"Daddy, if you have a lot of light sabers. That means you are Jewish." Noah.

(He is learning about what different people celebrate over the holidays at school and thinks the menorah looks like light sabers).

Summer's Thanksgiving Feast and Parade

2008-11-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

Bashfully marching at the end of the line.

That's the girl I know! Guess I was shooting too many pics. Whateva!

Her class.

Summer has loved being in her EK class and made lots of friends. It is a great group of kids and we are so thankful she is where she is.

Noah's Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

At the school the kids go to they have a Thanksgiving feast and parade. The kids love to make their headbands and parade around school. Noah is so excited when he first sees me. Love that!!

With his classmates.

Even though this picture is blurry (I've been trying different settings on my camera trying to avoid flash washouts and get better lighting - not so successful yet!), it is my favorite picture of the day. They were all singing some Thankful songs and Noah was right up front. During this particular song they were doing hand movements in front of them. I could see the light bulb come on above his head. He begins to explain to the teacher leading the song that this is how WALL-E makes trash cubes. And he keeps repeating it over, and over, and louder and louder. Making eye contact with her. She is trying to continue to lead the kids in this song. But he is dedicated. At the end he marches right up to her and explains the whole trash cube making process. I'm trying not to fold over laughing because I don't want to hurt his feelings. This is so him. He is very dedicated to what is on his mind and there isn't much that will distract him from his thoughts. So cute.

Hello!!

2008-11-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

Jillian just wanted to say "HI!!!". She was the only cooperative child willing to partake in Mommy's photo shoot today. She did not however agree to stop drooling. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Thanks Jill for 7x7

2008-11-08T17:00:00.000-08:00

My friend Jill just posted about being a blog stalker. And yes, I will confess that I too am one. Who isn't?? She has been stalking the blog of a gal named Angie. I had not yet discovered her blog but am thankful to Jill for directing me there. She is doing a week of prayer for her children and asking all those that wish to join her. I'm going to do this.
This is one of the things that I do love about the internet. Finding people that have a true gift of inspiring and teaching us. In so many different ways. I'm very thankful for that. The only unfortunate part of this is that I probably spend way too much time on the internet some days than I wish to admit. But, there are places that I visit daily that help me grow, and for that I wouldn't change the time spent. So thanks again to Jill for leading me to another must visit spot.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy and fun Halloween. Summer was a pegasus and Noah was Anakin Skywalker. In the afternoon we went downtown and all of the storefronts were passing out candy. It was great to see all of the kids dressed up and having so much fun. Noah met a "real storm trooper" which was very exciting for him - although he was very apprehensive when standing next to him. Later that night when I was tucking him in bed he said "I'm so glad that storm trooper didn't blast me." After downtown we headed over to a friends neighborhood for pizza and the kids headed out for a little while to do some trick or treating.

Field Trip

2008-10-30T18:17:00.000-07:00

Summer's class went out to a pumpkin patch for their Harvest Celebration. They too were able to dress up if they wanted in a farm theme. So we put a little skirt together the night before for her and she was a cowgirl. They had a great time and especially loved the hay trampoline.

Noah's Harvest Festival at School

2008-10-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

At the kids school they have a Harvest Festival instead of having a Halloween party. The kids are allowed to dress up but it must be something Farmyard related. Noah REALLY wanted to be a horse. I think it really had something to do with his sister being a pegasus for Halloween and he wanted a homemade headband too. So he wore his brown clothes with his mommy made headband and was perfectly happy. With some tied yarn on his pants for a tail. He was super cute and kept looking at his get-up in the mirror. I love his new found excitement for dress up - as long as it is super comfy of course.

Pumpkin Hunting

2008-10-22T16:15:00.001-07:00

This weekend when John arrived home on Saturday we set out for the Western Railway Museum. We did this last year and the kids had a great time. You take a 10 minute train ride out into the country and there is a great pumpkin patch with a band, HUGE haybale tower/maze, hayrides, food, and lots of pumpkins. The kids could play on the hay mountain all day. There are tunnels going down inside with rooms. It's quite elaborate. Plus we ran into friends out there so that made it even more fun catching up with them. John and I had a great time watching the kids play and enjoy the fall festivities.

I still have to put together my pics from San Diego so stay tuned!

Sea World

2008-10-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

We were really spoiled in San Antonio to live only 10 minutes from Sea World. The kids have missed it quite a bit. So they were very excited to experience Sea World again.

One exhausted little sister

Jackson's first amusement park ride.

Noah has become couragous enough to touch the sting rays.

San Diego Zoo

2008-10-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

The San Diego Zoo is really beautiful place. Not only is it a zoo but a botanical gardens. We only did part of the zoo because with 5 small children it isn't really possible to do the whole thing. What we did see was amazing and the kids all had a wonderful time.

Sand between our toes

2008-10-10T10:04:00.000-07:00

My kids could probably play and spend the day on the beach every single day and be perfectly happy. We took a weeks break and went down to San Diego to visit my cousin Analisa and her family. We are really excited that we are back together in the same state again - even if it is a days drive away. It was a fun break, spending time together, hanging out at the beach and taking advantage of the "free for military" offers going on in the San Diego area. We can't wait to go back. Here are a few of our beach days. For those of you who want to see more Mommy torturing the children with her shutterbug you can check them out over at my flickr photostream.

Day Seven: Sunday, A Week in the Life

2008-10-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

Loading up! Looks worse than it is - we have 3 boxes of stuff to give to Jack and Hannah

A little traffic - pray everyone is okay.

Hello Pacific

She's done.

Day Six: Saturday, A Week in the Life

2008-10-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

The start of chores

Light Saber battles

Time I decided maybe a shower was in order

Time Out for buddy

Sibling giggles

My little helper

Driving Lily out to Animal Kingdom. The clouds have started to

come in. Hello fall.

How Lily always rides in the car. She's such a sweet girl. Probably enjoying having me to herself.

Delish soup for dinner. Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder.

Discovered that I have a new found love of Saturdays. No rush out the door.

Day Five: Friday, A Week in the Life

2008-10-04T08:07:00.001-07:00

Holding myself up to pound some coffee before fetching my kids from bed. I'm remembering now how tired I am by Friday.

Entrance to the Early Kindergarten side of the building

where I drop Summer off 5 mornings a week.

Meeting a friend at Starbucks before we head over to MOPS with her youngest and mine.
My goodies at my MOPS table. LOVED the craft today - a fabric covered journal (maybe sending these out at Christmas). Jillians toy of choice - the diaper changer bag. AND I won the "On Time" door prize today. Go Me! Considering I was 5 minutes late for school today.

Today is our day to bring home Summer's friend Kaitlyn. We do this

once a week and Summer goes there once a week after school.

YEAH!! Open today. This makes me happy. I buy a whole flat (12 pints) of un-sprayed strawberries for $17. I've been doing this the past few weeks and freezing them for winter smoothies, sauces, etc...
Letting Noah watch Star Wars hoping he'll crash for a tiny nap.

No such luck today. Friday's he is so cranky and tired.

Played referee today, They are not even sure why they are made at each other.

Tired I think is the best answer. Thankfully they are over it soon.

So cute my little computer buddy. She helps me try to catch up on email.

Yup, not much accomplished there. She has joined in on the cranky,

no naps efforts of this Friday. Thank you Jillian.
A night out with John. We went to go see Fireproof. It was sold out!!! I couldn't believe it but was thankful that a Christian movie was doing so well a week into it's release. So we opted to not go home, and watch Night's in Rodanthe. Mainly because it was the only one we both had heard of. I had read the book. Yes, we are that lame that we do not know what is in the movie theatre. We just never get a chance to go. Maybe on VACATION next week we can see Fireproof. Did I mention VACATION?? For a WEEK??? And John is coming??? I like the sound of that. Beach, Family, Sea World, San Diego Zoo, etc.....Beach, Beach.....Ahhh......

Got sidetracked there ;-). I also wanted to say how thankful I was. The reason John and I were able to go out was because our sitter Megan called on Thursday just to see if we wanted to go out Friday night since her boyfriend was going to be with his brother and she wanted to spend time with the kids. Thank you Megan!!! I'm going to pay her back by Dave Ramsey-fying her.

Day Four: Thursday, A Week in the Life

2008-10-03T14:06:00.000-07:00

Didn't do so well with the camera carting today. I'm okay with that since that is life too, no?

Waiting in line to get on base. Note to self, maybe the windsheid is due for a wash.

The Mom room at the gym on base. Thankfully Jillian decides to sleep and Noah happily plays while I get a little workout in.

My little gym napper, for now at least :-)

So proud that I remembered to take in my bags while shopping at the commisary. All my groceries fit into the bags I carried. Usually I forget all my bags in the car.

Not pleased about this since I just left the commissary and I'm having Growth Group over tonight for dinner. Strawberries are needed for TWO THINGS!

Evidence of a nice evening of fellowship.

Day Three: Wednesday, A Week in the Life

2008-10-01T20:37:00.001-07:00

With a buddy this morning, always better that way.

A little cleanliness was definitely in order

First load of the day

Route to school to pick up the kids

Summer's playdate at Kaitlyns

Hurry it up already

Missed quite a few hours in there in pictures this afternoon

(one of THOSE afternoons), this could not have come soon enough today.

Peaceful times are so close I can almost smell it.

Two down, one to go

Ahhh.................Goodnight.

Day Two: Tuesday, A week in the life

2008-09-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

Happy 6 Months Jillian (anything for a party) Summer LOVES to

wrap up their own toys, make cards and wrappings out of scraps.

Everyone needs one of these locally.

Stop at the mall. Noah LOVES the movie theatre and we can't leave

without just taking a peek. Just in case WALL-E might be there again

My happy, well behaved helper gets to take a spin. Love that his shoes are

on the wrong feet. He does this daily and claims he feels better that way.

Gotta stop with the Facebook pitstops.

Stopped to stare at her quite a bit today. Can't believe she is 6 months old.

Some of our favorite Joe's goods. Says alot about the types of food we purchase these days. Trying to be healthier and teach the kids some about health. These are a treat.

My slowing retiring tomato plant.

Diaper wash day.

Did some observing. They are building a worm house.

Snuck in a little project.

Hiding in the garage eating my treat after a Costco run "just in case"

the moochers haven't closed their eyes yet.

Why I can't wait to post this blog and get to bed. New books!

Day One: Monday, A week in the life

2008-09-29T21:32:00.000-07:00

A few pics from my day.

Stretching for my morning exercise

A little repurposing

Some MORE fabric for washing and creating

collected from Larry's Produce

some yumminess for Jillian

sweet prayers from my girl

relatively clean plates from my little ones

Come snap pictures with me

2008-09-28T20:09:00.001-07:00

So I've decided to do this challenge that life artist, Ali Edwards has put out this week. I thought it would be fun to record my life, right now. I usually blog and scrapbook about my kids. It will be good for me to step out of my box and journal a bit about myself. Maybe at the end of the week I'll find out "what I really did this week", instead of sitting there perplexed as to what was it that I actually did along with the exhausted feeling that I MUST have done a lot of things. Sharing it you with you keeps me accountable :-). Charge up your cameras and pop them in your bag!

Come sew with me

2008-09-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

Okay girls! This is the EASIEST project ever. Great for those of you who consider yourself beginners and and instant gratification project for those of you who like super quick and easy projects. The tutorial is from Oliver & S. All you have to be able to do is cut a straight line and sew a few straight lines and voila! But you have to share pictures!!

Note: the only change I made is that instead of using ribbon for the trim as the pattern instructs, I used some extra fabric I had because I didn't have any ribbon that matched. So that added a bit of time. And of course had to make a matching shirt.

Jillian now has the same outfit - THAT is how fast it is!!

Quote of the Day

2008-09-26T11:06:00.001-07:00

"When I pick my nose at school, I ALWAYS wash my hands. Because that is the right thing to do." Summer.

Thanks to some friendly competition

2008-09-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to slowly convince Summer that she really is capable of riding her bikes without training wheels. Her fear factor comes in and she doesn't last more than 2 seconds and is frustrated because she likes things to work out perfectly the first time. This has been going on for a couple of months now. We took her training wheels off of her old bike which is smaller. Ler her try it on the grass where it wouldn't hurt so badly to fall. The bike sat in the garage. THEN, our little neighbor was out trying to learn. Well, what do you know. All of the sudden she is brave and riding it in less than 10 minutes. She can be very determined when she's about to be outdone by a friend.

A little photo shoot

2008-09-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

While back home in Colorado we had some family photos done and I thought I'd share. The gal who took our wedding photos did these. Hard to believe it's been 9 years since I've seen her. Our family has changed a bit since then.

The best gift EVER

2008-09-17T09:36:00.001-07:00

My sweet husband sent me away last Friday. I left in the afternoon, just me, some scrapbooking supplies, and my pump (was able to leave Jillian too). I went to a class at the Apple store and then off to Roseville to meet some friends at The Green Tangerine for a night of scrapbooking. This store is AMAZING and make Archivers look small. Those people know what they are doing. Such fun to be with friends and actually get some layouts done. Still working on Summer's first year but I felt better about being so behind when the girls next to me were working on baby albums for the grade school kids. THEN..............this was probably my favorite part.....I went and slept at a HOTEL. It was so nice. Uninteruppted sleep, no early morning walking alarm clocks, no pacifier finding in the middle of the night. Was actually able to eat my breakfast before 10 am. Ahhh...... didn't really remember what that was like. Definitely enjoyed it but I missed the kids alot that morning so I don't want to get used to it ;-). Then it was off to a day of shopping. Roseville has every store you would ever want. I live in a smaller town in CA so we do not have the best access to good shopping, even craft shopping. Which is actually probably a good thing!!
Lots of fun. Then I went back to the Apple store and took another class. I'm trying to learn these programs on my new MacBook - yes, John has been totally spoiling me lately. I absolutely love it and don't know why I've been using a PC for so long. It's a beautiful thing. I even catch him with it after I've supposedly gone to bed. I think he is enjoying it almost as much. Well, maybe he just likes to be able to sit on the couch, watch TV and read his med journals online.
I'm totally rambling now........ I made the drive home to a cooked dinner and a straightened up house. He definitely has been collecting brownie points these days. Thank you John!!!

Paybacks

2008-09-11T13:24:00.001-07:00

You know the saying about paybacks. You always get the child your mother had and so on...... Summer is and probably always will be that child. She is so much like me. This picture is from last week. Just 3 days into school starting. I had been trying to wake her up for 30 minutes. I have been growled at, hidden from (under the covers) and finally scowled at. She is my sleeper and stays in bed every night a good 11-12 hours. This is 7:30 in the morning and she was in bed at 8 pm last night. I'm really in for it if she is already like this and hasn't even started elementary school.

Better late than never!

2008-09-11T13:11:00.001-07:00

He is HEALTHY!! I'm so glad that Noah is healthy again. What a blessing. I have never had to deal with a child as sick as he was. Even when Summer had pneumonia two times it wasn't as bad as Noah having Foot and Mouth. I pray no one has to go through that nasty virus.

So off to school he went yesterday. He was hesitantly excited. I say that because he was very excited to go but thought his sister was going too. She was staying home sick with me since she now has his shared virus (although, she has a MUCH less severe version of it - she is acting fine, just has some blisters.).

Here he is ready to walk into school

Walking in next to sis

very happily being left by Mommy.

He had a great first day and he was very happy when I picked him up. He had a new friend - whom he already knew by name. I'm VERY excited for Friday when they will BOTH be at school in the morning. Two weeks later is better than never.

She's off to school

2008-09-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

My big girl started school today. It's hard to get used to her being gone 5 days (Although I will admit that it's been nice - for her and me). She absolutely loved her first day and is so excited for tomorrow. We met her teachers at orientation last week and I was very pleased with both of them. I know she is going to have a great year in Early Kindergarten - we are very excited for her.

My little guy was supposed to be starting school this week as well but this is how his body decided to spend it. He came down with Foot and Mouth Virus. If anyone ever says they have this at their house/school - RUN! It has been horribly painful for him - his pediatrician even prescribed Tylenol with Codeine his mouth is so sore and swollen. It breaks our hearts. So far he has not shared it with the rest of the family and I pray it stays that way and he starts to feel a bit better soon.

5 Months

2008-08-30T15:33:00.000-07:00

Wow! She's five months. She is such a fun baby and a joy to have around. Even Noah is getting in to playing with her, where before he just sort of co-existed with her. She LOVES her big sister and just stares at her and smiles. So sweet. I guess my attempts to watch her grow next to the bear are almost over. She ADORES this bear and sleeps with it smashed in her face. It's really cute. So when I lay it down beside her she can't just let it be for even one small photo. Or she just rolls away with him. I'm afraid mobility is in our near future - although I'm trying to limit her exercise and floor time because I don't want her to learn to crawl. At least just not yet. I'm not ready to chase a baby and re-baby proof things. (I'm sort of kidding about limiting her play time-don't want you to think I'm too mean - but the thought has crossed my mind).

Wordie

2008-08-29T08:37:00.001-07:00

So this is super fun and really says alot about yourself. It's called a Wordie. You can paste in the address to your blog and it will make a wordie based on the words you use on your blog. The largest words are the ones that you use the most and so on. Really like that one of my big words is LOVE but not so happy that THINGS is so big. I need to work on that. (I do think it only takes a grouping from the actual posts that you can see (not archived ones - this is based on looking at my own wordie) - but still fun. Go over, make one and and then share yours with me!!

You will need to be able to take a screenshot of your computer to be able to share - and I WANT you to share!!

Macs: Command-Shift-4, then select area: Take a screenshot of an area and save it as a file on the desktop. (from Mac Rumors)

PC: Instructions here

Who would have thought

2008-08-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Jillian and also a picture of my brothers daughter who is 6 months older than Jilli. It is crazy how much they look alike. And these pictures aren't even a close as many others. John can't tell when I lay pictures in front of him who is who. My family must have some strong genes.

A Party in PINK

2008-08-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

For Summer's birthday this year we had it at a painting studio called A Stroke of Magic. The kids all chose a wooden box to paint and then all of her guests pressed their handprints on a birthday canvas for her. Everything was PINK of course. She has yet to come close to abandoning her love (obsession) with all things pink. She also had a store bought cake. I've never bought one before but it is something she has always wanted. We would see them in the store and we always were "able" to tell her - those have milk them. So in celebration of he outgrown milk allergy -she went and picked a cake at the bakery. I still do love to make their cakes but thought it would be a nice way for her to celebrate this year. Here is a little glimpse of her party.

She's FIVE

2008-08-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

So I am SERIOUSLY not okay with this. How did she get old enough to turn 5?? This number just seems so big to me. Like a huge turning point where she is no longer a toddler or preschooler. I've had to start shopping in the girls section. Not okay.

On the other hand, I am very excited for this transition. She is so much fun to take places and there are more big girl things we can do together. This summer we have started reading chapter books together and she is really into it. We are on book 9 of The Magic Treehouse series and she can't get enough of it. So is to all the fun things to come. I love you Summer!

YUM!!!

2008-08-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

We are SO excited. Summer had her food challenge and PASSED. She has finally outgrown her allergy to milk. This is such a relief for me as she gets older and it out of my food protected environment more and more often. I can send her off to school and let her eat the same snack as her friends, eat the cake at parties, pick out ANY flavor of ice she chooses. In celebration we went out for ice cream of course. Then after church we went out for breakfast. Going out for breakfast is John's absolute favorite thing to do and we have not done this for 4 years. So she helped herself to a huge pile of pancakes and didn't leave a morsel for anyone.

Feelin' the need for SPEED

2008-07-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

Today we were driving to pick up Summer from a friends house and had some funny back seat driving from Noah.

Noah, "Mommy I want you to go super fast"

Mommy, "I'm going as fast as I can"

Noah, "But I want you to go fast, like Lightening McQueen"

Mommy, "I can't Noah because the police will pull me over"

Noah, "Why"

Mommy, "Because there are rules when you are driving and you can't go super fast because it is not safe"

Noah, "Well I will hold on super tight"

Then later, while swinging, he tells me this:

Noah, "Mommy I want you to push me super high"

Mommy, "Okay"

Noah, "I want Daddy to come home so he can push me super high. He always pushes me super high."

Mommy, "I'm sure he would love to."

Guess I'm just not fast and dangerous enough for my little guy.

A little dirt won't hurt

2008-07-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

My parents were very generous and took the kids camping for 5 days while John and I went off to Aspen. They really wanted to take them camping with them and the kids were very excited. I was a little nervous about how Noah would do since he still wakes up at night afraid of the dark. But he did great!! Probably because he was sleeping with his sister. They went fishing, did lots of swimming, played games, went to The North Pole, and Noah played in the dirt and then played in the dirt some more. He did NOT like the showers there, even though they were very clean and nice. I guess the first night there he saw a little fly and from then on the shower was off limits. My mom finally forced him a couple of days in and he let the whole campground know he was in the shower. Sorry Mom!! When he doesn't want to do something he REALLY doesn't want to do something.

We are very thankful for the relationship the kids have with my parents. They are always eager to come to us for a visit and to help out. When we visit them they spend lots of time just playing with them and planning things that they think the kids would like to do.

Aspen

2008-07-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

While my parents took the kids camping John and I (along with Jillian) spent 5 days in Aspen. He "sort of" had a conference :-). It was the first conference that was half days only so I jumped at the opportunity to go. We had a great time - it is so beautiful over there. They get a lot more rain than on the eastern side of the Colorado mountains where my family is. The flowers were beautiful and everything was so green. I actually even took a couple of naps. It was a wonderful get away.

My little guy

2008-07-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

I can not even believe that this guy is 3 today. It has gone by in such a flash. He is still oh so cuddly and affectionate. I hope that he stays that way. He is also very determined, full of passion and has a very vivid imagination. He will be going to preschool for thee days a week this fall. He's not quite sure about it some days - but I know he is ready (and needs) to start making his own friends and get out of the house and do some things without me. Once he gets there I know he will have SO much fun but it is also hard to think he is actually old enough to go at all. I love you my sweet guy.

She's 3 Months!!

2008-06-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

She gets more fun by the day. She is always joyful to be around. And smiles at anyone who passes her way. She's contagious and we can't get enough of her!

Doing a little bragging

2008-06-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

Teacher of the Year 2007-2008

With Appreciation from the Family Medicine Residents

John came home today and showed me this!! I know he was really touched by this because he brought it all the way home to show me. He had been invited to go to the Family Practice Residency graduation. He really didn't know why, just kind of thought that everyone was. They were very insistent about getting a "yes" rsvp from him - and this big surprise was why. He was chosen out of all of the physicians in the hospital (that are non-family practice). I'm so proud of him and know that he is thought of highly at the hospital by all of his peers and the people that work for him.

It's a jungle out there!

2008-06-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

We had Noah's 3rd birthday party today at Jungle Tots Kindermusik. Lots of fun was had by all the kids And he LOVED his Jungle Book cake and shirt I made for him - which always makes me feel good when they actually appreciate something I've made. He told his Sunday school teachers all about the things his Mommy made him.

Wishing she could join into the music class and games.

Hard to believe my little guy is going to be THREE this week!

Summer's Recital

2008-06-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I'm danced out. And I wasn't even in the recital. Last week was crazy with several dress rehearsals and then two performances over the weekend. We went to her Saturday night performance and she made us so proud. It is amazing to me that these little 4 and 5 year olds get out on stage in front of so many people. She did a wonderful job. Next year she says she wants to do just ballet (currently her class is tap, ballet and tumbling). We will see!!

with Katie
with Kaitlyn (who is beyond tired) Flowers for our little dancer. It was a late night for all of them but they were troopers.

I tried to upload a video of her performance but it must have been too big??? I'm clueless on the video aspect of blogging so if anyone would like to share their wisdom I'd love to hear it!!

Unless of course you do not want to be flooded with videos because it could happen!

Finding a Rhythm

2008-06-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

**Warning, this could take you a while!!**

Has it really been almost 3 weeks since I've posted?? We have been really busy and I didn't even realize the time had flown by so fast. John has been working a lot more this month due to us going out of town next month for two weeks - which always adds to the craziness around here. Summer is finishing up all of the practicing and dress rehearsals today for her big dance recitals this weekend. Hopefully next week when everything but swimming is over I will be able to get back into a rhythm and schedule for the summer. I NEED to because I feel so much better when things are a bit more predictable and organized.

The biggest news for us this month is that Summer had her yearly allergy skin test done last week. She was virtually NEGATIVE for whole milk and casein. This is wonderful and the next step is for her to go through a food challenge and see what happens. She will do this in the hospital in the next month or so and we'll see what happens. Until then she still is not taking in milk or milk containing products but it could be soon! Her allergist says there is an 80% chance she will pass the food challenge. Even if she can't drink milk, eat yogurt, ice cream, etc...... she will most likely be able to eat crackers, cookies, cakes, small amounts of cheese on things. This will make her life so much easier and she won't feel so left out. Less stressful for me too as she will be out of my care more often next year when she goes to school. What a blessing!

I received a new camera from John this past week. I still LOVE my Canon Rebel XTI but he wanted me to have something that I could throw in my purse or diaper bag. Something about having my hands full every time I leave the house....ahem. Very sweet of him. So I've been cheating on my Rebel with my new Canon Elph and I really love it.

It has started already. I was inside and Noah kept running in for things and then started asking me for things like, drink, snack, etc..... I walk outside and here lays her highness, warming herself in the sun while her brother runs his tail off retrieving her every little whim. I realize that he will figure out sooner than later that this is not a good deal, but for now he is happy to be needed.

Our tomatoes have started to blossom! Very fun for the kids to see something very small become something yummy for the table. We just did about 5 in large containers.

Our sweet sitter Katie has left us for the summer. Her family goes to Minnesota for a few months. :( This is the last day the kids were with her. She is the best, she live 2 houses away, and just STOPS BY to play with them or take them to the park. The kids love her - maybe as much as me!!!

Our little one has been changing right before our eyes. She has started laughing this week. You know that laugh little babies make where they suck in too much air because they're not really sure how to do it. Making a wheezing noise. So cute. She had her 2 month appointment last week and she was over 13 pounds already. 95% for weight and off the chart for height. No, she doesn't miss any meals.

I love this picture of Noah. It is so HIM right now. Total daredevil and I've had to really stop fighting it. He jumps from rock to rock. I sit there imagining ER visits, stitches, toothless grins.... and he just falls and laughs. He is in constant motion and it is always more fun if there is crashing involved. He already has a chipped tooth that we have no idea where it happened. Thank you Lord for baby teeth.

This is our next challenge. Getting rid of his "night, night". I don't think that it is going to go as well as it did for his sister, or my friend Lisa's little girl Lindy. He is constantly sneaking into the laundry hamper getting a fix. I've started talking to him about it and he just stares at me like I've got horns or something. At least his potty training is finally doing better.

Happy Two Months To You

2008-05-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Our little sweet Jillian is 2 months old today. Hard to believe it's been two months, but also can't imagine our lives without her in it. She is a really sweet and amazingly good baby. I'm very thankful for that. Here's a little glimpse of our girl.

*I really don't try to neglect our son when it comes to pictures!! He is just very unwilling these days when it comes to pictures. On the other side of the fence I have a soon to be 5 year old whom I have to constantly shoo away in hopes of getting a picture of Jillian alone!!

Shoot 2 Eat 2

2008-05-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

This is the face that I'm welcomed with each time I mention we need to venture to the bathroom. Lovely.

So we have been trying the potty training efforts again. I have to say, it is my least favorite thing about toddlerhood. It is so frustrating when you know they are perfectly capable of being potty trained but it is just a matter of WANTING to be potty trained. That is what is happening here. He just has no desire most days and BEGS for a diaper. So in my efforts to make this FUN we are shooting cheerios. Fruity cheerios to be exact. But now he'd just rather stand there and eat them. So he gets to shoot 2 and eat 2. Works sometimes if he is in the mood, but today he is in no mood for shootin'.

At least he is totally cracking me up with his humor in other areas of our lives.

The other night I came to the table asking if he and his sister would like ketchup or mustard with their hot dog. He picks up the mustard, as if he is truly reading the bottle and says,

"You see those words there Mommy?" (while pointing to the back of the bottle)

"Yes Noah"

"It says, This is too yucky mustard for me!" Of course while displaying his MAD face.

"Is that really what it says Noah?"

"Yes." and sets the bottle down very matter of factly.

He has always wanted music constantly playing in his room while playing. Lately the music has been Glenn Miller Orchestra - In the Mood for Christmas. Also, Jungle Book and Mary Poppins.

He just plays and sings - only to be interupted every so often for me to tell him to turn it down (this has already started and he is 2). He tells me his Sissy (what he calls Summer) wants it that loud. Funny she is no where to be seen.

Summer got her warm weather haircut. Much easier with the swimming and playing outside. The battles are not so bad when we are brushing it out. She claims not to like it but I catch her checking herself out in the mirror with a smile.

Bits & Pieces

Happy Birthday!!

So pleased with herself.....

The Shepherd

Pajama Day!

Smile........

Noah's Christmas

Trip to the Farm

Rockin' with The Hip*waders

Merry Christmas Jammies

Doing some leaf diving

Thanksgiving Feast

No matter what I will love you...

So Proud

ZOINKS!!!

Secret Messages

Edw*ard Scissor*hands has moved in

Expressing her creative spirit

Livin' her dream

Shin guards and cleats

Her 2nd first day of school

Let's SORTA go camping

More vacation photos.....

More vacation photos.....

Noah's First day of PreKindergarten

Let's Celebrate

Off to Kindergarten

This is my excuse....

I'm back!! For the moment....

Happy Birthday Noah

Today

Goodbye Early Kindgarten

End of the year

Please Pray for Lindsey!

Mother's Day

Quote of the Day

Mmmmm

Goodnight R2

Easter Sunday

Happy Easter!

Summer's Easter Hat Parade

Noah's Easter Hat Parade

Springing forward!

Happy Birthday Little One

San Francisco

Hitting the slopes

A little swap

His own galaxy

A designer in the making

Tahoe or Taco

New Etsy shop

A LITTLE imagination

Ten Months

Month of fun!

I just want some beans

Quote of the day

Summer's Thanksgiving Feast and Parade

Noah's Thanksgiving Feast

Hello!!

Thanks Jill for 7x7

Happy Halloween!

Field Trip

Noah's Harvest Festival at School

Pumpkin Hunting

Sea World

San Diego Zoo

Sand between our toes

Day Seven: Sunday, A Week in the Life

Day Six: Saturday, A Week in the Life

Day Five: Friday, A Week in the Life

Day Four: Thursday, A Week in the Life

Day Three: Wednesday, A Week in the Life

Day Two: Tuesday, A week in the life

Day One: Monday, A week in the life

Come snap pictures with me

Come sew with me

Quote of the Day

Thanks to some friendly competition

A little photo shoot

The best gift EVER

Edward Scissorhands has moved in