I am the cute one

Lovey-dovey babies

2009-12-17T15:39:00.000-08:00

I LOVE the new pics I took of my kids!!

Seasons of Love

2009-12-05T03:51:00.000-08:00

Well, insomnia is good for one thing... I'm actually posting on here!

So you've noticed my blogging habits are a bit erratic. o well. Sometimes I'm all into it and excited, and others I just don't have the time. Deal! :)

Some interesting news as of late:

Olivia has an imaginary friend. Her name is Erica and she gets in trouble a lot. She's about three inches tall, like Tinkerbell, but no wings. She's on time out a lot for hitting, but she also likes to dance and hang out in the middle of the living room floor - where I stepped on her the other day. I was just walking through the living room when Olivia said "don't step on Erica!!!"

John is SOOOO excited for Christmas. We were looking through a toy magazine this morning and he says "What's that?" (it was some gadget, but before I could answer he continues...) "I want that!"

Emily's eczema is better!!!! YAY!!!! I finally took Chrissy and Becca's advice and took her off gluten (mostly, I'm still learning) and she's doing a lot better. Not all the way... she's still itchy and whiny, but so much less!! We also ALWAYS put her in long sleeves and tape them around the bottom so she can't pull them up to scratch. It has REALLY helped. (Jayme, you're a genius!) We do the same thing with her pj pants if we need to, but the real problem is her arms. We're pursuing more allergy testing, and getting more answers in that department, too. It's so nice to have her better.

Ella is crawling and saying "hi" and "mama". And she's still a moose. She likes to eat.

Jason and I are hanging in there. Barely... but we're still here. I'm enjoying weighing less than I have in 4 1/2 years!! Jasons been having a tough year at school, but that's slowly improving. Life with four kids is tough, but it's nice to have so many smiling faces around here. We've got really good kids. They are awesome!

O yeah, the kids looked great on Halloween, here are some pics...

We're all a little Loony

2009-09-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

Today I am going to explain the origin of the nicknames for our children. It only takes two words... Tiny Toons

John = Tazmanian Devil because he leaves messes everywhere he goes.

Emily= Montana Max(ine) because she screams and yells all the time.

Olivia = Gogo because she's insane.

Ella = Furball because I am Alvira who is always loving and squeezing Furball and never leaving him (in this case, her) alone.

Jason is Buster Bunny because John thinks his daddy is the coolest guy in the show.

I'm up late, with nothing to do but blog, and I can't think of anything to write about. Maybe I'll go post on foodie babies about all the yummy dinners I've made lately.

Just to learn to be a parrot

2009-09-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

I flatter myself by thinking some of you may want to know how school has been going for us. I guess I'd have to say that all depends on the moment ...

This is Taz when he "just can't handle it right now!"

We have done some really fun activities, like measuring our hallway with unifix (is that what they're called? I don't know...) cubes, and making a "barn" on the bunk beds that we read Charlotte's Web in.

But The Tazmanian Devil is still kinda having a hard time with all the practice reading and writing. Oliver DeMille would scold me for all the structured content I've put in the school schedule, and Susan Wise Bauer would say there's not enough!

How about what Mommy (aka Alvira) would say??? I think we're playing it by ear to tailor my child's curriculum to exactly what he needs. And he's doing great.

We've already seen some improvement in his handwriting, solving problems that he suffered with all through kindergarten. He just needed the one-on-one attention and encouragement. He is reading fairly well, I wish he was better, but I really can't force him. I want him to continue to like learning, so I'm just trying not to push so much that he begins to dread school time.

The girls are sorta-kinda-maybe adjusting to the new schedule. They all want my attention ALL THE TIME no matter what and school time doesn't seem to be any different. Furball usually naps during the bulk of school time and that helps. It's most bothersome when I'm trying to help Taz with his reader and his handwriting. They don't want to sit and listen/watch, but they wont go play on their own, either. Some days are better than others. With math, science, and history they are pretty involved in what we're doing, I just tailor it to them. They all LOVE being read to. That makes things A LOT easier, we do A LOT of sitting and reading... science books, history books, poems, fairy tales, children's scriptures, etc.

The only thing that's certain is that mommy has NO TIME!! And I make time to do the things I want to do (like blogging) by ignoring things that are much more important. That's why I don't blog as much as I would like to. That, and I'm having trouble thinking of my fun song-lyric-blog-post-titles.

I'll come to her by night,

2009-09-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

So, last night I had a dream that I was pregnant again. I didn't know the definition of NIGHTMARE until now.
I guess if we had another one, I'd just add her ('cause that seems to be the gender trend) to our little conveyor belt

not a new concept, but very effective.

On a sidenote... I wish I were as cool as Chrissy (and so do my girls).

Try the gray stuff, it's delicious

2009-08-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

Furball got her first rice cereal today. And in my new granola style, it was organic whole grain brown rice. Aren't you proud of me???

She really liked it. I like this picture, I think it captures her "Mom, stop taking pictures and come feed me!" face very well.

And there's the cereal all over her face.

She was funny - she would suck on the spoon like a Binky to get the cereal off.

After she was done with cereal, I gave her a favorite treat... wet paper towel. (always a hit)

In other news....
We set up bunk beds for Taz and Montana Maxine. No broken bones yet, but I did catch the Tazmanian Devil jumping off the top bunk. We're in for it!

Furball experienced bubbles for the first time the other day - she was fascinated!

It was pretty hot and sunny outside that day. But I've made sure my kids have good fashion sense no matter what. They are so in the NOW!

She's got a ticket to ride

2009-08-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

not for long
I just got my second ticket in a month. I was going 45 in a school zone. Only I didn't realize it was a school zone right away, and when I did I slowed down. But Officer Fisk had already nailed me. I asked him to let mo off the hook all sweet like, but I think that only works in the movies.
My other ticket was for rolling through a stop sign in LAKE LA!! Who knew there were cops out here? So two tickets, + a rear-end accident ~9 months ago = three offenses in one year. Does that mean I get my license suspended? I'm hoping once I do traffic school for the speeding one, it won't.

I wonder if Chuck E. Cheese could have convinced Officer Fisk to let me off the hook...
I guess Jason's been right all this time, I'm a crazy driver.

I like speed.

This Plum is too Ripe

2009-08-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

I opened up some new celery the other day, and a dead wasp fell out! EEW! Of course, I don't know what's grosser (is that a word?)... the fact that there were dead bugs (yes, plural, I found another) in my celery, or the fact that we ate it anyway. I washed it!!

I went to a David Cook concert at the A.V. fair last night. The funny thing is, I went 'cause MY MOM couldn't find anyone to go with. I wasn't all that interested (I know, what a fuddy-duddy) but she wanted to go. I figured she's fun to hang out with, so I went too.
I was shocked at the amount of people her age at the concert. I guess David Cook really appeals to "the older crowd". Can't you just picture all the married women at the edge of the stage reaching for him, pleading with their eyes. Then see their husbands shaking their heads in the background...
As soon as the music started, (and after we moved so we could see without standing) mom leans over to me and says "what am I doing here?" I just laughed that it took her that long.

Tomorrow they may wrap fishes in it....

2009-08-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

Some news updates from the Jays...

John lost his first tooth. Sorta. He had two pulled a few months ago, but this was the first one lost all on it's own. He starts homeschooling next week, we're going with Sonlight curriculum, although we all know I won't be sticking to just one thing. The goal is to get off the conveyor belt, and teach him to LOVE to learn. As long as he has that love, I have full confidence he will be whatever he wants to be.

Olivia is an adorably devious child. And she LOVES her binky. She can't live without it for more than five minutes. And I can't understand a word she says with that darn thing in her mouth. At least she's talking. And milk, she LOVES milk.

Emily is still itching. She practically has a blog to herself right now with all her problems. Go see foodie babies, a blog I contribute to. And she is, of course, still a princess. It's like pulling teeth to get that girl to wear anything but a dress. I so don't get it!!

Ella can't stand it that she can't move around like her sib's. She's already up on her hands and knees, rocking back and forth. She also rolls from back to stomach to back again constantly. It seems she will be crawling within the week, I can't decide if that's exciting or not... She also got her first two teeth this last week. Two in two days. They were a long time coming. AND, she's officially sleeping through the night now. She goes down around 6 or 7 p.m. and doesn't get up until about the same time a.m. I love Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child!

We went on a couple of fun trips the last few days. We went to the beach, (BinkyBaby's first trip)

and the zoo.

They all loved both places. Except Ella wasn't too fond of the zoo. Probably 'cause she was stuck in the baby bjorn the whole time. Or maybe it was because of the smell. I know I didn't like the smell, to quote my children, "This is where the Giraffes (Zebras... Kangaroos... insert animal name here) poop!" Oh yea... and I GOT POOPED ON for the first time in my life. Darn birds!

My shins are broken. Spencer and Mellie, I officially "Have Bad Shins"... she has terribly bad shins. Okay, they're not really broken, they just feel that way.

So, you all know I took a few weeks off running a month or two ago. Well, it didn't really help at all. Once I started running again my shins immediately started to hurt. So, I decided PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY, and figured I'd run through it (we thought maybe my shin muscles just weren't in shape). It didn't work. Eventually my shins hurt so badly I was limping, and almost in tears at the end of my last run. About 1 1/2 weeks ago I quit running again. The pain didn't stop for three-four days. I was okay as long as I didn't run at all. Not even down the hall. I asked my chiropractor and he said maybe I just can't run. But that's NOT AN OPTION for me. Sooo, we planned a trip to Roadrunner Sports (THANKS CINDY!!) to have Shoe Dog go fetch me some shoes. It was really cool, they do a pressure image of your feet as you walk and video tape you as you are running on a treadmill to watch in slow motion. Here are the resulting shoes...

It turns out I don't have flat feet as I always thought. I actually have normal/high arches, but my ankles overpronate and my arches collapse as I run, which causes knee, lower back, and shin problems. I got these special inserts for my shoes to support the arch, and my shoes are made with extra arch support, too. The plan is if this doesn't work then I go see a doctor. There has to be a solution!!

The good news is, I still have a way to excercise!!...

The Hubby just started a new school year, which he's really excited for. He's got all sorts of new ideas and plans to help his students to have great lives. High hopes, but I think it's a worthy goal. I am so proud of him, and proud that he's MINE!! (even if he won't let me take silly pics of him for the blog)

Other news; I got my house CLEAN last week! YAY!

Word to the wise...

2009-08-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Don't pluck your eyebrows (first time in a month) right after putting on your mascara (also first time in a month). I had to start all over with the makeup and the washing of the face... too much work! Maybe it was worth it... I feel pretty!

Well. I'm off to make some nasty tea!

Over-the-Shoulder-Boulder-Holder

2009-08-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

So, we're offically trying to teach Ella to sleep through the nite. She not only DID NOT sleep all nite (she CRIED a lot), now my breast-a-sies are all hard. OUCH!
Well, I'll tell you what, they definately fill out my shirt well! hehe.

My Hair!

2009-07-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

I feel like Joe in little women... only SHE got money for her hair. I havn't gotten that far yet.

HAIR, HAIR FOR SALE

IT'S GOING CHEAP,

ONLY SEVEN (HUNDRED DOLLARS)

THAT, OR THERE-ABOUTS

I think I went into shock. For about 5 minutes... then I started rejoicing because I didn't have to take care of "the hair" anymore. I mean, seriously... that is a lot of hair. It's much better now.

I'm lovin' it.

Link to Erin's blog

2009-06-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

Read this post...
http://thewestbergfamily.blogspot.com/2009/06/prophet-joseph-smith-said-time-will.html

Also read "The Law" by Frederick Bastiat

GRANOLA

2009-06-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

Wow! I'm so grateful for all the advice from everyone! Thank you for all your support!!
Cindy - I'm checking out roadrunner sports as I write this, there is this "shoe dog" thing on the website, is that all you did? It sounds like what you did had a little more to it... btw, reading your blog and your running stories really inspires me.
Thanks for the WW advice, Shillawna and Erin. There is a woman in my ward who did that, too. I've seriously considered it, but Jason isn't too fond of me being subject to meetings, etc. I know I can do it completely online, but he (me, too) really doesn't want me paying for something like that. He doesn't think it's something I need (isn't he sweet?? I guess he just loves his little fatty wife!) he thinks I can do it on my own, he has more faith in me than I do, I guess.
I'm actually trying a couple of things in the way of diet change, just not signing up for any particular system. I want my kids to learn/want to eat right, so I'm really searching out ways to do that. I realize that if I want them to do it, I have to do it, so I've gotta learn!
I have a friend who does FA (Food Addicts Anonymous), which is totally a system and commitment to lots of meetings, etc... but it's free! What I really like about it is what she's learned about her body, how it works, and how food works with it. She's kinda teaching me about that stuff without me having to join, 'cause I'm not really a "food addict". But I do want to learn to control what I eat and not let it control me. Of course, Becca had a GREAT point in my last post... food tastes good, so don't stress about it!
What has really set me off on this is the fact that my Emily can't eat ANYTHING (at least that's what it seems like) and it's just getting worse. Her Eczema is so bad and we've been trying everything with the doctors for the last 3 1/2 years. And her allergies seem to be getting worse, like she's developing new ones, or the ones she has are escalating. I really hate to admit it (because of Mom) but I'm ready to try some "natural remedies" since nothing else is working. I want to solve the problem, not just treat the symptoms, and the doctor's don't seem to understand that. So I called David Christopher at The School of Natural Healing and got some advice on what remedies we can try. I'm turning into a total granola! Don't hate me!!! I'm totally turning into my mother... did she know what she was talking about after all??? He said that she probably has a "yeast overgrowth" which causes allergies to develop as you eat a lot of a food, and causes them to escalate as you use more and more antibiotics. Well, Emma has been on lots of those lately because of the Strep and Staph that have been getting infected in her eczema sores. Those infections are common with yeast overgrowth's, too... I hope he knows what he's talking about, I'm so tired of nothing working!
Anyway, the main thing I'm realizing is that I need to improve my family's diet if we're going to keep healthy. Hot Dogs and Pop Tarts are not the major food groups. So, wish me luck as I embark on the impossible mission of teaching my kids to like healthy foods! It all starts with me, if I'm doing it, they'll more likely follow... match, latch, and lead....

Hello five pounds

2009-06-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd lost them, but they're back. I've got some shin splints problems, have to take a week (at least) off of running, and ate ben and jerry's ice cream. Put that all together and it equals no more weight lost. sad.
I just spent WAY TOO MUCH time on facebook, playing around with the quizes, etc. I'm such a bad mom. Owell.
Now I'm spending way too much time on blogger... o the wastefulness of me.
The kids are playing so nicely, I've trained them well. Whe mommy is wasting time on the computer, leave her alone! She will ignore you anyway!
hehe

Are you a Princess?

2009-05-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Interesting article about "Princess" children. I don't officially agree or disagree... but my girls (Emily, especially) are definately in love with the "Disney Princesses"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_princess_syndrome

Another Post About Running

2009-05-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

I just ran a mile in 11 min. 21 sec.
Pathetic, you say? Nay!
(Last month my time was 13 min. 54 sec.!)

Olivia got her first hair cut the other day - - -

YAYY!

2009-05-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

Rachel lost 5 lbs.!! YAY!

That is why I've started running... it's hard (HARD) but so worth it when I get on the scale, huh? I like this only weighing myself every three weeks or so, 'cause then there are drastic scale changes instead of tiny tiny ones. hehe.

Yay for me.

(Emily is Snow White... yup, she's a Disney Princess...)

Still Kicking

2009-05-14T22:19:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we're still alive, just VERY BUSY. Some days I feel like a trained monkey... with 2 year olds pulling my strings!! YIKES!
Ella is huge, by the way. She looks like a six month old. Not exaggerating.

Emily just figured out how to ride her "big-girl-bike" so she's no longer stealing her sisters tricycle. We are so proud of her!

For those of you who don't know, that's uncle Rick... Jodi's hubby. He came down for a surprise visit this week, we haven't seen him in two years! SO MUCH FUN!! The kids absolutely LOVED it!

1000 words

2009-04-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

And my most recent favorite...

2009-03-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

NO, that's not my Ella, it's Jayme's little girl, Jasmine. We took these pics in January before Ella was born. They're already outdated, huh?

Emily has a staff infection... STAY AWAY!! She's on antibiotic now. We're just waiting and watching for it to show up in the other kids. Hopefully no one caught it. We are cleaning everything, I wanted to be better at keeping the house clean... I guess this is my opportunity??

NEED... MORE... CLOROX...

So Fun

2009-03-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love the hoodie??

Ella started smiling at us recently. She thinks Jason is hillarious, so she laughs at him a lot, but today she started (socially) smiling at me, too! Yay! This makes having a fussy infant so much more fun! I was talking to her this morning and she kept trying to smile back, she doesn't quite have it down yet, but that's just fine. She's so happy! And really, not very fussy at all compared to most babies at this age. So fun!

Olivia got stuck in her chair the other night. I don't know how funny she thought it was, but when we started laughing she joined in... then when I pulled out the camera, she smiled like a pro. She is so funny!

Swear Words

2009-03-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

I never understood why my father-in-law doesn't like it when I reprimand John using his middle name. John is named after his Great Grandpa (John Duns) and his Grandpa (Thomas Jay... the aforementioned father-in-law), so using his middle name would mean I am saying Grandpa's first name, in an angry tone... "John Thomas...!!"

Grandpa said it sounds so bad, like his name is a swear word. I just brushed this off until we named our second daughter after me (Olivia Rachel).....

I never use Olivia's middle name when I reprimand her, it's like I'm desecrating my own name, my name becomes a swear word! So weird...

Sorry Grandpa, I totally understand now and feel your pain.

Two weeks

2009-03-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

So, no one can decide who Ella looks like... Here is a pic with all four of my babies at three weeks old, just to complare! :). I would venture to say she's pretty much a mix of all three.... what do you think??

CHEESE!

2009-03-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

I miss cheese!!!

So, Ella has problems with dairy just like Emily did. I hope Ella grows out of it! Of course, the more kids with the allergy, the more likely I am to cook dairy free.

I am having the HARDEST time with this no dairy thing, though. AND Ella doesn't like chocolate! Not even a few chocolate chips in a cookie, she totally barfs! I definately don't like getting barfed on, but this is so so so hard to stay away from all the yummy things I like to eat! There is nothing to snack on! That's what I get for praying that I'd lose the wieght quickly after this one.

BTW... I am already wearing my pre-thispregnancy jeans!! YAY ME!! Let's hope soon it's the ones I wore before Emily... and then the ones before John...?? Ya, right, I threw those out a long time ago! Baby Steps...

So now that Ella is officially not yellow, she's developed a blocked tear-duct, and baby acne... She's still so cute, though... even though she looks like popeye half the time. :)

header

2009-03-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

Just thought you'd all want to know, I changed my header... so check out the cute new pics! :)

The best toys...

2009-02-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

Here is Emily using her favorite toy as a guitar. This same day it also served as a dance partner, a prince, and a broom. Sometimes I wonder why we spend so much money on new toys when all we have to do is hand them an old LunaStix (one peice of a set of three) that we can't use anymore...

Because John broke the other two peices playing sword-fighting... yet another use! If only we'd known... we wouldn't have spent all that money on Christmas! Okay, I'm lying, we still would have... owell.

More baby

2009-02-26T08:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of life with the new baby...

So Ella's billirueben levels have FINALLY started going down. We had to have her blood taken for 7 days in a row!! Of course, I managed to get out of one of those days, but still... six times in seven days... poor Ella!!

She's not quite so yellow anymore, and the whites of her eyes seem to be getting whiter, so we're definitely doing better.

The kids are all doing great. Nana (my mom) has been here this week to help me and it has been SO WONDERFUL! The kids are in heaven... and my bathroom got cleaned! yay! The kids just LOVE that Nana is coming and staying all day just for them! They are so excited.

Yesterday the kids had a ball playing outside with their very active, physically fit grandma... they are so lucky! John is really good at coercing adults into roller blades, huh? I'm thinking Daddy's next...

o no... no more excuses

2009-02-22T21:26:00.000-08:00

Rebecca, I don't know what to do. I can no longer use my new favorite excuse... I'm no longer BUSY GROWING A HUMAN BEING....
just BUSY RAISING FOUR HUMAN BEINGS... does that carry as much wieght or am I going to have to start being responsible for everything again??

One other complaint... I bought a sweater that I LOVELOVELOVE from Target for $5 a few months ago... It no longer fits... I'm too skinny (hehe :])

Okay, I'm going now, I'm BUSY PROVIDING FULL NOURISHMENT FOR A HUMAN BEING
(does that work???)

;)

Baby Girl Jay

2009-02-21T16:24:00.000-08:00

(Please ignore my double chin!! How embarrassing!)

The title of this blog is referring to what we called the new baby for more than 24 hours of her life! She now has a name, though... here are some baby Stats:

name: Ella Lindsey Jay

date: 2-16-2009 (told ya she was coming early!!)

time: 11:29 a.m. (our first child to be born when it was light outside)

weight: 8 lbs. 5 oz. (the biggest one, yet! OUCH!)

length: 19.5 inches

As always, we made it to the hospital just in time... about 2 1/2 hours before she was born. But thank goodness my kids come fast, 'cause labor hurts! I did get the epidural (right before "transition") which helped a lot.

Ella had the same meconium/respiratory problems that Emily had at birth, only to a lesser degree. She stayed in the newborn nursery for about 7 hours before they let her come to my room. She didn't have to have a bottle in the nursery though, like Emma did, so she didn't eat for 7 - 8 hours, either. BUT, no bottle meant nursing was so so easy once we started. She's like an old pro.

Everyone is doing well now, Ella is trying to fight off jaundice, but the doctor doesn't seem worried, so we aren't either. If anything, we'll have to put her in a UV fish tank for a few days, but she's not that bad yet, and the doc thinks her billirueben (how in the world do you spell that?) levels will go down before it gets to that. The kids all have a terrible cold, but seem to be getting over the worst of it. John's been retracting all week, and poor Olivia has no voice. Ella and I seem to be avoiding the worst of it, hopefully the nursing will keep Ella free and clear.

I'm pretty tired, my muscles are so sore, it's surprisingly hard to walk! But, honestly, THE BABY IS OUT!!!!!! I couldn't care less about anything else.

The kids (John, Emily, Olivia) are adjusting really well (so far) to the new baby. It really helps that Jason took the week off, so they've been able to have his attention since mine is definitely not with them. Jayme and my mom will be helping out next week, then Jason may take a few days off the week after. By then, I should be much more on my feet. I already feel so much better than I felt in the last month of pregnancy, it should all be okay.

Olivia LOVES the baby! She's always "checking" on Ella and wanting to hold and hug her. She likes to sit with me or Jason and look at Ella, imitating all her noises and gestures... almost as if she's communicating with Ella. Emily and John, of course, LOVE the baby, too, but their fascination is a little more short lived. They are always "loving" her and wanting to dictate to me her every move, they love it when she's awake and "her eyes are open!!!"

That's all for now. I'll post more pictures soon... maybe when she's not so YELLOW.. :). We are all great and Ella seems to completely belong here already. Everything is great! Love you all!

-Raych

BEWARE!!

2009-02-11T14:59:00.000-08:00

The Phantom of the Opera!!!
I'm so excited, Jason is taking me to Holllywood tonight to see The Phantom at the Pantages Theatre! Yay! It's an Anniversary/Valentines present. What an awesome husband!! I'm pretty lucky that when we have some extra $$ this time of year he thinks of me... and of such a wonderful gift! I am so LUCKY! :)!

So, I'm getting ready to go (which entails putting on makeup AND doing my hair... two things that don't get done very often any more...) and I ask John's opinion...
"do I look pretty?"
"VERY pretty! But, you know Jose's mom? She's a little prettier than that."
I laugh, because she totally is.
"Are you sure, isn't your mom the prettiest?"
"You're not THAT pretty."

hm... an honest male... have I raised him right or is his future wife gonna hate me? Can't you hear it... 'you know so-n-so's wife? She's a little prettier...'

Irish Clogging

2009-01-25T18:34:00.000-08:00

We've decided to take up Irish Clogging. We figured it would be a great thing for us to do together as a family. I think it's going pretty well! Go to my Home Videos page to see a video of our first performance!

Pregnant and Sick

2009-01-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

Why is it that being pregnant makes being sick SO MUCH WORSE?? It's hard enough to move around the house and get things done when I'm pregnant, add a stomach flu thing on top of that and my house is TRASHED! I hope I can get it in some kind of order before the baby is born. I would feel so bad if Jason cleaned it all up for me while I'm in the hospital 'cause it's not his mess! That would, of course, be a very loving thing for him to do (and something he would do...) but I would still feel guilty. :(. Time to start FlyLady again, I guess.
Just a note, Jason is the best husband a pregnant lady could ever ask for! He is so understanding and not uptight in these last months, always telling me to rest and stop trying to do everything, I'm sure lucky! I love you, Jason!

Time Flies

2009-01-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a whole month since I last posted! How time flies, huh? Thank goodness for that, though... usually the last bit of pregancy takes FOREVER.

Well, the kids really enjoyed the snow, especially John. They cancelled school for two days in a row (the last two days before winter break) so we all got to play in the snow and just relax those days, Jason, too. We called it his Christmas bonus. :). And for all of you who deal with snow all the time, and school doesn't get cancelled, I just want you to think about all the drivers out here who have NO IDEA what they are doing in the snow. I was scared to go out 'cause the roads were so icy, and the county didn't do much about it. So we were glad Jason didn't have to drive into work, even though the sky was clear, the streets sure weren't.

Christmas was great, too. The kids were totally spoiled, thanks to their aunts, uncles, and grandparents. They got lots of fun stuff, including an indoor jumper, an teeter totter (that twirls!) and new bikes. Check out my home videos blog and you can watch their "Treasure Hunt" to finding their bikes. They had a ball. I don't think they'll ever get a Christmas this big again! At least I can't really imagine us funding anything like this one! Thanks to everyone who showed so much love to my kids this year. You really made it a special day for ALL of us.

Hope you all had a happy new year! We tried to convince John to make the New Years Resolution to learn to read, but he didn't think that was as important as riding his bike every day, or making sure he plays with his toys a lot, etc. He's five... what can we do?? :).

I'm trying to put together a new blog called "A Mothers Education" as my goal for learning this year... I'll keep you posted on it's status, right now it's all in my head. We'll see how it goes, huh?

Love you all!

Snow!!

2008-12-17T10:06:00.000-08:00

This is what it looks like outside our house right now!! yaay! It's been going for almost THREE hours straight. This is BIG NEWS for Lancaster. The kids are really enjoying it, John is teaching the girls all about eating snow. I'm glad we don't have a dog. :).

Too bad they didn't cancel school for Jason, that's like the most fun part about getting snow here is that they cancel school. OWell, I think it is snowing enough that he'll still be able to play with the kids in it when he gets home. :)

Skinny-bones

2008-12-09T19:49:00.000-08:00

I just want to say (because this is probably the last time I will be able to...) that I am wearing PRE-PREGGO pants tonight!!!
Yaaay ME!!!!

Saturdays are Great!

2008-12-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

I love Saturdays, at least the ones when we don't have a ton of stuff to do. Today was so fun and relaxing. We woke up "late" (is 7:30 late for any of you??), had a nice relaxed breakfast, did our chores, and then the kids just played nicely for a while. Then we took the kids to the park and the store, (they got to pick some chips to eat with lunch) we came home, ate lunch, and the girls went down for naps. For the next few hours, Jason went to work with his dad, I studied (check out www.becomingaleader.org) and John watched a movie we'd just gotten in the mail through Blockbuster. Nice and relaxing. I even got a nap during the last part of Johns movie, and John still got time to play outside... which is his favorite thing to do.
I'm pretty sure there are a few things contributing to this relaxed feeling.... 1) Everyone is so full from lunch at 2 and Cheetos, I'm not even trying to do a normal dinner... 2) I actually got my studying done!!!... and 3) The neighbors are BLASTING some Mexican music and it's actually kinda nice as long as we stay out of our bedroom (it's directly next-door, right behind our bedroom window.)
John and Jason are playing Battle for Middle Earth on the Computer right now. It's one of Jason's favorite strategy games, so of course John wants to know everything about it. "What are Trolls?" "What are Orcs?" "Daddy, you should use the Army of the Dead again!"
So much fun! hehe.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T15:33:00.000-08:00

We didn't do much (anything) to teach the kids about the importance of Thanksgiving yesterday. I guess I'm feeling a little guilty. There are so many things that a child can learn from this holiday. I'm thinking FHE on Monday will be focused on being thankful and all that. Hmm...
Anyway; my reason for posting... things that I am truly grateful for... (not necessarily in any particular order)

1. my children
2. my husband
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
4. modern technology
5. extended family
6. Jasons good, secure job
7. books
8. water
9. booties in the wintertime :)

Digital Scrapbooking

2008-11-27T02:24:00.000-08:00

What do you think?? This is my first shot a digital scrapbooking... I'm totally lovin' it!! No mess, AND (so far) it's cheaper than the real thing! Who knows, I may just get addicted to this, too! (it is 2:30 am, after all!)

The adorable paper kit is from http://vicki20.blogspot.com/... she has made such GREAT FREEBIES!!! ... I'm a loyal follower now... :). Thank you Vicki!

None of your business!!

2008-11-23T14:24:00.001-08:00

Mommy- (tells john anything...)
John- “why?”
Mommy- “John, you ask too many questions!”
John- “I know, I like asking them because I want it to be my business.”

6 Un-spectacular Quirks

2008-11-21T20:53:00.001-08:00

To Jenna at http://cnjking.blogspot.com/

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you and comment in the comment section on their original “quirk" post.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you.
4. Tag 6 bloggers ( or more) by linking to them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1. I love to draw floor plans. I've wasted many days drawing floorplans of the gorgeous, luxury home(s) we will own someday. Maybe I could earn some money doing it... in order to get that wonderful house (and the maid to go with it).
2. I worry way to much about "missing" my kids' childhoods. You know that saying "you hold your childrens hands for just a little while...."?? Well, I think I've taken it too much to heart. You could officially say I'm obsessive/compulsive about it. I hope I don't give my kids a complex.
3. I'm not good at cleaning. Anything. But I'm guessing you all knew that already.
4. I love to read, especially childrens/young adult classics. You know, junior high level books that we were all forced to read in school. They're my favorite... "Bridge to Terebithia", "The Giver", Shannon Hale novels, Katherine Patterson, and I'm longing to read "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini. Even though he's not the best author out there (published by his parents at age 18...) I am very curious to see how the story ends. Surprisingly, I have not read Twilight.... yet.
5. I cook dinner every night now. That is huge!!! Yay me!! AND, I actually enjoy cooking!
6. Although I love blogging, playing on facebook, and emailing, I'm terrible at keeping up with any of it and will go for weeks at a time without even checking my email. I do play minesweeper at least once a day, though... hm.

I don't know who to tag... If you want to do this, then have fun! I had a hard time thinking of my 6 quirks! Who would'a thought?

Happy Halloween

2008-11-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

so cute

On her throne

2008-11-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

Why is potty training so difficult??

As if there wasn't enough to do in one day... we also have to spend ~10 minutes/every 30 minutes on the potty. Can't go anywhere, do anything 'cause every time we're away from a potty it's "Mom! I forgot! My flowers are going away!" (pull-ups designs fade when wet...)

She'll get it, right?

New pictures

2008-10-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

We went to the park today and took some pictures of the kids. It's "picture time" at school, but we weren't about to buy any of those when we can do so much better at home! John has hit that stage where he doesn't know how to smile when a camera is facing him. And he's totally annoyed with his mommy always wanting to take pictures!! Anyway... these are (probly) the pics that will be framed in the framed in the family room for the next year. Aren't they adorable??

I thought about getting pics of all of us, but I figured that there's really no reason to do family pictures when they will become incomplete in only 4 months!

Yaaaay!! Only 4 months left! Then no more pregnant!!! hehe!

Kindergarten is Confusing!

2008-08-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

So, first of all, my son is incredibly manipulative! He decides he's tired of roller-skating, but for some reason he doesn't want to tell me that ('cause then I might say it's nap time!). So he says "Mom, I can't skate with you because I don't know how like you do." (on top of being tired, he's frustrated with himself because he can't "glide" like the rest of us.) He says "I can't go on one foot like you, you need to teach me" I'm thinking , okay, isn't that why the fat, pregnant lady is in roller-blades?? And I say, "Okay, come here, and I'll teach you."

He sits down and says "No, I'll take my skates off (hence, the not wanting to skate anymore...) and watch you, you show me and teach me." So I way, "I can't teach you like that! You won't learn unless you come over here and skate with me!" To which his confused reply is... "but that's how we do it in kindergarten! We sit and watch the teacher, and she teaches us!"

If only life were that easy!!!

Cousins

2008-08-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

The one picture we took of the kids together while we were in Utah visiting Melanie and Chad... the kids loved seeing eachother! They are still constantly talking about Adelaide and Joseph as if they are the best of friends. I'm sososo glad the trip worked out so well.

Wow! I'm back!

2008-08-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

I bet you all thought I forgot about this blog...
I didn't, I was working last spring, and then came summer. With everyone home, I don't think I'll ever blog much in the summer.
I guess I'm not very good at working and keeping up with anything else. For those six months, the money was great, but that was about it. The house was in shambles, the kids were taken care of my the babysitter, and I never got anything done. It's funny how a preschool day of two-and-a-half hours can turn into so much longer when you're the teacher. And bringing home work was definitely NOT a good idea. Then it just cluttered the house, kept me distracted from the kids, and didn't get done. O well, it's over now.
John started Kindergarten last Monday (AAHHH!), I seriously didn't think it would be so hard for ME to let go. He's doing OK. I personally don't like the program they have in our school district, they are cramming a full-day Kindergarten curriculum into a half-day so there is no time for free play, free expression activities, etc. I am just glad it is only half the day, and we can focus the rest of the day at home on all of the other ways to learn besides just sitting, listening, and repeating. ROBOTS!! John actually said today when he got home that his neck hurt from looking up at the teacher so much. Hm.
Jason started his new year on Monday, too. It's been a busy week for us. He is really excited about the elective (History Alive) he's teaching for the second time. He's got a syllabus all planned and is much better organized than last year. I think that class is going to be the highlight of his days. He's already signed up to be cross-country coach, history department chair, and on the technology crew at school. My main focus is just convincing him not to coach basketball, too. Hopefully it will be a great year for him. He has high hopes, and so far is doing well.
Emily, Olivia, and I are just homebodies. I think the girls are quickly going to get tired of being home all day. Olivia naps for part of the time that John is at pre-school, so I'm trying to make that time special for Emily. But usually she is so busy throwing a fit every few minutes that I spend a lot of time disciplining. She spends a lot of time in her room. It's kinda funny though, she is so used to going to her room and "coming out when she's done crying" that sometimes at nap time she'll come out after 10 minutes or so and say "I'm done screaming." Then we have to convince her that that's great that she's not crying, but it's nap time, and she needs to go to bed. It's all a work in progress, huh??
Olivia is walking everywhere, and still into EVERYTHING!! I don't care how many times a day I flush and close the toilet (John is still working on that one) she inevitably gets into it. At least she's not crawling any more and eating every little choke-able thing she finds on the floor. She totally knows she's cute, and we experienced her first tantrum today. She was rolling around on the floor, kicking and screaming like a pig (she totally sounds exactly like a pig when she screams at us). It didn't get her very far though, and pretty soon she stood up and did the sign for "please". I'm sure glad we taught her that one.
Love you all.... I'll be writing soon I'm sure, I have lots more time now! :)
-Raych

Update

2008-02-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

Olivia is SOO almost crawling! She pulls herself up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth until she falls foreword, then does it all again. It’s so funny. She started doing this about a week ago... so I’m thinking the real crawling is going to start any day now. She also has a tooth! Tooth #1 cam in about a week ago, and tooth #2 has almost broken through. She has been really, really good about teething, she has drooled a lot, but never fussed extraordinarily. This second tooth has been a little more difficult for her; I think she’s tired of the pain! J
Emily is talking like CRAZY now, it is so cute! She says new things every day. She narrates her life to us. The biggest words she has said so far are “superhero” and “transformers”. She has an older brother, can you tell? Right now she is pretending she’s a transformer and Hawk Gir,l jumping around on the couch trying to fly.
At the moment John is dressed up as Wonder Woman, and is playing with his Hawk Girl (not to be mistaken for “hotgirl” which is what it sounds like when John says it) and Wonder Woman action figures. I’m thinking (and really hoping) it’s just a phase he’s going through, and doesn’t really see the difference between the female Justice Leaguers and the males. He pretends to be The Flash the most... John runs around the house like crazy acting like he’s going “super fast”
Jason is SO EXCITED that basketball season is over. This has been the first week in a while that he has gotten home ever night before 5:30 every evening. Now, your 9 to 5ers, do take into account that he leaves the house no later than 6:30 ever morning. How many of you work 11 hours a day and get paid a teachers salary??? Suffice it to say, we are happy basketball is over – and definitely not planning on having him coach next year.
Me, I’m becoming a real live mom!! I cook dinner every night (thanks to savingdinner.com), and these meals include lots of vegetables. I’ve even got the food pyramid posted in the kitchen and have been teaching John about which foods make him “big and fat” and which make him “big and strong” (his words). I have also started (thanks to FLYlady) using a system around the house to keep it clean. Jason is very happy. Things are absolutely terrific here!

I'm Back!!

2008-02-09T09:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted - having three kids sure makes time fly!!

Anyway, the kids are great, Jason and I are great, everything is terrific!

Click on the "Home Videos" link to the left to see a new video of Olivia moving around, Emily talking, and John being a "leader" and great big brother. I'll also be putting some more up there soon, including Olivia hating her first taste of rice cereal... so funny!

Here are some fun recent pictures...

Emily playing "bouncy wack-o" on the bed

John and Emma "at the snow" the last weekend in January (John doesn't ever want to be in pictures anymore - this is the only shot I have of him in the last few weeks!)

Olivia really likes broccoli!!

Jason's new passport photo - isn't he cute?!?

Olivia trying to crawl - she's SO almost there!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2007-12-30T19:10:00.001-08:00

My family - January 2008

12 steps...

2007-12-20T15:18:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Rachel and I am a sugar-holic

I always thought I could quit eating sugar anytime... I just didn't see the need.

I guess it was worse than I thought. I tried to quit eating sugar today.

I'm actually making it - thank goodness for Extra Sugar-free Gum!

more media

2007-12-16T21:42:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics and a video we took playing with Olivia. Jason was messing around and put her in the doll stroller that Emily got for her birthday. He also put her in the doll Pack n' Play that Emma got. At this rate, these toys are going to break before Emma gets much use out of them. At least I have someone to blame it on...

furreal

2007-12-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

I am a real, live homemaker! I made lasagna from scratch! Go me!

I can totally see why most people don't, though. It is quite an ordeal. Next I'm going to make this thing in the recipe book called "Spaghetti Pie" that looks a lot like lasagna, only with spaghetti noodles. Maybe it will be a little easier. The hardest part is the sauce, it has tons of ingredients, and takes a really long time to make! Maybe I'll substitute in canned spaghetti sauce. I like cheating.

I've been cooking a lot more recently, and I hate to admit that I'm having fun doing it. I guess being a homemaker isn't all that bad. There is a great sense of accomplishment to it.

This pic is funny because Emma can't eat lasagna (cheese) and John loved it, but from the looks on their faces, you'd think it was the opposite.

Cant live without it

2007-12-13T17:43:00.000-08:00

Yay! We got the internet back at our house! If you were wondering where I've been, we haven't had the internet here for almost two weeks.

I've started subbing for Jason's mom in the Gateway Speech PreSchool program. It's a lot like the long-term sub job I had 2-3 years ago at Ocatillo Early Childhood. This one doesn't have as many autistic kids, though. It's more of a speech correction program than anything else. It's a perfect situation for me and is totally the kind of thing I would do full time if I didn't want to be home with my kids. I have students for 2 1/2 - 3 hours monday through thursday, and only work for 3 1/2 - 4 hours a day. The only problem is that I DO want to be home with my kids, so it's really hard for me to do, even though I am only gone a few hours a day.

Here is a pic of John at preschool with his friends Corrin and Arellio.
So, I guess I'm enjoying myself, but I'm hating having to be gone from the kids so much. Especially with them so sick lately. Emma just can't seem to get better. It's like one thing after another. We took her to the doctor Tuesday and the doctor said she's fine, but she is so dang cry-ey and always wants to sleep. If I know anything about my own child, she is definately NOT "fine". I am really starting to hate doctors., they can be so so frustrating.

We had a ward Christmas party last week - it was fun(ny). They kids "got" to see Santa, and there was yummy food, and they took a great family pic of us. The only prob was that we were pretty busy that day - which made us late for the party... and I was supposed to be early to help out with pictures. O well, thanks to christine and kira for taking over for me.
I wonder if that's where the kids got sick???

CVS Pharmacy is Awesome!

2007-12-11T23:53:00.000-08:00

They gave me $125!! $25 for every new perscription.
And they donate a lot to Extreme Makeover Home Edition. So cool

Sick-o

2007-12-08T07:26:00.000-08:00

This is where the sick people live. We are all (except Jason) suffering from the sickies this week. Emma has a gross cold, John has the flu (throw up all over, YUCK!) Olivia is all congested and I have an ear infection. It's SO MUCH FUN! You should be jealous that you're not here with us.

It's Raining, It's pouring

2007-11-30T16:38:00.001-08:00

Well, it's not raining right now, but it has been all day. And that means YAAY! Because we like rain here in the desert. We haven't had enough rain in the last few years. Maybe this will last for a while.

John has been begging me to go outside and play in the rain all day. Now he's walking around the house with his umbrella up. Bad luck? hmm...

I finally let the kids go outside, we are waiting for Daddy to come home. It's not actually raining any more, but John still took his umbrella out here. He loves umbrella's. Probably because they are such a novelty...

2007-11-21T14:31:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't posted in a while. There just really hasn't been much to say! And I haven't taken any cute pictures recently - so nothing has inspired me to post. Anyway, here's an update...

Jason is currently coaching FOUR basketball teams at his school. He had signed up to coach the boys (both 7th and 8th grade teams) and then found out that the girls had no coach. Well, poor Jason is a sucker for begging kids, so he agreed to coach them too. It's really frustrating for us because none of the teachers at his school are willing to coach. I know why... they pay SCRAPS for coaching. Jason gets about $100 for each team he coaches - and that is taxed at a way high rate because it's considered "extra income". If he were paid by the hour, it would be a very different story. Just one of the joys of being a teacher, huh? O yeah, AND he will only get paid for two teams because they will just group it into girls and boys teams. How annoying, huh?
So he's way incredibly busy right now, and just going crazy with all he has to do. He is still running the History Club at his school, and is Elders Quorum President in our Ward. On top of that, he's teaching a new elective class this year called "History Alive" and is making up an entire new curriculum for that. Whew! I'm glad I'm not in his shoes! I only hope I can do my stuff here at home, so he can relax somewhere.

John is still driving us completely crazy with his constant NEED for attention. It's as if we don't ever pay any attention to him. This morning he tells me, "Mommy, I'm so sad, I want to play with Daddy so bad!" It was as if he just couldn't live one more minute without playing with his Dad. He's also pretty manipulative with Emily. Whenever he thinks I'm not around or not paying attention, he bugs and teases her to no end. It's as if her screaming on it's own isn't enough, so he has to taunt her for more. It is so so frustrating. He's constantly telling her "no" and taking things away from her. When I get on his case about it he always has some reason why he was in the right. And it doesn't matter what I tell him, he always has to get his own words in edgewise and not listen to me. When I tell him to do something, the response is ALWAYS "why?" and when I say "because" he says "why because?" It is so frustrating!

Emily is starting to talk all the time. She says new words every day. It is so relieving to finally be able to communicate with her. She also seems to be realizing (very slowly) that her screaming doesn't get her what she wants. When I give her "the look" she stops screaming and says "please". Most of the time.

Olivia is just adorable. She is getting into the "I want attention" stage, though. So now when I leave the room she starts crying as if she's hurt. They learn how to manipulate so fast! She's going to be so smart. She is constantly eager to learn about her surroundings and always wants to be in the middle of things so she can figure out what's going on.

Me, I'm just hanging in there. Most days I'm great, but some (like today for some reason) I'm just totally worn out by noon. The stress level is incredibly high to get the house in better order because I know it's only adding to Jason's stress. And we've decided to put our house on the market so I am de-junking and organizing every room in the house so that we can keep it in "show-able" condition until it sells. Hopefully that will be soon. We need to pay off our debts.
Anybody in the market?? :)

Pluralization and the English language

2007-11-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

If there is more than one Emily in the room are there Emilys or Emilies??

Race Day

2007-11-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

This last Saturday was the 1k-5k-10k race sponsored by Palmdale parks and Rec. This is the third year that Jason has run in it, and the second year that the kids and I have participated. The kids race is either a 1/2k or a 1k depending on their age. Of course both Emma and John ran the 1/2k. Last year John did it too- but Emma was too young. This time, John fell pretty hard about two steps into the race and totally scraped his knees. But - we don't quit!! So he kept going, walking the first half and running the second, holding my hand so he wouldn't fall again. He was kinda a baby about the whole thing, and I had to force him a little bit to keep going, but I didn't want him to think that he should let a little old scraped knee stop him. He was almost last - but he did beat 2 other kids... Emily and another little girl her age. And I'm glad to tell you all, Emma beat the other little girl... good for her, huh?
The kids all got a medal when they finished their race, and a little bag of candy - they really enjoyed that. Thank goodness for the candy, it kept them happy while Jason and I were doing our races.
The 5k is a walk or a run for ages 12 and up, so Jason runs it and I walk it. Last year I pushed Emily and John in the double stroller, and was barely preggo with Olivia. Since we don't have a triple stroller, this year I wore Olivia. Olivia wasn't too happy about being stuck in the Bjorn carrier- and I ended up cheating. I totally turned around and only walked about 1k. I'm glad I did though, Olivia cried the entire time until I turned around. After that she got to watch the runners coming in to the finish, so she was happy. It was hard anyway - carrying 13 extra pounds, and then pushing the stroller with a 28 and a 38 pound kid inside, I still got a work out. It was uphill, too.
Jason won third place for his age group (19-29, he was one of the older ones!! Good for him!!) and got a great trophy to go show off to his cross country kids who didn't show up to the race. He got third place last year - and first or second the year before. He is so cool. I'm so proud of my hubby!
After the race there is a pancake breakfast for anyone who participated. It was yummy! John ate all his food like a good little boy, and of course Emma only ate what she wanted to. That girl would rather starve than do what her mom tells her to! She had a TON of applesauce, and that's it. After breakfast, the kids can play at the park or in a jumper that is rented for the event. John and Emma(!) both went in the Jumper and had a ball. There was also a raffle for a whole bunch of little gift cards to all sorts of places. John won one from Target, so we stopped there on our way home and he bought himself a Leonardo ninja turtle weapons and mask set thing. It was such a fun day - and great to be spending it as a family, too. Can you imagine the difference if I refused to go or participate because I don't like running or something. hm...

Happy Halloween

2007-10-30T14:14:00.001-07:00

Monday we took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out pumpkins. Our pumpkin patch here is so fun, they have a huge slide, big swings, a jumper, a petting zoo (eww, gross!) and other fun stuff, too. It costs nothing to get inside the pumpkin patch, but if you want to go on any of the rides, you have to buy tickets. It's way worth it, though. The kids' favorite thing was the big slide, and that is 1 ticket a ride - but when you have multiple kids who want to go multiple times, they discount. John got two rides for every one ticket, and Emily and I each got to go (2ce for each ticket) for the price of one, since she is so young. The kids also like the big swing, that is 3 tickets each, and no discounts, so they only get one go on that, but that's probably a good thing because it spins an awful lot, and I don't like throw up.

Tuesday was Johnny's pre-school Halloween day. They didn't dress up, but they did get to go "trick-or-treating" in the classroom. It's pretty fun, Grandma (John's teacher) sets up about five stations with Halloween lights, turns off the main lights in the classroom, and helps the kids go from one station to the next, Trick-or-Treating. Moms get to come in and help run the stations, and I've done it both years (mainly because then I have MAJOR control over what candies John does and doesn't eat. I'm not a tyrannical mom, I swear - I'm nervous about peanuts). It is so cute, all these kids with speech impediments coming up and trying to say "trick-or-treat!"so they can have candy. So fun.
Wednesday night our ward sponsored a "Harvest Festival" for the kids. It is a great activity, and it gives parents another option for Halloween. They get an awful lot of candy at the ward activity - and parents don't have to worry so much about their child's safety.

Speaking of safety, Rod called Wed. afternoon and asked if he could take John trick-or-treating before the Festival, and Jason told him yes. I was so very nervous. Thank goodness I totally trust Rod, because I totally would have gone crazy if not. This just isn't a good area for trusting your neighbors. I hate to say it, but it's true.
Jason, the girls, and I got to the church around 6:00 - about the same time as my parents showed up. This is another tradition that's forming, my parents come to the Harvest Festival each year, and take the kids around trick-or-treating at all the different rooms. The kids really enjoy it, and so do Jason and I. I love that the kids get to be with their grandparents often, and I love that I'm not the one who has to deal with all the cacophony.
Anyway, they kids had a blast. John dressed up as a dragon, Emily was a monkey, Jason was a scarecrow, Olivia was R2D2, and I was Kira Gallup (a 19 year old in our ward who is going to school to be a cosmotologist). Emma was all excited once she figured out the getting candy part. John was afraid of any room with spiderwebs, and wouldn't go in - but Emily didn't care, if there was candy involved, she was there!!

Olivia slept on PapaDoc the entire time, which was great because otherwise we would've missed the window of opportunity for a good nights' sleep. (Can you tell I've read "Healthy Sleep Habits..."?)

It was a great Halloween, I'll post this as soon as I get the pictures in the comp. and uploaded.

Another Video - are you sick yet?

2007-10-28T22:23:00.000-07:00

I know you all just can't get enough of these adorable kids, so here is yet another video of them.

This one is so funny, it's John and Olivia interacting. Olivia is just crackin' up at her big bro, so we had to bring out the video camera.

Valuable Life Lessons

2007-10-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

This video is especially for Jodi, who requested video footage of Emily talking. If it bores the rest of you, suck it up! Or don't watch.

Anyway, Jodi and Rick, this is for you because you aren't here to experience it first hand.

Remember folks, "Beauty is pain"

Emily is such a doll, at least in this video she is. Don't let her cute exterior fool you. We definately have, and she knows it. All she has to do is turn on the cute face, and her Daddy and I melt. She's got it rough.

Vacation Crazyness

2007-10-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

We are finally home! What an adventure this vacation was! We got re-routed to Washington DC on our way to Kentucky, and our flight was cancelled so we were stuck in DC. The airlines put us up for the night in the SHERATON (!! I loved the mattress! It was a Simmons Beauty rest Do Not Disturb mattress with a pillow top. So comfy - definitely getting one someday!) and gave us free taxi rides to and from the airport and free meal vouchers for any food vendor in the airport.
How does it work being employed at a food vendor in the airport? Do you work for Burger King, or for the Airport? And do you have to go through security every single day on your way to work, or do you just get a special pass? That's scary if you just have a special pass - that means people can get past security. hm... I don't think I like that thought!
Anyway... so we got to stay in the Sheraton for the night. It was so fun. The next day we flew out to Kentucky - but had a connection in Charlotte, NC. I'm pretty sure Spencer was jealous when he found out where I was. he he. Too bad we didn't really leave the airport.
The cool thing about the plane from NC to Kentucky was that it was so small that we loaded on to it from outside. Just like in the movies! I thought it was fun, Jason thought I was a dork. Whatever - I got out my camera phone and took pictures anyway. I said to Jason "you better smile!" and his response was; "o, I'll be smiling alright". It was fun.
Well, after that we finally arrived in Kentucky! Are you surprised? The convention was awesome. I learned so much about becoming a leader in the home, and being the kind of parent so that my children really do have the potential to be whatever they want. It was such a boost. I needed it bad. I love that TEAM plugs us into a system that teaches these things. I don't have to loose my boost now unless I choose to quit studying!
Well, enough of that, I have to write about our adventure on the way home! Actually, it wasn't as big of an adventure as the trip there, but it's still a good end to the entire story. We went from DC back to NC, then to Phoenix, Arizona. In Phoenix, they asked for some people to give up their flight because they had overbooked, so Jason and I offered. They give you free flights if you voluntarily give up your tickets, and we thought it was perfect because we are going to be flying to St. Louis, Missouri in February. We were pretty exited about that. But it turned out they had jumped the gun, and didn't need volunteers after all, so we didn't get the free flight. How sad for us. We actually had the bulk head seats on that flight- but wouldn't you know it, that plane's bulk head was no bigger than the normal seats. Bummer for us!
Well, we got into the Ontario Airport about 1130 pm and started to drive home. We got to San Bernadino (shortened as SBD - he he he) and were stopped because the 15 was closed. This was Monday when all of the big fires here in So Cal were at their worst.
We tried to go another way and soon found out that the 15, 215, 18, 5, and 14 were ALL closed! We totally couldn't get home! The only way was to drive all the way to Palm Springs and around to Victorville, then home. By this time it was 3:30 in the morning and if we did that we knew we would still be driving for about 4 hours. So we decided to give up. Jason called sub finder and we set out to find a hotel. Well, EVERYTHING was booked. Everyone who had been evacuated earlier that day were also needing somewhere to stay. We started calling around to all the hotels in the area (we got a list from a Days Inn right next to the fire in the Cajun Pass) and FINALLY found one in Redlands that had ONE room left. I think it was one that they don't normally lend, (it needed a little work - like the dead bolt needed to be fixed) but thank goodness they made an exception for us!
The next morning, all the freeways were still closed except for the 15, which was great because that was the one we had tried to take home the night before. So we got home around 1 or 2:00 in the afternoon on Tuesday.
Whew! What an adventure!

Journal

2007-10-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I have this goal to write in my "journal" every day - so feel free to read or not to read.
Today is the day before Jason and I leave for 5 days on vacation. So it was kinda busy! I want to come home to a clean house, so I spent the morning cleaning the kitchen, living room, and our bedroom. Thankfully, Jayme came over to help because I hate cleaning! I hope it still looks this way when I come home! The kids will be here with Jayme some of the time that we're gone. They can be very destructive when they want to be. I'm sure that's pretty hard to believe, but they can! ;)
After cleaning I, of course, played with this blog site. I spent a lot of time on the phone with Chrissy (thank you!) figuring out how to make it look the way that I want it to. It was fun to play around. I hope you all like it. I realized tonight that it took me all day to just get the row of pictures up on my header. How wasteful! I guess it was fun, it was leisurely time, huh? I feel so terrible when I realize that I've been ignoring my kids to play on the computer. At least I got the house clean today - that will make Jason happy, so I was successful with one person today.
The kids all napped together today, and they are all asleep right now. Wow, go mom.
Jason hasn't gotten home yet and its 9:45. He had a lot to do because he's getting ready to have a substitute for three days. I think he got it all done and is on his way home now.
I just spent the last hour or so chatting online with Spencer and Chrissy. Isn't the internet amazing? They live forever away - but we can still be so in touch. I love it.
Chrissy is going to teach me more about photoshop now
bye!

Olivia Video

2007-10-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

This is a video I took of Olivia the other day. I edited it way down from what it was, although it's still 2 minutes. I hope it doesn't bore you all. She's so fun, she's always trying to talk now. That is mainly what's in this video - she's pretty much talking like crazy. Watch for the part where she tries to eat the pillow, and when she talks through her fingers in her mouth - that is the norm. If you watch the whole thing, towards the end I got her to smile a little bit. Then keep watching and you'll see her trying to pick the flowers off of her pants. So cute.

(P.S.- My zoom is loud!)

Family Update 10-16

2007-10-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

Aren't they adorable?? These are my two best girls. We did a "photo shoot" on Friday - John was a total pill the whole time, so I didn't get him in any of the shots. Last time we tried to do this, Emily was the one who wouldn't cooperate. I guess if it's not one thing, it's another. Jayme came over to help me with the pictures, she kept having to catch Olivia as she fell over, since she can't sit up yet. We had her leaning on Emily for a minute, but then Emma decided it was time to move around, and down Olivia went. We took about a hundred pictures to make sure we got good ones, and I think the pictures turned out really cute!
We have been fighting a cold in this house for the past two/three weeks. It's really frustrating because every time John comes home from preschool, he brings the cold back into the house. We quarantined him last week, so we're all actually getting better. Now I don't know what to do because if I send him again, he'll just bring some sickness back home. BUT, we are trying to teach him that you don't just skip school, stay home and play... so if I keep him home, I have to make him nap or something, and that is very difficult. I guess I'll just send him, he is better. We'll just deal with what happens.

Jason and I just celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Well, I did... (Jason is so busy lately, he has a hard time remembering things :)!) We took the kids to a campground close by our house (saddleback), ate hamburgers and roasted marshmallows. It was pretty fun, the kids love doing that, and it's nice for us to get OUT. It isn't quite as annoying when John is outside yelling. He likes to annoy Jason and me by yelling while we're trying to talk to each other. Any attention, even negative, is better than none, I guess. You'd think he doesn't want us to talk to each other, but little does he realize it's a really good thing that his Mommy and Daddy are friends and WANT to talk to each other. This next weekend we (Jason and I) are going to Kentucky for a major TEAM seminar. We are using it as an excuse to get away, and have time to ourselves. I don't know how much "to ourselves" it will be, since we have to take Olivia, too. (She's "still on the tit - so I can cart her anywhere.") But it will be a nice weekend without toddlers, and we'll get to be with each other rather than just next to each other.

Emma is so fun lately. She's at the stage that Jason and I both love... She's starting to talk a lot, she is trying new words everyday. Every time we say something to her, she tries to repeat it. It is so fun.

Olivia is really becoming alert. She was talking up a major storm today. She is such a thumb sucker, so she's always talking through her fingers. Its really cute. She is really good at grabbing things, and is always grabbing at whatever is in front of her. This morning Jason put her in front of the mirror, and she was trying to grab at the baby in the mirror. She loves all the baby toys that we have - thank goodness because John and Emily weren't really all that interested in them and I thought they were kinda a waste.

The little girl in this pic is Riley Briggs. She's Kari and Jacob Briggs' daughter. (A.K.A. Kari Loftessness) She is in John's preschool class this year, and the two of them are having so much fun together. (When John actually goes to preschool) They love to play on the playground after preschool is over, and it's a major struggle just to go home. We sometimes do "play dates" on Fridays, too. It has been really fun, not only for the kids, but for Kari and me, too. Andee (Kari and Jacob's second daughter) and Emily are becoming fast friends, too. They are about nine months apart, so are finally at ages that they can play together. Kari is pregnant right now with her third girl who is due in December. So Olivia and Madison (the new baby) will only be 6 months apart. How fun!
Recently John is acting 4 going on 17. We're constantly in a power struggle with him. He wants his way all the time, and he does almost anything to get it. Last night Jason and I had to decide on a firmer discipline strategy with him. I hope it works, because I don't like being annoyed with him more often than not.
That's it for now -- bye!

John is a Ninja Turtle

2007-09-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

We thought it was bad when John decided to be a Star Wars nerd, but this is worse! It gets really tiring being a ninja turtle 24/7! He is always "on", playing ninja turtles, and heaven forbid I call him John!"It's Rafael, mom!" or "Leo" (which he, of course, pronounces "wee-oh").Then I say "Okay, fine... LEO, put your toys away!" To which he promptly responds,"Those aren't my toys, they're John's!"
You know it's bad when you have to tell your son

"It's time for dinner, Raf - you need to be John again."

Oh, they joys of having a boy!!