Life With The Ropers

Miss L's Special Day

2012-01-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

An 8th birthday is a pretty important one if you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. At age 8 is when you are able to be baptized. Miss L chose to be baptized 2 days after her 8th birthday. Since we were home visiting family for the holidays, we had the baptism in Visalia instead of Phoenix. It worked out nicely to have it with so many family members.

Liberty had the program planned for months. She knew exactly which family member she wanted to play each part. And she was sure to ask each person specifically if they would be willing to participate. She was so cute about the whole thing.

When the day arrived, she was excited and nervous. The building was FREEZING because the heat wasn't turned on. We also started a little late, giving just enough time for the warm water to turn cold. Poor Miss L! Even though she was freezing (I tried to blow-dry her warm after she got dressed), she still had an amazing experience. When I asked her about it she said, "I had to try really hard not to cry two times because I felt so good inside." When I told her it was okay to cry she said, "I know mom---but it's embarrassing." :D

After the baptism and confirmation, we had cupcakes for all of the guests. They were a huge hit with the kids.

I am so proud of Miss L's choice to be baptized. I can see such a difference in her already. She received new scriptures and has been reading them every day. And last Sunday she chose to fast (it was her idea and she even had a specific purpose in mind). She is such a good example to her younger sisters and to me!!!! I love her so much!!!!

Catch up

2011-12-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

I have gotten so behind on blogging---that I purposely avoid it now. It's so overwhelming to think of all the posts I need to make--Cambria's Birthday, Halloween, Dance class, Lost teeth, Thanksgiving, Disneyland, and everything else in between. But I am going to try....

Here is everything---in reverse order. :/

Thanksgiving/Disneyland

2011-12-09T13:57:00.000-08:00

This year we hosted Thanksgiving for the first time. G's parents and youngest sister drove out to AZ. It was so much fun to have them here. We baked, played at the park, went to the train museum, read lots of books, saw the Mesa Temple lights, visited Great Grandma Roper, and just had fun being together!!! Unfortunately we only took three---YES, THREE--pictures and they all turned out terrible. :(

After Thanksgiving, G's parents took us to Disneyland. We met up with G's sister and her 2 kids. It was my girls' first time and we had a blast. Miss L and Miss A rode EVERY ride they could, and Miss R was pretty much scared of EVERY ride she went on. Miss C did a great job, even with missed naps.

By far my favorite thing was seeing Disneyland decorated for Christmas. They changed It's a Small World to Christmas music. The parade was awesome. And the fireworks were amazingly choreographed to the music. We also visited California Adventure Park for the first time. It was so fun to spend time together and see the excitement on the girls' faces. It was totally worth all of the sleepless nights and the miles of walking.

(These two cousins were adorable together). :D

THANK YOU G&G Roper!!!

All I Want for Christmas is my Front Tooth

2011-12-09T13:54:00.000-08:00

Miss A lost her first tooth!!!!!

Dance

2011-12-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

Can you believe we have 4 girls and we've never put them in dance class??? It has always been too expensive. But Arizona dance is much more affordable than CA, and my girls BEGGED to join. So Miss L, Miss A, and Miss R have been going to dance for the last 3 months. Here are some pictures I took during "Parent Observation Day." Some of these make me laugh. I HATED dance class, and I can see some similar feelings taking root.

P.S. Can you guess who is BEGGING to quit now?

Happy Halloween

2011-12-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

This year we found an awesome pumpkin patch. It had everything--train ride, bounce house, corn box, petting zoo, slides, a place to feed animals, and of course...pumpkins.

Miss L wanted to have a "grown-up" costume---she was a witch. Miss A chose to be a bee because her teacher is Miss B (and the kids are called her busy-bees). Miss R was a cat. And Miss C was going to be a bunny---but the girls lost part of her costume while playing with it. :/ She ended up going as Fancy Nancy---and she was adorable.

We took all four girls out for a little while, and then G took the younger ones home while I took the older girls out for some more candy. When they got home, they made their piles of loot, traded for their favorites, and then gave over 200 pieces to the Great Pumpkin (The Great Pumpkin really likes candy. My kids leave him some and he leaves them a present).

In the morning the girls were excited to find that the Great Pumpkin left them a very generous gift---a trampoline. I think it's safe to say this is the most extravagant gift the Great Pumpkin will ever bring. :D

Miss C's Birthday

2011-12-09T11:25:00.001-08:00

Yes--I am 2 months behind! Miss C turned 2 quite a while ago. She had a great birthday weekend. It started out with a carnival put on by our HOA. They had all sorts of games and bounce houses. Here is Miss C enjoying her very own snow cone (it was 100 degrees outside in mid-October).

The next day we had some special visitors (purely coincidental that they were in town on her birthday) and it made it extra fun. G's brother and his family came from Denver and the kids had a blast playing with their cousins.

We opened presents and ate cupcakes.

Miss C is a classic 2 year old---everything is "MINE," she tantrums often, she screams "NO!" and your heart melts when she says, "I wuv oo." I absolutely LOVE this picture below. She is actually pretending to pout--but she does plenty of the real pouting as well. :D

Happy belated birthday Miss C! You are truly a sweetheart and we love you so much!

Good Friends!

2011-10-27T11:16:00.001-07:00

When I found out we were moving to Phoenix, I was pretty excited for a number of reasons. But one of those reasons is because my old college friend and her husband (also a college friend) are in Phoenix. Imagine my surprise when we learned that the house we wanted was less than a mile away from theirs!!!

This move has been so easy compared to the last 5 (yes, we've moved THAT many times). And I know the entire reason it has been so easy is because of my good friend, C. She has helped me in numerous ways, from babysitting to introducing me to new friends, from mopping my floors to bringing me treats, from exercising with me to laughing and listening and just hanging out. She is wonderful!!!

It has been really fun for the entire family. G runs almost every morning with C's husband. They have 2 kids, that are around the ages of Miss A and Baby C. We play together multiple times per week, and C & I go on walks to try and get some exercise in. It has been so much fun to be here with them!!!

This post feels incomplete with a picture of C & I, but the only picture I have is completely embarrassing. :D

Thanks C & Family for making our life in Phoenix so much fun!!!!

Hodge Podge

2011-09-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

This update is long overdue. I haven't really felt like blogging recently. But here is a compilation of what we've been doing for the last month or so.

1. After the first week of school Miss L got sick. First we thought it was the flu; then we thought it was strep; it ended up being MONO! She was miserable. I was miserable. It was a terrible way to start off the school year. She spent most of her days sleeping and watching movies--and insisted on doing her homework every day.

2. My sister recently moved to NYC and took my niece's American Girl Doll, Lanie, in for a new hairstyle. Once Miss A saw it, she begged for the same thing. (She is obsessed with American Girl, Kit Kittredge).

3. We found a huge blow-up turtle on clearance and have been playing on it every spare moment.

4. It has finally cooled off enough that we can play at the park down the street. It's still in the 90's, but that feels like heaven compared to the 115+ degrees of last month!

5. This week is Spirit Week at school. On Monday the girls dressed like pirates for "Talk Like a Pirate Day."

And today is crazy sock day.

6. Last, but not least, we finally decided where we will be going next year. G is almost finished with his 10 years of medical training and has been offered a job in Visalia (my home town). He signed the contract last Monday, making it finally OFFICIAL! We will be moving back to CA next June. I am so excited to live close to my parents, G's parents, and my brother's family. It is going to be AWESOME!!!!

Happy Birthday Miss A!

2011-08-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

Miss A turned 6 yesterday! I cannot believe it! She is growing up so fast!

Since her birthday fell on a Sunday this year, we decided to have the celebration the previous Friday. It started with cupcakes at school, then early release from school. Then she opened presents, played like crazy, and then went to a Diamond Back game with Daddy and Miss R.

She LOVES baseball!

A "real" purse and wallet. :) And for some reason we didn't get a picture of her favorite gift--a small Rapunzel tower (yes Grandpa--she finally has it).

On Sunday we had some close friends over for dinner, cake, and ice cream. Miss A couldn't decide about what kind of cake she wanted, so I surprised her. It was a little more difficult than I expected--I'm just not a cake lady. I was worried because it was a little lopsided, but when Miss A saw it she started jumping up and down and yelling, "Thanks Mom! Thanks Mom!" That made it all worth it! :D

Happy Birthday Miss A! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!

P.S. Unfortunately the day ended with some overtired, sugar high girls which led to some sibling rivalry. I found this picture this morning---and laughed like crazy. I just had to include it!

A New Pet

2011-08-19T12:24:00.001-07:00

We found this rattle snake on our porch last night! Luckily my wonderful husband was brave enough to smash it with a giant rock. I had nightmares all night! Get me out of Phoenix!!!

OH, and a special thanks to my father-in-law who provided us with the long reach, grabbing thing-a-ma-bob. It is the most useful tool EVER!!!!

SCHOOL

2011-08-17T12:22:00.000-07:00

Miss L and Miss A started school 3 days ago. They were excited and nervous, but I think I was more nervous than they were. I did cry a little bit, but only after I said good-bye and the girls couldn't see me (I didn't want to scare them). I can hardly believe that I am doing this. Most mom's send off one child at a time...for 3 hrs of kindergarten. But I sent off 2 kids for 7 hrs, and it is so....weird. It has been hard to relinquish control of my children's education. I feel so lost in the public school world---I'm sure I'll figure it all out eventually.

My house is very quiet. I LOVE IT! Miss R and Miss C are loving the attention. In fact, Miss R has not asked for her older sisters once! Haha! I admit that I do miss my girls, but I know they are having fun and learning lots of things (not just academics).

Our afternoons have been nuts. Our extra-curricular activities don't start until next week (Ballet & Art) and I already don't know how kids have enough hours in the day. Luckily the girls won't have too much homework (I'm guessing it's b/c they spend 7 hrs at school---that's a long day for a 5 and 7 year old).

Here is a picture of my beautiful school girls:

Love, love, love these girls. I miss them when they are gone, but I know they are in good hands.

Photo Shoot

2011-07-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

A few weeks before we left CA, a friend of mine who is a professional photographer offered to take a family photo for us. It ended up turning into a little more than that---she took TONS of photos and they ALL turned out adorable. I am so excited about these. They are helping my AZ house feel more like home. Thanks friend (you know who you are)! :D

*The resolution of these is not that great---I had a hard time getting blogger to accept my gorgeous full-resolution pics. These are some of my favorites. She also took the family shot that is above (as our new header).

A New Home

2011-05-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

G & I flew to AZ last weekend to find a new rental home. It turned out to be one of the best getaways we've ever had! It was so relaxing and fun! I think the biggest surprise for me was how much greenery there is in Arizona. And also the heat feels completely different than what I'm used to in CA--it is super dry. Seriously....it was 100 degrees and it didn't bother me at all. We stayed at a NICE hotel in Scottsdale and did LOTS of driving all over the valley. We visited with family, an old friend, and Glade's new workplace. We had a total blast!

Within 2 hours of house hunting, I found the one I wanted. It is a little farther than we hoped for (20 minute commute) but it was so much cheaper than everything else. Scottsdale real estate is a little insane (so we opted for North Phoenix to save some $).

Here is the rundown for all who may be interested. It is less than 10 years old. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, and a loft. It is two story (something we wanted to try since we've never lived in a 2 story house). It has a large backyard with desert landscape (rocks, dirt, a tree, and a few bushes) along with a fenced pool. It is 2240 square feet. It is at the end of a cul-de-saq, where there is a path that leads to a park which is one street over. Seriously, it's perfect. The only thing it is lacking is grass, and I can deal with that. I am beside myself with excitement! OH, and my favorite part of the house is something nobody will ever see---my HUGE walk-in closet. :D

My family has been bugging me for pictures. Unfortunately we didn't take very many of the house. Here are a few:

Street view

Formal living/dining area (kind of makes me laugh since we don't have any formal furniture)

Family room

Master bath (and entry to my lovely closet)

Master bedroom (LOVE the french door entry)

Upstairs hallway

Bedroom (this is the smallest one, but they pretty much all look the same)

The park around the corner from us.

Look how green it is:

We are so excited for our new home. We'll miss our CA friends & family, but we're looking forward to a new adventure. :D

A few things we've been doing...

2011-04-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

Experimenting with hairstyles...

Playing outdoors....

Lots of reading...

Dressing up (in odd sorts of ways)...

And practicing our writing skills....

I LOVE MY GIRLS!!!!!! :D

Humming

2011-03-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

Baby C is 17 months old, and she still won't talk. She can say mama, dada, bath, ta-da, go, dog, and maybe a few others...but she doesn't use them consistently at all. On a good day she will use one word in addition to mama & dada. Her preferred method of talking is to keep her mouth closed and grunt/hum the correct tone of the word. She is excellent at communicating what she needs despite her inability to talk. So for now it works, but I really hope she starts talking more.

She also has this amazing skill (at least it's amazing in my opinion). Since about 14 months of age, she has been able to hum a number of songs (on key). She can hum the following songs:

1. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star/ABC's

2. I Am a Child of God

3. Baby Mine

4. Clean up song

5. Itsy-Bitsy Spider

6. Pat-a-cake

It is not unusual to hear her humming to herself, and you can totally tell what song it it. Seriously, it's crazy! If you sing her a tune, she will imitate it PERFECTLY. She will "sing" along with you. It is so crazy, and very cute.

One Stressed Out Mommy

2011-03-19T15:44:00.001-07:00

It seems like every day I am composing a blog post in my head, but when I finally get the chance to sit down and type it up...I'm too tired.

My life is pretty stressful right now. Some people would laugh at that. I mean, I'm pretty lucky that my husband has a good job, and that I get to be at home with my kids, and I love teaching the 4 year olds at church. But the thing is...I have four kids....at home....all day with me. I have no backyard, and with the rain, the park has become impossible. Well, let's be honest---it doesn't have to rain for the park to be impossible. Just taking 4 kids to the park is stressful enough!!!!

Two years ago my husband and I made the decision to homeschool our kids. It was a big leap for us. I was not homeschooled, nor was my husband, so the last 2 years has been a great learning experience for us. The first year I really enjoyed it. It was difficult (I was pregnant for half of the year and had a newborn for the other half), but I found there were lots of things that I loved about it. For example, I loved teaching new concepts to Miss L and watching it "click." I loved re-learning history and science. I loved discovering all of the wonderful teaching resources that are available to families. I loved the flexibility. I loved it.

Then life just sort of went crazy for me. Miss A turned 5 and so I began homeschooling her as well. Teaching 2 kids with 2 different lessons in most subjects became extremely time consuming. And Miss R and Baby C (can I still call her that even though she is 17 months old now?) became completely neglected. For the past year I have spent most nights completely exhausted and feeling like a failure. Afterall, my little ones who need me the most are getting me the least.

And now I feel like homeschooling is sucking the life out of me. Haha. Seriously, though...I do. I used to run out the door as soon as G would come home from work so I could run my errands and have some alone time. But now I am so exhausted by that time, I send him out to do the errands while I do mind-numbing activities (like watch movies). I dread Monday mornings. And I LOVE Fridays (we only do school 4 days/week). And I am counting down the days until summer vacation.

But not only am I going nuts with homeschooling...my kids are as well. They have TOO MUCH time together in my opinion. They have lots of friends and have regular play dates, multiple days a week, but they still have a lot of down time which always leads to one thing...FIGHTING! I cannot stand the fighting!!! I know it sounds terrible, but when my older kids are gone, my house is so peaceful and innocent. I can play blocks with the little ones and I talk so sweetly to them. But then the older girls come home, start fighting about something, and I lose it. I suddenly have four kids bickering and begging for my attention, and I feel like I'm losing my mind.

I love babies. I mean...I LOVE babies. And I LOVE toddlers. They are so much fun. And I love preschoolers. But I'm learning that I'm not so in love with school aged children. Once my kids turned 5 yrs old, my role as a mother completely changed. I am now the referee battling very strong willed children who want to have things their way. The sassiness, the hitting & pushing, the rudeness....I just wasn't prepared for all of this. I don't mean to make my kids sound like terrors. They are REALLY GREAT kids! They are normal kids. It's just when you have normal sibling rivalry with four kids so close in age, it becomes a little nightmarish. I seriously don't know how other moms do it.

I'm sorry for sounding so negative. With each addition to our family, life becomes more and more complicated, and I'm just trying to figure it all out. I cannot wait for August, when I put my older girls in school. I'm trying to imagine what life will be like with just 2 kids again, FOR SIX HOURS a day. Sounds like heaven! :D And then, after enjoying their absence, I'll be happy to see them at 3:00.

Afterall, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? :D

Reality

2011-02-12T14:42:00.001-08:00

Some of you may be wondering how my 30 day exercise challenge is going (I flatter myself, I know). Well, how is it going?

It's not going.

At all.

I was doing great for about a week, and then I got sick, and then I just got busier and busier....

And now I have officially entered a health rut.

All last year I worried about how much weight I would gain on my cruise, but I should have been worried about what would happen when I came home. I have had such a hard time getting back on track. After eating such yummy food on the ship, I've just continued in that pattern....and my pants are starting to feel the difference. Ugh.

The goal that I set 6 months ago is far from being reached. And even though I have another 6 months to work at it, I've been starting to think about babies again (which means pregnancy will most likely come sooner than I anticipated---and NO, I'm not pregnant YET). As I've been thinking (dwelling day and night) about this, I've decided to admit defeat and adjust my goals to reality. I need smaller steps to help me feel like I'm actually accomplishing something.

So starting today I am on a new track---my goal is to lose 10 pounds in 8 weeks (April 9th). And then I'll lose another 10, and then another, until...I get pregnant (which could be 2 months from now or 2 years from now, depending on how much my 4 children continue to fight day in and day out). :D

Anyway, sorry to disappoint all of those who were "holding me" to my original goal. It's just time to adjust to reality.

Some Birthday Fun

2011-02-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

Miss L celebrated her 7th birthday last month. She had a dog themed party. Miss L was insistent that only kids 6 and older were invited. Haha. I guess she's getting older. :D

The kids had quite a fun time. Everyone brought their favorite stuffed dog. First we made dog collars, then decorated dog bowls. Then we had a Dog Show. Each of the girls had a chance to show off their dog, followed by a dog parade. Then awards were given (each dog received a different award). After that we had paw print cupcakes, played "Doggie, doggie, where's your bone?" and "Pin the pawprint on the puppy." We finished with opening presents. I think overall the party was lots of fun.

Next came my birthday. Since my birthday weekend was filled with stuff that had to be done, I didn't get too much of a celebration. But I did have homemade calzones, which is the birthday meal I used to request when I was a kid. The girls had a blast making their own, and they were DELICIOUS!

Since I didn't get to do anything real fun, I came up with a mini-getaway for us last weekend. We finally decided to go to a beach near Sacramento---Stinson beach. I don't know why we haven't gone before now. We had a total blast. It was 70 degrees, and the beach wasn't crowded at all. I love that the parking lot is right next to the water, so you don't have to hike carrying your kids and gear. And the bathrooms were close by as well, which is essential when you have 4 girls. Haha! Overall, we had an awesome trip to the beach. Man---I hope one day I own a home on the ocean! A girl can dream, right? :D

Miss A, the crocodile

Miss L getting eaten by a shark

Baby C wanted nothing to do with the sand.

And this picture, I just had to throw in. One morning, while I was on the phone, the girls made their own fort under the bunk bed.

30 Day Challenge

2011-01-26T15:36:00.001-08:00

For the next 30 days I am going to exercise daily (excluding Sundays). I will be using this video. I've done this work-out before, and it's awesome. My sister and I call this woman Killian, because her workouts are pure torture. But they provide results, and I like that. :D

Anyone want to join me in this challenge?

December Highlights

2011-01-20T12:58:00.000-08:00

We had a lot to celebrate last month. First we had a wedding, then Christmas, followed by Miss L's birthday, and then a cruise to the caribbean. We took over 600 pictures last month, so it was hard to narrow it all down. But here are some of my favorites.

Freezing (but happy) outside the Draper, UT LDS temple.

Christmas Eve

L-O-V-E their expressions here!

At Grandma N's house

With all of the craziness of the season, we bought a cake from B&R's.

She is really growing up! I can't believe she is 7 already!

AND THEN THE CRUISE....

Last year my parents surprised me and my siblings (and spouses) with tickets for a cruise to the caribbean. All year we have been anticipating this getaway. It was such a total blast to be with everyone....without kids! And let me just give a quick shout-out to my in-laws who took care of my kiddos---THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!

The highlights of our cruise included incredible food, entertainment from the Blue Man Group, a hilarious Newlywed Game Show that my brother and his wife competed in, sailing our own regatta, parasailing, snorkeling, water slides, rock climbing, rappelling, more food, and more food, and more food. :D But the best part was getting to be with my brothers and sisters and parents. Thank you mom and dad for such a wonderful vacation!!!

Here are a few photos:

This is the top of the ship. The yellow tube is an awesome waterslide!

Sailing our regatta in St. Maarten! We didn't end up winning the race, but everyone worked so hard (except the bartender and the iceberg watcher--heehee). I had never been sailing before and the tipping of the boat made me REALLY nervous. I was sure we were going to tip!

St. Thomas

G & I parasailed over St. Thomas. It was absolutely beautiful!

This is where we went snorkeling. Unfortunately I did not get any photos of us in our gear. We saw two spotted sting rays, a barracuda fish (about 3 feet in length) and lots of other really pretty fish. It was so peaceful and fun!

Nassau, Bahamas

The color of the water was INCREDIBLE!

Swimming in the Bahamas

The sand was more like golden powder.

Waiting for Blue Man's Group. The show was fantastic!

G rock climbing on the ship

Everyone (except G who is taking the picture) at the French Bistro. The food was TO DIE FOR!

The beautiful ladies in my family.

And last, but certainly not least...the food (in no particular order).

Escargot (not my first time---but definitely the best I've ever had)

Raspberry Creme Brulee

Lobster

Rib Eye steak

Crab legs

Tomato salad

The best fish n chips I have ever eaten (a restaurant in St. Maarten)

Squid, Chicken, and Shrimp

Chocolate Fondue

Creme Puffs

Apple Tetin

Salmon

Puffed pastry with shrimp, scallops, & creme sauce (This meal was hands down the best meal on the entire cruise).

Duck salad

Teppanyaki--the garlic fried rice was amazing!

Traditional Creme Brulee (best dessert on the ship)

So now you know why I gained 7 pounds. HAHAHAHA!!!!!! Luckily I've already dropped 2 of those pounds and I'm moving on!

Thanks again Mom and Dad---for an awesome family vacation!

The Verdict

2011-01-13T14:39:00.001-08:00

Well, the holidays are over. The cruise has ended. The verdict is in.

I gained 7 pounds.

I do have to say that I completely deserved every ounce of gain. I had the most amazing food on our cruise, and I did not hold back at all. I indulged in every way possible, so in some ways I'm glad that I did not gain more....I sure felt like I had gained more than that!

This sets me back quite a ways. In order to successfully completely my goal, I still need to lose 53 pounds, in a little over 28 weeks. That means I need to lose about 2 pounds per week in order to meet my goal. It's still possible, but leaves NO ROOM for screwing up. *sigh* But I'm going to keep trying.

In two days I am going to attend a Weight Watchers meeting to check out their new Points Plus System. I've heard good things about it, and I think I'd like to try it out. We'll see.

Thanks again for the encouraging comments. Even though I gained weight in the last 3 weeks, I am still 13 pounds lighter in Jan 2011 than I was in Jan 2010...I am definitely moving in the right direction!!!

P.S. Last year my family had a weight loss contest. The weigh-in date was Dec. 23, 2010...and I WON!!!! I kind of have to laugh about this because my other siblings lost a TON of weight (a combined total of something like 300 lbs) the year before, so they really didn't have anything to lose this year. But still...I WON! :D

Checking in

2010-12-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

I haven't reported on my weight loss journey in quite a while. I just haven't had time with the holidays. I am happy to report as of last Friday I had lost more weight, and have now lost a total of 20.5 pounds! :D

Unfortunately, I think the past week has ruined me. Between a wedding all-you-can-eat buffet, a weeks worth of holiday baking (and eating), and Pertussis (McDonalds is much more appealing than cooking when I am sick), I am seriously afraid to step on the scale. Since Christmas is this weekend, followed by a cruise on New Years....I'm in BIG TROUBLE!!! Hopefully I can resist all of the sweets, and make it through!

Thanks everybody!

Nutcracker

2010-12-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Miss L, Miss A, and I went to see the Sacramento Ballet perform The Nutcracker. Grandma N and GG came up to see it, along with lots of cousins and a couple of aunts. It was such a fun girls' weekend. We got dressed up and went to the Cheesecake Factory. Then we headed off to the show (luckily we got there in time---BARELY). I've seen The Nutcracker before (as a kid), and I remember being confused and bored. I enjoyed it so much more as an adult. However, my girls LOVED it (they got a little tired toward the end). We also managed to pick up a few adorable ornaments to help us remember our fun day together. It was so much fun!

Here are some of our pictures. This probably is going to sound lame, but I'm sad I am not in one single picture that we took. Not that I want to see myself--haha--but because it's such a fun memory with my girls. I just didn't think about jumping into any of the pictures. :(

GG and the girls

Miss A LOVES her nutcracker!

Lunch with Grandma

All dressed up and waiting to go

The entire crowd, minus 3 adults (who were frantically snapping pictures)

Little Singer

2010-12-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

Miss L has always LOVED to sing. It is not unusual to hear her singing in her bed when she wakes up; it's typically the first things she does. She sings in the shower. She sings in the car. She sings pretty much all day. She often tells us that she dreams of being on stage, singing for a large crowd.

Here is a video of her first solo at a church talent show (age 3). And then there is a video of her performance at our church Christmas party last week (age 6).

Great job Miss L! We are so proud of your courage and willingness to share your talents!

26.2

2010-11-19T14:58:00.000-08:00

We recently had a fun, quick trip to Santa Barbara to support my husband in running his first marathon. It was a completely crazy trip, but luckily my mom offered to watch Baby C and Miss R for us. Thank heavens!!!

G trained hard for his race, spending many, many hours running. This was his first race to exceed a 5K, so it was a pretty big jump for him.

We had the opportunity to meet him at the 18 mile marker to cheer him on. The girls made a cute sign for him. When he ran by, everyone around us was cheering, "Go Daddy!" It was really cute!

It was cold, so the girls wore Gma's jacket.

All of us waiting at mile 18.

And there he goes.....

For the first 22 miles, G was running at an awesome pace...and he expected to reach his goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. However, at mile 23 he became severely dehydrated and all of his muscles locked up. He had to walk (hobble is probably more like it) for a while, and then was able to run the last mile or so (thanks to his sister who went and found him and cheered him on). He was very discouraged when he crossed the finished line, but I cannot even begin to tell you how proud I was. It was so amazing to watch him accomplish something so challenging. It was pretty dang cool!

FINISHED!!!!

Wiped out.

Ouch. Yes, those are blood blisters.

Getting iced up.

After the marathon, G could barely walk for 2 days. But now he has fully recovered and is actively looking at a spring marathon. I've been told marathons can be addictive, and it looks like my husband has succumbed to the temptation! :D

THANK YOU

2010-11-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

First off---I want to say thanks to all of you who responded to my last post. It made such a difference in my morale---SERIOUSLY! And you all had great ideas too! Thank you so, so, so much!

I am feeling much better this week. I think part of it was your encouragement and part of it was giving the South Beach Diet "da boot!" Why? Well, I ran into a friend last week who also started the South Beach Diet a few weeks after me. She told me that she became violently ill. After we talked about it, I came home and did some research. Hmmm....seems nausea is a common side effect of the diet. And I have definitely felt nauseated the last couple of months. I kept wondering if I was pregnant or something because about 3 days a week I felt like someone had kicked me in the gut. So I decided to give up South Beach and start Weight Watchers again (informally--on my own). This week went really well. I am happy to report that I've lost 2 of the 3 pounds that I had gained. So I'm back on track and hoping for an even greater loss next week (since it really has only been 4 days since I started WW again).

Thanks again for your help!!!

AN HONEST POST

2010-10-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

This isn't the best time for me to post something---I'm in a pretty bad mood. But I've been avoiding this long enough...it's time to blog about my weight loss. Or in this situation, my weight gain. In the last 2-3 weeks I have gained 3 pounds. Lovely. Apparently avoiding the scale doesn't work for me.

I have a bunch of theories of why I have gained weight. But I have to say that in the end I really have no idea what is going on. I am really frustrated. I do feel like I've been giving up a lot of things, and so I don't understand why the scale is moving up instead of down. The most likely truth is that I've stopped nursing---I don't need as many calories, and yet I'm still eating the same amount. I've also been struggling with finding time to eat. Weird, I know. I usually have a good breakfast, but after that I pretty much starve myself all day because I'm running around with my kiddos. When I fix them lunch, I remember I should eat, but we rarely eat the same things since PB & J is full of carbs, and kids aren't exactly fond of salads for lunch. And so I put off my meal, until I realize around 3:00 that I'm STARVING. Then I end up eating something that's easy to grab (and usually not as healthy). So frustrating. My other problem is that the weather has turned cold---so cold veggies don't sound that good to me. Salads are not as appealing, and to be honest....I'm just sick of them.

It's pretty humiliating to blog about this. I mean, it's embarrassing to admit my weaknesses to the masses. But I promised myself I would do it (and believe me, I have thought a million times about breaking that promise). So I'm sorry about the whining. This is truthfully where I am at right now. So please, if you're reading this, please, please, please tell me to shape up and get back on track! And if you struggle with weight loss yourself, please share your experiences. I need some help. And please, if you have any ideas that could help me---SHARE THEM!

Thanks everyone!

School Days

2010-10-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

I have been having so much fun homeschooling my kids this year. I was a little nervous to teach two kids at once, but it has been going really well so far. We spend the morning doing "book work" and then the afternoon doing more hands-on, fun kind of learning. Here are some pictures from some recent school days.

A typical morning at our house:

Miss L received some butterfly larvae in the mail. After reading her the "rules" she decided to write them down and post them for all to see. :D

Gross, huh? It was pretty cool though.

We have butterflies!!!

Time to let them fly away.

Miss L working on her caterpillar/butterfly field journal.

This is our most recent science/history project. The girls had TONS of fun with this! They could not believe that it actually erupted!

They were so proud.

Every Friday (and often other days of the week if there's time) the girls get to choose an art project. Most recently they have been having fun doing mosaics. I would have LOVED something like this when I was a child!

Miss A's artwork

Miss L's artwork

We also recently had some field trips. That's one of the fun things about homeschooling. When you go somewhere fun, you can call it school. :D

First the pumpkin patch...

Then pony rides....

Then Apple Hill....I forgot my camera, but we took some pics of their painted faces when we got home.

I never thought in a million years I'd homeschool my children. But I do have to say, we're having a blast!!!!

Do-Over

2010-10-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

I would love to have a magic rewind button for this week. I made WAY TOO MANY poor food choices. We had such a fun week, first at the pumpkin patch and then at Apple Hill. How in the world have I lived in Sacramento for 3 years and somehow neglected to go to Apple Hill? Apple Cider Donuts. Apple Pie. Caramel Apples. Hmmm, maybe it's good that I didn't discover this yummy place until now. Haha! :D

This week I am going to take a "pass" on the scale. The numbers are such a mental game for me. I either get discouraged and give-up, or get excited and eat a little extra---neither of which is good for me. So I'm going to try something new---and avoid the scale for 2 weeks. It may or may not work for me. We'll see.

I'm also thinking of going back to Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. I have slowly strayed from Phase 2 of the diet---and have found myself enjoying too many sweets. The good news is that I'm still eating lots of vegetables. In fact I found a DIVINE salad at one of my favorite restaurants (Tower Cafe) that I crave. For all of you locals--you have to try the Thai Steak Salad. YUMMY!!!!

Anyway, I should really stop talking about food....

Big Ideas

2010-10-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

I have a dream.

It's simple really.

I'd like to use my bathroom one time without being interrupted by my children.

Do I need to say more?

My Baby is One Year Old

2010-10-16T09:20:00.001-07:00

I can't believe an entire year has passed! My sweet Baby C turned a year old yesterday. I am so grateful she is a part of our family. She has such a sweet disposition and loves to tag along after her big sisters. Her favorite activities include playing with dogs, hugging baby dolls, chewing on books, and going on walks. Her favorite foods include black beans, edemame, rice pilaf, blueberries, and juice. I don't have her exact stats, but she is smaller than my older girls were at this age. She still hasn't reached 20 pounds....

We had a small family party with a smash cake (which she would not touch), a few presents (which she loved), and her favorite dinner--black beans. :D

She almost grabbed the candle.

She LOVED being the center of attention! She was a total ham for the camera--posing and everything. It was cracking us up.

She finally agreed to touch (and eat) the cake after I cut her a piece.

Loving the attention...

Love this expression, scrunched up nose and all. :D She looks a lot like Miss A in this picture.

Opening presents (sorry about the red-eye; I should have edited the pics before posting them--oops).

Playing with the Roper traditional 1 year old b-day present--a box of kleenex. She had a blast pulling them all out. And of course, the girls loved helping.

Happy 1st Birthday Baby C. WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Checking In

2010-10-15T15:26:00.001-07:00

I have about a million blog posts I need to do. They have been piling up since school started. I'll get around to them one of these days. But I needed to weigh in since I'm almost 2 weeks behind. Oops.

I've lost another pound, putting the total to 17! The weight has been coming off SO SLOWLY, but I'm happy it's coming off instead of going on. :D And 17 pounds is quite a bit when you think about how heavy a 10 pound sack of sugar is!!!! Haha!!!!

In all fairness to the South Beach Diet, it has worked REALLY well for me---when I stick to it. But honestly I cheat regularly, therefore slowing down my weightloss. But what I am eating seems more realistic for me at the moment, and I don't feel like I'm restricting myself too much. I think that's why I've been able to keep moving forward. I'm just eating healthier...and less.

Freedom

2010-10-03T16:45:00.000-07:00

Last week Baby C decided to go on a nursing strike. Since she is 2 weeks shy of turning a year old, I decided to take advantage of her disinterest--and wean her. It was a pretty big jump for both of us. At the time she was still nursing 3 times per day, and was not interested in drinking whole milk, so the whole thing was a little stressful (and painful). I'm always a little emotional when I wean my babies. I'm not a mother who adores breastfeeding, but I do think it creates a sweet bond between mother and baby. For me, weaning is a sign that I'm losing my baby; she's growing up! I can't believe she will turn 1 year old next week. Here is a recent photo of her so you can see all of her cuteness!

One of the biggest blessings of weaning is the freedom I have to leave for extended amounts of time. Next month I am going to the city (SF) with my sister to see West Side Story---I can't wait! And I'm trying to schedule a weekend for me to enjoy some spa time (a gift my husband gave me for our anniversary). It's so nice to have the freedom to leave. :D

As a side note, I lost 1.5 pounds this week. Yay! I have decided to change my weigh-in day to Friday, so I can enjoy my weekends a little more. :D So from now on, I'll be reporting on Friday. Thanks for your continued support!!!!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-09-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

It's here.

It starts with Halloween, quickly followed by Thanksgiving, and then to top it all off, Christmas. I LOVE this time of the year--so many fun traditions. I have about a million things I want to do with my kids. :D And of course they almost all involve yummy food. This afternoon I've been dreaming of caramel apples, pumpkin shaped sugar cookies, pumpkin pie, peanut blossoms...you get the idea.

I am really proud of myself for jumping back into things this past week (maybe not in thought--haha--but at least in action). I lost 2.5 pounds. But with the holidays on the horizon, I'm a little nervous. AND to add to it, the week after Christmas I am going on a 7 day Caribbean Cruise, so I just know food is going to haunt me for the next 3.5 months.

Growing up our family celebrations revolved around food. I think that's pretty standard for most people. I LOVED it, but it's not exactly the healthiest thing to do. I would love to change this in my own family. I know treats are a fun part of the holidays, but what if there was something even MORE exciting than the food? To be totally honest, it is REALLY hard for me to ignore this part of my upbringing. I need ideas. Something fun to look forward to---besides food.

So what non-food holiday traditions do you have?

First Steps

2010-09-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

My favorite part is in the beginning when Baby C tackles Miss R. LOL!

Sorry if the movie is LOUD. We were obviously VERY excited for Baby C. I wish we had better volume control at our house. :-)

You get what you deserve

2010-09-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

OK, a good rule of thumb for anyone who is losing weight is to NEVER overeat the night before you weigh-in. :D Yesterday was one of those days for me. I was tired. I was stressed out. My husband was working and I wasn't feeling very well. I had all the kids by myself and for some reason I just snapped. We're all human. So, I ordered pizza. It was delicious; the scale proved it this morning. I gained 2 pounds. I completely deserve this weight gain. Not only did I eat way too much pizza, but I over-indulged a lot last week--cheesecake on Monday, ice cream on Thursday, etc. So I TOTALLY deserve this 2 pound gain. Ugh.

In my dieting past, I have always struggled with the 2nd and 3rd months with will-power. The first month seems to go smoothly. My will-power is strong as I start to see the weight come off. But then I start getting tired of eating healthy foods, or saying no to my favorite yummy things, and I cave. Then I end up gaining a few pounds back, get discouraged, and give up entirely. BUT I'm not going to do that this time. I refuse to give up. I'm ready to move forward. I AM GOING TO DO THIS!!!! Can you hear the cheerleaders in the background, as I give myself this little pep talk? Haha!

Wish me luck--cause I need it!!! :D

No words

2010-09-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

I'm having a really hard time posting something today.

Have you ever had an experience that changes the way you view life? That helps clarify what is truly important--and makes everything else in life seem trivial? I had one of those experiences 2 weeks ago when the bishop of my home ward was murdered in the church foyer. I'm having a hard time describing how I have felt, or what I have witnessed. Shock. Heartbreak. Fear. Hope. Love. Courage. The past two weeks I have seen the power of God manifested boldly in the lives of those I love, and it has been truly amazing. Hearing Julie (his wife) bear testimony of the Plan of Salvation and trusting in God's plan for each of us strengthened my own testimony. Truly, I have never witnessed greater faith, than in watching the Sannar family deal with this tragedy.

And so I'm sort of feeling like everything I talk about on this blog is really trivial...

But since I promised to report (I missed reporting last week because I was out of town)---I lost another 2.5 pounds.

A Pinkalicious Party

2010-09-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Miss A turned five years old last week. I can't believe it! The tradition in our family is that the kids have their first REAL birthday party (with friends, decorations, etc) when they turn five, so Miss A has been looking forward to this for months! She decided to have a Pinkalicious Party, which was a total blast. If you haven't read the book Pinkalicious, DO! It's so cute.

Miss A waiting for her guests

We played balloon games while we waited for everyone to arrive.

We started the party by reading the book.

Then Auntie K & I helped the girls get decked out with pink nail polish, eye shadow, & lipstick.

The girls did Pinkalicious activity pages--mazes, coloring pages, & a word search.

And made Pinkalicious wands.

And of course, ate Pinkalicious cupcakes....

We also had a giant cupcake with candles on it. It was absolutely hideous; it completely fell apart. Hence I did not post any pictures of it. Miss A loved it though. What a sweetheart---so forgiving of my cake decorating inadequacies.

opened presents....

and pulled a pinata.

Here is the entire gang with their loot.

Happy 5th Birthday Miss A! I love you!!!

Baby Steps

2010-08-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

This week I lost a 1/2 of a pound. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I am VERY happy with this loss for a couple of different reasons. First, today I am feeling quite female (lots of bloating--you know what I mean) and so I am sure that the scale is not accurate and that I most likely lost at least a pound.

Second, last Tuesday was my anniversary. I ate the most delicious dinner--Macadamia Nut Shrimp & Chicken. It was divine! And no, it wasn't low-fat. But I choose brown rice instead of white, and had vegetables instead of fries or fruit. And the shrimp was not fried. So, it was relatively healthy. :D

And third, yesterday was Miss A's 5th birthday (upcoming pics in my next post). I purposely made strawberry cupcakes with buttercream frosting to avoid temptation, since I generally don't like strawberry cake and I prefer cream cheese frosting. However, I did end up indulging in a couple of cupcakes.

In the past holidays and celebrations have really screwed up my weight loss plans. It seems like the older I get, the more celebrations I encounter. So I am truly happy with my .5 lb weight loss this week. I was able to enjoy myself, but not go overboard. :D

As a side note, in case any of you are interested in trying out the South Beach Diet, they claim that this diet is particularly favorable for getting rid of belly fat. I thought that was kind of strange, since I've always been told that it's exercise that helps you lose fat in certain places...not the type of foods you eat. HOWEVER, I lost these same 10 pounds about 6 months ago on WW (ended up gaining them back) and this time around the pounds have come off in totally different places. As claimed, they really have come off in my mid-section. So for what it's worth, if you want to get rid of belly fat, I totally recommend the South Beach Diet.

A Boring Summer

2010-08-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

Recently a friend asked me, "What have you been up to this summer?" It's a simple question, so I'm sure she was surprised at my glassy-eyed stare. What did I do this summer? My mind went completely blank. "Well, we've been sort of...well...nothing really," I stammered. I felt sort of foolish (like a lazy parent) and I found myself thinking about this question for the rest of the day.

I really like to do fun things. I love to go on vacations. I love going on outings to museums or amusement parks. I love to fill my days with things outside of the house. So why didn't I do any of them this summer???? How did the summer just slip away from me? At first, I felt kind of lazy and ashamed for making my kids have a boring summer. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that a BORING summer is exactly what my family needed.

The last two years our family has been turned upside down. We went from having two kids, to having four. Having four children (the youngest 2 being only 17 months apart) has been extremely overwhelming for me. I can't really put into words what it is like. It's just hard to leave the house with four young children. So that alone has been stressful. But in addition to that, we started homeschooling (another very difficult task, especially since I have a baby and toddler who need lots of attention). Also, my husband and I have been serving in leadership callings in our church. And on top of my husband's already demanding career, he has added 2 other jobs to help cover our expenses. Life has just been INSANELY busy and difficult. Don't get me wrong. We've had lots of happy moments and have made a lot of fun family memories. But, it's just been a demanding couple of years. And I have really been needing a break.

And so, this summer we didn't go on any fancy vacations (Afterall, vacations with children are not vacations at all. It is so much work for a parent--more work than staying at home. I wish someone would have told me that BEFORE I had kids. haha!) I spent my days building forts, playing games, reading books, and watching movies (probably a little too many of the latter). I played with Baby C and helped her learn to crawl. Right now I am helping Miss R learn to the use the potty. I helped Miss A learn to read. I supervised Miss L cooking her first meal and watched her become engrossed in the The Chronicles of Narnia. Yes, we were bored at times. But I think a little boredom is healthy; it helps foster the imagination.

So bring on the boredom because I know in a couple of weeks when school starts again....I'm going to go nuts! :D

I made it!!!

2010-08-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

Phew! I made it! I have finally finished Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. Now on to Phase 2, which I will stay on until I no longer need to lose weight (I have a hard time believing I'll ever enter Phase 3). In Phase 2 I get to add up to 3 pieces of fruit and 3 whole grains each day. I feel so spoiled. :D I think maybe the author of this diet is on to something. After restricting myself to the EXTREME for 2 weeks, I feel like I'm indulging when I pop a strawberry into my mouth. Fruit tastes like candy! The strangest thing is that this morning I was SO EXCITED to eat something other than eggs. I prepared oatmeal with blueberries. I couldn't wait to eat it. And then, I took a bite and thought it was disgusting! I tried to force myself to eat, but all I kept thinking was that I'd rather have scrambled eggs!!!! LOL! So weird!!!!

I lost 4.5 pounds this week, for a total of 10 lbs. Not bad for 2 weeks!!! Now my weight loss will drop to the normal (and healthy) 1-2 pounds per week. I am really excited about how things are going...but if I'm being completely honest...I have been SO GRUMPY! Just ask my poor husband. I cannot believe how grumpy I have been. I mentioned last week that I feel like a lot of entertainment disappeared when the food disappeared...and I find myself having a difficult time finding an "out" to my stressful days. And seriously--with four kids under 7, EVERY day is stressful. I need to find another way to treat myself other than food. Any ideas?

Here is a list of junk food I passed up this week. I like this list because it's a reminder for me of the sacrifices I am making, regardless of what the scale shows.

Ice cream (4 nights in a row)

Cinnamon rolls (Could KILL my husband for making them)

A variety of candy (purchased for Miss A's pinata)

Blueberry Macaroon Tart (it was calling my name, I swear)

I have to say that I really feel like I've learned a lot about healthy eating over the past 2 weeks. As I mentioned in previous posts, I've done Weight Watchers a couple of times and I have learned all about filling up on good foods (high fiber, low fat). But I have never really thought much about carbs. I've tried lots of times to eat more veggies, but giving up the carbs is what ultimately FORCED me to eat more vegetables. I enjoy the challenge of eating 2 cups of veggies with lunch and dinner. It helps me stay focused on eating the right foods. And after 2 cups of veggies and a little lean protein, I really don't have much room left to eat carbs. Yay!!!

So now on to week three! Thanks for your support everybody! It really helps me to know that you are all keeping me accountable!

Drum roll please....

2010-08-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

Well, today marks the end of week 1 of the South Beach Diet. Good Heavens! Let's get these first 2 weeks OVER WITH!!! This no carbs thing is getting really old. Haha! :)

I am happy to say that I did lose weight this week---5.5 pounds! That amount of weight is pretty typical for a first week of dieting on Weight Watchers as well, so I find myself a little frustrated that I sacrificed SO MUCH this week (more than I ever did on WW) and still only lost 5-6 pounds. But I won't complain too much about it. I'm happy that I'm moving in the right direction. And I can already tell a difference in the way my clothes are fitting, so that's a good sign. My sweet husband had me hold 6 pounds of butter to show me how much weight six pounds is, and I have to say that it was very effective. Haha! :)

Here are a few thoughts I had this week.

1. Yesterday was a particularly tempting day for me. I gave up my husband's yummy pancakes in the morning, pizza & cupcakes at a birthday party, & our traditional date night with Rubio's fish tacos. Because of this, I was SUPER grumpy. When my husband asked if I was okay, I replied with the following, "Oh sure. I'm fine. Don't worry about me. It's only Day 6 of the rest of my life!" :D Can you hear the sarcasm? But that is kind of how I feel. Even though I've set a goal, I know this will be a life long battle.

2. Turkey bacon is one of the most disgusting things I have ever put in my mouth. NEVER again!!!

3. I don't really enjoy food anymore. That sounds weird to me. But I find that I don't really look forward to food...it's just something I eat for energy...as a friend said, "It's just fuel!" This is complete paradigm shift for me. And I'm surprised at how much "fun" has been eliminated from my life by eliminating unhealthy foods.

4. A list of junk food that was presented to me this week (which I refused):

licorice

sour patch kids

starbursts

pancakes

pizza

cupcakes

ice cream

chips

6. I love SPANX and Diet A&W Rootbeer!

7. It's worth eating food I don't like, and therefore giving up food I DO like, to feel this good--at least that's what I keep telling myself. :D

So now I move on to Week 2. I can't wait to get it over with so I can eat fruit and whole grains again. Breakfast has been the most difficult for me. Think about it. What do you eat for breakfast that does not contain carbs? No cereal. No fruit. No yogurt. No toast. Not even oatmeal. Eggs have been my staple, and you know...I can only eat so many eggs before I swear them off forever!!!

So here's to only one more week of eggs for breakfast! CHEERS!!!!

DOH!

2010-08-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

I have to record this funny little conversation that happened last week.

I was sleeping peacefully in my bed when suddenly Miss L rushes in screaming, "MOM! MOM!" I jumped up, obviously concerned by the alarm in her voice.

Me: What?!!! What's wrong?!!!

Miss L, in a complete state of panic: Miss A guessed her birthday present!!!

Me, completely annoyed: What! How did she guess you were going to give her a Mermaid book?

Miss L, looking guilty: Well, I sort of gave her a hint. And she guessed it! (This was was said in an accusing manner. How dare Miss A guess it correctly! Haha!)

Me: Well Miss L, you shouldn't have given her clues. Sorry. I guess you ruined the surprise.

Miss L leaves the room extremely upset.

A few hours later while ALL of us were playing in the dining room we had the following conversation.

Miss L: MOM! I'm so sad that Miss A knows what I'm getting her for her birthday. (Big sad face)

Mom: Well, I'm sorry. We can't do anything about that now.

Miss A: Wait! I forgot. What did you get me again?

Miss L, a big smile across her face: You forgot????

Miss A: Ya. What was it again?

Mom: Miss L, I guess you lucked out that Miss A doesn't remember.

Miss L: Ya Mom! I'm so happy she doesn't remember that I'm getting her a Mermaid book!!!

Miss A: gasp

Mom: gasp

Miss L bursts into tears. :(

Poor Miss L! We haven't talked about it since. I have no idea if Miss A remembers---I guess we'll find out on her birthday. :)

A Few Thoughts

2010-08-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

Day 3

1. Blogging about this every day is becoming obnoxious. I am going to hold off and just blog once a week (Sunday) when I weigh in.

2. Day 3 has been so much easier than Day 1 & 2. It's kind of weird. But I don't find myself very hungry at all, and although I have a small desire to eat carbs, it does not feel overpowering like it did the first couple of days. I sort of feel like I'm going through detox for carb addiction. :) Now that carbs have been out of my system for a few days, I don't feel as drawn to them.

3. I have more hope than I've ever had when beginning a weight loss program. Thanks to everyone who has commented with loving words and support. It means a lot!!!

Better

2010-08-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

Day 2

Success!!! I've never eaten so many vegetables in my life. I still don't like them very much, but every time I look down at my plate I smile because I know it's what I should be eating. I also managed to dodge Family Home Evening treats tonight. Yay!

Carb Girl

2010-08-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

Day 1

Tortillas, homemade rolls, cereal, toast, pancakes, crackers, fruit....I could go on and on. I LOVE carbs. I really wish they were good for me. :)

I spent the last week studying a new diet that I've heard good things about. I hesitate to mention the word "diet" since it usually has negative connotations. But this diet is not about dieting, as much as it is about changing what types of food you eat. After studying the book, I found that I agree with all of the principles of it. So instead of the old standby Weight Watchers, I decided this time around to try it out---The South Beach Diet.

The first two weeks of the diet are extremely restrictive. No carbs. None. Not even fruit. It's the most drastic thing I've ever tried, but I am a total carb addict, so I thought it would be good for me. The diet revolves around eating foods that have a low glycemic index (you can google it--it's all about regulating blood sugar). Basically I'll be eating LOTS of vegetables and lean proteins for the next two weeks. Then I will gradually be adding in "good" carbs, such as fruit and whole grains.

Day one has been interesting. The thing I have found the most strange, and liberating, is that I don't have to keep track of what I'm eating. Weight Watchers was really big on that. But this plan is more about eating the right foods. For example, with lunch and dinner you are to eat a MINIMUM of 2 cups of veggies. That is A LOT of veggies!!!! Here is a picture of what I had for dinner.

Looks yummy, doesn't it. It was. But you know what, I was STARVING by the time dinner came around. According to the South Beach Diet book, you should never be hungry. I kept wondering all day what the heck I was doing wrong and then I remembered that I never accounted for the fact that I am still nursing Baby C. Oops. So after doing some more research, I realized I shouldn't be restricting myself as much.

Overall my first day was a success. But I know from experience that the 1st day of a diet is always the easiest. :) And I think this will be the LONGEST two weeks of my life. I miss my carbs already....

The Battle

2010-08-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so today I'm going to get a little more personal than the norm. I usually steer clear of these kinds of subjects because it is...humiliating, to say the least. But I've decided to go public with this so that perhaps I can gain something from your experience and support. Selfish, I know. :)

Like most girls, I worry about my appearance. From birth our society has pounded into our little brains how we are supposed to look a certain way. I won't get into what the "perfect" body looks like, because honestly, the "perfect" body image has changed over the years. But I do want to be healthy, and facts is facts: obesity and healthy do not co-exist.

I was thin growing up (I thought I was fat, but I'd give anything to look like that now), and was an active basketball player. Those of you who have only known me as an adult will probably be surprised to learn that I was the All American basketball player at my school. Shocking, I know. :) But when I went off to college, the exercise stopped and the eating of yummy foods continued. I slowly gained weight, each year feeling crummier than the previous.

The year before I got married, I moved home to save money for a Masters Degree. My Mom (who is an awesome health nut) wanted to lose a few pounds, and so we decided to do Weight Watchers together. And just like that, in 6 months I lost 50 pounds. Now if I am being totally honest, I have to say that it really wasn't that hard for me. I had a built in diet partner, I was SUPER busy away from home (and therefore rarely tempted), and I started dating more than I ever had (a built-in reinforcer). I was ecstatic to see the pounds fall off. I actually liked what I saw in the mirror, and more importantly, I felt good. I felt healthy.

And then I got hitched.

Between birth control pills (an entirely different subject), stress, a tight budget, 4 pregnancies, & nursing---here I sit---70 pounds heavier. Yes, you read that right. SEVENTY pounds heavier! I can hardly believe it. It's not that I haven't tried to lose weight. In the 8 years that I've been married I have formally joined Weight Watchers twice. I've tried doing Weight Watchers on my own more times than I can count. I've purchased exercise videos and the Wii Fit. At one point I was even running 3 miles every morning. So what exactly happened? Why haven't I been able to lose the weight this time around? Well, there really is only one reason for me.

I'm at home.

Yep, my entire day revolves around cooking meals, getting snacks, and doing dishes. I'm in the dining room/kitchen area of my house for 80% of my day....and the pantry/fridge is right there. It's just too easy to eat.

And so, I've decided to try something new. I've set a goal to lose 70 pounds by August 1, 2011. Hopefully no unexpected pregnancies will interfere with this--haha! AND, in order to keep myself accountable, I'm going to publicly humiliate myself every day be reporting on this blog how I am doing. I'm sure you will all be bored to tears, but if I know other people are reading this, maybe it will help me only eat one cookie instead of a dozen. :)

So, tomorrow it begins.

Books!!!!

2010-08-04T20:30:00.001-07:00

Okay, so this post is kind of selfish---I need a new book to read! Any suggestions? To give you an idea of what I like, here is a list of the books I have read in the last year or so:

Percy Jackson & the Olympians series

Maximum Ride series

The Hunger Games series

Hero (my brother wrote this book) :D

The Host

If you are familiar with any of the books above, you'll notice that I like fantasy/sci-fi young adult/teen novels (because they're clean). I don't like anything too heavy. And I definitely don't like biographies.

Anyway, let me know what you have read recently. I am wanting to delve into something new!

Riding the Daddy Train

2010-07-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

Perspective

2010-07-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I just need to remind myself of this:

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

2010-06-21T11:13:00.001-07:00

G took Miss L and Miss A to their first baseball game last weekend. I'm not sure which was more exciting: the game, a date with daddy, or staying up late. :) They came home at 10:30 p.m. I thought they'd be exhausted. Instead they were completely wired, and had to tell me EVERY detail about their evening. They were full of giggles! It was so cute!

Here are some pictures from G's phone. The quality isn't the greatest, but you get the idea. :)

I Want to be a Missionary Now

2010-06-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

About a month ago Miss L started reading the Book of Mormon (the children's version) on her own, each night before bed. Last week she came to me one morning, and told me, "I feel I should share this with someone so they will know about Jesus Christ." I was surprised by her ability to understand and communicate what she was feeling, and also humbled by her desire and willingness to share--without any apprehension at all. We talked about who we could share it with, and she decided she wanted to give it to our very nice neighbor who often brings us snap peas from his garden. I thought it was so sweet, but I must admit that I was hesitant. Even though I know the Gospel is true, I have never been good at sharing it, other than through my example.

Miss L was determined to do it. She wanted to knock on his door right that minute and read him part of it (which I thought was really cute). But with sickness running through the house and a vacation on the way, I convinced her to wait until Daddy was home---and then (I'm embarrassed to say), we promptly forgot all about it.

Vacation came and went (wish I could say the same about the sickness). Then, this morning Miss L came to me with a small adult version of the Book of Mormon, and told me she wanted to give it to our neighbor. I felt that I could no longer ignore her desire to share the Gospel. I told her it was a wonderful idea. First she wrote a Thank You card to him (he took care of our garden while we were out of town). Then I suggested she write something inside of the Book of Mormon to explain why she wanted to give it to him. This is what she came up with, all on her own.

Dear Neighbor,

This book is called the Book of Mormon.

I want you to have this because it talks about Jesus Christ.

I love you.

Love, Miss L

Miss A and Miss R caught on to Miss L's excitement and made Thank You cards of their own. Then they ran (literally) next door and rang the doorbell. Imagine the disappointment they felt when no one came to the door. :( So I told them they could either leave their cards and gift on the porch, or we could come back later. It was a tough decision for Miss L, but she decided to leave it on the porch.

Excited to share the Gospel

Thanks Miss L for being such a good example to me. I love you!

Summer Vacation

2010-05-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

Last week I reached my breaking point. There wasn't any one particular thing or event that caused it--just the stresses of life that keep piling on top of each other. The pile got higher and higher---and finally came crashing down. So I made an executive decision---no more school until the fall!

For the past 17 months I have been homeschooling Miss L, pretty much non-stop. We didn't have a summer break last year. We've taken off time for the holidays and birthdays and some time when Baby C was born. But even then, I'd sneak in some phonics or some workbook stuff. I had planned on taking the summer off this year, but not until the normal school break--mid June to late August. But I just couldn't handle another day of it.

We have been on "summer vacation" for only two days---and it has been heavenly. In the past when we've had time off from school, we've been traveling, or I've done record keeping or researched curriculum. And I always had this guilty thought in the back of my mind, telling me that we should keep moving forward with school. I've never really shoved school aside completely, until this week. OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I cannot believe the amount of time I have...and the energy I have (even being sick). And I cannot believe how wonderful it has been. I have had time to play with each of my children, cook a healthy dinner, and even do a little deep cleaning. I've had time to lay down in the middle of the day while the younger ones are taking naps--even if it's just for 15 minutes. I have had virtually NO WHINING from Miss A, which is an absolute miracle. And at the end of the day I don't feel guilty for not doing this or that--because I've had time to do it! I could go on and on. It has been so wonderful.

So now what? Let me tell ya, life is so much easier with four when you don't add the dimension of home schooling. I might even be tempted to forget it all together--except that our neighborhood school is ranked 4 out of 10. Yuck. And I think my husband would have a heart-attack if I said I wanted to send our girls to public school. :) So I guess I'll stick it out for another year until we move to AZ, and see what happens then. But let me tell you---I'm gonna ENJOY MY SUMMER VACATION!!!!

Party Time

2010-05-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

Miss R turned two years old!!!

The night before her birthday (for a Family Home Evening activity) we all pitched in to help make the cake. This year I decided to do The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I'm not a great cake decorator at all, but I was very happy with the way it turned out.

Since we made it the night before, we had to cover him up--in a cocoon.

Miss R LOVED her cake.

And she loved the attention.

Miss L & Miss A made decorations for the party. Can you tell what they drew?

Miss R received lots of small presents, and some fun things for her baby dolls. She loved everything she received. Here are a few pictures. We tried to capture her excitement, but getting a 2 year old to smile and look at the camera is pretty much impossible.

She has been playing non-stop with her new stroller. It's so fun to have a girl who will play with dolls. For years our doll stuff has been collecting dust. And of course, now that Miss R is interested in dolls, Miss L & Miss A are too! :)

Happy Birthday Miss R!

My Beautiful Rose

2010-05-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I had a very quick (and somewhat traumatic) delivery--ending with the most beautiful result.

It has been such a joy watching her grow from an infant....

to a toddler...

to a beautiful little girl.

It took us 3 days to come up with a name for Rose, and we feel her name fits her perfectly. She is tiny, delicate, and beautiful, but a tough little gal who has survived all the abusing of two older sisters and still holds her own---just like a rose! Happy 2nd Birthday, Rose. We love you!!!

P.S. So much for keeping her anonymous. I just couldn't write this post without using her name. :)

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been TERRIBLE at blogging lately. I have composed at least a dozen posts in my head, but have yet to actually put them in writing. :) So today's post will include Mother's Day along with a billion other thoughts I have had in my head lately.

My girls made me these adorable gifts at church today. I LOVE THEM!!! The Primary kids decorated pot holders--so cute AND useful! :) And I love what the nursery did with Miss R. It is so precious!

Miss A's potholder (a picture of mommy & Miss A)

Miss L's potholder

Miss R's handprint. The poem says:

Sometimes you get discouraged

Because I am so small

And always leave my fingerprints

On furniture and walls

But every day I'm growing-

I'll be grown some day

And all those tiny handprints

Will surely fade away

So here's a little handprint

Just so you can recall

Exactly how my fingers looked

When I was very small.

It made me cry. I love my children and I don't take enough time to enjoy them. I often get involved in the planning and organizing side of motherhood and forget to LIVE in the moment. I hope to improve on that this year.

And of course I have to mention my OWN wonderful mother, who taught me EVERYTHING I know. She is such an amazing woman. Shortly after giving birth to Miss L, I realized I will never be as good as my Mom. She continues to be my perfect example. :)

On a completely unrelated note, here are some things I have wanted to post recently.

Miss L: Mom, when I get older I want to be in a show and be on the stage and make people cheer for me.

Mom: Wow! That's sounds like a good idea. Miss A, what do you want to be when you get older?

Miss A: Ummmm, I want to be a MUSKETEER! (thanks Barbie)

Listening to the girls talk in the car--

Miss L: Did you know Hannah Montana is a rock star?

Miss A: Yep.

Miss L: I mean, she is a REAL rock star. She plays the banjo and everything.

Listening to Miss A, playing house--

Miss A: Just a minute, I'm nursting (nursing) my baby.

Three weeks ago we started a TV/movie strike--no television on school days. I have to admit that I have caved on occasion, but my kids haven't watched more than 30 minutes--and it has been an educational show as opposed to Barbie or Disney. I can tell a big difference in our house. My kids are back to spending more time reading and pretending--which I LOVE to see! One morning I woke up to find my kids like this:

It was so nice to find that they had voluntarily brought out books to read instead of putting in a movie. Yeah, we're forming better habits!

Also, we had a near ER visit. Miss R fell and hit the corner of her eye on a picnic table. The picture is kind of washed out. Believe me--it was purple! Poor little girl.

Baby C is growing fast. She is in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. I can't believe how fast time flies when you get old! She continues to be a very relaxed, easy going baby. I just wish she'd sleep better at night. Actually, her Mother's Day gift to me was sleeping 13 hours straight last night! She has never slept that long, and she hasn't slept through the night in months, so it was definitely a NICE night of sleep! She is not very interested in baby food, but she is SLOWLY getting the hang of it. She is also pretty mellow when it comes to reaching and playing with toys. She is getting there---but takes her time.

And last of all, here are some recent pictures I took of the girls. It is pretty much impossible to get one of them all together--so here are some individual shots.

Miss L. Is it just me, or does she look like she's posing for a 80's fashion magazine? haha. When we curl her hair, I have to make it poofy, because it loses it's curl in about 10 minutes. My sweet husband says (in remembrance of Joe Jr.), "Her hair is looking awfully BIG tonight." :)

Sweet Miss A. She was SO excited about the glittery pink headband in her hair. She looks so grown up to me in this picture. I can't believe how much she has matured in the last few months. She's turning into a school girl too fast!

Miss R. It is impossible to get her to look and smile at the same time. And of course she has cheezits in her mouth. This tiny girl eats constantly and still isn't on the growth curve. She will turn two next week and she's still wearing 12-18 month clothes. And check out those curls!!! I LOVE, and I mean LOVE her curls. On a side note, my family is living proof that genetics play a huge part in determining one's metabolic rate. Some people (like my husband and Miss R) are just DANG lucky. :)

And here is Baby C, so proud of herself for sitting alone. She can't wait to crawl--but we're not encouraging it at all. If you're a mom, you know why! haha.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

We just came home from a wonderful Easter celebration. We went to my parents house. Gma O and Gma N also joined us, along with my younger brother and his family. We spent the entire weekend celebrating and eating and eating and eating and eating. Seriously, I cannot remember the last time I ate so much food. My mom is the most amazing cook, and always goes "all out" during the holidays. On Saturday we dyed easter eggs, had an egg hunt (100+ plastic eggs filled with candy for only 5 kids---pretty obnoxious--haha), and went out for pizza that night (a family tradition). On Sunday morning the girls found their Easter baskets filled with fun things from mommy and daddy. We had a delicious brunch and then we watched General Conference (enjoying our conference box from my parents). After that we hunted for our dyed eggs. We each had one egg with our name on it, and my dad hid them and wrote clues for us--another family tradition. Then the kids frosted and decorated sugar cookies. That was followed by a yummy dinner and then a review of the Easter story (opening plastic eggs and reading the scriptures).

Two days after Easter we went to visit G's parents (sans G, who was working nights back at home). We spent 3 days there. The girls jumped on the trampoline pretty much non-stop. They also dug a gigantic hole in the backyard (to go and visit Wonderland). They had a blast. :) It was nice and relaxing for me...and it made me even more anxious to have my own backyard. One day....one day I will have a backyard! I can't wait!!! We also had a chance to visit with Gma A. I'm kicking myself for not getting out the camera! But it was so great to see her and chat for a little while.

It really was a wonderful Easter! We had such a great time! And like all family gatherings, it went by way too fast!!! Here are some pictures from our week. Of course I didn't take enough. I always forget to bring out the camera when I'm with family. I'm just too busy having fun. :) The outdoor ones were taken by my sis-in-law who is a professional photographer. Man, the differences between her photos and mine are embarrassing. :) I'm so grateful her wonderful talent has added to my family history. Thanks J!!!!

Gma N frosting sugar cookies.

Gma O and Baby C

Cousins after the hunt

Miss R enjoying her first Easter stash

The Challenge

2010-03-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

Most of you probably saw this on Facebook, but I had to put it here so that I have it documented for posterity. :)

Last night we had chocolate chip cookies for our Family Home Evening treat. The girls each had 2 cookies, which I felt was more than enough. But of course, as kids always do, they wanted more. Miss L specifically asked why daddy got to eat more cookies than her. I nonchalantly replied that he exercises more, so he can eat more. Then, in complete jest, I said, "If you do 500 jumping jacks, you can have another cookie." Her eyes lit up with the challenge.

So she started jumping and we started counting. After about 125 or so, she was pretty tired! She exclaimed, "My pores are pouring!!!" (She was talking about sweating, of course). Once she reached 200, she was a little winded and had to stop every 25 or so to take a few breaths. As her body became more fatigued, her jumping jacks became less and less coordinated. I WISH I had thought to get out the video camera!!!

Needless to say, she has her daddy's blood. She was issued a challenge and by golly, she was not going to pass it up! When she reached 500, she ran straight into the kitchen (as if she had all the energy in the world) and devoured her hard-earned cookie. Then she said she needed go outside to cool off. Haha!

Miss L is such a cutie! We love her!!!

Some fun recent shots

2010-03-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

THE GIRL TRAIN

I LOVE MY TONGUE

PASS THE DESITIN PLEASE

The Inevitable

2010-02-24T16:05:00.001-08:00

Today Miss L and Miss A decided to cut their hair--by themselves.

Having four girls, I knew it was only a matter of time before this happened.

This was the damage:

Not too bad....could have been A LOT worse. But I had to come up with a good consequence so that they didn't try it again--with more disastrous results.

Their consequence was a haircut. As wanna-be princesses, they love having long hair. I've been wanting to chop Miss A's hair for years.

This is the end result:

I think the disaster turned out completely adorable.

What do you think?

Our Adventure

2010-02-21T16:27:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't like travel logs, feel free to skip this post. I figure a blog can serve many purposes, and one of the purposes of my blog is to create a family journal. So this post will have a lot of boring details for most of you, but it will help me remember the most adventurous vacation I have ever taken.

A few months ago I learned that I could accompany my husband to Washington D.C. and it would cost us next to nothing. I was ecstatic about touring the city, even if it meant braving the metro with three little girls by myself (Miss R would stay behind with Grandma N). I did hours of research, trying to plan the perfect vacation for me and my little girls. My husband was going to be working, but would get to spend the weekends with us. We planned on 10 days so that we would have plenty of time to take in the sights, and at the same time let those little feet rest when needed. I just knew it was going to be a BLAST!!!!

A few days before our departure date, I started to get nervous. The weather reports were not looking good. Snow, snow, and more snow. I spent hours searching clearance racks for snow gear for my kids. Do you know how hard it is to find snow gear in California during the month of February??? It is next to impossible! After borrowing gloves, scarves, hats, pants, and boots from numerous friends and family, we were set. "It will all work out." That's what I kept telling myself. And it did...just not the way I expected.

The night before our flight it became apparent that it was likely our plane would never take off--the airport was closed and they were expecting 20+ inches of snow. Yes...20 inches. My husband and I hashed out the possibilities and decided to schedule our flight one day later in the hopes of getting to D.C. on time for his Conference.

We got lucky. Or so we thought. Our flight took off as scheduled and was uneventful for the most part. We flew Virgin America and they were AWESOME! If you have never flown with them, you should!

All ready to go at the airport

Unfortunately I had forgotten most of the food I had prepared the night before. The girls were a bit hungry on the plane, but we figured we'd eat when we landed. Big mistake.

Due to the weather our flight Sunday morning was one of the only flights allowed to land at the Dulles airport. That meant the airport was pretty much shut down. We landed with empty tummies, and started searching for food. We found one restaurant, Chipotle. Great for adults. Not so great for kids. After trying to force food down two tired girls, we gave up and grabbed a shuttle to our apartment.

Our ride was interesting. The roads had walls of snow up to 3 feet high on each side. Cars were completely covered. It was nuts. The girls were in 7th heaven, but I was starting to worry. How was I going to do this? How was I going to maneuver a foreign city covered in snow with three little girls?

This is what most of the cars looked like

We arrived at our apartment at 11:30 p.m. safe, but hungry. Uh-oh. The girls started whining, and then crying. They were hungry. They hadn't eaten a meal since breakfast and I literally had NOTHING to give them. No restaurants were open. No convenience stores. Nothing. Everything was shut down from the blizzard. It's hard to describe the emotions we felt. My sweet husband bundled up and went out on foot searching for any sign of a store that was open. He came home empty handed. We went to bed hungry that night.

The next morning, our first official day of vacation started off different than expected. G found out he didn't have to go to work, or rather that he COULDN'T go to work because all above ground public transportation was shut down. He spent the morning hunting down food for us. Call me stupid, but I just didn't imagine things would be this bad. He found a Safeway, but there was no milk, no produce, and very little of everything else. The storms had been so bad that the trucks had been unable to deliver food. Lovely. The other problem we had was getting the food to our apartment. Our original plan was brilliant. My husband would make the mile walk with the stroller and fill it up with groceries. Unfortunately we did not realize that the sidewalks would be COVERED in snow, making the use of a stroller completely obnoxious and pretty much impossible. So my poor sweet husband walked to the store SIX times during our first day of vacation. We loaded up on frozen veggies, rice, and oatmeal--and luckily we found some fishy crackers. :)

We spent the day gathering food, taking naps, and exploring the underground metro which was still running, despite the fact that pretty much everything was closed.

Baby C all bundled up

The escalator at Rosslyn Metro Station. The girls LOVED the escalators.

Miss A--SO tired

Exhausted on the Metro

We took a train to China Town for lunch and had sort of a surreal experience. I felt like I was in the movie, A Christmas Story. You remember when the dogs eat their turkey dinner and so they find the only place open on Christmas Day....Fa-ra-ra-ra-raaaaa, ra-ra-ra-ra! The women of this restaurant fell all over us, begging to take care of Baby C while we ate. It was kind of weird and entertaining at the same time. Honestly, we were just happy to be eating in a WARM restaurant.

The waitress in love with Baby C

Miss L trying to use chopsticks

As our first day came to a close, I found myself thinking about some deep things, at least they seemed deep for being on vacation. I had spent most of my day concerned about getting food for my children, finding transportation to our destinations and enjoying the warmth of our tiny apartment. I've always known that I've been blessed with material things, but I really began to notice how incredibly spoiled I am. I mean, if I want something at the grocery store, I hop in my car, drive 2 minutes, and buy whatever I need. Everything is at my fingertips. My sweet husband must have been thinking the same thing, because that night he gave a beautiful Family Home Evening lesson about the pioneers. Their struggles for food and trekking through the snow took on new meaning for me...and for my girls. My first day in D.C. was quite an eye opener for me.

Despite our unfortunate conditions, there were some advantages to our strange beginning. First, my sweet hubby was with me to endure the craziness of it all. Second, our apartment was close to an underground metro station, so we were able to get our feet wet with the public transportation system (even though everywhere we went was closed). Third, we had heat. Many homes and apartments in the area were without power. Fourth, we had time to nap and adjust to the time change (sort-of).

Tuesday morning started out awesome--my husband trekked through the snow at 6 a.m. and bought the LAST gallon of milk at the grocery store! YEAH! My kids were so excited to eat cereal. Haha! My husband got to stay home once again. Yippee! :) We threw on all of our snow gear and headed to the Smithsonian Mall.

prepping for a snowball fight

Daddy shows no mercy--and nails Miss L in the face :(

Baby C sleeping peacefully

Someone created this ice sculpture sitting on the bench. We thought it was awesome!

Miss A's snow angel

A replica of the capitol building (we didn't make it)

I have to say that even though the entire mall was shut down, we had an AWESOME time! Baby C slept peacefully in the sling while the older girls had snowball fights, made snow angels, and ate snow. Personally I'm a beach person; I detest being cold and I've never liked the snow. But I do have to say that the everything looked beautiful. Most of the snow was untouched. There were very few people around. It was SO PEACEFUL! I loved it.

Next we hit up a burger place that was recommended to us, Five Guys. Yummy! Yummy! Yummy! I really wish we had them in California!

Defrosting at Five Guys

On Wednesday we woke up to find a blizzard. We spent the entire day indoors. Ugh. The girls watched TV on Demand. G attempted to make cinnamon rolls with bisquick---they were interesting. :) It was a pretty boring day.

The view from our apartment window

Thursday G was still unable to go to work. All of the touristy sights were still closed, so after playing in the snow again, we decided to get tickets to Disney on Ice. The girls LOVED it! We were only five rows back and paid half price since we got them the day of the performance. We had a great time. It was so nice to finally be out and doing something our of the ordinary (and unrelated to snow).

The girls sinking in the snow after the blizzard

Miss A with Flounder. Thanks Gpa & Gma N!!!

Miss L sporting her Jesse hat

Friday G finally went to work. We were sad to see him go, and yet excited because it meant that FINALLY the museums were open! We hit the National Air and Space Museum first. The girls had a blast. We took virtual rides, saw an 3D Imax movie and played with all of the cool stuff.

The girls favorite experiment. The silver column blew air and kept the ball

in mid-air. If you moved the column, the ball would fall.

We had a great day, but a somewhat traumatic metro ride back to our apartment. It didn't occur to me that rush-hour would be nuts on the metro. By myself. Three kids and a stroller. Not a good combination. We ended up being shoved to the back of the train. We were packed in like sardines. When it was time to get off, a really nice man yelled for everyone to make room for us. However, one lady who didn't speak English starting pushing the opposite direction and Miss A started to get smothered by moving bodies. It was pretty dang scary, but luckily a lady grabbed the stroller while I grabbed Miss A and we literally PUSHED our way out--stepping on toes and knocking lots of bodies...but we made it!

On Saturday we went to the National Zoo. Ugh. NONE of the animals were out due to the snow. Duh. Should have thought of that. Oh well. The reptile house was entertaining, except for Audrey's fear of the alligators. :)

Sunday we went to church and then headed over to the Natural History Museum. WHOA! It was awesome! I could have spent all week there. The dinosaur exhibit and the gem collection were the girls favorites. We also watch another 3D IMax movie....Dinosaurs. Supposedly it was for all ages. Whatever!!! Within 2 minutes there were screaming little girls all over the theater. Miss A sat on my lap and allowed me to cover her eyes during the scary parts while she plugged her ears. Needless to say, it wasn't her favorite movie.

Their favorite gem

They were super excited to see a sarcophagus because they have been studying the Egyptian time period.

Daddy goofing off

Miss A studying bones through a magnifying glass

Awesome dinosaur exhibit!

Ready for the IMax

G's favorite exhibit. Haha!

On Monday (our last full day in D.C.) we went to the American History Museum. It wasn't my favorite, but they had a lot of cool science activities for kids.

Scientists were doing hands-on experiments all day. Miss L could have watched for hours.

I had been dreading Tuesday since before we even arrived in D.C. I had to fly with three kids by myself (Baby C as a lap child). The airport was the most difficult part of the journey. After delaying our flight for 2 hours, changing our gate 3 times, and refusing to let us pre-board, we finally made it on the plane. Phew! I will never fly United again. They were the most un-family-friendly airline I have ever encountered. I couldn't help but think of United Breaks Guitars. Baby C was an angel. She slept almost the entire way. Our flight home was uneventful until the last 20 minutes when Miss L suddenly said, "It's hard to breath." Okay. I thought that was a little weird. Next thing I knew she was going to throw up. We ALMOST made it to the bathroom. Poor Miss L. She was so embarrassed.

Once we reached SFO, we drove home, listening to Baby C scream the entire way. We got home, left the luggage in the car, and within 15 minutes we were all in bed...ASLEEP. :)

Miss R was delivered by Grandma N the next day. We were SO happy to see her!!!

When I asked the girls what they loved best about our trip, this is what they said:

Miss L: EVERYTHING! The snow, the museums, the airplane!

Miss A: Coming home.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Poor Miss A. She was such a trooper, but she hated "the coldness." She hated getting bundled up. And she walked and walked and walked and walked! If I had to do it over again, I would leave Miss A behind. Lesson learned.

I really did love our trip despite all of the unexpected turns it took. I was impressed with how friendly the people were in the city, and I really hope to go back there (without kids) someday.

And one thing is for sure, I will NEVER forget this vacation. :)

Kids

2010-01-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

My kids seems to be growing so fast! Here is a little tidbit about each one.

Miss L

On Christmas day Miss L lost her 4th tooth. She now has a big hole in her mouth, which she loves to play with. :)

She also requested that her training wheels be removed. She hasn't learned how to ride her bike (without help) yet, but she is determined to figure it out. Miss L continues to love vegetables and will try pretty much any food. She also wants to help with cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids. Although she occasionally tells me that I ask her "to do everything." :) I guess that's what happens to the oldest. She is excelling quickly in school. Her favorite subject is history, which I think it kind of funny because it's the subject I like the least. She LOVES to shop, which I find rather amusing. She especially loves to shop for shoes.

She loves to create things. She is usually found doing some kind of art project. Just today she put together an art show at a "museum."

Miss A

I can't believe how quickly Miss A is changing. Her most recent enjoyment is playing games. She likes everything from Sequence for Kids to Book of Mormon Bingo. She also likes to ride her new barbie bike.

She is starting to read, which is really fun to watch. And she likes to play on the computer. Her favorite website is pbskids.com. She likes to pretend to be a ballerina and frequently wear a leotard during the day, even when it is freezing cold. She only likes to wear clothes if she has to leave the house. She spends most of her day dreaming up some kind of wild adventure with Miss L. They love to play together.

Miss A still wishes she could be a baby at times. I think she would be happy being a baby for another 5 years. :)

Miss R

Miss R is becoming her own little person. She has discovered how to climb onto EVERYTHING and enjoys getting into things she shouldn't when I am not paying attention. And yesterday she had her first ER visit--stitches. :(

She has learned how to undress herself. We have to pin the zipper on her pajamas so she doesn't strip at night (and freeze). She still tries to escape though. :)

She is constantly requesting snacks--yet she continues to be my smallest kid. She loves to color. She wants to do everything her big sisters do. She just recently started asking to hold Baby C, which is so cute.

Here are some of her funny words and the translation:

unga=hungry=feed me

key=see=lift me up

lolo=hold you=pick me up

lala=color=I want paper and crayons

no=NO=Don't touch me or my toys!!!

mou=mouse=I want my stuffed mouse

poopoo=My diaper needs to be changed

baba=banana=give me a banana to eat

blaba or beebee=blankies=I want my blankies

Baby C

Baby C is the sweetest baby. She rarely complains, loves to smile, and sleeps well. She loves to be talked to. Her favorite place is my bathroom; she likes to look at herself in the mirror while I take a shower. She is cooing and trying so hard to interact. She is adorable.

I love my kids. They bring me so much happiness.

The Puj Tub

2010-01-05T18:44:00.000-08:00

I have never tested a product before, but boy am I glad I signed up to test this one!!! The Puj Tub is awesome! I have four children and I've tried bathing them in many different ways--fold up plastic tubs, blow up duckies, laying them on a giant sponge, the regular bathtub--you get the idea!

Here are the things I like about the Puj Tub:

1. The material--it is soft, sort of like styrofoam. I love this, and more importantly so does my baby. When she was only a month old and being bathed in our old plastic tub, she'd often jerk her head (as newborns do) and bonk herself on the hard plastic. Now she turns her head to look all over and is completely comfortable and safe!

2. The size--When this was delivered, I thought there must have been some kind of mistake. I couldn't figure out what kind of package would be so thin. When I opened it I was surprised to find the tub. It is FLAT, no more than an inch thick. This is a great space saver. We have it hanging behind our bathroom door. I thought it might drip water on the floor, but it doesn't at all.

3. Versatile--We've used this in our bathroom sink and kitchen sink.

4. Easy--I can snap and unsnap it with one hand. It has magnets instead of actual snaps, making it a peace of cake!!!

5. The baby likes it! That's the ultimate test, right? She sits so comfortably and never gets cold.

So in case you can't tell, I LOVE this bathtub. I totally recommend it for those of you who need a new infant tub. Click on "baby bath tubs" below if you want to see more about it.

Check out the Puj Tub for yourself at the new web site exclusively for babybathtubs!

A Sweet Blessing

2010-01-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

Baby C was blessed in church 2 days after Christmas. It was so nice to have most of the extended family there. The morning of church was crazy, but G did manage to snap a few pictures while I was running around helping the other kiddos get ready. We planned to take more pictures outside after church, but it started raining. :(

Our family. Can you tell we are exhausted from the holiday festivities?

Baby C wore L's blessing dress. The blanket was made by my Great Aunt Fern and has been used for each of the girls' blessings.

She is such a happy baby!

We love you Baby C. XOXOXO

2009-12-04T18:41:00.001-08:00

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Privacy

2009-12-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

FYI: My blog has always been open to the public. Recently I was given a free baby product to review and therefore my blog address is going to be posted on their website. Because of this, I am going to try and make things a bit more anonymous. I will now only be using the 1st letter of names (I have changed all of my old posts). I know this doesn't mean I'll have absolute privacy, but a little is better than none at all.

***It was pointed out to me that I needed to change the comments as well. I went through and deleted any comments that had names of my family. Please don't be offended. :) And if you use a name in the future, I'll have to delete it. Sorry.

Baby C: 7 weeks

2009-12-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

Baby C is 7 weeks old today. I can hardly believe it. The last month and half is a complete blur. My brain is still foggy from lack of sleep. I just can't believe so much time has passed!

Baby C is a sweetheart. She is my first baby who has not mixed up her days and nights. I REALLY appreciate this! haha! She isn't in a strict routine, but I've noticed she does tend to do some things at the same time of day. For example, she is awake every evening for about 3 hours, usually from 7 pm to 10 pm. She falls asleep between 10 and 11 pm and wakes up around 3 am to eat...then sleeps until 6 or 7. Not bad...not bad at all! I'm looking forward to when she sleeps longer (and goes to bed earlier), but I really can't complain because she has NEVER kept me up past midnight. I feel so lucky!

The girls have adjusted fairly well to having a new baby sister. Miss L loves to hold her. Miss A likes to get in her face and show her toys. Miss R likes to get on top of her and say "HI" in a really high-pitched voice. :) Miss R has started getting in to everything to get attention. It has been pretty tough. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I really was insane for planning to have two kids 17 months apart. I don't know what I was thinking!!!! :)

That said, we are so glad to have Baby C in our home. She is a sweetie! She is starting to smile (sort of a half-way smile) and I can't wait to see her face light up with a big one!

P.S. As a side note, I was chosen as a product tester for a new baby bathtub. It looks awesome. I'll be posting a review on this blog, so keep an eye out for it! :)

Consequences

2009-11-19T13:05:00.000-08:00

Ugh. The older my kids get, the harder it is to parent. I've been struggling lately with giving my kids appropriate consequences for their inappropriate behavior. Generally speaking, I try to give consequences that makes sense. For example, if the kid spills something, they clean it up. But it's not always that cut and dry.

The consequences I've given have varied greatly. Here are some we've tried:

1. time out in the corner

2. time out in their room

3. spankings

4. hot sauce in their mouth

5. chores (cleaning the living room, etc)

6. taking away toys

The problem is that I'm a softy--at times. I mean, you have to pick your battles. Otherwise I would be reprimanding ALL DAY LONG! Plus punishing your kids often means you are punishing yourself because if you take away something they like, you have taken away their entertainment. That means you have to not only listen to the whining, but find something else to entertain them. I swear it's more agonizing for me than for them.

Don't get me wrong. I have good kids. They are just your typical kids. They get sassy at times. They whine. They even hit and push each other. They're just kids. Is it really possible to get rid of this behavior, or is this just part of growing up? I feel like a broken record. I mean, how many times will I have to say, "Don't jump on the couch" before they finally GET IT????

So what have you found as an effective means of punishment? Because so far, I pretty much stink at this part of parenting.

For the Grandparents

2009-11-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

I've had some requests for more pictures of C...from grandparents of course! Here are some recent pictures. Isn't she cute? We love her, love her, love her!!!

She LOVES her baths, especially with the running water on her head. :) She completely relaxes in her baby bathtub. So cute!

Arizona

2009-11-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about this post. G was recently offered a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ! He'll be specializing in Musculoskeletal Radiology. We won't be going there until June/July 2011, but I am so excited to know the final piece of our medical training puzzle!!! :)

I have heard great things about Arizona. I'm not worried about the heat. I grew up in the Central Valley of CA, so I know how to live in 100+ heat. I am a little worried about snakes and scorpions, but I guess it's no different than dealing with black widows here in Sacramento. :) I'm told Scottsdale is a great place to live. I have never been to Arizona, so I'm a little nervous about going somewhere new. But I know it will work out. After all, it's only for a year. I can do anything for a year. :)

We still don't know where we want to settle after fellowship (when G is finally a "real" radiologist). But at least we have 7.5 years done, only 2.5 years left, and we know the ending point. YEAH!!!!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T14:43:00.000-07:00

The Balancing Act

2009-10-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

C is 2 weeks old today. I have had help of some kind since the day she was born, so I still don't feel like I've started "real life" with four kids. But I have noticed that it is going to be quite the balancing act...I'm not quite sure how I'm going to do it. My biggest concern is making sure that each of my children feel loved and important. I've noticed that has become more difficult as they've gotten older, because each child wants to be loved in a different way and has different needs.

I have had a pretty easy recovery this time around. I feel pretty good...actually, I feel a little energetic. Is there such thing as post-pardum nesting? :) I feel the need to tackle all of the organizing and cleaning projects that have been shoved aside for the last 9 months. Today I re-arranged the furniture. Yesterday I sorted through G's desk (it took almost the entire day). Next on the list--clean out the fridge. :) Of course, I'm only able to get all of this done because my Mom took L and A home with her for three days. :) I'm sure once I have all four girls on my own, my outlook and energy level will be quite different.

But for now, things are looking good. :)

2009-10-23T09:08:00.001-07:00

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She's here!!!

2009-10-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

C joined our family last Thursday evening, October 15th. She was two weeks early. Here is the story for anyone who's interested. :)

At 3:30 I headed off to Costco with all three girls in tow. On the way there I started feeling contractions and considered going home. But I really needed to get some things, and I figured they would stop. About 10 minutes into our shopping trip I realized I needed to get out of there. :) The contractions were about 5 minutes apart and growing in intensity. I told the girls we needed to hurry. It didn't go over too well with them, since they love to taste all of the samples, but we got out of there pretty quick. As soon as I was outside Costco (4:30) I called G and told him that I thought I was in labor. He left work immediately and picked up a babysitter on his way home. We arrived at the hospital and I told them my history. It was obvious I was in labor (I could no longer walk during contractions) so they checked me immediately. Sure enough I was dilated to 4 cm. They admitted me immediately, bypassing a lot of the standard protocol stuff, which I really appreciated. I asked for an epidural right away, only because I knew it would take FOREVER to actually get it (which it did---about 2 hours).

I was very happy with my ability to stay on top of the contractions. By the time the epidural came, I was definitely ready for it though. However, it did not work as well as ones I've had in the past. My right side was completely numb, but my left side was not. The pain was dulled, but I still felt quite a bit. The worst part was that the last hour or so I felt almost everything. I was surprised, since I have had epidurals in the past and felt completely nothing. The doctor told me I had what she liked to call an "epidural light." Basically it had worn off by the time the baby was descending through the birth canal. Now, why would I ask for an epidural if I wanted to feel the baby coming at the end?????!!!!! Anyway, I survived. I only had to push for 10 minutes, so I shouldn't complain too much. She was born at 11:12 pm.

Here are some pictures of her. So far we think she looks like a mix of all of our family members, which is kind of fun!

One of my favorites

R was very unsure about the baby in the hospital. She wanted nothing to do with her. Now that we're home, she is doing much better. She giggles every time she sees C and says, "baby" over and over again.

Daddy and C

A admiring C. She was SO excited to hold her.

This picture makes me laugh. I thought I was smiling SO BIG! Apparently I'm a little tired. :)

Another cute one

The girls painted a picture for C.

I thought this one was cute because L's legs are crossed. She wants so much to be a grown-up. L is completely enamored with C. She is going to be a great helper! :)

Baby on Friday?

2009-10-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I spent 6 of the longest hours of my life yesterday in Labor and Delivery. I went in because I was nervous that I was leaking amniotic fluid. Can I just say how much I detest teaching hospitals??? The time it takes to work through the chain of command is ridiculous. Yesterday I was the guinea pig of 1 nursing student, 2 OB interns, and 1 OB resident. It was SO obnoxious. Even the nurses were upset with how long I was there. What should have taken 1.5 hours took 6 hours! Ridiculous!

Long story short, I am not leaking fluid, which is good. However my blood pressure was high and they were toying with the idea of inducing me while I was there. I tried to explain that my BP was high because I was so irritated after being there so long, and because that tiny room induces anxiety because of my last experience there (quick un-medicated delivery of Rose). But they didn't seem to care about that. Finally they decided to run some tests and let me go home for a few days to let the baby grow for a little longer. So on Friday morning (Oct 16th) I go in for the test results (and no doubt, MORE tests) and then they'll decide if they want to induce me that day or wait until the 22nd (which is already scheduled).

Honestly, I REALLY want them to induce me on Friday. I'm already dilated to 3cm and I am so afraid of going into labor and having a repeat of my experience with R. After spending 6 hours there yesterday, I'm convinced that if I'm not induced, I'll end up with an un-medicated, scary delivery just like last time. So I'm laying low for the next couple of days and really, really hoping that the doctor wants to induce me on Friday. Wish me luck!!! :)

Overheard conversation

2009-10-09T11:01:00.001-07:00

Today L and A were outside playing "barbie" and this is what I heard:

A: But why are you poisoning me?

L: Because I want to be queen!!!! (evil laugh)

A: OH...that's great.

L: I will be queen forever! (evil laugh)

A: (thinks about this for a second then says) Okay, you can poison me.

I was dying laughing because this is a perfect illustration of A and Li's personalities. L calls the shots, and A just rolls with it! "Sure! You can poison me. No problem!" :)

Handle with care

2009-10-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

This is how #3 is preparing to treat her new baby sister (#4):

No Halloween Baby!!!

2009-09-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

Today I had my 36 week OB appointment. Everything looks great. We discussed my history of fast deliveries, and my OB said he will induce me at 39 weeks if I haven't delivered by then. YEAH!!! So that means I have an end date--Oct. 22nd or thereabouts. He is doubtful that I'll even make it that far, but either way, that means in 3 weeks (or less) I'll have a little baby. I am so ready to be done with pregnancy and move forward with this transition in our lives. I can't wait to see what she looks like! I can't wait to hold her!

Now if only we could come up with a name for her....

Grown up

2009-09-28T20:25:00.001-07:00

Daddy: L, go to bed.
L: Why do I have to go to bed? I'm older than A and R!
D: Yes, but you're still a little girl.
L (defiantly): That's what everyone says, but it's NOT TRUE - I'm almost a grown-up!

Homeschooling

2009-09-22T19:23:00.001-07:00

We began formally homeschooling L last January after she turned five. She was ready for so much more than preschool could offer, and her birthday fell such that she missed the deadline to start Kindergarten. G and I had some reservations about our local school, and so we decided (at least for now) to homeschool.

I don't think I fit into the mold of your typical homeschooler. I tend to see both sides of the coin when it comes to education. I can see many pluses and minuses to homeschooling, and the same goes for public schools. I had a very positive experience in public school, for the most part. I made great friends and I have a lot of fun memories. The most common concern raised with homeschooling is the "S" word...socialization. :) I have to admit that I have my concerns as well. But the question is whether that concern is large enough for me to ignore all of my other concerns with public school. Right now, the answer is no.

I have really had a fun time homeschooling this past year. I never envisioned myself doing this, and so I was pretty intimidated to start. I have a good friend in my ward who has helped me a lot. But mostly I just had to dive in to see what I was getting myself into. I'm surprised at how rewarding it is to teach L...to watch her grasp a new concept...or read a book that I never thought she could. It is amazing to watch her grow...and I love it! And I feel like I'm learning right along with her. It's just really fun!

The one drawback I have seen so far is that I RARELY get a break. I know most parents look forward to sending their kids off to school so they can have some quiet time to get things done. That doesn't exist with homeschooling. Grocery shopping, housecleaning, etc take place with ALL the kids...which can be very trying at times. There have definitely been moments when I've wanted to ship Liberty off to school in order to have some peace and quiet. But for now, it's doable and we're surviving. :)

As for socialization, I'm doing my best to keep her actively socializing with other kids. Aside from primary each week, we go to a weekly playgroup. We try to have play dates as often as possible (but this is more complicated during the school year when her friends go to public school). She is also involved in gymnastics. After the baby comes, she'll start ballet. We skipped soccer this year because of my pregnancy, but she wants to do it next year. I have to admit that as I watch my friends literally go crazy driving their kids to and from school, and then off to extra-curricular stuff, all the while trying to squeeze in homework and everything else, that I find myself grateful for the route I have chosen. Our days are relaxed for the most part and we seem to have more time. I'm really excited about how things are going. :)

Happy Birthday A

2009-08-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today my little A is 4 years old. I can hardly believe it!

Some things I love about A:

1. She is so generous. She shares very willingly with her sisters. She even offered to give half of her birthday money to L. :)

2. She has the cutest giggle.

3. She bounces everywhere. From the time she could walk she has been running and jumping!

4. She has such a likable personality. She's just a sweetheart.

5. She is ALWAYS in dress-up clothes. I should never have bought 3T summer clothes. Every day she wears a ballet leotard, her swimsuit, or her gymnastics outfit.

Here are some pictures of her as she has grown over the years.

Happy Birthday A!!! I love you!

Love, Mommy

Motherhood

2009-08-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

My brother recently sent me this movie trailer:

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810025319/video/15003090

I'm not sure if I'll like the movie or not. There are some things that look pretty realistic, and of course some things that are extreme. That's Hollywood for you. But the trailer got me thinking...

Before I was a stay-at-home mom, I worked for 5 years as a social worker with handicapped infants and toddlers. The job was very demanding, emotionally draining, and extremely rewarding. I was busy, busy, busy...or so I thought.

Staying at home with my first daughter was an adjustment, but I never desired to return to my old job. She was an easy baby--slept a lot, generally happy, etc. A couple of years later, we added daughter #2. That's when life as a stay-at-home mom began to change. Then daughter #3 came along, and now in a few months--daughter #4! I had NO IDEA how much work would be involved in having a family. I had NO IDEA how much chaos would ensue at my house. I had NO IDEA how exhausted I would be.

But I also had NO IDEA how much joy would come from watching my children learn and grow. It is truly the greatest blessing in my life! I now have an immense respect for women who are able and choose to stay at home with their children. For some it has required great sacrifice of material things, but it is all worth it (I recognize that some women really want to stay at home and cannot. If that is you, please do not be offended by this post).

I've been thinking about all of the jobs that are entailed in being an at-home mom. Here is the list I've come up with:

1. Teacher

2. Chef

3. Housekeeper

4. Taxi Driver

5. Psychologist

6. Nanny/Babysitter

7. Financial planner/Accountant

8. Child Development Specialist

That's a pretty extensive list, don't you think? Do you have anything to add? :)

On top of being ALL of those things (all at once, I might add), you also have to do it on very little sleep, 24 hours a day, with essentially no vacation time. There are no weekends, no summer breaks...NADA! And let's not forget that our husbands need some of our time and energy as well.

So to all of those stay-at-home moms out there, I just want to say, "You're AWESOME!"

The reason we have so many girls

2009-08-08T21:46:00.000-07:00

click on this link: here.

Venice Beach

2009-08-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

We just came back from a R Family Reunion down in Venice Beach. It was a blast! We stayed in an awesome house right on the beach. L and A thought the ocean was the best thing ever! G spent a lot of time body surfing. And R...well, she didn't like the beach too much. She hated touching the sand and water; G and I had to take shifts with her at the beach house. But it didn't really matter. We had a GREAT time!

L, A, cousin D, cousin E, and The Muscle Man (Uncle C)

A, Aunt C, cousin D and L jumping over the waves.

L agreed to be buried in the sand! Haha!

A and L posing on the beach. I LOVE this picture!

Our family

L, A, cousin D, Uncle G, cousin E, and G sporting bubble beards in the hot tub.

Playing on the beach

A building a sand castle

Our view from the house/balcony. It was awesome!

Thanks G and G for an awesome family vacation. We had a great time!!!

Conversation

2009-07-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

Daddy had been helping L do flips. He sat on the ground in front of L, held her by the shoulders, then kicked her up and over him in a flip while he tipped onto his back. L landed on her feet just beyond his head. L requested numerous repetitions of this. The following conversation ensued:

L: A., do you want to do a flip with Daddy?

A: (without taking her eyes off of Daddy, slowly shakes her head No).

L: Come on! It's just like gymnastics, only different.

Growing up

2009-07-20T16:16:00.001-07:00

I haven't had much to blog about lately.

Today I took pictures of my girls and I saw something that I've been trying to avoid--L is growing up; she's a "school girl." :( I have seen a tremendous change in her over the past 6 months. She seems to excel in everything she tries. I'm so proud of her! But I am so sad that she has lost that baby/little girl look. She'll be six in December. I can't believe that 1/3 of the time she'll be here at home with me has already passed me by!!!! I've always been told that "they grow up fast" and I'm starting to see that. I'm suddenly wanting to slow time down.

Don't get me wrong. I love the independence that comes with this age. It is so nice to have a child who can get her own snacks, help me find things in the grocery store, and will read her sisters a book. I love watching her learn new things, such as telling time, reading, and counting money. It is so fun to watch her discover the world in an academic way. I LOVE homeschooling her. We have such a blast!

I guess I'm just realizing that I won't have my "little girls" forever. So for now, I'm going to rock my babies, cuddle with them on my lap, and play house as much as I can.....

I love my girls!

Bad Day Spending

2009-06-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been going over our family budget--AGAIN! It seems like I always do really well for a couple of months, and then start to slack until I realize that we're not saving as much as we'd like. And then I re-evaluate, and start again.

Being at the end of the month, things always get a bit tight. I usually do okay, until I have a really bad day...and then I need some extra cash. :) I'm not sure where this idea stemmed from, but for some reason when I have a bad day, I'm sure I DESERVE something a little extra. This is why I am trying to convince G to add a category to our budget: Bad Day Spending. :) I'm kind of joking, but not really.

My bad days seems to get much better if I do something out of the ordinary, such as buy an ice cream, splurge on a cute pair of shoes, or take the girls somewhere fun. Last night I had one of these moments, and bought myself a new wallet. Granted, I've have been in need of one for a while and bought it at Marshalls for 1/3 the normal retail cost, but still--it was not in the budget. I never know how to deduct these expenses. Those who are extremely disciplined will tell me not to spend the money in the first place. :) When we were in medical school, money was so tight that I did just that---I rarely spent a dime because we didn't have very many. But now that we have a little flexibility in the budget, I find it hard not to run through the drive-thru on a day when everything has gone wrong and I just haven't had time (or the energy) to cook. Or to say no to a really cute new book for the girls. Or to stay clear of Blockbuster video. The list goes on!

So, I'm curious...am I the only one who does this?

TRICKED

2009-06-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well, so much for mother's intuition...we had our ultrasound today and we are having ANOTHER girl! :) I can hardly believe it! This entire pregnancy I have been sure this baby was a boy. Talk about a shock. Of course I am happy though...and I'm glad for R. She'll have a sister close in age which will be really fun for her. Not to mention that we have EVERYTHING we need for a girl. :) So, that's our news... :)

Lemonade for Sale!!!

2009-06-01T14:43:00.001-07:00

L is always asking me to tell her stories of when I was a little girl. When she heard that I used to sell lemonade, she HAD to do it! We sat outside for 45 minutes and the girls made $7. NOT BAD! We have a great location. We live on a corner down the street from an elementary school. A lot of parents/kids stopped on their way home from school. The girls did a great job and had LOTS of fun. They are already begging to do it again! :)

Grandpa comes to town!

2009-06-01T14:29:00.001-07:00

This weekend Grandpa R came for a visit. He asked the girls what they wanted to do, and of course the vote was unanimous--Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Grandpa, being the softy that he is, agreed. :) We had an awesome time.

R smiled the whole day even though she never slept a wink!

L was super brave on this one. Grandpa said it felt like it was going 80 mph. L LOVED it and begged to go again--but Grandpa couldn't stomach another time around. :)

This is the sweetest shot of R while she is watching the girls on the swing ride. As soon as she can walk (completely on her own) she'll be allowed to go on these rides with an adult.

A enjoying her cotton candy during the whale and dolphin show.

Cute one of Grandpa and the girls.

The swings. I think they rode these 5 or 6 times in a row!

This is L's first "adult" roller coaster. She LOVED it! She is such a daredevil!

Glasses

2009-06-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

I had to post these pictures because they are SOOOO cute! :)

WE LOVE YOU R!

2009-05-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st Birthday, R! I can hardly believe R turned 1 yesterday! Where has the time gone? We celebrated R's birthday by eating her favorite food for dinner (waffles and strawberries) followed by presents and cake. Here are some pictures of the party fun. Unfortunately R is obsessed with trying to grab the camera, so getting a good picture of her is pretty much impossible!

L wrote a book for R called R the Beautiful Princess.

R LOVED the stuffed bunny from Auntie K! She loved it so much, she tried to eat it. :)

Playing with her new electronic car keys.

One of R's presents was a box of tissue to use however she wished. She enjoyed pulling them out and tearing the tissues into tiny pieces. :) L and A had fun with this gift as well! :)

We didn't get any pictures of R with her cake (just video). She didn't like it at all, and ended up just squishing it and throwing it! Yuck! What a mess to clean up!

We feel so blessed to have R in our family. She is such a happy, easy going baby. Her name fits her perfectly. We love our sweet, little R! :)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2009-05-15T12:54:00.001-07:00

G with his yummy dessert!

L made this card for G. He LOVED the picture of him on his bike! :)

G's birthday was yesterday. We celebrated by making his favorite--strawberry shortcake. The girls were so excited to give him the presents they picked out (a bike light and some shirts). G spent the rest of the evening on the phone. Between all of our family members calling, he was on the phone for 3 hours. :) Luckily, he and I will get to celebrate this weekend by going out!

Tooth Fairy Time

2009-05-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

L is ecstatic that she has lost her first tooth!

It's a boy???????????

2009-05-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

Today G took me down to the radiology dept for a sneak peek at this baby. We were hoping to get a clear shot so we could announce with 100% confidence whether it's a boy or girl...but no such luck. We are 80% sure it is a boy...but I think G is afraid to say it. :) He kept saying, "I think maybe I'm hallucinating, but I think I see something there. :) LOL!!! He was not hallucinating; I saw it too. :) I may not be medically trained to read ultrasounds, but I've seen three girls and this one definitely looks different. G is still worried about being tricked. So for now, we think it's a boy...but we'll just have to wait and see.

We have a garden!!!

2009-05-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to plant a garden for some time now. We've never been able to because of space (we've been renting for 7 years). So we are so excited to say that we FINALLY have a garden. A friend from church came over to examine our yard and found the only spot which would receive enough sunlight. Then he built our garden box for us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!

We have planted peppers, tomatos, snap peas, green beans, zucchini, lettuce, brocolli, carrots, parsley, and basil. It is so much fun to watch everything sprout. :) The girls love checking the garden each day (and watering it). But G is the one who has really been in love with the garden. I think he goes outside to check on it about 15 times/day. :) It's nice that he's so involved with it. It's sort of his baby. :)

Six Flags

2009-04-28T08:48:00.001-07:00

For a gift last Christmas, we received season passes to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Finally, we had a chance to use them. None of us had been there before, and it was a total blast! We can't wait to go again! L and A were beside themselves! They LOVED the dolphin show and their favorite ride was the swings that go up really high...not a big surprise since all they want to do at the park is swing! :) R was an angel. She didn't sleep the entire day, but remained happy. Actually, slap happy is more like it! She was so giggly by the time the park closed. It's nice to have a baby that is happy when she is tired, as opposed to cranky and screaming. :) Here are a few pictures of us enjoying our time there. For some reason I didn't take any of R. Oops.

Baby #4

2009-04-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I am excited to finally announce to everyone that we are expecting baby #4 in October. I can hardly believe that I'm going to have four children under the age of six. I must be crazy! :) Now that the first trimester is over (and the nausea has faded), I am excited to meet this new addition to our family.

We are naturally hoping for a boy. But, a girl would be extremely convenient since we already have everything we need. We don't own any trucks, trains, swords, or guns, so a boy would really create a stir in our princess world! :) Luckily I know a great radiologist (my husband, for those of you who don't know) who can do an early ultrasound to check the sex of the baby. We should know in about a month. YEAH!!!

Here Comes the Bride

2009-03-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

L has known Mr. I since birth. They were born 2 days apart, in the same hospital. Mr. I is the son of my best friend, M, and G's best friend, M. For the first two years of life they played together EVERY day. They absolutely adored each other.

Then we moved. They have seen each other on average about once a year. At such a young age, you'd think they'd forget about each other and move on to new friends. But not L. No, not only has she not forgotten Mr. I, she is determined to MARRY him. Where she got this idea is beyond me, but she has been talking about it since she was three years old. And apparently Mr. I likes this idea, because last time he visited our house, he asked L to marry him. (Please keep in mind this has come with NO encouragement from either set of parents).

A few months back L asked me if all girls take their husband's last name when they get married. She then informed me that one day she will be L H. Uhhh, how old are you????

I can't believe how often she talks about getting married. Yesterday she wanted to watch The Sound of Music. When Maria was walking down the aisle to Captain VonTrapp, L said, "I love this part. It always brings a tear to my eye." Ha ha! And no kidding, she had a tear in her eye! Again, how old is this girl? Is this normal for a 5 year old? I don't think so.

Anyway, here are some pics of L and her honey. :)

Holding hands at 5 months.

Already listening to her heart! :)

Best Friends!!!

Who knows? Maybe L and Mr. I really did fall in love as babies. We'll just have to wait another 15 years to find out!