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

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!!!

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

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

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

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!

Some peace and quiet please?

If ever you are in need of some peaceful rest, where you can enjoy some silence...don't come to my house! G has always said that our girls have been blessed with the gift of volume. In fact, he wears ear plugs while bathing them because they are just soooo loud!

But it's not just that they are loud. They talk CONSTANTLY! When L learned to talk at 18 months of age, she never stopped! We even bought a DVD player for her to watch in the car just to give me 30 minutes of peace. Otherwise our conversations went like this:

L: Mommy, mommy, mommy?

Mommy: What?

L: (Silence)...

L: Mommy, mommy, mommy?

Mommy: What?

L: (Silence)...

When A was born she caught on quickly. She learned to talk early as well. She has the cutest giggle ever. She also has the whiniest voice ever. So it's a toss up on any given day whether she'll sound super cute or super annoying.

About a year ago, I asked a friend to watch the girls because I had to go to the doctor (I was pregnant with R). When I talked to her the next day, she asked me, "Do your girls always talk that much?" I was kind of surprised, since she has two girls of her own. "Yes," I replied, "Why?" She proceeded to tell me that she was so exhausted after listening to them and answering all of their questions for 3 hours non-stop. hahahaha! That made me so happy. So I'm not crazy for thinking that my girls are loud. I'm not crazy for craving some silence. It's okay that sometimes I think to myself, "CAN YOU JUST BE QUIET FOR TWO SECONDS???"

That brings me to R. Ah, R. She's like a breath of fresh air. She is so quiet. Occasionally she spouts out some mama, dada, baba, and even a screech, but for the most part she is content to play QUIETLY! This is completely new to me. My other girls are only quiet when food is in their mouth. Even movies don't work anymore. L asks questions CONSTANTLY during movies, so we've sadly had to make a rule that she is not allowed to ask questions until the movie is over. haha. Poor girl.

I don't mean to sound cruel. I love my girls. I just wish that every once in a while they'd play quietly, without a constant narrative of what they are doing or how they are feeling. I wish we could drive somewhere and not have them ask me 500 questions.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

I recently asked L a series of questions. Her answers were entertaining, and some of them were very cute!

L: 5 years old

1. What is something mom always says to you?
clean up your room

2. What makes mom happy?
when we help R feel better so you can do the dishes

3. What makes mom sad?
if we don't clean up our room

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
by making silly faces

5. What was your mom like as a child?
she had blonde hair that is short and she was very beautiful

6. How old is your mom?
32

7. How tall is your mom?
really, really tall

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
play with her kids

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
study her scriptures

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
because she is in the circus

11. What is your mom really good at?
taking care of kids

12. What is your mom not very good at?
I don't know. She is good at everything.

13. What does your mom do for a job?
takes care of her kids

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
shrimp pasta

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
because she takes care of us so good

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Barbie

17. What do you and your mom do together?
go on dates

18. How are you and your mom the same?
our eyes

19. How are you and your mom different?
our feet because my feet are smaller than hers

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
because she gives me hugs and kisses

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
he plays basketball

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
out