5 MONTHS?????

Has it been 5 months already????

I absolutely LOVE this baby girl SOOOO much!!!
She's always happy!!
Cali is the best sleeping baby I've ever had!!
She is full of smiles!
She is just about ready to crawl...she pushes herself up on her tummy and I'm preparing for a mobile baby soon!
No one can resist her and her sweetness!
We LOVE you baby Cali!!

And of course, we LOVE you, too, Maddox!!
He's the best boy!
Maddox is full-on swimming completely on his own now!!
I knew the summer would get him through with no swim lessons,
just lots of help and encouragement from mommy and daddy!
He is such a silly boy, always making us laugh!
Maddox does chores and gets paid for them. He says he is saving up for a "big gun" and for his mission!! What a smart little boy he is!

my sweeties

Maddox turns 3!!!

Here we are, nana, jen, mom and I at Abby's 8th birthday party...and that was a LOT OF FUN! The kids loved bowling and can't wait to do it again! And the birthday boy requested his favorite thing ever....a Transformer birthday party!!!! little camden, swing batter!!! and little Liam! and the birthday boy!!! birthday boy's sister! birthday boy's aunt! and his favorite thing ever....the transformer cake!!!

big boy bed

Over the weekend we moved Maddox into his very own big boy bed!! He was excited, but I was hesitant because I didn't want to mess up his nap time during the day or the nighttime routine. In fact, we bought his bed frame in October, but I kept putting it off. On the whole, its been a very smooth transition and he still gets his nap in just fine. Although the last couple of nights he has gotten out of bed and crept into our room each time about 9:45...maybe I let him nap too long. He's been under the weather this week with a runny nose and swollen glands (but the dr. didn't think it was serious enough for antibiotics...ugh!) so I'm letting him sleep as long as he can. Oh what to do, what to do! He seems to be growing up too fast and getting so big. I can't believe he's almost three and will be a big brother soon!

Speaking of becoming a big brother, baby Cali moves like a wild woman. She's constantly kicking, squirming, punching...its very uncomfortable. You'd think I'd be a little more used to it being the third go, but not so much. I can remember with the last two pregnancies that the babies didn't move nearly this much. Its making me wonder as to what kind of baby she'll be. Bryanna and Maddox were angel babies, and I use angel with every meaning of the word. I anticipate meeting her and learning more about the little person she already is and hoping she'll be an easy new born baby.

Bryanna has been saying some really funny stuff lately. The other day we were watching some football on T.V. and Mark just happened to not be in the room with us.

B: Mom, are they in high school? (pointing to the football players on T.V.)

M: No, they are old like mommy and daddy.

B: Oh, so that's their work?

M: Ya, they get to play football for work!

B: But not daddy. He works at the office and talks to people.

M: Yup!

I think she empathized for Mark that maybe his job isn't as fun as playing football!

showers

We have been loving the rain here, and trying to enjoy every minute outside, even though it is pretty chilly (according to a las vegan!)




I just love these two kids and I'm so grateful I can take care of them, watch them grow, and see them develop into the wonderful little people they are becoming. This is the best time of my life.
Maddox and Bryanna are constantly playing with each other and making silly faces and poses. They really are best friends, and I'm so glad they have each other to play with. (I think it was intended truly by the Lord, they keep each other entertained to give me a little break) Maddox is totally and completely into all boy things. And Bryanna into all girl things. I love that they are complete opposites, but get along fabulously (most of the time...they both have their tiffs).

Home Depot

Yes, we do alot of projects around our house. Yes, we get our supplies mostly from Home Depot. Yes, the kids have to go with us a lot of the time. Bryanna calls it the "Boy Store" Maddox loves it because the kids always get to pick out a little treat at the cash register. So....what does this all mean??????

Monday Night: We did FHE.

FHE topic: Joseph Smith...lately Bryanna's favorite church song is "Praise to the Man"...she's been humming and singing the tune quite a bit. So we figured we'd teach her a little more about who the "man" is in the song.

FHE prayer: Maddox, the 2 year old, says the opening prayer and it goes something like this:

"Dear Heavenly Father, Thank for this day. Thank for my family. Thank you for my blessings. Thank you for Family Home Depot...."

I can't remember the rest because I was laughing and giggling that he said Family Home Depot instead of Family Home Evening.

Needless to say, we had a great lesson about Joseph Smith and tried to reiterate that we were having Family Home EVENING, but I don't think that one kicked in.

Yes, FHE has an entirely new take for our family!!!

Curse of the Curls

Most mornings, my sweet little Bryanna wakes up to her hair looking like a wild and crazy jungle girl. Its beautiful when its tame, untangled and her locks are in place. But the challenge of almost every morning is getting her hair brushed. This girl can get herself ready in the morning, except for the hair. We are working on that one. And I do feel for her. Unless we get it wet, its a bear to brush. Lately when we finally get it all brushed out she says to me, "Mom, Look how long my hair is!!" It is actually pretty long when it is straight, but then it curls up and becomes shoulder length again. This kids just wants long straight hair, and I'm afraid she's not getting it, ever. If only we were all happy and content with what we were given! I get stopped in the grocery store, at the park, practically anywhere by strangers who admire her blond locks. They think I've curled her hair for some special occasion and ask what the big day is for. Some times I just go with it so I don't have to explain why her hair is gorgeous for no reason! If she only knew the envy most people have for her hair, maybe she would appreciate it a little more. Too bad you always want what you don't have!

And for this silly boy, he's my little snuggler, cuddle bug and still gives me a kiss when I beg for one. He is content to just sit on my lap and do nothing, or let me tickle him to pieces and blow bubbles on his little belly (my favorite!) These two kiddos are the best at playing together while we are home just hanging out. That's what I've been doing for the past 6 weeks anyway with my new limited lifestyle.

There are advantages to a slower pace. My house is getting more organized, my laundry is always done and caught up, the dishes are always done, and the floor is kept, swept and clean. My fall decor is all out and looking fantastically spooky. And one more thing to add, my appetite has been cut in half, partly from the nausea and partly because I just can't exercise anymore. I'm not complaining, I'm actually happy about the loss of appetite, especially if I can't get my body moving and sweating, I don't want to pile on the pounds.

I've hit the 12 week mark, which is big for me. In the very beginning, it was getting through to the next week and hoping the baby was still going strong. Then it was getting to the 12th week in my mind that would seal the fate of the baby. Well, not much has changed, the risks are still around, but the best news is the baby is growing and getting bigger than the blood clot, so everyday I'm getting away from the reality of another miscarriage. I have been feeling optimistic and that's all a mother can do anyway. So here's to hitting 3 months!

week 11

Has it really only been 11 weeks into this pregnancy? It feels twice as long as it really is. Regardless how slow the time seems to be going, its wonderful to see the baby doing well and no new issues, the old ones are still lurking about. His arms and legs grew super long (comparatively speaking...I mean how long can they really be right about now? At least they don't look like stubs!) And he measured two days bigger than normal, so quite the growth spurt this past week. Because there is nothing new, I can wait two weeks to go back to the doctor!




On to other news, I am proud to say that my little Maddox is fully and completely potty trained, with accidents few and far between! This last week, he has made leaps and bounds. I've been potty training him the entire summer, and he has done a great job, but regressed every time we went on vacation (which was a bummer, but the beach was well worth it both times!) He made a trip to the pediatrician a few weeks ago because his eczema had gotten out of hand. I feel bad for the him because it stings and itches and it makes him especially crabby. The doctor said he'd most likely have it all through his childhood but would eventually grow out of it. So for now, we are putting cortisone cream on with some aquaphor twice a day (who knows for how long we have to do it!).


Another happening this week was our garage/my car got broken into Tuesday night. The thieves took my cell phone (of all things), my radar detector and our $400 pressure washer that was sitting in our garage. If anything makes my blood boil, its dishonest, nAsTy, crooked, disgusting (...you get the idea...) people who have no respect for others or themselves. So I have a new phone now, but lost all my contacts...all of my wonderful old and new friends & relatives, phone numbers that I need very much! So to replace them, PLEASE, please, PLEASE email me your phone numbers, so I can stay in contact with you. Whoever took my phone I hope feels at least a tinge of guilt (if not now, eventually...one day) and wants to apologize, because its such a pain in my neck!! It would make me feel better anyway.

If the culprit is reading this, I want my things back. And to everyone else reading this, email me your phone number!

new skill

My little Bryanna is more than ready to start writing her ABC's and putting letters into words. We've been working on recognition and matching letters. Just a few days ago, she was drawing and asked how to spell my name. She already knows her own name, so I thought it was so cute that she wanted to spell mine!!

Her name!

cute Maddox boy...talking like a champ! (and a dirty face!!)

the 'writer'!!

How legible is that? I haven't worked with her at all in writing, I thought it was pretty amazing!

More birthday celebration

We found this awesome tractor/back hoe at sam's club for 70% off! He Loves it, and so does his big sister!
the infamous chocolate chocolate chip bundt cake!

I can't believe he is two!!

2 at disneyland!

The birthday boy at Robinson's Family Treehouse

Hollywood Tower of Terror (don't worry, he didn't go on the ride! Bryanna and mommy did! :)

Sully was walking by on our way to the tower of terror!

the jellyfish ride at california adventure!

We love both parks!

a very tired 2 year old!

daddy and bry waiting in line for splash mountain!

Mommy and the kids

the merry-go-round...it was very merry!

those blue eyes!

on its a small world, he wouldn't let go of daddy's hand!

in toon town...waiting for the roller coaster!

daddy and birthday boy in toon town

this was maddox's and bryanna's favorite ride, short and sweet!

its a small world

couldn't have said it better myself!

first ride of the day!

loving it!

it was a fantastic, fun disney filled day! Happy Birthday Maddox!!