Thanksgiving!

So I seriously haven't written in about 6 months! That's terrible! Life has been so hectic for me- isn't that always the excuse as a mom?- and on top of it all, our computer crashed and we lost everything- every picture of our kids, every document, everything! It was such a bummer, and I hate posting things without pictures, so in short, I didn't. Plus, I've started a business selling jewelry- super fun- and I've joined the gym... we'll see where that leads. I have high hopes, but you never know! Anyway, computer is up and running and we actually got the camera out and took photos. So here's thanksgiving pics- Our first turkey ever, our attempted family photo (not every person is EVER looking at the camera in one photo), and Mike and I together...








On another front, Mike and I are rooting for the Ducks to win the Civil War so that we can go see the Rose Bowl in January! We haven't had a vacation since our honeymoon, and it's been almost 7 years! If they win, we're planning on (depending on finances) to go to Disneyland and maybe Universal Studios... we'll see. It would be so much fun just to be together and to be kid less (if we can even find someone to watch our kids!)!

And lastly, we're getting ready for Christmas. I've begged my husband to let me get a tree this weekend, but to no avail. He is adamant it has to be next weekend. So, in the meantime, I am getting my Willow Tree Nativity set out (which I absolutely LOVE), my village and some random decorations. I've also been listening to Christmas music since September, so now people aren't looking at me as funny, which is nice :)

Hope you all had a merry and blessed Thanksgiving!

Rachel Turned Three!

So it's about time I blogged again... I'm getting so bad at this with everything else going on in my life! Well, Rachel turned three last week, and we had a big hoopla to celebrate! We have so much family around, we decided just to do a family gathering, and then the following week we did a little one with some friends of hers. It was fun! The weekend of her party, we also had a huge father's day gathering (on Sat. though) with my mom's side of the family, and it was seriously like the best weekend of my life! I love my family so much, and to just get to sit around, eat good food, and play games ALL day and night, it was awesome! Here's a few pics of the birthday happennings and the rest of the events.















Matching Mommy and Me Aprons :)









Rachel asleep in my arms... she just couldn't handle it all!



And last, but not least, the new favorite toy...

The Challenges of Food...

So we've been trying to get Andrew to feed himseld for quite a while now... That meaning, we give him a spoon and food and let him at it! As you can see, he's not that great at it- probably 1/4 of the food actually makes it to his mouth! Anyway, here's a picture of the average every day feeding at our house. There's also a picture of Rach- no matter what age your kids become, there will always be challenging foods for them to eat. For Rach, it's popsicles! It's not quite the mess Drew makes, but still, it's a mess! Also, this picture shows her half-colored eye pretty well, if you haven't seen it... it's her left eye- one side is brown, the other blue... kind of fun! Enjoy!

Andrew's Dedication

Well, we finally did it! We got Andrew dedicated! Although he's over a year (our church usually only does baby dedication under one year, due to them wanting to get down and walk, and well, make a scene), Bucky Buchstaber pulled a few strings and got Andrew on the list to get dedicated. Today was the day and thankfully, everything went well! We didn't have nice clothes, per say, but other than that, all went off without a hitch. I was seriously concerned that Rach would throw a fit or run away, or that Andrew would scream hysterically, but they were great. Bucky did a great job with him, and I'm so glad it's over and I no longer have to worry! :) Here's a few photos of the dedication. Hope you all are enjoying the nicer weather today!

My Kids are Crazy!

So, my kids crack me up, even when what they do makes me mad, I still laugh (inside when they are looking), but sometime have to run into a room so I can laugh out loud!

The first thing that made me laugh today was Rachel at lunch. I had tried to put her down for a nap earlier, but, like every other day, she won't go to sleep. After an hour, I get her down and make her lunch. I come in about 10 minutes later, and this is how I find her! Completely still sitting up, but out like a light... Sorry she had no clothes on... it's a new phase we're trying to work through :)




The second thing, was after the kids were up from their naps (yes, I did try and transfer Rach, but it was a complete battle- I gave up, she won)... The house all of a sudden got very quiet, while I was doing my household chores...aka, folding laundry. I went downstairs and didn't see or hear the kids anywhere! And then I saw it- the slight crack in the sliding glass door- And there's Rachel, in the swing, with Andrew pushing her! I do not know how he made it outside without falling out the door and crying, but it made me laugh... they are do adventurous and are ALWAYS trying to get outside!

The third thing that made me die inside of laughter was tonight at Red Robin. Apparently, I had left a jar of baby food (yes, he still only has one tooth, so I must feed him this so he get some nutrients!) next to Andrew, because we see it fall out of the corner of our eyes, and then it happened- it was like out of a movie- something that would NEVER really happen and that plays in extra slow motion, so you can see every thing that happens. It hit the floor and went everywhere. Now you're just thinking all over the floor or something. NO. EVERYWHERE! 15 feet (I AM NOT EXAGGERATING!) all over the floor, spread over 10 feet. All over the two tables, chairs, etc. next to us, and all over the walls- it COVERED the walls! It went 12 feet high- seriously, I am not kidding! And how was it that half the jar was left over!!! Seriously, Mike and I are still wondering how it happened. Everyone around us, and yes, a few poor innocent bi-standers did get hit, were completely in awe as well... NO ONE has ever seen baby food splatter like that! I need to start carrying around my crappy little camera so I can share these moments with you guys!!!

Hope you enjoyed my fun moments!

Andrew's First Birthday!

So our little man, Andrew, turned ONE on Saturday, so we threw a big hoopla for him! It was SO much fun to have so much family over and everyone got to see his big milestones he's achieved (a tooth- finally!, crawling, walking, talking, etc). All in all it was an excellent day, perfect weather too- although his cake eating skills were highly disappointing. He didn't even eat any! He got a bit of the frosting, but that was as far as it went... so sad for the scrapbook! Anyway, here's some pics of the big day.

Andrew, showing off his walking skills...





The cake Mommy made...



















Opening presents...













Andrew and his cousin Isaac (who will be one in a few weeks!)...





A good portion of the family that was there...



One of Andrew's favorite toys...

The Places We Go...

Apparantly I go shopping with Rachel a lot, because as we drive by certain stores, she knows them by name and what we get there. For example, if she see's Costco in the distance, she will shout, "Costco... the Smoothie store!", because if they are good, I splurge and spend a whole $1.45 and buy them a smoothie and have the nice food court people split it into two cups for me, thus making my life so much nicer and the kids super happy! Other stores she does this at are Winco, for groceries, she knows, Panda Express, for chicken and noodles, Starbucks, for Hot Chocolate, Dutch Brothers for Smoothies and Not So Hot's, Target for toys, Toys R Us for toys, Disney Store, for princess stuff, Gas Station, for gas, etc... It just cracks me up hearing her shout locations and names out for some reason. Makes me realize she is growing up so fast and actually comprehends so much more than I give her credit for most times. It's so crazy how time had flown by. And Andrew is turning one in 5 DAYS!!! I cannot believe that. This year has truly

My So Called Vacation...

So, feeling like I needed to get away, I called my friend and we made plans to head to Newport for a week, with our four kids, in an attempt for some fun, lots of craft time and visiting our old stomping grounds. Well, let's just say the trip did not go as planned. I must say it was definitely fun visiting with my friend, and it was fun seeing a few others that traveled down for a day or two (especially you Jen!)... We also got a few crafty things done (but not a lot, like I was planning) and it was nice having other women around to help cook, clean, do laundry, etc... that was seriously nice. However, my whole family was sick the entire time and we were all miserable! I had gotten a bad bug (the coughing, hacking, can't sleep kind) the previous Thursday and was still fighting it (still am) the entire trip. Needless to say, half way through I gave in, went to the store and invested in Mucinex and Tylenol PM! Definitely saved my life, I think! I hardly woke up at all in the night, except when my kids did! Also, the previous Thursday, Rachel was diagnosed with a double ear infection... so, we had her on antibiotics, but she was still complaining of pain. A few days into our trip she started vomiting... the first time it just happenned to be in the middle of the Marine Hatfield Science Center... At least she got to see the new baby octopus :) I felt so bad for her. From then on, it was miserable. She continued to vomit every day and had severe diarrhea. Sorry if that's an overshare, just trying to stress the point of how bad it was for us all! Andrew had it too (hence why I have a picture of him in the sink- it got a little messy!)... poor kids. I feel like they are always sick and continually on the mend! When does it stop??? Anyway, we finally got home yesterday, an entire week later, and I can't tell you how happy I was. I just wanted Mike back, his help with the kids, and our beds, kitchen, everything! You don't realize how much you love your home, until you've been away for a while. It's nice to get back to the daily flow of things. Although, today I'm feeling a bit queasy, so hopefully I don't get what Rach had! All in all, I'm very grateful for my time away, but wish it wouldn't have been so stressful! Next time, definitely taking my precious husband with me :)



We couldn't find Andrew at one point, and finally we looked upstairs- there he was at the balcony- he had climbed two flights of stairs to get there!



Right before Rachel had her first episode... poor girl- she really was a tropper!



Andrew's highlight of the trip- he loved that ride on fire truck... he seriously couldn't get enough!