Memorial Day!

For Memorial Day we went down to my parent's house to BBQ and swim. The weather was obliging and the kids loved their first pool experience of the summer. Aaron got a kick out of the water, especially when my parents heated the jacuzzi water to about 85 degrees so it wasn't as cold! He was perfectly content to sit with Dan and enjoy the water. The girls had a blast. Eileen was cautious at first since it's been awhile since she was in a pool, but once she got comfortable, she was kicking herself around the pool like a pro. (with supervision of course.) Anna was still trying to understand what you can and can't do in the pool, but quickly discovered that she loved to splash. Grandma, Grandpa, Daddy, Mommy, Eileen...the dog...basically anyone she could manage to reach with her cute little kicking legs. We also pulled out a floatie thing that we had for her last year, afraid that she wouldn't sit in if for very long (since she hadn't sat in it long last year) but she loved it. I think, in part, because it looked like what Eileen was doing. My sweet little girls. :)

Dan the Birthday Boy

Yesterday Dan turned 28. The kids and I decided to spoil him by giving him a 'perfect day.' When he got up he had to run to the school to drop off stuff for the sub. When he came back he found a breakfast of muffins, fresh fruit, cinnamon rolls, yogurt, orange juice and eggs waiting for him. After that we met my dad and our friends Mark, Michelle and Tava for a morning out on the boat. We spent a beautiful morning in the sunshine, wake boarding and water skiing until the kids got tired, and our legs felt like jelly! After, we went home and Dan spent the afternoon relaxing and playing games while I made his favorite Devil's Food Chocolate cake. Around 6 we had my parents and some friends over for a little party. We had a yummy dinner of Fajitas with homemade guacamole and salsa, and chicken and veggies and beans and rice. The kids ran amok out side, soaking them selves and each other and playing on the swing set. The parents ate and talked. Then Dan blew out his candles and we all had cake and ice cream. I didn't have 28 candles, but i had some number candles, I had two 2's and two 3's so i put all of them on reasoning that 3+3+2=8 and then the other 2 would be for the 20. Eileen eagerly helped blow out the candles. Eileen spent the day calling Dan the birthday boy and telling him happy birthday. Then we put the kids to bed and watched a movie while we cleaned up. All in all, it was a nice day, and I think Dan got a taste of just how special he is to me, and how glad I am that he was born! Happy Birthday my love!

Breakfast at the Zoo

This morning we went to the Dallas zoo with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Sandi for a special breakfast at the zoo. After enjoying breakfast burritos and fruit, we went to feed the sting rays. Then we got to watch the penguins eat and rode on a 4-d sponge bob ride. The ride included moving seats, which the girls didn't like, but they liked the rest of it. Finally we went to the petting zoo area. Anna LOVED petting the bunny and guinea pig. We had a hard time getting her to leave and let another kid go. She was so sweet and gentle. At this point we were all getting tired (except Aaron who was fast asleep in the stroller) so we started to head out when Eileen (who is getting very good at stalling) decided that we just had to go to the bird area. So we did, and for the first time, she was brave enough to let one of the birds stay on her. The bird walked right onto her arm, and she sat there patiently, then the bird moved up her arm to her shoulder. She loved it and we had a hard time convincing her that we were all hungry and needed to go eat lunch. All in all, we had a fun filled morning full of new experiences and fun family memories.

Solids

This week Aaron had his first taste of solid foods (well as solid as rice cereal can be anyway) He did well and seemed to like it though he's got a ways to go before he is comfortable with the whole spoon thing, but so far so good, and I can't believe how big he is getting! Best of all, that night he slept for nearly 10 hours, then woke up and ate, and slept for another 5 hours. The only problem with this was that he didn't want to go to sleep that night.

My 4 Month old Baby!

Aaron had his 4 month check up yesterday. Our little boy is as healthy as can be and perfectly average in size. In all stats, he was in the 50th percentile. He is 24 3/4 inches long. He weighs 15 lb 1 oz. The doctor says he is doing well, that his head control and general progress are good, and that he is over all a healthy little boy. Then the nice doctor left and sent in the nurse with the SHOTS!!!!! Oh my poor baby boy!!!! It took him a few seconds to realize what was going on, then he cried like he'd been mortally wounded! :( Eileen then proceeded to tell me all about how when she had gotten her shots she had screamed and cried too, which oddly enough is untrue, at least not since she was 1. Her last few sets of shots have been accomplished without screams, or trouble at all. At most she cried for a second until she saw her cool band aid! Then Anna promptly upturned her cup (her new favorite pass-time) and we hurriedly cleaned it up and got out of there! Anyway! Fun times! The kids are healthy and I'm happy...now :)

Bag Tag

Ok so I've been tagged to reveal the contents of my bag, but unlike most mothers, i haven't made my diaper bag my purse. They are kept very separate. My purse is MY SPACE and my diaper bag is THE KIDS SPACE! So since Lori gave me the option of choosing which one to dump, I am choosing the easier, and far less embarrassing diaper bag! So here we go...the diaper bag in all it's glory.

1. All the papers that the doctor gave us at Aaron's 4 month checkup yesterday.
2. A changing pad
3. A bible picture book
4. Two magnet play sets - one princess one and one veggie dress up one(similar to mr potato head, but 2d)
5. Lots of diaper, in size 4 for Anna, and size 2 for Aaron, hopefully in a few months we can eliminate the first!
6. Jesus Loves Me book
7. Two straw cups with water in them
8. one block...i cleared out all the others, and missed this one...
9. a nursing cover up drape thingy...
10. wipes
11. Spare set of clothes for Aaron, including a sleeper, socks and drool bib. I should note that 2 days ago i had a spare set for each kid, but Eileen's and Anna's were used on Sunday and have not yet been replaced.
12. one toy car
13. diaper rash cream
14. child information packs (not filled out :{ )
15. A compact comb and mirror set that my girls love
16. plastic bags for dirty diapers and garbage.
17. Spare panties for Eileen, (not really sure why these are still in here, she's never had an accident, and is REALLY good about letting me know when she needs to go.)
18. A small shapes board book
19. A small piece of the program from Sunday??? How did that get there... :)

So there you have it. Not too bad you say?? Like I said, i chose the easy out! My purse contents would have taken 10 times longer to list and any one bored enough to read the whole list would have seriously wondered about me after. Besides its been a LONG time since i cleaned it out, and i'm not sure i really want to know whats in there after all....
OK the moment of truth! I tag Marjory and Claire.

Mother's Day

How blessed am I!!! I have had a wonderful Mother's Day. We were woken up this morning by a call from my in-laws who are on a mission in Malaysia. It's always so nice to talk to them. I am truly blessed to have a wonderful mother in law who loves me and sets such a wonderful example to me! Next, my Husband treated me to homemade cinnamon rolls, which he had stayed up late last night to make. They were delicious! I am so blessed to have a thoughtful husband who can cook! After that we all got ready to go to church where I got to listen to the primary (minus a grumpy Eileen) sing "Love is spoken here" Our ward handed out cards to the women that were covered with things that the primary children had written and drawn about their mothers. After church I was greeted by two excited children who had made gifts for me during nursery and primary. I am blessed to have a wonderful ward where people care for each other and love each other. Next we headed to my parent's house where we put the kids down for a nap and then Dan took care of Aaron and making dinner while I took a much needed nap on the couch. (Refer to thoughtful husband blessing!) After a delicious dinner, we sat down and watched a few old home movies that my Dad recently had converted to DVD. I got to watch my sister and I as young girls and thought of how blessed I am to have parent's who love and care for me, and how grateful I am for their support and encouragement throughout my life. Finally, we went home and I was given this adorable card.How blessed I am to have sweet, talented children, and once again, a wonderful husband! Finally after the girls were in bed, My sweet husband made brownies that we snacked on while my cute little boy wiggled on the floor giggling as I tickled him. Can I just say again how blessed I am to be married to Dan! How sweet, and thoughtful and helpful he is, and not just on Mother's Day, he's always this wonderful! (though he doesn't make cinnamon rolls and brownies everyday, and that's a good thing!) Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mother's in my life! I Love You!

My Fun Night

Now as you read this you may wonder, what fun place did she go and whatexciting things did she do? My answer? I stayed home. I played Tag and Hide and Seek with my kids. Ok so not the most exciting thing in the world, but we had lots of fun, running around the house and tickling each other while trying to get each other. Since none of my kids are old enough to really 'get' tag, we mostly just ran around the house yelling and trying to catch someone else. Eileen eventually tired of that and said she wanted to play a new game, so Dan asked her what she wanted to play, and she said she wanted to play 'racing tag.' We weren't quite sure how that was different from what we had been doing, so I suggested Hide and Seek. She decided that sounded like fun, so we all took turns hiding and finding each other. As you may guess, since they don't really 'get' tag, they don't really 'get' hide and seek either. Eileen ran to hide and as i walked around pretending i didn't know where she was saying things like:"Is she in the closet??" Eileen would answer: "Nooooooo I'm not in there!" Then it was her turn, andI had a blast tonight. Daddy showed her how to sit in the rocking chair and close her eyes and count to ten. So here she is counting to ten. Now of course Anna has to do everything her sister does, so as soon as Eileen finished, Anna climbed into the rocking chair and started saying "nie, nie, nie, nie, nie, teh!!!" Using the same inflections that Eileen uses when she counts. Of course Dan taught them by example, can you see the resemblence? Now all of this was followed by Eileen's demands for dog piling on Daddy. So with all the kids joining in, Dan was dog piled! So why was tonight so fun? I got to run around with my kids and watch them have fun, and really, what could be better than that!

Crazy Week Update

So the word is that Dan's name was not supposed to be on that list that his unit sent out, in part because as an IRR person, he isn't actually in that unit anymore. So how did his name get on the list? We don't know, but hope that this all gets fixed soon!

We found the solid proof today in a pile of mail from this week, that Dan's name doesn't belong on the list, Dan received his Proof of Honorable Discharge from the Utah National Guard. So while he can get called up by the country if necessary, he can not get called up through his old unit.

Crazy Week!!!

Well, as the title indicates, this has been kind of a crazy week. Apparently April is a very popular birthday month, because I have been to 4 birthday parties in the last week. In addition, we have had family engagements, errands, house work, home and visiting teaching, ward parties, and scouts. Aunt Sandi and Uncle Jon came down for the weekend, and we all got together on Sunday to celebrate Sandi's birthday. The girls loved being with them and grandma and grandpa.
So as if all that weren't enough to keep us running around like chickens with our heads cut off, we got a call today that has set our minds reeling. Dan got a call from some guys in his National Guard unit. Apparently Dan's name has been put on a list of people to call up to Afghanistan, if people are needed. So what does this mean exactly?? Well maybe nothing, or maybe a 12 to 18 month stint in Afghanistan. Strangely enough I haven't managed to get scared this time. Maybe my faith is stronger than before, or maybe the Lord is watching over me giving me peace, but I am calm, knowing that weather he goes or not, it is the Lord's will, and he will watch over us. Obviously we would all prefer to have him stay here, but whatever His will, I know he is looking out for us. I remember being VERY nervous when Dan talked about going to Afghanistan the first time he went in 2004, now, I'm not, what that means, I don't know, but I do know that whatever happens, we will get through it.

Deanna the Baker

So in an effort to improve on our food storage, and to actually start using it, I decided to try my hand at home made bread. Thinking that if this works, we would replace our usual store bought loaf with the more nutritious home made variety. So last night, having acquired all necessary ingredients, I set to work. I have to say that I kept being reminded of the little red hen, granted I didn't grow the wheat, but I did grind it, and bake the bread. Fortunately, I have a wonderful husband who will help, unlike the friends of the little red hen. The above picture is the result. I have to say that for my first effort, it was pretty good! It wasn't too heavy, it tasted good, and over all, it was actually edible. Now I am faced with the question of how best to store these yummy loaves so that they last? And thus, with my first success, my new life as a baker of breads begins! Wish me luck!

Sprinkler Fun

This last week Dan decided to turn the sprinklers on and make sure they were working. He then sent the girls outside to play. Eileen loved it. She hiked up her skirt and ran through the water until they turned off. Anna was curious at first, then she managed to take a direct hit to her backside. From that point on she decided that she wasn't so crazy about it and came inside.

Aaron Rolls Over

Aaron was so proud of himself!. I laid him down on the floor on his tummy last night so I could go in search of my phone, when I came back, he was on his back. I looked at Dan who was sitting 3 feet away and asked (knowing the answer) if he had rolled Aaron over. He of course said that he hadn't, and looked back at Aaron smiling like crazy on his back. I said "I put him on his tummy..." Dan responded, "he's not on his tummy" to which I replied "yep." So while neither of us was watching, he rolled over for the first time. I think it might have been something of an accident since we haven't managed to get him to repeat his performance, and I didn't think he was even close to rolling oven since he never seems to be trying to. But was sure excited with himself (or with my effusions of praise, once I had figured out what had happened)

ABC's

A- Attached or Single? Attached
B- Best Friend? Dan
C- Cake or Pie? my pumpkin chiffon pie, but Dan's devil's food cake
D- Day of Choice? Saturday
E- Essential Item? scrunchi, think I've worn my hair in one for the better part of the last 10 years...sad i know
F- Favorite Color? blue maybe...
G- Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms? worms, although it is fun to decapitate the bears and switch their heads around, am I sick?
H- Hometown? San Jose, CA
I- Favorite Indulgence? ummm, not sure I can pick just one...maybe sleeping? lol
J- January or July? July
K- Kids? Eileen (3), Anna (1) Aaron (2 mo)
L- Life isn't complete without? My family and the gospel.
M- Marriage date? Aug. 2, 2002
N- Number of brothers and sisters? 1 younger sister
O- Oranges or Apples? Apples
P- Phobias and Fears? None that i will admit even to myself
Q- Quality or Quantity? depends on the item, generally quality, but there are exceptions
R- Reason to smile? My handsome son asleep in my arms
S- Season of choice? Spring, or summer
T- Tag three people? Janelle, Barb, Michelle
U- Unknown fact about me? Ummm, i don't know, i'm a history buff, don't know how "unknown" that is, but it's the best I could come up with.
V- Vegetable? cucumbers
W- Worst Habit? Slouching and playing on the computer too much while ignoring my kids :)
X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound
Y- Your favorite food? pasta
Z- Zodiac Sign? virgo

The Dentist

So the title is a little scary, but the trip was anything but. We got there and the first part was convincing her to get in the chair. It really helped that they had all come with me to my appointment just over a week ago. Anna quickly convinced Eileen to climb into the chair by doing so herself. Then of course we had to convince her to open her mouth, fortunately this also went well. Eileen sat patiently while following instructions while she had her teeth cleaned, flossed and even x-rayed. All of this was helped by an excellent dental technician who was really good with her. I could see Eileen positively beaming as the tech told her that she was the best patient she had had all day. Urged on by compliments, the promise of a new tooth brush and the hope of a small toy if she behaved well, she was a perfect angel for the whole time! I am much encouraged, as i had greatly feared that she would close up like a clam and fight it the whole way. Anyway, the pick is showing off her beautiful pearly whites (which the Dentist said she was doing a GREAT job of brushing--more smiles from Eileen) and of course the tiger she picked out as her toy for having done such a great job! Mommy thought the 1 dollar gift well earned, and well worth the lack of insanity it helped to promote. Leaving me to say, at the end of the trip that life is great and my children are WONDERFUL!!!