Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You

Hehe I couldn't resist, I love Jane Austen! - Go figure, Dan wouldn't take this one... :)

Take the Quiz here!

Teeth and Melons

Hee hee, so today was full of discoveries for me. This morning I looked in Aaron's mouth and found a new tooth. He now has a grand total of 3 teeth! 2 on the bottom and one on the top. y second discovery came this evening when I went out to water the garden. I discovered that our first cantaloupe had finally reached ripe-ness. I leaned over to look at something, and caught a delicious scent coming from our largest and first melon. So we picked it, brought it inside and cut it up. So our garden this year hasn't been a total failure!!! We got some produce! I'd tell you how good it was, but...well I don't actually like cantaloupe, but Dan says that it's good, and I'm sure I'll hear how great it is from the kids tomorrow. :)

Happy Pioneer Day!

Ok so I realize that it isn't exactly pioneer day yet... but our ward had a pioneer day breakfast this weekend and it seemed silly to wait 4 more days to post on it, especially since we probably wont actually do anything on the actual day. :) But anyway we had a blast. So much so that Eileen has been talking about going back to the sprinkler park ever since. She even asked if she could have breakfast there again. So the ward gathered near a sprinkler park and brought all their favorite breakfast foods, so the table was covered with cinnamon rolls, sweet breads, pastries, muffins, and a little big of fruit. Not the most healthy breakfast, but hey what's the fun in life if you can't have junk for breakfast once in a while! Anna LOVED the water. I was afraid that she was going to refuse to go in the water at all, or just get totally scared by the spraying water or the millions of kids (in addition to our group there were like 3 other groups doing birthdays.) Instead she spent most of her time there, not even fussing when she got knocked over! Eileen on the other hand hardly went in the water at all. She preferred the play ground. We had a little mishap when she was playing in a rocking thing and managed to wack herself in the mouth and get a bloody lip. But I've come to expect this kind of thing from her. It seems like we rarely make it very long without Eileen getting a bloody face of some sort! Despite a rough part, she had enough fun to want to go back again. Aaron had fun, he would squeal when I took him near the water and he got splashed. He enjoyed himself so much that before we left (around 11:30) he had tired him self out so much that he actually fell asleep on my shoulder. (BTW this picture of Eileen is her shaking her backside with a wedgie for the camera...don't ask, we don't know) We also had a fun Sunday, we had the Hatches over for dinner and a game of Settlers of Catan. We all had a fun time playing and letting the kids run amok! Aaron, after watching Dane crawl around him in circles, decided that he could do that too, and quickly found his way up on all fours and sat there rocking for a bit. I was so excited!! Am I silly for getting this excited over stuff like this even on my third? Every new achievement is just as exciting with him as it was with Anna and Eileen. Oh well, I'm a dork, and I know it!

Eileen's First Real Haircut

So we have trimmed Eileen's hair before (mostly just her bangs because they were "in her eyes") but this is the first time she has been taken in to get a hair cut at a hair cutting place. We took her to Master Cuts because, as she said, she really needed a hair cut. So while I got Aaron's picture taken, Dan, Eileen and Anna went to get Eileen's hair cut. She was so excited to her her hair cut, and did a great job sitting still for the lady to cut her hair. After, as they headed back to pick up me and Aaron, they stopped at a makeup counter at J.C. Penny's and got "sparkly eyes" So now she has an adorable cut, and is still very excited about having cute hair. :)

6 Months, 16 lbs and 26 inches

That's right, my little boy is 6 months old. As we braved the perils of the photography studio to capture his 6 month old self for posterity, we saw a 1 month old baby boy in for his pictures too. I can't believe how far he's come. The rate of growth is amazing!! But from 6 lbs to 16 lbs in 6 months is only part of his growth! He has learned so many things. He has learned to sit up on his own, to roll over, to spread his arms when he wants me to pick him up, to work for something out of reach, and to eat all that messy solid (sorta) food. Any way, the doctor has proclaimed him healthy and developing well. My favorite part is playing with him. He is so easily amused and lights up like fireworks on the fourth of July at almost any little thing. A couple of days ago we went to the pool and Aaron LOVED it. So here is my handsome boy charming everyone in the pool.

The 4th of July

WOO HOO Happy 4th of July... ok so we are seriously boring. But really how much can you do with 3 small kids who go to bed before it's dark and don't like loud noises. So on the 4th of July, we did nothing more than enjoy having Dan home all day and talk a bit about how grateful we are to live in this country, and how grateful we are to the Lord for directing the formation of this wonderful nation where we are allowed to worship Him in the way we see fit, and how grateful we are for those men and women who protect these freedoms that we enjoy. Saturday, we had the Walkers over for dinner and had fun stringing red white and blue beads and playing the Wii, but all in all, we were very boring this holiday!

The Big 2

I can hardly believe that Anna is 2. She has gotten so big and watching her grow has been so fun. We took her to get 2 year old portraits at J.C. Penny's. Anna was a bit cranky in the stdio. She just did not want to let go of me. Even 4 stuffed animals, her doll, her blanket and a book couldn't distract. Only Daddy had the magic touch, and could distract her long enough for them to get a picture if her happy without mommy. Anyway, here are some of the fruits of that session. We also took her in to get her 2 year check up. She was only in the 10th percentile for her weight, but we figure that was, in part, a reflection of the nearly a full week spent without eating while she was sick. She was found to be healthy and happy and progressing well. She happily sang 'the wheels on the bus' for the doctor while he examined her. Then she had her vaccination shot and didn't even cry. I was especially amazed after the extreme dislike she had shown for getting poked and doctors and nurses at the hospital that she did SOOO well. We are proud of our little girl and the way she is growing up. What a sweetie we have been blessed with!

Two Teeth

Well this is kind of old news, he has had 2 teeth for over a week now, but things got so crazy that I never got it up here and we are all a bit excited about it, partially because we are hoping that some of his cranky-ness will go away now...(is it bad that we are still hoping that after the teeth have popped through?) Anyway, he has his two bottom teeth now, and I can't help but sit in awe of how fast he has grow, how quickly the year has gone by, and how important he has become in our live in such a short time. Anyway, we love him and are excited to watch him grow. I'd post a picture, but I'm no good at close-ups and the only attempt I made is so blurry that you can't see anything anyways. :)

Which Disney Princess Are You?
You Are Jasmine!

Independent and adventurous. You don't want much; just to break out of the guilded cage society has put you in and experience life to the fullest. Following orders isn't really one of your strong points, and you would rather live a life of poverty than being forced into something that you hate.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

And Dan Says:

You Are Snow White!

Pure and trusting. You are a gentle soul who can get along with just about anyone. Everyone you meet instantly falls in love with you. How can they resist? You have a pure, lovable nature that's irresistable. Just don't trust everyone who comes across your path.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Our Crazy Weekend...

Well this last weekend was a bit crazy for us (and not in a good way) so here is the full story....

Thursday morning I woke up to Anna screaming and went in to see what was wrong, as I walked in I kept encountering wet spots on the floor, on the bed... she had thrown up. We cleaned up as best we could then calmed her down and sent her back to bed. By the time I heard the girls up and about in the morning and gotten out of bed, she had thrown up again. This continued all morning with her throwing up ever hour. I got a bit worried and called the triage nurse for suggestions, she said to wait for an hour after a throwing up and then try and get a little bit of water down her. We did and by that evening we were optimistic that she would keep some stuff down. The next morning, she had kept everything down but was refusing to eat or drink anything and had bad diarrhea. This continued all day, with her eating and drinking almost nothing. Saturday she still had the diarrhea, but had eaten a bit of breakfast and drank some pedialyte so we were hoping things were getting better. Then that afternoon she threw up everything she had eaten. She was starting to look, and feel dehydrated, and she was very lethargic, so mommy too her to the doctor. The doctor checked her out and suggested we take her to the ER for dehydration. That was just the beginning. We got to the ER (with her throwing up on the way) and were taken into a room to wait. They came and put an IV in her and took some blood samples. They started putting fluids in her, but said that we could probably go home that night. Then 2 hours later (about 9 pm) they came back to tell us that her electrolyte levels were out of wack and that they wanted to keep her overnight. So we waited another hour and finally got taken up to pediatrics. They decided that they wanted to put a catheter in her to get a urine sample (0h my poor baby!!!) and around midnight we finally got settled into a room. Anna was confused and upset, so she spent most of the night in my arms in a very uncomfortable rocking chair. The next day was kind of a blur to me. The doctor came in and said that her electrolyte levels were better and she might be able to go home that night, but definitely the next morning. Well the next day they told us that her stool sample had come back positive for rotovirus. Well she didn't go home that night. She threw up her lunch that night and the doctor's found bacteria in her urine culture and wanted to start her on antibiotics. So now it's Monday and Anna and I are both going crazy and Dan is getting tired of shuffling Aaron back and forth to nurse (thankfully my parents house is 5 minutes from the hospital) and every one is missing mommy and Anna. Eileen would wake up in the morning and look around her room and say "where is Anna?" So Monday Anna was still not crazy about eating, but was acting MUCH more active and normal. She was wanting to play with Eileen when she came in to visit. But the doctors ruled that she should stay in until we were sure she was going to eat and drink enough to keep her from coming back. They found that the bacteria in her urine was e-coli so in a way we are lucky to have had to take her in for the dehydration, because they caught the e-coli early enough to be able to treat it easily and her small urinary infection stayed just that. Mommy finally got out of the house for the first time on Monday evening and took Eileen and Aaron out for a special dinner. I figured Eileen needed some mommy time. We went to California Pizza Kitchen and Eileen got to have Macaroni and Cheese and even some Ice Cream! So Tuesday morning, we waited impatiently for the doctor to give us the all clear. Anna was eating much better and we were both sick of the hospital, so we waited and waited and waited, until 2pm the doctor finally made it in and gave us the clear and half an hour later, we were gone! So today Anna is feeling much better (even if mommy isn't) and we are slowly trying to get back to normal life.

Dallas Fair Park

Yesterday morning we went to the Dallas Fair park to enjoy a nice morning with Grandpa. We started out by going to the small aquarium that they have there. We get free entry with our Dallas Zoo membership and find that it is just the right size for our kids attention spans. The kids loved looking at the aquatic life. Eileen had been eager all morning to see sea horses, but enjoyed the sharks, sting rays and turtles too. Anna loved looking at everything, and as we walked around, Eileen would get excited and yell something like "Star Fish!!!!" and Anna would follow suit with "TAR IIIIHHH" repeated over and over until she was sure I had heard her and understood. After the Aquarium, we walked around the Park for awhile and came across a fountain. This started out innocently enough. We all walked over and put our hands in the water enjoying the cool water on a hot day. Then Grandpa comes up with the great idea of trying to walk as far in as he can without getting in the streams of water. Naturally Anna also had to try this, and while Grandpa escaped mostly dry...Anna didn't. She got hit directly on by a jet of water soaking her for the rest of the day. I was surprised when, instead of crying, she loved it... and did it again.... Eileen fared a little better and managed to only get a little wet. Either way, we all had a ball. playing and laughing. After we stopped for lunch at the "Office Lunch-in" where Dan is working for the summer helping out Scott Walker. We got yummy sandwiches and had fun seeing Daddy, then headed home to rest our tired bodies. All, but Aaron who had slept most of the time, were exhausted and quickly (except Aaron and Mommy) quickly fell asleep. Anyway, it was a fun day for all.

Happy Father's Day

This post is a tribute to the Fathers in my life. I am so blessed to be surrounded by men who are true examples of real manhood. Men of strength, character, understanding and faith. First, of course is my wonderful husband, the father of my children. He is the light in my life, and an example to me of a person trying to live the gospel. He is such a wonderful father, and I knew he would be when I met him. He has a way with people in general, but especially his kids. He loves, teaches, and nurtures them and earns their love, respect and gratitude in return.

Second is my Dad. My dad has always been my biggest fan. I can always count on him to be on the sidelines cheering, and getting teary eyed. He has always supported me, loved me and taught me. He taught me to love reading, to love the gospel, to love music, and to love to learn. The woman I have become is in large part because of the Father he is.
Third is my father-in-law. From the first time I met him, i felt comfortable. He has always demonstrated his testimony by the way he lives his life, and that wonderful example has taught me so much. It is so easy to look at this wonderful man and see where his amazing son (my husband- see first on my list) gets so many of his attributes. His faith and outlook on life, make me want to be a better person, to love more selflessly, the give more freely and to let the little things go.
Fourth is my Grandfather. My dad's father passed away when I was young, so my mothers father is the only Grandpa I have really known. He is an amazing man. He has always been a guiding influence in my life. He taught me to fish, to work, to have faith, to be respectful and to love. When I think of my grandpa, a myriad of happy images, both from my childhood, and from recent years flood my mind with joy, but the constant was always his love and patience. My sister and I tried his patience many times, yet I don't ever remember him losing patience with us. I have always felt his love for his family and those around him, not by his words, but by his actions. He gave his love in so many ways.

Finally, this list would not be complete with out my Heavenly Father. How can I even begin to thank Him for what He's done for me. I have gained a much greater understanding and appreciation of how much He wants for us, and the ways He teaches us since becoming a parent myself. He is the perfect parent, loving, kind, constant, and understanding. As I struggle to raise my children and teach them of life, love, truth and joy, I see my own shortcomings and Heavenly Father's patient ways of teaching me.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Movie Night!!

Last night we had a fun movie night with the girls. We started with pop pulling out our popcorn popper and popping up some popcorn. (How's that for alliteration!) Then we dragged our picnic blanket out into the middle of the floor (to keep the popcorn contained) and turned on "Mary Poppins" We had a blast eating popcorn, dancing to "supercalifragilistikexpialidocious," and lauging at bad jokes. ("I know a man with a wooden leg named smith...) At one point, one of the girls decided that it would be fun to feed the popcorn to mommy and daddy, so Dan and I ended up getting popcorn stuffed down our mouths until we felt like stuffed turkeys. Either way, it was funny, while they put it into my mouth, i could see them sitting there with their mouths open until the popcorn went in, then they would close their mouths as I closed mine.

Our Little Jumper

Aaron recently discovered the joys of the jumper. It's great, he jumps happily for at least 10 minutes, and in the process tires himself out so he will take a good nap! Both Eileen and Anna also loved the jumper and I just think that they look so cute in there. It's really the first way that they have each found to entertain themselves. The first time they realize that by pushing their legs they can have fun all on their own. Any, here is a little trip down memory lane of each of my adorable kids as they discovered the jumper.

This is Eileen back in our old apartment in Utah
This is Anna, and yes she is wearing the same onsie as Eileen is wearing in her picture. :)And last, but not least, my most recent little jumper, Aaron, who thankfully is not wearing the same purple baby Betty Boop onsie as his sisters.
I think what i find the most amusing about this is how they manage to seem like they are having SOOOO much fun, yet maintain a thoroughly bored look on their face the entire time.

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. :)