Christmas pics

My house is semi-clean(it could be better), so I rewarded myself with some computer time. Here's some of the pictures from this Christmas...

Coming down from the Christmas high.

Whoa! It has been a busy week. The build up from Christmas is finally over and it's hard to get back into the swing of things. I woke up this morning with every intention of cleaning the house, but I never really managed to get up off the couch or out of this computer chair, so our house still looks like Christmas morning. I really need to get motivated though because we leave in 3 days for SoCal and I don't even know where anything is!
Christmas was awesome. We started out with a get together at our house on Dec. 23. It was a fun and relaxed evening even with 9 kids running around.
Christmas Eve started out a little rough for Mia she got place on the naughty list that morning and Aaron and I were trying to figure out what we would do if she didn't straighten up. That afternoon we went up to Aaron's parent's for a big feast with all the cousins. And again there were 9 kids running around. Luckily Mia was really good and got place back on the "nice list" at the last minute. We did return to our house so Santa could find us. We started setting gifts out about 30 minutes after the kids went to bed, and it was a good thing too because Mia woke up at 1:30am, then again at 2:30, but then when Nana told her Santa might come back and take all the stuff back she didn't get up again until 7:20. If we had started much later she might have caught us playing Santa!
Christmas morning met us with a lot of bright smiles. Noah had a wonderful 1st Christmas and as usual he had more fun playing with the ripped up wrapping and bows than with the toys. Mia and Kai were delighted with their stockings and new toys. I'll put up pictures as soon as I have a clean house (could be tomorrow night, might not be until 2008!) Just in case...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

It's a nephew!

In other words Ryan and Maria are expecting another little boy in May. It's just what they wanted and who could blame them look what a cutie pie their little guy Gavin is! I just want to squeeze him, I love him in this picture from their Christmas card. They really wanted Gavin to have a little brother close in age and after seeing my two little guys together, I know how incredibly awesome it is to see that special bond between brothers grow. Aaron's a little jealous when he see's them play together, just this weekend Kai and Noah were doing their version of "wrestling" and Aaron said "that's so cool, I wish I had a brother!" So congrats to them and we can't wait for the newest family member to arrive. I'm sure Kai, Gavin, Noah and baby "M" will have a lot of fun when we get together. Mia's quite outnumbered now, but I'm sure she'll enjoy bossing those boys around!

Boooo! Taco Bell

All I have to say is the chili is gone. Yesterday Aaron and I went to go grab chilitos and we were informed they took chili back off the menu. I'm sure you know we were disappointed since I even felt the need to blog on our excitement when the chilitos first returned >>>here
What teasers those people at Taco Bell are.

Didn't want to jinx it!

Alright so we got the kids bunk beds! I was going to write about it the day after we got them, but then I thought "what if I write about how well it's going and then it backfires." SO.....it's been nearly 3 weeks and I feel like I can safely say the transition for Kai from his crib to a bed has been so easy. It's almost like there wasn't even a transfer from the crib to a big boy bed. Once we put him to bed there hasn't been a night of up and down and it's funny, he won't get out of bed unless someone comes to get him. It's like he'd been in his crib so long it's just what he was use to. I was so nervous because Mia's transition to a regular bed was awful and we ended up having to put her back in the crib for a couple months. This is how Kai's first night went:
ME: Ok, time for bed
Kai: (Climbs under the cover)
ME: I love you
Kai: La lu (love you) mommy
ME: (closes the door)
Mia and Kai: (silence...10 minutes later asleep!)
And that's pretty much how it's been every night since.
Mia loves having the top bunk and especially loves her mermaid comforter. I wanted to get something that semi-matched, but was boy girl. I know Potter Barn kids has a lot of his/her kid patterns, but everything was too grown up, so I was very happy when I found the Pirate bedding for Kai and Mermaids for Mia on olivekids.com that was still youthful and fun like I had in mind.
By moving Kai into Mia's room we were able to move Noah out of our room and into Kai's old room. Now Noah and I are getting much more sleep which always makes for a :) mommy.

What am I supposed to do with that?

This is what Mia asked Santa for. I don't want all those junky toys that are the "prizes" floating around my house and I also don't want to store the case once she's done getting all the prizes out. I especially don't want to buy more junk for a refill. Seems like a giant waste of $50.

Monday follow up

So the day definitely got better. It helped that Monday is one of Aaron's nights off from the airport. I got a little bit of a break once he got home(and I didn't really schedule anything for him, I just told him I was). To add to my cleaning guilt though, that same night I watched the show John and Kate plus 8-it's a show about a couple who had 8 kids in just two pregnancies, there's twins and sextuplets. EEEK! Well Kate stays home with them all and I cannot believe the amount of cleaning she gets done in a day! She mops every day, wipes her counters and cleans her sink and stove three times a day, she dusts and vacuums her whole house throughout the day, every day. Then of course her never ending laundry in a 10 person household. She also seems to organize something in her house in every episode. She was going through all the shoes and organizing her shoe racks in the show I watched. I mean what is MY excuse with only three kids?!
To put some cheer in our Monday we took the kids to see Santa for FHE. I love going early in December so we don't have to wait in a long line for our visit. It also helps with the Christmas shopping because Mia keeps changing her mind about what she wants Santa to bring her so I tell her once she's told Santa what she wants, that's it. The kids did really well. I was a little worried Kai would freak out, but he was happy to sit next to him after he saw his big sister and little brother in Santa's lap. He even said "toys please". Mia of course asked for something I don't want to get her, so we'll see how to get around that! Noah was so intrigued by Santa that we couldn't get him to look for a photo. He was just staring at Santa's face and rubbing the furry white lining of Santa's coat. So it's a relief to say it's one thing off the "to do" christmas list and that the kids all enjoyed it. Only 20 days until Christmas!

OH, and Kai steers clear of the fireplace now, but little Noah is still completely intrigued by it and we've had to usher him away more than once.

That's what I get for doing the dishes!

GRRR! I am so mad, and I am NOT just saying that. I am about to have a massive vent session here. So all last week I spent my time cleaning up throw up(all Kai) and wiping never ending snot(Kai and Noah). I didn't get much done around the house because of it. Saturday, Sunday and today I have been constantly been playing catch up with chores-and it's not even deep cleaning just the stuff that has to get done. So both the boys were sitting in front of the TV eating cheerios and I went to do my mountain of dishes. All I have left are the dishes that need to be done by hand and I look up and don't see them in the living room, I look in the playroom, no boys. I go into their bedroom, no boys! What the heck? I go back out in the living room and there's my answer they are IN the fireplace, not standing in front actually inside playing in the ash and soot. We have screen in front, but even Noah can push it aside, we've tried putting bricks in front, but it's not enough. It's a wood burning fireplace and I was just glad that we didn't have a fire last night so they weren't burned by the embers. Anyway, Noah had it the worst. It was in his mouth, his hands were black, and the front side of him was covered in ash. I spent a few minutes flushing out his mouth and stripped him down and started a tub. Grabbed Kai and had an out of the ordinary morning bath. So there my boys were all clean, smelling sweet in their fresh clothes and you think my story would end there, but it doesn't. I put them in the playroom and dump out a huge tub of toys and figure that will keep them occupied. I finish my dishes, check on them, they're happy as freaking clams. I go back to my bedroom to sort laundry and a couple minutes later I notice their voices sound further away. I run out and I am almost beside myself, they are BACK INSIDE THE FIREPLACE. Noah had on a cute Christmas shirt that was of course white and now is probably ruined. I literally screamed at the top of my lungs. I was shouting "NO" and popped them both on the bottom, I hope that gets the message across for them to -Keep Out-. Yes, I popped a 10 month old on the bottom, call CPS on me I'm a terrible mother. They were both crying, I was almost crying I couldn't believe 15 minutes after they were both scrubbed clean, I had to do it again. I couldn't believe that all I was trying to do was catch up on my housework and it just turned out so bad. I put them in my shower this time for a quick rinse off, I wasn't going through the whole 9 yards again. Noah and Kai were both trying to get out on different sides of the shower and Kai runs Noah's finger over with the shower door, so now Noah is screaming again and blood is dripping. I am ready to pull a Marie Osmond at this point and I'm not talking about her fainting episode, remember a few years ago when she ran off and didn't tell her family where she was?? Yeah, I'm ready to pull that kind of Marie Osmond! I fix Noah up and dry them off, dress them for the third time before 11 am and give them snuggles so they know I still love them. Then I called Aaron and told him I am scheduling a vasectomy for him, I can't handle any more kids! Now I feel like I can't even use the bathroom, for fear of them climbing into the fireplace and I am dreading getting a christmas tree. I want a 4 footer that I can put on a table, but Aaron says no way. Easy for him to say I am the one who will have to sit in front of it all day long to keep the kids away from it. Bah humbug!!!! Not a good way to start the week :(

Christmas time is here :)

CHRISTMAS SURVEY!

What Would You Rather:


1. Get kissed under the mistletoe or in the snow?
under the mistletoe by a warm fire, snow is too cold

2. Santa or Rudolph?
Santa

3. Stocking or presents?
Stocking has always been my favorite :)

4. Egg nog or hot cider?
Cider...anything with the word "nog" just doesn't sound appetizing

5. Angel or star?
Star

6.Sugar or chocolate chip cookies for Santa
usually decorated sugar cookies

7. Warm cozy fires or sleigh rides?
warm cozy fires

8. Family time or friend time?
Both....aren't they the same thing?

9. Expensive presents or presents that come from the heart?
Definitely from the heart, my daughter's gluey, glittery craft gifts are better than anything you can buy me.

10. Snow ball fight or snowman?
Snow ball fight, snowmen take too long

11.Coal or presents?
DUH, presents

12. Open presents quick or slow?
slow

13. Diamonds or rubies?
Diamonds are a girls best friend ;)

14. Caroling or Christmas stories?
Stories, but I think so many carols are like stories as well

15. Snow days or ice days?
Snow

16. Red or Green?
Red

Questions

1. Best Christmas present received?
my beautiful nativity set from my mom, a close second was my bike with a banana seat decorated with clouds :)

2. What's the number one thing you want for Christmas?
Just to make it through the holidays happy and healthy. I can't think of much for my Xmas list and it driving my family crazy.

3. If you were going out with someone, what would you want them to get you?
I'm married...and we decided not to get each other anything and get a new fridge.

4. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe?
not romantically, only by Mia or my mom , Aaron is so unromantic he wouldn't kiss me under the mistletoe even if I threatened to poison him with it.

5. Age you stopped believing in Santa Claus:?
I remember the exact conversation, I *think* I was 8

6. Do you send thank you notes?
I try to, especially to certain people.

7. Do you wake your parents up early to open presents?
I AM the parent, I GET WOKEN UP EARLY, but I guess it's payback because I'm sure I did that to my parents as well.

8. Worst Christmas Ever?
I was almost 10 (I looked up a calendar) it was a Sunday Xmas so we weren't allowed to play with friends and I remember we (me & my sibs) fought all day, and made my mom so upset she spent a lot of the day in her room. I remember I felt so bad even at that age I knew Xmas was her favorite holiday and we ruined it for her.

I'd love to see your answers so steal away!

Over already???

I can't believe how quickly Thanksgiving came and went! We had a fun filled weekend and we're SO GLAD that Nana Carol, Papa Jeff, auntie Whitney, and uncle Rhett made the trip up to see us. They left early Wednesday morning to beat the traffic and made it in time to have lunch with us that day. Mia's kindergarten class had a little feast complete with a live preformance of "She'll be coming around the mountain" and "5 fat turkeys". They were all dressed up like pilgrims and Indians and looked great! Then, you can't imagine how excited the kids were to arrive home from school to see the visitors standing on our front lawn! We took them to Ah Sam's (a local florist) because the shop is all decorated for Christmas, including around 10 trees decked out with unique ornaments which my mom loves. They also have a corner all set up for family photo ops - free, no purchase necessary :)
The next day started early with my mom and I heading up to Aaron's parents' house to start the big feast. We wanted to get dinner on the table in time for Aaron to eat. Of course he didn't have the night off from the airport, but he was able to eat with us nonetheless. We had a 22 pound bird and 17 people to feed. It was so much fun having everyone together for such a beautiful meal.
Friday we decided to skip the shopping since none of the sales had any stand out items on our Christmas lists. Instead we had a yummy breakfast and went into San Francisco and strolled through the botanical gardens at Golden Gate park. Then we had a picnic and watched the kids play.
Saturday we took a trip down to Santa Cruz. There we met up with Whitney's fiancee Adam, and his family. They had prepared a wonderful brunch and we all got to know each other better. Mia REALLY warmed up to Adam's sister, Katie, and only wanted Katie to take her on all the rides when we went down to the Boardwalk.
We had a fantastic four days and although it wasn't fun to say goodbye, we know it will only be 35 more days until we meet up with everyone again. We're going to SoCal for New Year's and of course the main event...Whitney and Adam's wedding! Only 40 more days sis :) For now we'll deal with the Christmas countdown. We hope everyone had as enjoyable Thanksgiving as we did.

Are you stocked up on batteries?

It's that time of year! I swear as soon as Halloween comes I feel like I'm changing the cameras batteries constantly. I have one set of rechargeable, but then I use disposable batteries when I'm charging the others.
Oh and the other reason to be stocked up on batteries...Christmas. I wish every toy used the same batteries, it's like a conspiracy with battery and toy companies. I've already managed to buy most of my kids gifts and I need AA (of course), then the next most popular C battery, I also need a 9 volt, and the ginormous D-I think that stands for daddy battery, and last are the little silver disc batteries you use in the noisy, obnoxious books. I wanted to get a lot more battery-less toys this year and go with a lot of wood toys, but thanks to letting the kids watch too many cartoons they're wish list is full of toys with all the bells and whistles. No, I'm not indulging their every wish, but three toys each is 9 toys already. Gosh, I feel bad for John & Kate plus 8!

Come on over...

FOR A PETITION SIGNING PARTY!

It will be on going Sunday-Tuesday. If you are a registered California voter you are welcome to come to my house and sign a petition that would send the bill SB 777 to the voters in June, where this new law will most likely be overturned. If you are not familiar with this bill, it was signed into law by Gov. Schwarzenegger in October and would begin mainstreaming the teaching of homosexuality/bisexuality/transgender as perfectly normal behaviors. There is no "opt out" option. It would be mandatory education in public schools starting in kindergarten through high school. This bill would also allow students to choose the gender they wish to identify with, so if a boy feels like he should have been born a girl, he will be allowed to use the girls facilities, be on girl teams and run for prom queen (and vice versa for girls). This is a link to some basic facts http://www.saveourkids.net/pdf/SB777-InfoFlier.pdf

My goal is to get 100 signatures so make sure to bring your husbands and friends to sign these petitions, it only takes 30 seconds. We need over 700,000 signatures total in order for it to go to a vote in the June primaries. I will even do a "drive thru" just call when you get to my house and I will run it out to your car for you to sign and you won't need to unload all the kids :)

Come by between 12:30pm - 7:30pm on Sunday & Tuesday and 1pm-6pm on Monday. If you cannot make it in this time frame, but would like to sign, please call us so we can work something out.

Message us if you need our address/phone #

Thanks so much,
Aaron & Julie Shong

A cause worth fighting for!

Gov. Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law in October '07 that is truly destructive for traditional families. This is a bill (SB 777) the voters should get to decide NOT just our governor and legislators. If you have children that are or will one day be in a California public school I urge you to educate yourself on this topic. This is a pretty simple explanation of what will happen if we don't stop it. I also created a new myspace page (open to public-no myspace acct. necessary) with lots of information about the bill www.myspace.com/stopsb777
Please pass this on. I will soon be receiving petitions and you are most WELCOME to come to my house and sign away so that this law will be sent to the voters where it will most likely be overturned! My goal is to collect 100 signatures, so bring your friends and family as long as they are 18 and California residents. Being against SB 777 doesn't mean you are homophobic, it means you want schools to stick to the education of our youth. Reading, writing, arithmetic...remember those?!

Just the Facts on SB 777

· There is legal protection for students without SB 777

· SB 777 changes the law on instruction and activities

· Protection for homosexual, bisexual, and transgender students has been law since 2000.

o The Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000 (AB 537) protects "all persons in public schools." It prohibits discrimination based on actual and perceived sexual orientation.

o It explicitly extends protection from the California Penal Code to schools. The Penal Code protects all people in the enjoyment of their rights, as secured in the federal Constitution, United States law, the state Constitution, and state laws.

o AB 394, passed in 2007, requires the State Department of Education to "monitor adherence" to AB 537. This may include state monitoring of student attitudes on sexual orientations.

o Bottom line: AB 537 establishes equal protection for every California public school student, which makes SB 777 unnecessary.

· SB 777 does not streamline existing California Educational Code. It adds to the law.

o AB 537 purposely excluded school instruction and activities from non-discrimination law.

o It reads: "Nothing in [AB 537] requires the inclusion of any curriculum, textbook, presentation, or other material in any program or activity ---"

o SB 777 purposely adds new mandates for school instruction and activities.

o It reads: "No teacher shall give instruction nor shall a school district sponsor any activity that promotes a discriminatory bias" against homosexuality, bisexuality, or transsexuality.

o Bottom line: SB 777 adds school instruction and activities to the things that cannot promote "bias," which elevates homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality in public schools.

· SB 777 is a mandate for every school district, ending local control on sensitive issues.

o Under the equal protection of AB 537, each school district has discretion over how it addresses the sensitive issues of homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality.

o SB 777 takes away parental and local control and discretion over how to address these issues.

o SB 777 specifically includes charter schools in these new mandates.

o Bottom line: SB 777 normalizes homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality across the state, without room for local discretion on addressing these issues.

Not growing out of it.

Kai has a peanut allergy. We discovered it when he was around 14 months old and got into Mia's PB&J. Our pediatrician told us that lots of times kids grow out of this allergy and we should wait and slowly introduce peanuts when Kai turns 3 (next July). Well, Mia had a little peanut butter left on her face from lunch and she gave Kai a kiss on the cheek and this is what happened to him. He didn't even ingest any peanuts and the side she kissed him on was covered with hives and his eye swelled up. Poor little guy, Benadryl and his fishy ice pack were his best friends. This reaction gives me the feeling that "introducing" peanuts for him to actually eat when he turns 3, isn't going to be a good idea.

Look at our 9 month old!

I really cannot tell you where the last nine months have gone. He was nine month's on the 5th. Noah's babyhood is just flying by. He still isn't crawling on hands and knees, but he can get from one end of the house to the other with his army crawl. So far he's set to be our second fastest crawler. Mia crawled at 8m. 3w. and Kai crawled at 10m. (our kids have never been in a rush to get anywhere). He also has 3 teeth, two on the bottom one on top. So far he has really embodied the meaning of his name. Noah means rest or peace. He really is just a peaceful little guy with a cute baby chuckle that could make the grouchiest person crack a smile.

Send a thank you to the troops overseas

(I got this from a friend the other day and I'm passing it on because I think it's a really good idea.)

Something cool that Xerox is doing

If you go to this web site, www.letssaythanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! This is a great site. Please send a card. It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our guys and gals over there need to know we are behind them...

Thank you librarian!

I've posted before about how Mia brings a book home from the school library every day and her homework is to read it. She has to do a sort of mini-book report on 2 of the 5 books. Well the book that was sent home yesterday was one of my favorites. It was a great story of generosity between families after WWII (based on actual events). Hard to believe it's a children's story, but it is. The book's title is Boxes for Katje. It was a touching story and I was literally holding back tears as I finished the book. I didn't want to end up explaining how books can make us cry to Mia so I did my best. If you are in the library with your kids or Barnes and Noble I encourage you to find it and read it. Being that it's a children's book it's a super quick read for us adults and it will leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Peer pressured

So I don't usually go for chain or tagging emails, but I'm caving since I was publicly "blog tagged". Plus, I'm scared my tagger won't like me anymore if I don't play along :P
Here are the rules:
A. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
B. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog, for these rules.

I am not going to do rule B, but if you want to play just pretend like I tagged you.

Facts/Habits:

1. I have a terrible sweet tooth. TERRIBLE! I have to have dessert every night. I swear when I get preoccupied after dinner with kids or chores my brain sends me constant signals that I have yet to feed my body a sweet treat. Even if it's two or three hours later I'm thinking...I still haven't had my dessert! Can anyone tell me what's wrong with me?! I definitely am a sucker for baked goods and ice cream more than candies.

2. I pull my hair. A very fascinating habit. I don't pull it in bunches like I'm in a girl fight, I pull at individual strands to find corse hairs and break my hair at weak spots. I know how bad this is for my hair, but I truly cannot stop. The earliest I remember doing it is in second grade in Mrs. Heis' class. My mom has this habit too. It's so bad at the front of my hairline it looks like I have long bangs when really I have never cut bangs. The hair is just so broken from this habit it stays chin length.

3. I'm really bad at folding laundry and putting it away. I do laundry twice a week and sometimes the clean clothes sit out in the garage for two weeks from the first load I did. I will end up folding and putting away like 8 loads of laundry so it takes me like 2-3 hours to fold and sort all the laundry.

4. My hands are always cold. I feel so bad because when I change the boys diapers or clothes I always see them suck their tummies in when my hand touches their warm bodies. I think it has to do with low blood pressure. And my feet are cold a lot too, but they don't come in contact with anyone so I don't have to feel bad about that, just cold.

5. I LOVE taking pictures. I wish I could afford the really expensive camera equipment and software. I'm also intimidated by computer software for my camera so I just don't use it. But really, I could take pictures all day long. I love looking for beauty in things and especially capturing candid moments.

6. I'm a shopaholic! Seriously, I need to find a shopaholics anonymous meeting. My kids impede this habit as far as going out to shop, so I resort to online shopping a lot. I LOVE Ebay! I love researching products I'm shopping for too. Anything to do with shopping, I could do it all day long! I don't understand the phrase "I'm all shopped out" I don't feel that way, I even love grocery shopping. By the way, this is a code for 30% off your entire purchase at Gymboree from Nov. 8-11: CFFRIEND Have fun shopping, I know I will.


All done, now I'm tagging all six of you reading this right now!

All Hallow's Eve

So I am a major Halloween scrooge. I really dislike Halloween since having children. I thought having kids was supposed to breathe excitement into this holiday, but it only makes it more hectic and tiring. I especially hate pumpkin carving. YUCK! And each kid you have is one more pumpkin you have to carve. I was soooooo drained as soon as I put the kids to bed that night. It's hard getting three kids ready and dressed first for a school event THEN getting them home undressing them all for lunch and naps THEN redressing them all for trick or treating. It's just too much! So now that I got all my complaining out I can tell you the highlights were watching Mia in her kindergarten parade (Aaron was able to be there)and trick or treating with our Culmer cousins. The kids had a very happy halloween, and I'm so glad it's OVER!!!!!

Sometimes the slide show works sometimes it doesn't so if it's out of sorts for you, sorry, it's not just you.

Fallin' for Yosemite

Our weekend began and ended with a bang. Before we left for an extended weekend in Yosemite last week, Mia had her soccer game, I wanted to skip it so we could leave for our trip earlier. We stuck around for the game since they were already down a few girls that week and were going to have to play 4 players vs. 6. Well... she scored her first goal!! She was so excited, she came running over to the sideline and said "I got my first goal!" The whole team did really well, they didn't play like they were out-manned at all. Then it was off to what turned out to be one of the best family trips we've taken. We experienced every kind of weather (except snow) It was pouring rain one minute and we were huddling under trees and bridges to keep dry. Then the sun came out and it was warm and beautiful. Then their were thunder storms, almost freezing temperatures, and at times so windy the leaves were being pulled off branches by the hundreds so it was almost like snow. Whatever mother nature threw our way we had fun with it. We stayed in the Yosemite View lodge 3 minutes outside of Yosemite's gates. The views from our back porch were amazing and it was so relaxing. The reasons we stayed there instead of the park are pretty pathetic. First Mia and Kai love the indoor pool (we stayed there before) and second they have TV's to occupy the kids while we're in the room. Yosemite has no TV's in any of their cabin's/rooms-which is a good thing, but it's nice to keep the kids busy in the morning so we can get ready (and sleep in a little longer). There was tons of wildlife out and about too. Raccoons everywhere, then we also saw a bear, we were in the car so I didn't feel worried about the kids. Something else that we saw while in the car was a coyote. We rolled down the window and the kids were all peeking out and it came right up to the door! Needless to say, we rolled up the window, I think it wanted to eat the little kiddies :P We saw deer and of course squirrels. Can we just talk about the scenery too?! The leaves were changing and it was beautiful. I've never experienced autumn like that before. It was also great because there are no crowds this time of year. We could have made it a week instead of a long weekend. And I said it ended with a bang, well as a welcome home we experienced a 5.6 earthquake just as I was putting the kids to bed. It really shook me up, Aaron was at the airport and I didn't know who to get to first. I ended up just standing in the living room waiting to see if it was going to get bigger and then it was over. Mia just called out, what was that? She thought someone was shaking her bed. Kai didn't show any sign that he just experienced his first earthquake. Something to add to the "firsts" section of their baby book...I love California.

It's BAAACK!

So you think my first post in a week would be about our amazing Yosemite trip or a picture overload of the kids on Halloween, but NOPE, my first post back is about how incredibly happy I am that Taco Bell has brought back their chili cheese burrito aka chilito! They have been off the menu for 6 years now and the reason I know this is because I was craving them big time during my pregnancy with Mia. I went in one day to get one and they told me they had removed it from the menu. I was so sad I almost wrote the company-mind you I was 5 months pregnant and very hormonal. The funny thing is that Aaron loves them too, and was just as bummed when they did away with them. Anyway, yesterday I went into Taco Bell for a quick lunch and I saw signs everywhere for "chili up your nachos". I had a thought...what if they put the chili in a burrito with some cheese instead! I called Aaron and he said-get me 2. The best thing is that it tasted like the same recipe chili, so it really was like the same old chilitos. It was funny because while Aaron was diving into his, he was like "I have to call Adam and Aaron and tell them about this." Which is actually what made me think to blog on our return favorite Taco Bell menu item. Thank you TB for bringing the chili cheese burrito out of retirement :0)

--I also want to add what a lazy wife and mother I am being today. Our house looks like a tornado hit it after Halloween yesterday, and I don't plan on doing much about it today since I feel so wiped out. I also have not unpacked from our weekend trip. I kid you not. I have started laundry, but all the clean clothes that are in suitcases are still sitting out in the garage. We also woke up a half hour late this morning so Mia was late for school this morning and was mortified that she had to go to the office first and get a tardy slip. She wouldn't even hand it to her teacher, I had to do it. Then we get home, I feed Noah and jump on the computer. Kai has had no breakfast, I am not joking I hand him his trick or treat bag and let him go to town. So far I have opened two crunch bars, m&m's and a tootsie pop for him. Oh, and he is still in his pj's and I'm going to let him watch TV ALL day. Great mom, huh! HMMM, I wonder what's for lunch?

For all the hard working SAHMs!

Came across this and it made me laugh...


A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife
stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed:

"Dear Lord: I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife
merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through, so please
allow her body to switch with mine for a day Amen."

God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish.
The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman.
He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, Awakened the kids,
Set out their school clothes, Fed them breakfast,
Packed their lunches, Drove them to school,
Came home and Picked up the dry cleaning,
Took it to the cleaners and Stopped at the bank to make a deposit,
Went grocery shopping, Then drove home to put away the groceries,
Paid the bills and Balanced the check book.
He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog.
Then it was already 1P.M. And he hurried to make the beds,
Do the laundry, Vacuum, Dust, and Sweep and
Mop the kitchen floor. Ran to the school to pick up the kids and
Got into an argument with them on the way home.
Set out milk and cookies and Got the kids organized to do their homework,
Then set up the ironing board and Watched TV while he did the ironing.
A t 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and Washing vegetables for salad,
Breaded the pork chops and Snapped fresh beans for supper.
After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, Ran the dishwasher,
Folded laundry, Bathed the kids, and put t hem to bed.
At 9 P.M. He was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't
finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he
managed to get through without complaint.

The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said:
"Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my
wife's being able to stay home all day. Please, oh! Oh! Please, let us
trade back."

The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied:
"My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy
to change things back to the way they were. You'll just have to wait
nine months though. You got pregnant last night."

I loathe Wells Fargo

Most people pick a bank and it's done, no big deal. You deposit money, you withdraw money it's not exactly rocket science. For the past 10 years I have used Wells Fargo bank and I have never experienced stellar service, but nothing really to complain about. However in the past year, actually past two years, I have had nothing but bad experiences. From ridiculous fees, to credit card issues, and incompetent customer service agents, I just don't know why I have stayed for so long. Today my incident at Wells Fargo though is the straw that broke the camels back! First I get there with my two boys in the car, I park right in front of the ATM and get out to deposit Aaron's check. I notice they have a new non-envelope deposit feature, so at first I think "cool, no more envelopes to fill out." WRONG, not cool. As I'm sitting there playing peek-a-boo with Kai from the ATM waiting for the check to be deposited, the machine spits the check back out and tells me it has been rejected (can't be read). So I try again, same thing. CRAP, now I have to unload two little boys and haul them into the bank - I hate technology! Then I get in there, fill out my deposit slip and am first in line. There are like 8 tellers behind the counter and only one open! I'm running late now to pick up Mia because I thought it would be a quick ATM stop. Finally it's my turn and I hand the teller the check, I politely tell her I'm not a fan of the new envelope-less deposit system(I promise I was polite) and she gives me this look like I am the worst person alive. My check can be read fine from the teller desk and of course she can't tell me why it didn't work from the ATM. Anyway, we leave the bank and I turn around Kai is 15 feet behind me looking at the writing area where they used to store the envelopes, and little do I know they turned this "island" into a trash can. There is a door that opens on the writing island so you can remove the trash can inside and empty it. Kai is swinging the door (it's not locked for some reason) and then the trash can falls out spilling half of the can's contents. So here I am with a baby on my hip and a two year old at my side trying to collect all the trash and put it back before it blows away. This trash/writing area is right outside of the banks front door which is all glass and I'm sure bank employees saw what happened (there were four ladies standing behind the desk right next to the door.) and not one of them came out to help. A customer came out and actually helped me half way through it and I was very grateful. I was so ticked at the employees at this point I wanted to take the garbage and dump it inside the banks front door and leave-I didn't of course. I don't usually complain about not getting help, but I just felt so pathetic try to pick up all this trash with two little children by my side, I never could have sat and just watched that happen to someone. The next time I go into Wells Fargo it will be to close my account there. I've decided to go with Washington Mutual, free checks for life, and free online banking sounds good to me. I figure they can't be any worse than what I've already experienced. This was a long time coming and I think this is what I needed to finally get me off my duff and go somewhere else. Ahhh, feels good to vent.

I was craving a shake and apparently so was Noah!

As Mia and I walked into the playroom we found Noah on the floor, straw in his mouth, licking away at this milk chocolatey mess. Mia looked up at me waiting for my head to explode, since that's my usual reaction when something is spilled, but I just broke out laughing and then so did she. What else could I do? Of course he had just had his outfit changed because he had a blow out (I was out of cloth, so he was in a disposables) and now the new clothes are covered in Jack-N-Box chocolate shake. I'm not saying I would explode at Noah, just myself for letting it happen. The most ironic thing about it was I left the room to get napkins!!!!!!!!! Click the pictures for a much goopier view.

For the other kids clothes horses out there...

I am in so much trouble! My family knows what a gymboree-aholic I am for children's clothes and now I've just been told about a Gymboree concept store called Crazy 8. It's what Old Navy is to Gap. Anyway, I just placed my first order and know I'll be a frequent visitor. It seems like they run out of sizes pretty fast since they're fairly new and testing out their demand. I just got Kai's Christmas outfit and a bunch of sweats for the boys. The girls clothes are cute too, but Mia's drawers are overflowing so I was able to hold myself off (for now). There's a store 15 minutes from my house, but SHIPPING IS FREE right now which is better than dragging the brood along clothes shopping. Check it out www.crazy8.com

Under the Boardwalk

We had a beautiful Saturday here a couple weeks ago. And even though it was a wonderful day, Mia's soccer game was canceled because of all the rain the night before, so the fields were mush. We took advantage of our freed up Saturday and drove down to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The kids had a great time even though I could tell colds were coming on (they're full blown now). Anyway, Mia and Kai got to go on as many rides as 60 tickets would get them. Mia was bummed she was too little for the roller coasters. Her favorite ride was a kids sized Supreme Scream type ride. We went down to the beach and it was like a dream watching my kids play together. It was so peaceful and serene. Of course this is northern California so the water is freezing and they didn't even get their ankles wet. It was so nice just forgetting about all the chores at home and getting out as a family. The sweetest thing was turning around to find all three of our munchkins fast asleep as we drove home through the mountains. This one little excursion prompted Aaron to take a few days off work next weekend and I scheduled a long weekend to Yosemite. I can't wait!

Mia updates: kindergarten and soccer

Well, Mia has been in school for almost two months now. She is having a really good time. They started getting homework. Basically it's doing two "book reports" a week. We read a book together and then she has to draw a picture and write a sentence about the book or her favorite part, or whatever. Her two favorite things to do during recess are playing soccer with the boys or chasing the boys with Thea...either way I guess she's running after boys. Can we just say UH-OH! I get to volunteer in her class the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays (thanks to Aaron's cousin watching the boys). It's been fun watching her and seeing how independent she has become.
On the soccer front, things are going well. There is one little girl from her K class on the team and she just loves her teammates. Still no goals and she still hasn't let any opposing goals in when she's goalie. We're seeing some HUGE 6 year olds now that she's played a few more teams. I want to see some of their birth certificates! In her game two weeks ago Mia was able to keep up with one the big girls and I think this girl didn't like it because she kept pushing Mia. At first Mia was surprised, but then she started shoving back. I was a little disappointed. I didn't want to have to explain at this age why sometimes pushing is allowed and other times it's not. I mean I'm glad she didn't let the girl bully her, but I didn't think she would be in those situations in this age division. We have a lot of fun cheering on the mermaids and next week it's our turn to bring orange wedges and snack ;) The pics are a little distorted, but I couldn't make them fit on my page without resizing them and I had to share.

8 beautiful soccer stars


First school picture

Another toy recall???!!!

This gets the award for my biggest laugh of the day! What if they really made a grater that big? I love this kids face :)

I HEART BOYS

What is it about same gender siblings that is so sweet? I love watching Mia with her brothers , but seeing my boys together just makes me misty. These little boys are just so cute and loving. Perhaps it's because boys get the bad rap of being overly active troublemakers, so it's especially tender when you see them being caring or interested in each other. Little girls are *supposed* to be sweet and you expect them to say things like "I love you". Kai just started saying I love you or more like "La Lu Mommy" and it just melts my heart! I rarely watch Regis and Kelly, but I was the other morning and I heard Kelly Ripa say "5 boys is like 15 girls". It got me thinking and I have to completely disagree. Girls have so much more drama, so much more emotion and to me that can be harder to deal with than boys who like to run around and eat a lot. I think I would rather be in a house with 5 boys than 15 girls anyday! Kai and Noah just started being able to "wrestle" and it cracks me up as they're crawling all over each other. They love each other so much!
I really think there is a special bond between same gender siblings and I feel so lucky that I get to see it every day in my boys.




I especially love my son eating chips right out of the bag in this one ;)

Survey Friday...again.

Between Aaron and I

1. Who eats more?
Aaron

2. Who said "I love you" first?
I did, Holy cow, my heart was pounding so hard that night!

3. Who weighs more?
Aaron thank goodness

4. Who sings better?
Neither one of us is a particularly talented singer, shower voice=Aaron, church voice=me

5. Who’s older?
Aaron 3yrs 9mo

6. Who’s smarter?
There's so many degrees of being smart. In a classroom...me. He's really smart when it comes to fixing things.

7. Who’s temper is worse?
Probably me, although since working at the airport Aarons comes out more.

8. Who does the laundry?
ME

9. Who does the dishes?
I do

10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
Me

11. Who’s feet are bigger?
Aaron's are

12. Who’s hair is longer?
* Mine is

13. Who’s better with the computer?
Aaron...good at fixing things

14. Do you have pets?
Do kids count???

15. Who pays the bills?
Aaron makes the money to pay the bills, but I actually pay them

16. Who cooks dinner?
I do

17. Who drives when you are together?
Mostly Aaron

18. Who pays when you go out to dinner?
Me, Aaron has a terrible time figuring out tips

19. Who’s the most stubborn?
ME!

20. Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong?
It's rare for either of us to

21. Who’s parents do you see more?
Aaron's since they live 10 min. away

22. Who named your pet?
No pets, but Aaron actually got his way in naming all our kids.

23. Who kissed who first?
It was mutual

24. Who asked who out?
We were friends first, so I don't even remember our first "date".

26. Who’s more sensitive?
Me, me, ME

27. Who’s taller?
Aaron by an INCH

28. Who has more friends?
We share most of our friends

29. Who has more siblings?
I win! 4 to 1

30. Who wears the pants in the relationship?
NO PANTS. In the words of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Aaron is the head of the house and I'm the neck and I can turn the head any way I want!

Spouses Survey

1. What was your first date? I honestly can't remember

2. How soon did he/she say I love you? Two and a half months

3. How long before he/she proposed? Two and a half years

4. How long did you date before you got married? Almost 3 years

5. Did you have a big or small wedding? medium 140 people

6. Married indoors or outdoors? outdoors

7. What's one thing you would change about your wedding? I wish Aaron and I would have done a speech together, I also we wish we had assigned tables for dinner

8. Traditional vowels or wrote your own? wrote our own

9. What's one part of the wedding that was unique to you? our vows and we had the flower girls ring bells instead of drop petals.

10. What does your wedding ring look like? I'm too tired to explain it all, it's platinum and diamonds

11. Where did you go oun your honeymoon? Maui, and I'm dying to go back

12. How many times do you say "I love you" in one day? Maybe 3-4

13. How long have you been married? 7 years now

14. What's one thing you would change about him/her? I wish he knew how to pick up after himself. Clothes, food, tools, you name it.

15. What did he/she give you on your first Chrismas married? a bracelet, perfume, clothes

16. Do you get along with your in-laws? Most of the time

17. What do you do an a typical date night? what's that?!

18. Do you have kids together? 1 girl 2 boys

19. What's your dream vacation together? Europe

20. Where is your man/woman right now? working at the airport

All Hail the Mighty Dustbuster!

HOORAY!!! I found our long lost dustbuster this morning. It has been missing for months, Aaron misplaced it back in August and we have been hunting for it ever since. I didn't understand how he could lose something of that size without a trace. It's not like a key or a DVD. We even had Aaron's dad searching high and low in the garage.
I get so tired of getting the vacuum out for little messes and I love it for the hardwood floors. I asked my mom for one for my birthday and she was like "you don't want a dustbuster for your birthday." I kinda agreed and asked for something else, but then Aaron's mom offered us hers that never got used and after having it for one week I realized it was one of the best inventions ever! If you have children this is a great time saving device, some of the best money you'll ever spend. I grew so accustomed to having one that when it went missing I almost forget I could sweep.
OK, so you want to know where my sleep deprived husband put it? Kai was in the play room this morning and he had pulled all the cushions off the couch in there and as I'm putting them back on, I see a glimpse of shiny navy plastic under the folded up hide-a-bed. Could it be?! Was it really my long lost dustbuster?! Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!! I actually had to pull the hide-a-bed out from the couch to retrieve it, but it there it was. Can you tell I missed it. I immediately called Aaron and asked him if he had been using the dustbuster around the bed and he was said "yeah, I guess I forgot, I didn't think bed would clear with that in there." So now it's back on it's charger and will be ready to use for whatever messes are in store for me today.

Survey Friday

So I haven't had much going on around here to blog about and I saw these couple surveys so I thought I'd fill 'em out for everyone to see.

Survey for all moms

1. How long have you been a mom?
going on six years

2. How many kids call you mommy?
3 great kids

3. When you were pregnant did you know what you were having?
First two yes, last one no and I hated it.

4. How old were you when you became a mommy?
23

5. How long were you in labor?
1st: 8 hrs 2nd: 6hrs 3rd: 10 hrs

6. What's your favorite thing about being a mommy?
the precious bond I feel.

7. What's your least favorite thing?
The whining and the messes!

8. Do you want more kids?
Unless there is another "surprise" we're DONE

9. Have you ever taken your kid(s) on a trip?
Yes, they've been all over the place

10. How many times have you been pee'd on?
surprising only a few even with two boys

11. How many times have you been barfed on?
Don't even go there! Probably 100 times

12. Is (are) your kid(s) named after someone?
not first names, but all 3 have middle names after family members

13. When is the last time you had a sitter?
If you count nana and papa just this past Wednesday.

14. When your kid gets in trouble, who is the bad guy?
me just because I'm around more, but it's pretty equal on the weekends

15. Last movie you saw in theater?
Bourne Ultimatem (sp?)

16. One thing you will not give up just because you're a mom:
showering!

17. One thing you did give up now that you're a mom:
eating my dinner when it's hot

18. Favorite kid show?
Backyardigans

19. Favorite Snack:
fruit

20. When the kid(s) are napping, you are?
on the computer, napping, cleaning or spending alone time with whoever's awake.

21. Where is/are your kid(s) now?
Mia's at school, Kai's watching TV, Noah's napping

22. If I could do it over, I'd do this differently:
I do a lot of things differently (sleeping, eating, discipline) with my first, but not much with the next two.

23. Did you breastfeed or bottle?
Breastfeed

24. What are your children's current obsessions?
Mia-Soccer, Kai-Elmo, Noah-ME!



What's going on survey

What I was doing 10 Years ago....

I was going to school at The College of San Mateo and living with my Grandma in Redwood City. I had just met Aaron as I started my new job at City of San Mateo Park & Rec.

What I was doing 5 years ago.....

I had just gone back to work teaching pre-k after 5 months on maternity leave. We were living in our cute little townhouse and had a mortgage we could afford. It was the "richest" we have ever been in terms of how much money we had coming in versus money spent on living expenses. Aaron and I were both home by 3:30 every day. Life seemed so much easier then!



What I was doing 1 year ago.......

We were living in our current house in San Mateo. I was 5 months pregnant with Noah, I was cranky and irritated A LOT. I was chasing Kai around because he had just started walking. Aaron was working two jobs, but he wasn't a supervisor at the airport yet so he was home more! Mia just started Pre-K where I used to teach. Wow! That seems soooo long ago now.


What I was doing yesterday.....
The usual taking Mia to and from school, but I managed to grab some drive thru and take the kids to the park. It was such a nice day. The weather has been so unpredictable lately so I wanted to take advantage, and I'm glad I did because it was raining today! It was a big day for TV too...Survivor and the premiere of CSI: Vegas.


5 places I'd rather be....

Paris, Hawaii, Yosemite, NYC, HB


5 treats/snacks I love............

cupcakes
donuts
fruit and yogurt parfait
ice cream anything
fries

What I would do with 100 million dollars...
Aaron could quit BOTH his jobs!!!!! I would go back to school. We'd buy a nice big house here in San Mateo totally paid off!! Pay off all our debt. Pay off both our parents houses. Take our families on a BIG trip and invest the rest.

5 favorite TV shows

Top Chef
Flip this house
Survivor
CSI
Americas Next top Model


5 people to tag....
you, you, you, you, and YOU!

Masterpiece Theatre

So our next door neighbor was cleaning out her closet and found this cute little puppet theater. She asked if we wanted it (in front of the kids) so OF COURSE we just had to have it. It is a smaller version so at least it's easy to store and the always welcome bonus of any toy...it doesn't need batteries, YAY! Mia being the drama queen that she is, was all over it and Kai was lucky to get a word in edge wise, at least they shared the puppets well. The script might not have made much sense, but it made Aaron and I laugh so of course we gave it two thumbs up. It made for a great family home evening activity.

Soccer season

*WARNING* Obnoxious parental bragging ahead!

So Mia is on an AYSO soccer team called the Blue Mermaids (I love the little girl team names). We love that the games are in the park behind our house, no packing up the car, and if we forget something it's a two minute walk home. She is having a lot of fun and is really good! She started out a little timid in her first practice and game, but man how she warmed up. She jets up and down the field always staying with the ball. She knows which direction to run and is always helping her teammates. She amazed us with her energy and stamina, she never sat out. She can take the ball from one end of the field to the other, she's almost scored 4 goals. She feels like the goalies box isn't her territory so if she can't kick it in from that line then she just lets the goalie get it and waits for it to be thrown back. They don't keep score so goals don't matter, but I know she'll just light up if/when she gets one in. Not keeping score is also great when you're child is the goalie. Mia loves being the goalie, and wearing the special shirt. I can't help this pit that forms in my stomach when I see the other team running straight at her trying to get the ball past her. Don't worry she hasn't let one goal in yet :) I just have a little more gushing to do (can't say I didn't warn you). Aaron and I were glowing when we heard some parents behind us saying "Man, who is that little #2?" and one of the other parents replied "her name is Mia" and they were like "Wow, what an appropriate name for a girl soccer player" As Aaron and I laughingly said just to each other "That's right #2 is OUR girl!" Most importantly we're glad she's having fun and doesn't want to quit. She had a quiting streak this summer with extra curricular activities, but it looks like soccer suits her. She can be competitive so we are hoping that we can focus on teamwork and fun to keep the competitiveness at bay. Also AYSO doesn't keep score until they are in the 8 year old league. This is a great outlet for her energy and I hope she can keep it up.

Going for a goal!


Our little #2


Go Mermaids!


Don't even think about it.

Remembering

I just couldn't let today pass without saying thank you to all the police and firefighters who's job it is to protect and serve their communities. I also want to thank all the service men and woman at home or abroad. I hope September 11th doesn't just turn into another day that goes by. It really altered our nation's history in more ways than one. So many families had their lives turned upside down by these events and my heart goes out to them. I remember I was newly pregnant with Mia and thinking to myself that day, "what kind of world are our children coming into, why would people do this?" While the weeks that came after were painful to hear about, I also loved watching our whole nation coming together for one purpose. I loved seeing American flags on every house, in windows of cars and stores. I loved having a national day of prayer where nobody protested, but prayed anyway even if they were different religions or whatever. It was then I realized our children are coming into an amazing world. Today my thoughts are with all those in NYC, DC and in a Pennsylvania field celebrating their loved ones lives.

My new inspiration!

So many times I feel torn between housework and spending time with my kids. Honestly, it isn't so much torn as frustrated that I can't just clean without the kids leaving me alone to finish. Yesterday I was disappointed because Noah woke up after 30 minutes when his nap usually lasts 90 minutes. I felt so jipped. I had so much to do and I needed that extra hour that he "interfered" with by waking up. Well lo and behold, I am doing an online search for something not related to my frustrations at all and find this quote:

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait for tomorrow,
For babies grow up, I've learned, to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs.
Dust, go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep.
(Ruth Hulburt Hamilton)

I LOVE THIS POEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It almost makes me want to cry because of how true it it. I just found how "babies don't keep" as I sent Mia off to Kindergarten. It helped give me a lot of perspective. The dust and cobwebs will be there for me to clean tomorrow or even next week, but my babies will be a little bigger, even if it's only by the smallest measurement. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to let my house go to shambles, but instead of getting disappointed that I didn't get to finish dishes because the baby woke up to soon, I will just try to enjoy that extra hour I get with him.

I hear wedding bells!!!!

Yay! Whitney's longtime boyfriend Adam proposed to her this weekend! We have actually been planning the wedding for a little while and keeping it quiet. But now that she's got the rock on her finger we can shout it from the rooftops. They've known each other for about 5 years and are a perfect fit. And what a rock it is! It's a beautiful ring...nearly twice the size of mine, good thing I don't have a size complex! We can't say we didn't see this coming. There is just so much in common between them. We love Adam and are happy he'll be a part of our family, the kids just started referring to him as "uncle Adam". I'll be a bridesmaid and Mia is the flower girl. Anyway, Whitney will be getting an AWESOME new last name plus alphabetically she'll stay at the top of the alphabet. The opposite happened to me, I got a funky new last name and went to the bottom of the alphabet when I got married. Hers will be Blaesser (pronounced Blazer) COOL, HUH?! We're looking forward to January 5, 2008. Congratulations Whitney and Adam!!

Fuzzy Bunz

Our Noah is a lucky little guy. He is the only one of our three children that gets to rest his precious bum in soft fleecy diapers instead of crispy, crunchy disposables. I made the switch about four months ago to cloth diapers. It really had nothing to do with "going green"(although, I empty our diaper pail WAY less). It mostly had to do with the fact that he had explosive diapers and I ended up washing all of his yucky clothes anyway. So, no, I don't do a diaper service, I actually wash them all myself in washing machine, and yes, we still maintain a clean washer!
At first I was overwhelmed by all the cloth choices and terminology. These are NOT your mother's cloth diapers though. The type I use are all in one dipes. They are basically the same as a disposable diaper, but you use them over and over. I am happy to say we have had not one explosion since we switched. Well that's not totally true, there have been two in the very beginning and it was my fault for leaving the diaper on for too long and it couldn't hold anymore. You do have to change them more often, but come on, is that really a bad thing?! They contain odors better. Most of the time I can't even tell when he's dirty.
Cloth diapering is addictive too. The styles and prints are so cute I just want to keep buying more even though we have enough to get through a few days. We still use disposables for nighttime. To start your diaper collection it costs the same as buying 4-5 months worth of disposables. It's definitely not for everyone, but I am really happy doing it. I wish Kai wasn't so badly in between sizes because I would do it for him too. We aren't rushing to potty train him since he's a pretty lazy guy and I have a feeling it will be slow going if I start too soon. Maybe I'll just potty train him and Noah together...J/K!!!!!!! But seriously, look how cute they are.

Good picture day

It never fails, as soon as school starts we get awesome weather! I remember from when I was in school and taught it, September is always the nicest month. It's been a pretty cool summer and now for the past 4 days it's been 90 degrees at least! I've had the slip and slide set up the past couple of days for the kids to cool off. I had the camera outside today too and got lucky with a couple of snap shots. The kids move so much they might have a completely different face by the time my shutter actually captures the shot I was going for. But like I said, I lucked out and ended up with one of my favorite shots of Kai. Tell me if you like it in B&W or color better. And Noah's ears don't really stick out that far, it was caught on the pillow part of his seat. I think it adds to the cuteness though, right, he's our little elf baby!