First Day of Preschool!

Monday was Vanessa's first day of Preschool! She was so excited to go. Mommy on the other hand was finding it quite difficult to believe that her little girl is old enough to attend. I was excited for her but sad to let my child go. She was able to meet her teacher a few days before starting and she really seemed to like her. I know that she is going to have so much fun!

So for the first day, the school had the parents come to help them line up in their classes and to put their name tags on. Vanessa got right in line and waited patiently for the bell to ring. Owen and I stepped back and watched her. Owen kept asking where "Madetta" (Vanessa) was and looking for her. He was a bit lost without his big sister. The school bell rang and Vanessa went inside. At this point, I couldn't help but get teary eyed. It was a momentous day for both of us. When I picked her up she was so happy and couldn't wait to tell me what she did and about her new friends. This will be such a fun year as she learns new things.

Back in Time!

This past Saturday we went to Great Grandpa and Grandma Carter's house to help them with some yard work and cleaning. We all really enjoyed being able to help them out and spend some time together. After cleaning, we ate a yummy summer meal outside with all the family. The kids loved being outside and playing together.

While there, Grandpa Carter pulled out his old model A car and we got to take it for a spin. It was so much fun. I would have loved to live back then. The kids really loved riding in the car. Owen kept going on rides with different people and actually fell asleep on the last ride. Thanks for taking us for a ride!

We really had a fun time leading our helping hands!

12 Weeks

I had my 12 week doctors appointment on the 15th. I was excited to go and see how the baby was. With being so sick, I was a bit worried about the baby. My fears were put to rest when I got to see our little one move around and hear the heart beat. The baby was moving so much! It was crazy just watching him/her turn, kick, and flip and not be able to feel it. The doctor said everything looks good and healthy and he even told me that he is 95% sure of what the sex of the baby is...Vanessa and Owen most likely will be getting a baby sister! Vanessa has been saying this all along so she wasn't surprised when I told her. She just told me, "Mom, I know you are having a girl because you are a girl!" We are definitely excited to welcome another girl into our family. My next appointment we will be able to tell for sure if it is indeed a girl but for now we call her baby Tina (Vanessa's choice).

Tangled Friend Party

The day after Vanessa's birthday she had a her first friend birthday party. She had all of her little friends be able to come and help her celebrate. I was able to find some fun game ideas, cupcake toppers, and take home thank you ideas online that I used for the party.

We first had the kids play Musical Tangled (like musical chairs). I printed out some pictures of the characters and placed them on the floor and had each girl stand on one. I then played some music and stopped it randomly. I then picked a character and gave the girl standing on it a Tangled candy. The girls had a lot of fun with the game. The next game was Pin the Frying Pan on Flynn. I got this idea here. The kids loved playing this game too!
Next came time to open presents. It was a bit chaotic trying to get all the kids to sit down. Vanessa got a Cinderella and Pet Shop Barbie, bubbles, books, a Princess bag, a unicorn, and make-up. The girls all wanted to play Barbies so we let them play for a bit while I got the cupcakes ready. I was able to find these super cute cupcake toppers here. They turned out so cute. I made the cupcakes a rainbow of yellow, purple, and pink. The girls thought that was super fun.
Vanessa gave each friend a little thank you bag for coming to her party. Inside was a Rapunzel paint set (idea found here), stickers, party blower, and Tangled candy. She had such a fun time playing with her friends. I am glad that they were able to come and help her celebrate!

Happy 4th Birthday Vanessa!

Where has the time gone! Our little baby girl is no longer that little. It is hard to think that she is four years old. She told me that she is now a big girl and is growing up. It made me chuckle but also teary eyed.

When she woke up she was greeted with lots of Happy Birthday wishes from us and Owen and the house decorated in Tangled decor. Vanessa's party theme that she wanted this year was Tangled. Ever since the movie came out she has requested to have a Tangled birthday party. I was able to find some cute things on the internet by googling Tangled party ideas to use for decorations and ideas. She was so excited to have the house decorated just for her and to be turning 4!

I found the sun bunting online but then added Happy 4th Birthday Vanessa on it using Photoshop Elements. It turned out so cute!

While Daddy was at work, I took the kids to our ward play group. This time, we met at the Riverdale Splash Pad. The kids loved running around through all of the fountains and playing on the toys. Vanessa and Owen love water so it was a great way to spend her birthday and to cool off.

That night when Daddy got home from work, I fixed Vanessa her birthday dinner. She requested Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup. That girl LOVES her cheese and tomato soup. It was fun eating together and talking about the day. She is quite the little story teller so it is very fun to listen to her and Owen talk. After dinner, we had Grandpa and Grandma Sorensen, Laura, Arianne and Cody over for presents, cake and ice cream.

She was quite spoiled this year and got some fun presents. Grandpa and Grandma Mendoza got her a Leapster 2 game system with a matching case. Maria and Reagan gave her some Hello Kitty socks which she loves! We gave her a Rapunzel and Flynn Rider Barbie dolls and a Barbie play castle. Owen picked out a Barbie movie for her as well. Grandpa and Grandma Sorensen gave her a pink picnic blanket with matching napkins. Aunt Laura gave her some pretty blue earrings and made her the cutest tutu! Uncle Cody gave her a Rapunzel dress. We had to chuckle because she didn't show much emotion when opening the presents. I think it had to do with being so tired from the day's activities.

I made Vanessa a Rapunzel character cake. I made the inside a fun purple an pink marble design. Vanessa thought that was so cool to have her cake different colors.

When it came down to blowing out the candles, Owen decided that he was going to be her little helper. She did not want him helping her so by the end of the song, Vanessa was hovering over the cake and Owen was screaming and trying to get out of Dad's arms. Owen was quite sad so we had to sing the song again and let him have a turn with blowing out the candles. What silly little kiddos.

Owen was very happy to help out! He is a great ice cream scooper...
and frosting tester!We really had a fun day celebrating Vanessa! We are so grateful that she is a part of our family. She is our little sunshine and we loving watching her grow up to be such a cute, spunky, girly girl. Happy 4th Birthday Vanessa! We love you so much!

Anniversary Cake

In July I had a lady contact me to do an 50th Anniversary cake for her parents. I debated on whether or not to do the cake job being so sick but the little extra money it would bring in helped me decide. The lady wanted handmade gum paste roses and Cally Lilies to cascade down the cake. I was excited to be able to make them but I knew it was going to be a lot of work.

As it was getting closer to when I was suppose to be starting on making them, that is when I got super sick and had to get the IV. So it was put off for a few days. Luckily, the IVs worked and I started feeling better the first of this week. It was now crunch time! I worked like crazy this past week to get all of the flowers made and the cake baked and frosted! It was a lot of work but I am happy to say that I finished it in time and it turned out great! Now, I need to start on Vanessa's Rapunzel cake for her birthday next week.

Sorensen Mini Staycation!

We were supposed to go out to Mt. Rushmore with Mark's family but some things came up and we had to cancel the vacation. So to make it up, we got to do some super fun things close to home.

On Thursday, we went to see the Winnie the Pooh movie. What a cute movie! It was so funny and very enjoyable to watch. All of us loved it! We got some popcorn to share with the whole family and I would have to say that Owen ate a good majority of it. Aliyah and Vanessa helped too but I seriously thought the kid would burst!

On Friday, we went to Cherry Hill. The kids loved being able to play in the water and be outside. It was nice to get some sunshine and be able to play with the kids. The grown ups had a lot of fun going down the slides. We got going pretty fast! Vanessa and Owen liked the lazy river and sliding down the kiddie slide. We had a good time with all of the family!

What color is my tongue Mom? They were eating some Dum-Dum suckers and wanted to know if their tongues changed colors.

On Saturday, we dropped the kids off at the Roberts' house and the adults went to a REAL Salt Lake game. We hadn't been to one yet so it was fun to be able to see them play even though they lost. It was a perfect night to be able to sit outside and enjoy the game. We will have to go again so we can see them win.
It was sure a fun filled weekend. Thanks Mom and Dad for the tickets and all of the fun! We always love spending time with the family!

Brigham City Temple!

We took a little drive to see the Brigham City Temple. The outside is finished so it was fun to see what it looks like. What a beautiful temple! It is always so excited to see a new temple being built!
We also went over and walked around the Tabernacle. What amazing craftsmanship! I am always in awe to look at all of the detailed work that people put into making these historic buildings. Such good quality work.

After walking around a bit we headed over and grabbed some KFC to fill up our bellies. We then went to a park to let the kids play for a bit before heading home. It was a great way to spend some family time!

M.I.A.

Sorry for such a long break in between posts. It has sure been a whirl wind of a journey these past few weeks. This pregnancy has just about done me in. I have been so sick! Worse than my last pregnancy. For about two straight weeks, I was not able to keep much of my food down or drink much liquid. So that created quite a big problem. . . dehydration and malnutrition. The doctor had me keep taking some nausea medicine but it just wasn't working for me. So, the next stage of treatment was to have in-home IV Infusion Therapy for 3 days. I hate having IVs but I knew that it was what I needed to get me healthy again.

So on Friday night, a nurse came to the house and taught me how to change my IV bags and how to care for it. Then she tried starting the IV. I was so dehydrated that every time she tried to find my vein, it would collapse or hide. It took two nurses three times to finally get the IV started. Needless to say, my arm is now black and blue. Even though I had to endure some pretty painful things, I am so glad that I got the IV. Within a few hours, I felt so much better and I had stopped throwing up. I could actually eat and drink! It felt so good to finally not be hungry or thirsty! It was incredible!

Now here is where the whirlwind intensifies. When I went to bed Friday night, I started getting a stuffy nose and a persistent cough that I could not stop. If not all, I woke up with my left eye stuck together with goop and extremely irritated. Great! I knew I had pink eye. So luckily, I was able to call the eye doctor I work for and he issued me an anti-biotic. It was a good thing that I got it because the next morning, I woke up with my right eye infected too!

This is not all, my nose congestion and persistent coughing got worse over the weekend. Nothing was helping. I had to "sleep" sitting up because when I laid down I couldn't breathe.

So come Monday morning, I was feeling well hydrated but miserable still with everything else that was going on. The nurse called and talked to me. I told her that I thought that I should be ok to have the IV out. She then told me that I could take it out myself if I felt comfortable. I decided to give it a try. The worst thing about it was taking the tape off. It hurt so darn bad and I am now missing a big patch a hair on my arm. It was so nice to finally get it out so I could be a little more mobile and hep the kids.

My mom, brother and sister came up on Sunday to help me out. It was so nice having them here. The kids were able to keep Vanessa and Owen entertained while my mom was able to help with things around the house and fix meals. I owe them a HUGE thank you!

This morning things still were not getting better with my cough and nose. My mom took me in to the doctors to check things out. My lungs and breathing sounded good which made the doctor think that I don't have pneumonia. Thankfully! He did say that I have an infection and that he could start treating me for it today. The thing about all of this is that I am so nervous on how it is affecting the baby. I pray that the baby is staying healthy and well. We have an prenatal appointment next week so that will be good.

I am hoping that this week holds good things for me and that I can get back to feeling better.