Santa Claus

We went to see Santa this evening. The 30 minute visit about did me in. Why? Because of these mistakes:

1. Do not wake up your 2 year old from a nap

2. Do not put a bow in your 2 year old's hair when she's crabby from being woken up

3. Do not let your children eat candy canes and cookies right before dinner

4. Do not agree to hold handmade ornaments with fresh glue and glitter on them

5. Do not think you'll make it home before the food in the oven is done

(Yes, Natalie was with us too but she was more interested in the crafts than in sitting on Santa's lap)

Puzzles

I dumped out the entire toy cupboard (nesting, you think?) and cleared out a bunch of toys. At the bottom was this puzzle set, which we bought when Natalie was little. Amazing that 3 moves and 3 children later all the pieces are still here and in good shape. This "new" toy has kept Camille so busy. She'll take the pieces out and put them back in over and over again.

02-10-2010

I had my doctor's appointment on Friday. He was not concerned with the HUGENESS of the baby. So after analyzing all the data (due dates, ultrasounds, previous deliveries), we scheduled my C-Section for Wednesday, February 10. Yeah! 8 more weeks to go.

Lovin' that pudding

How can one small container of pudding make such a mess? And did any of it get into her mouth?

Christmas Time!

Tonight we took a drive around a fantastic neighborhood in Fresno where almost every single house within 3 square blocks decorates extravagantly. We drove around with the minivan doors wide open, which was a thrill for the kids. Camille sat in the front seat on Troy's lap loving every minute. What a great night.

These pics are just for fun. (Camille ran into the furniture, thus the scratches on her face - poor thing)

Time is Flying!

Yesterday I had another ultrasound - truly a miracle to be able to take a peek at this little baby inside of me. Well, he's HUGE! He is measuring 3 weeks ahead of his due date, weighing in at an estimated 3 lb. 11 oz. already. None of my babies have been big so this is a little unusual. When I have my doctor's appointment next week we'll discuss how early a C-Section will be scheduled. We want to make sure the baby is ready to come but not wait too long so that I go into labor on my own (which has never happened).
It's entirely possible that we'll have this baby with us at the beginning of February instead of the middle or even end. So today I got my act together and started working on Camille's baby book! It would be nice to get that done before this little guy arrives. Every week of Camille's first year, I journaled what was going on and made sure I had at least one picture so now I just have to put it all together into an album. I'm on Week #2, so I'm making progress and it's getting me excited to have a newborn in the house again.

SNOW!!!

Living in Fresno lacks snow, which is just fine with me. However, we were so lucky to get one little pounding of snow on our trip to Utah. Every time the kids walked outside of Myrna's house, they had to run around in the yard and make fresh tracks. Camille would say "Oh! It's so cold!" then she would giggle with delight.

Thanksgiving Vacation

Our kids had the entire week of Thanksgiving off from school. What a treat! So we packed up the car and road-tripped it out to Utah to spend time with my wonderful aunt and with Troy's sister and her family. The cousins had such a fantastic time together and we loved on their little baby, Charlotte. The week was fantastic!

No more glasses!

Natalie got contacts. Can you believe I have a teenager? Beautiful!

First Haircut

Camille has hardly any hair but even with as little as she has, it was looking pretty uneven so she had her first "trim". Our hairstylist was literally cutting one or two strands of hair at a time.

Pumpkin Patch

We had a wonderful family home evening at the Kerman Pumpkin Patch. A tractor ride, corn maze, haybale obstacle course and a grain table for Camille to play in. Tons of pumpkins at good prices and cousins to share all the fun with. The only thing that would make it better is if Aunt Myrna were with us!

Are you a Problem Solver?

I tell my kids all the time "Solve the Problem". I have seen way too many adults who do not know how to solve problems and I refuse to let my children enter adulthood as such. So, I got a taste of my own medicine in the past two days. Here's a brief recap: Flat tire as I come out from church. DVD player in my car dies (How am I going to drive to Utah with 4 kids by myself without movies????). Can't get my pump to work to blow up the tire. Cigarette lighters in my car are dead. Drive to Costco on a flat (I know - BAD). 3 hour wait at Costco - no thank you. Good Guys replace tire(s) and fuse and now my DVD player and my cigarette lighters work. Yeah - and that was only a 2 hour wait (with a 2 year old). Allyson informing me that they have a Peter Pan rehearsal earlier than I realized. Called company to see where her green leotard was only to find out that the lady who placed my order was fired and the order was never processed. Found a white leotard in our bin FULL of old leotards (benefit of having 4 girls). Bought green dye and made my own mint-green leotard. Had my mother sew a Tinkerbell Skirt and we ended up with the best costume ever! I'm tired. Aren't you?

The BIG Fresno Fair

One of my favorite things to do is to go to the county fair each year. I have a little routine we follow.... animals, reptiles, rocks & vegetables. No rides. No toys. Yes cotton candy! And the best part is watching my kids the entire time. We walk through all the animal pens.. cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits, turkeys. This year my niece, Robin, was the most fun to watch. She was sure the cows were just big dogs and she needed to pet them! Camille was enthralled but even the 13 year olds (Natalie & Dylan) were having a blast. It never gets old for me. The reptile house was Mallori & Allyson's favorite. They were reading up on every creature and trying to find the snakes, lizards and frogs in the small glass cages. We walked out of there with a few frog stuffed animals (such a sucker of a mom). And living in the San Joaquin Valley means that the fruit and vegetable displays are simply amazing. We try to identify all the produce grown here and then try not to want to eat the beautiful fruit right there in front of us!

This year my nephew, Dylan, tried fried frog legs. It was hard for me to watch. Thank goodness most of my nausea has gone away! Yes, I'm feeling so well that I could actually enjoy some cotton candy! We had a fantastic time - and everyone was ready for early bedtimes afterwards.

School Photos

Here are Allyson's & Amanda's school photos from this year. Natalie doesn't like hers so I decided not to post it. Amanda & Allyson are totally opposite in their coloring and when they are together nobody believes they are sisters.

Not on the Agenda

This morning did NOT go as planned. While trying to get myself and Camille out to door to my doctor appointment, she dropped a container that had all of my nail polishes inside and one of the bottles shattered - on my carpet!!! So, thank goodness for google and wikpedia! I got it all out - but what a disaster. We were a little late to my appointment but that wasn't so bad since the doctor was running an HOUR behind. Not fun to sit in an OB/GYN office with your 2 year old. Then she had diarrhea - the kind that runs down your leg. Ugh! Can we rewind and start this day over?

We've got a Teenager!

Yes, our little Natalie turns 13 today! Amazing. She has broken us in wonderfully as parents - a great first child. She's a beautiful girl - both inside and out. Can't believe this new stage is beginning. Fun times ahead for sure!

It's a BOY!

Yes, that's right! After 4 little girls, we are getting a boy. Ultrasound was this morning. Amazing to be able to take a peak at a 10 ounce baby. He's healthy and things are going well. So excited!!

Cousin Time

My sister, Ashli, spent a week without children in Kauai with her husband. After surviving law school and the bar exam, they deserved it. So we had some quality time with my nephew, Mikey. He & Camille were little buddies and made each other laugh all day long. I must say that it was pretty fun to have a little boy in my house for a few days.

We're in trouble

She's only 9. Need I say more?

So sad.....

I had 6 days in a row without any nausea!!!! And then Saturday night it returned and has insisted on hanging around. I'm just so sad. But you should've seen what I accomplished in those 6 days!!!! Superwoman made a quick appearance. Hope she returns.

Back to School

The girls are back in school and I can't believe how quiet my house is! Natalie started 7th grade at the middle school. What a big step for her and our family. She was quite nervous but has gotten the hang of things already and reconnected with friends from school and from our stake.

Allyson is in 4th grade. She walked ahead of us the entire way to school and then disappeared to her classroom without even saying goodbye. Confident! There are only two 4th grade classes at our school so she knows practically everyone and was excited to reconnect.

Amanda took the plunge into 1st grade. She's now in school all day long and handling it very well. It's going to be a great year.

Little Camille noticed the girls with their backpacks so she ran over and grabbed the spare one and insisted on walking the entire way to school. Even after tripping and scraping her knee, she did NOT want me to carry her or put her in the stroller. She was as big as her sisters! Since the first day of school she's tried to leave with them every morning and is so sad when she isn't allowed out the front door.

What do you think?