CLICK HERE FOR FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATES, LINK BUTTONS AND MORE! »

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Little Claire Bear



Claire is almost six months old, and just getting sweeter every day. She has become a better napper, and has kept her good-natured personality. She is almost always happy, and gives us lots of cute smiles. She is the chubbiest baby we have ever had, with endless rolls of chub all over her little body, and no neck anywhere to be found. She took a while to roll over (my theory was that she was having trouble hefting her booty over) but now she likes to do it whenever I turn my back. I have literally never seen her roll over, I just find her on her stomach with a devious look on her face.

And, she recently got her first tooth! Last weekend she was super fussy and I thought she was sick (even took her into the pediatrician). It crossed my mind she might be teething, but neither of my other kids got teeth until like 9 months, so I figured we were still a ways off. Luckily my pedi didn't stick his finger in her mouth, I would have felt pretty stupid to have not checked that. Anyway, today at church she chomped my finger and OUCH! She has her first little tooth poking through! I can't believe she is getting so big so fast!

Monday, February 08, 2010

Another Disney day

So we got Disney passes again this year with some Christmas money, and we've been able to go a few times as a family. I went once with a friend and that was exhausting. Not sure I'm going to try that again until Claire is a little older. Anyway, here are some cute pics from our trip a few weeks ago.






Poor Parker. We love our Joovy stroller, but the back jumpseat isn't exactly a comfortable place to sleep. But I guess after a day at Disneyland, it'll do.

Sunday, February 07, 2010

Maren and Tyson

Have you guys missed me? Well, I have posts coming every day this week, ending with Scott and Brianne's wedding!

But for now, let me go back a few weeks to when my brother-in-law and sister-in-law came to visit us. We had a great time going to the beach, swimming at their hotel, and going to Disneyland together! If I ever get less lazy, I will go get some other pictures off our desktop, but for now, here's the Disneyland ones at least.






Sunday, January 24, 2010

Help Kurt and Stacey

You may have noticed I added a link to our sidebar. My friends Kurt and Stacey are adopting a little boy from Ethopia, and are doing a fundraiser to help with costs. Please help them out if you can!

Here's the link to their adoption page, so you can check out their cute family and their story!

ADOPTION PAGE

Thursday, January 21, 2010

A Little Sprinkling of Rain

Okay, so I still have some posts to catch up on, but I'm going to write about our crazy rainstorm we're having! Sorry, this will be long.

I realize that it rains way more in other parts of the country, but the thing that makes it so miserable in Southern California is that we are so ill-equipped for the rain. I don't even think we own an umbrella, and we definitely don't have rain boots, raincoats, etc. Not to mention serious drainage problems in the roads and, apparently, our yard.

So yesterday we are going to Joanie's for Brianne's bridal shower, and it is POURING. I stupidly took the back way because I thought the freeway would be just a parking lot, since it was rush hour and the middle of a rainstorm. Oh man, no way can I convey how terrifying the drive was. The road was so dark and curvy, and I couldn't tell where the huge puddles were, or where my van was going to skid. It was horrible. I got even more scared once I passed a car stuck in the flood water, and then the car in front of me drove into it too. I think they had to wait for the fire department; there was no way they could have opened their doors. Then we got to Joanie's, and the power was out, so we had the shower by candlelight! It was definitely an experience we'll always remember!

Then today right after James left for work, it started pouring. Our yard floods occasionally, so we had the pump set out, and I turned it on. But it didn't help, and it was raining harder than the pump could get the water out. Closer and closer to our two back sliding doors came the water, and I got more and more nervous. Finally the water was all the way up to our sliding doors and getting higher. What was I going to do with three little kids and a house about to flood? Go to a playdate, is the obvious answer, obviously.

So I went and my awesome friend Whitney fed me and my kids lunch while I was on the phone trying to figure out where to get sandbags, who could help me with them, etc. Finally we got a break in the downpour and I left my kids with my friends and went to get the sandbags myself (fire department, who knew?). Then I got to set them up in the backyard in the pouring rain. It was really good times. And then, of course, it stopped raining for the night. *Sigh* But at least now we have them. James was working so late, and I didn't want to be caught without them in a storm tonight.

So anyway, we're safe. The house didn't flood. But it was a long, long day.

Let's Get This Over With

I was going to skip posting Christmas pictures altogether, but since someday I intend to get these blog posts printed into a substitution for a scrapbook, I thought I'd just do a quick post and get them up.

Christmas Eve:
We had a picnic at the Club, where my kids sported some super fancy Christmas gloves.


Then we went over to the RB Inn, where they had a life-sized gingerbread house. That was cool, but the free hot chocolate and cookies may have been even cooler.


Then we continued our tradition from last year of doing a talent show. Kenley and Parker's talent was to do a puppet show with some finger puppets they had opened earlier in the day. Please believe me when I say it was awesome. But perhaps not as awesome as this:


Then Santa came by for one last visit.


Christmas morning brought a Batcave for the boy, and a Barbie car and salon for the girl.



Claire was there too.


It was exhausting.


My sister doesn't read my blog. Too bad for her.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Adventures in Gingerbread

Whenever Erin comes to town, we love to get our girls together. Erin and I can visit and catch up, and the girls love playing together. They are bummed that they live so far apart from each other, and always miss each other when it's time to go home!

Last week Erin brought her girls over and the kids all decorated a gingerbread house together. It was actually more like 15 minutes of decorating and then eating themselves sick with all the candy, but they had a great time!



Monday, December 28, 2009

Christmas Fun!

We had such a fun time over Christmas! Here are some pictures of the week leading up to Christmas! :)

Visiting with my friend Stacey and her family


Snuggling


"Helping" me make some yummy peppermint brownies


Posing proudly with their gingerbread men (see, I told you Parker loved googly eyes)