Maybe I Should Just Post Pictures

I was going through the last year of posts, which sadly, is like, 6, and realized a theme- I always end each one with 'look out for more pictures later', and then? Never happens. I am such a procrastinator. Then I think about it again, and think, 'eh, what's the use now?' Gosh I have issues.

 These were taken in Costa Mesa, June 2010. Chris had a few weeks of training and since work paid for him to stayin a hotel down there, we joined him! Although it was too cold to go in the water at the beach, we visited a few times. Can I just say that the OC has the best weather?!?!? And shopping?!?

The Family on Halloween. They boys and I were ghosts and Chris was a Ghostbuster. I had ditched the way-too-much costume by this point. Brought me back to my HS days when I made a Hershey Kiss costume. WHAT was I thinking?!?!?!?

Really, I am alive!

SOOO, its been, oh 4 months or so since I posted. Although I read and catch up on everyone's blogs, I guess I don't think I have anything worth writting. So here is what's going on with us- it will work for now, right??
We started talking about buying another house last May. After lots of phone calls, investigating, making sure we could handle two mortgages, etc, we decided to go for it! We started looking, didn't find anything worth moving, and took a break.

Zander had surgery in October to correct his shoulder. He was born with a disorder called  Sprengle's Deformity. We knew this way back when he was 5 mo old, in the NICU with RSV. This surgery was planned, all went pretty well. His orthopaedic surgeon preforms 95% of this surgery, nationwide. We were thrilled to work with him down at CHLA. (REALLY, the best so. Cal childrens hospital). He was great in the hospital after, they let us go home less than 24 hours later! A few days later, though, he got really sick, he was breathing very hard and I knew we were in for another ER visit. Instead of driving all the way down to LA, we took him to Loma Linda, where they admitted him for pnenmonia. Dr. Skaggs (surgeon) said it was normal, since he was in his body for a long time, air most likely got trapped and messed up his lungs. We stayed down there for 3 days and he was great. Super trooper! We started PT two weeks later and although he hated the pulling and tugging on his arm, he loved playing! Miss Laurie was his therapist, and lucky for us, had been a preschool teacher for 20 years! She knew exactly how to work with him. He painted, played games and had a ball. We continued that until the end of Febuary. Pre-surgery, Dr. Skaggs said we could expect 30-40 degrees improvement in his range of motion. After all that hard PT, he has 60%! We were thrilled! So he is doing great. Learning to use it just as much as his other hand/arm.

Back to the house- we started looking again in November. Found one we liked, but didn't love, mainly because it needed lots of work. The bones were good, but it was super smelly and very dirty. But it was huge and we liked the floor plan. So we put in an offer, and we got it! We got the keys (well, basically, we broke in) February 4th, ripped out carpets, painted the entire house (after scrubbing every single wall. . . ) redid the floors in the kitchen, and cleaned really well and moved in the 12th. It was a crazy week, let me tell you, but worth it. We are finally starting to feel like its home. Still don't have anything up on the walls, but hey, we put curtains up on the sliding glass door in the kitchen, does that count as something?!?! Its still a work in progress. We have huge plans for it, but with huge plans come lots of work, lots of energy and lots of money!!!

So, the biggest news (which MOST of you already know) is that we are going to have another baby!! We have been ready for about 9 months now for another, and you know? I really know that Heavenly Father saw wisdom in my not being pregnant while Zander went through surgery, or while we shopped for houses, or packed up our old house, or got this one ready. .. .HE KNOWS me and my weaknesses and strengths so much better than I do. Very glad I didn't get too whiney about not being pregnant before.

Well. This is really long. And wordy, and probably annoying. But its done, right?? I took some pictures of the house, but they aren't on my computer yet, so I will up load them next time. Thanks for reading this rant! Thanks for the love!!

Merry Christmas!

What a busy year! And you know, its only going to continue this way, for like, forever. Kids are born, grow up, life is always changing. Trials come and knock us down for a bit, we recover, and (hopefully) learn the lesson we were meant too. And the blessings, oh the blessings! Life is sweet, isn't it?

I really like the idea of using this blog to stay connected with friends in far away places. I have done a very crappy job on my part, although I am grateful for those who frequently update! Maybe this next year will be better. I think the problem is that I feel a need to be elloquent, with proper grammar and spelling. When really, who cares, right? Staying in touch is way more important. So here is to a new year with more frequent posts.

Here are a few pictures of our little family. The boys are wonderful, crazy, exausting, adorable, all in one; growing like crazy, learning every day.

Again, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Kade's First Birthday

So hard to believe my baby is One year old, where did the time fly?? We had a little(ish) birthday party for the Birthday boy this year, with just family. Even then, there were 20+ people in my house, plus 5 kids. yikes. Instead of going the easy route and sticking with cake and ice cream, I decided to make dinner for all these people. NEVER AGAIN!! Although it turned out great, it was a LOT of work, and although my family was worth the hassle, my mental capacity took a hit and I was a cranky momma by nights end. What's the point, huh!

I did a turtle-ish party. I say 'ish' because I kept it pretty simple. I made some cute invites, made a SUPER cute birthday banner, whipped together a turtle cake, and that was about it. Simple! Here are a few pictures, Isn't he precious??!!?  
Here is the sign I made, using my Mom's Cricut machine. That thing is amazing. . . .I got the idea from emmiecakes.com.

Its a bit wonky in this picture because 1. I had 'help' putting it up, and 2. this picture was taken at the end of the evening. Trust me, Its WAAAYY cuter than the picture depicts!!

Here is his cake. It too is a bit wonky because 1. my partner in crime is MIA (not really, she just abandoned me for England) 2. I spent too much time on real food and not this bad boy and 3. I tried too hard and didn't know when to stop messing with it. It worked.

My big boy, tickling the Ivory's! He loves to play the piano!! (really, he just loves to make noise. . . .)

Whelp. Uploading pictures is taking forever and I need to turn in, so there ya go. More soon! (Don't keep your fingers crossed too long, that's what I said about posting more on our England trip. . . a month ago. . .)

May 2010

Hello! I must say- even though I rarely update our blog, I check it frequently to see if you guys have updated yours and am always glad to see what life is like in your neck of the woods. We have had a busy May/June! Chris and I had the amazing experience of going to England for a week. My BFF (how high school does THAT sound!?! But really, she is!) and her family were Sealed for Eternity in the London Temple! It was an amazing day, one of my top 5 best days thus far. Jeannette and I have known each other since elementary school, and became besties around our Junior year of high school. We have gone through a lot together- she lost her Aunt just days after my Grandmother passed away, I was living with her in Vegas when Danae died, and we spent many hours crying together as she learned of her sweet baby's fate once she was born. Gosh, sounds like our lives have been all doom and gloom, huh! Watching our children grow, overcome obstacles, make us laugh, make us yell, make us be mean, has been so much fun as we go through these stages together. And of course, we have each other to 'vent' our spousal frustrations too. And now that they have this amazing blessing in their lives, I know our friendship will get even deeper as we share experiences and thoughts of things most eternal.

While we were there, we visited London for a day. Anyone who has ever been to London knows you need about a month to see everything there is to see. I had the chance to go as a nanny in 2003. We were there a full week and didn't see all we wanted too! I think it was pleanty of time for Chris, as he is a true fan of the good old USA over all other nations, and was content seeing the highlights. We took a double-decker bus tour, which was so much fun and perfect when you are short on time!! I need to up load my pictures. . .

I need to retire now, so I will add more later!

Kade

April 23, 2010

This little guy is just, the best. He is 9 months old now, and growing! At his 9 mo apt this past week he weighed in at 18lb12oz and was 27 inches long. Tall and thin! He isn't as big of a kid as we thought, though. He grew fast at first, started wearing 6-9 mo clothes in November; he was 4 months old. He is STILL in those same clothes, but not for long.

He loves to eat, and has been introduced into snacking, his favorite is Cherrios and fruit puffs. Kade's sleeping habits left a lot to be desired until I worked on it with him about 6 weeks ago. He did GREAT for about three of those weeks, but has reverted back to his old ways. Darn kid. His first tooth hasn't come in yet, so everything gets blamed on that, including his sleep issues. He does take good naps, so I try not to complain much.

Let's see, what else about Kade-ster. He loves toys, especially his older brothers dinosaurs. He isn't crawling yet, but will spring forward out of a sitting positon onto his tummy when a prized toy is just out of reach. Mommy is working on tummy time more to encourage movement.

All in all, he is a great kid! He loves his momma and is very much a cuddler. Already a social kid, he waves when you wave back and smiles at anyone who talks to him.
Ok. This is sounding a bit boring, so I will end it with a few pictures of my cutie!!

November 2009, just learning to eat

Look at that face!! December 2009

Hello!

Its been a very long time since I posted. And my blog is a little, all over the place. Not very exciting to read, at all. I am working on it a bit. More pics of my litle ones, more delicious recipes, more, period! So stick around. I promise I will be back! BTW- just because I rarely post, I love it when each of you do, so keep at it!! You inspire me!

Natalie