Bedtime blues

I don't know what's going on, but Gavin has been putting up such a fight lately when it comes to going down for naps or nighttime!!! He used to be really pleasant, just lay right down, hand him his blankey, he'd pop in his thumb and he'd be good to go. But now it's just clinging and crying! He RUNS the other way when I mention the word "nap!" I'm thinking (and hoping!) that it's just a temporary thing as he's cutting his bottom two eye teeth.

Speaking of, we're kinda in naptime limbo right now. If Gavin wakes up early (just before/after 7:00am), he NEEDS a morning nap. He falls asleep around 9:00am just fine, but I have to wake him up after two hours, otherwise he'd sleep for three! He can't survive til bedtime if he's up at noon with no other nap for rest if the day! But if Gavin sleeps closer to 8:00am, he's ok with just one long, three-hour nap in the afternoon. Here's the thing- it's NEVER consistent!! Today, he took two naps and did great. Yesterday, he only took the one afternoon nap! Somehow I've got to get him sleeping a little bit longer in the morning so that we can settle on just one nap a day. I know I'm lucky to have him taking two naps a day for so long, but I'M ready for him to transition! I'm sick of the back and forth, back and forth! I'm sure it'll happen soon...

More book reading

Matt had this great idea awhile back that he wanted to start reading chapter books to the kids (mostly Brooklyn and Blake) before bed. So for the past little while, almost every night after they are jammied and ready for bed, he's read Charlotte's Web while they sit perched on his lap. It's great to see Brooklyn and Blake's minds engaged in the story while Matt's reading. Then Matt would quiz them about what he just read after he'd finished for the night. Well tonight, they finished Charlotte's Web! :) I've ordered several other chapter books for them to conquer next- Stuart Little, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and at Matt's request, Where the Red Fern Grows. I'm excited for the twins to be exposed to all time greats at an early age. I'm really hoping to instill a love of books and reading in them at a young age. Gavin even walks around saying, "Book? Book?" :)

And along with that, I think I have a *wee* obsession with buying children's books!!! We have loads of board books, but my favorite is the hardcover, REAL paper-paged books! Every so often, I'll order a couple new books from Amazon.com or we'll spend some time, picking out a book at Borders. Brooklyn and Blake are always thrilled to read a new book. We have way too many favorites to list, but I'll put a couple here- How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?, Silly Sally, The Napping House, Olivia, Caps For Sale, any of the If You Give a ..... (Pig a Pancake, Moose a Muffin) books, Click Clack Moo, oh- I could go on and on!!!!! We also have a bunch of the Dr. Suess books, which are fun too. We've built up quite the collection of books, but I don't think you can EVER have too many books!! Right, hun?? ;)

Making faces

Sometimes I like to do fun things with my kids' food. This morning, they had whole wheat mini bagels with strawberry cream cheese and a banana, which is a fave of theirs. I usually make it into a face and they think this is the coolest thing ever! Today, I remembered that I had some sliced up fresh strawberries in the fridge, so their "faces" got noses this time! :-)

Toothpick time

Ok, this is the weirdest thing, but it seems like I always happen to glance at the clock when it's 11:11 or 1:11, AM or PM!! Kinda random, but just weird.

Check out these interesting things about 11:11 that I found on Google!!
http://1111spiritguardians.com/
http://www.crystalinks.com/11.11.html

Reading maniac!!

Yep, that's me - a BOOKWORM!! Lately I've been on a book reading spree! I can't wait to pick up the next book once I'm finished with the current one! The first seven books listed below, I've read in the past four months or so. The others are good books I've read within the past eight months, I'd say.

Some of the recent books I've read-
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
To Love and To Promise by Rachel Ann Nunes
The First Year by Crystal Liechty
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
To Have and to Hold by Josi Kilpack
Unsung Lullaby by Josi Kilpack
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner

Books I currently have waiting in the wings-
Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella
Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella
Nineteen Minutes By Jodi Picoult
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer
Earning Eternity by Josi Kilpack
Sheep's Clothing by Josi Kilpack

Jennie and Trenda are always ready to read what I've just finished and are frequent patrons to my library! :)

And YES! I've pre-ordered my copy of book #7 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!! I can't WAIT!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MATT!!!!

Matt is 2-7 years old today!!! That's practically oldy-moldy! ;)

It was a looooooooooooong day for us and Matt didn't even get home until after 7:30pm. I had started dinner, Chicken Parmesan- one of Matt's faves, at 6:15, in hopes that he'd be home before 7:00. No such luck. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting and just as I was about to head out to the grocery store (I didn't have any mozzarella cheese that I needed) when he walked up. By that time, I was beyond frustrated and ready to cry. I rushed to the store, picked up my cheese and finished dinner. We sat down to eat at 8:00pm, which is the kids' normal bedtime.

Then Matt opened his beautiful cards from the kids and those that he got in the mail. We did his gifts next. Since we just got a new camera, we didn't do anything big. Brooklyn and Blake, of course, had to help in opening. ;)

Matt got a palm sander (thanks Dad for the help!!) - his VERY FIRST power tool - aside from a drill!!!

Real quickly, we gathered at the table and sang Happy Birthday. I made mini no-bake cheesecakes with blueberry topping - Matt's favorite! It took a lot of work to blow out that ONE candle, but he did it! ;) Nothing fancy, but it is what it is.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!!! XOXOXO

Primary Activity Day

This afternoon, we had Primary Activity Day. The kids were asked to bring their bike or scooter, so I loaded all three kids and their bikes up today and off we went! :) Everyone got to decorate their bikes/scooters with streamers, balloons, a little flag and a foam star. Then the kids rode their bikes back and forth in the church parking lot- it was really cute!

After the bike parade, the kids each got a patriotic cookie and popsicle! This is where my laundry OCD-ness just went psycho!!!!! My kids were dripping popsicle ALL over their clothes!! Argh! And you see the shirts that the boys are wearing? EVERY time Blake wears this shirt, he gets some hard-to-get-out stain on it. I actually discolored one of the turquoise stripes on his shirt last time I treated a stain with OxyClean! Not too happy about that. Anyway, of course the kids were ecstatic to have popsicles and I let Gavin have his very first try with mine. I only let him hold it/suck on it for a couple minutes because I knew that it would be an absolute mess!!


This was the result after Blake had finished his - LOL! Brown beard!

Please raise your hand if you can hear me!

Because my kids sure don't seem to hear me!!!! I don't know WHAT the deal is lately but Brooklyn and Blake just don't respond to me until I get ugly. If/when I start counting to three, Brooklyn will wait until THE LAST millisecond to get moving! GRRRR! Irritates me to no end! I asked the kids to pick their toys up that were scattered across the family room while I was preparing dinner tonight. Blake is picking up ONE thing at a time!! Then all of a sudden, Brooklyn is peeing on the floor (!!!!?) and Gavin is emptying my tupperware cupboard. What the heck?? Before bedtime, I ask Brooklyn and Blake to please take off their clothes and put pjs on. And I ask and I ask and I ask!! It's like my voice just bounces right off the outside of their ear!! I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but it's seriously wearing on me. I hate the constant battle with EVERY little thing! *sigh*

Yay for Dads!!!

Happy Father's Day to my sweet honey!!!!!

You are a wonderful daddy to our three children!!!

The best we could do with all three kids! LOL!

I'm also very thankful for my OWN dad. I'm very thankful for his decision to join the church 30+ years ago. Even though I may have thought he was a meanie while I was going through high school, I truly appreciate the guidance and direction he's given me in my life. I love you, Dad!!!

Bumpity bump!

So, my sis, the kids and I headed to Newport today for beach trip #3. We were *almost* there, and I mean literally ALMOST at the end of the 55 freeway, comPLETEly stopped in traffic and BOOM!! We got rear-ended!!!!!!!! What the??!??!?!? Scared the HECK outta me!!! I motion to the dude to pull over and we both get out. I swear, I was expecting the whole back end to be pushed in, but there was no visible damage, surprisingly! He was driving a Suburban and all that you could see on his car was the license plate had been dented in where it hit our tow hitch thingy. This guy was so very apologetic and instantly handed over his driver's license and insurance card. He just kept pleading with me not to call the cops because he'd get a ticket - DUH! I wrote down all his info and we continued on to the beach. Matt called our insurance company and took care of everything as soon as we got home.

Now I have another dilemma. We were in a minor accident back in March and we had all three carseats replaced because according to Graco's website (which our previous carseats were), if one of their seats is in ANY accident, it should be replaced. Our insurance company paid for the three replacement carseats and we purchased Sunshine Radian 65s for all three kids. I LOVE their carseats!! But now that we've been in another accident, do I replace these carseats too?? I mean, they are made of steel, seriously! Their website also says to discontinue use of the carseat if it has been involved in an accident. I don't want to be nit picky, but I also don't want to compromise my children's safety in any way. What to do, what to do??? Hmmm....

Beach Bums!! - WARNING: Picture Overload!!!

My sis, Brittney, has been staying with us for a week now and we've been to the beach twice during that time. My kids have become absolutely in love with the ocean! Brooklyn is the adventurous one, often going so far out into the water that she gets knocked over by the waves! LOL! What a kook! Blake loves digging in the sand and looking for treasures on the beach. He also likes to run FROM the water, but is getting more brave. Gavin, oh my! The kid has no sense of fear! He takes off running toward the water! He's bitten the sand a couple times already! Oops!

Taking our new camera to the beach has given me opportunities to practice with it. I've been able to capture some pretty good shots! I've learned that for prime photos, you have to get down to the kids' level, which means I'm kneeling in the ocean or laying in the sand, but it sure is fun to record these memories!

Just a note: My children will always have the same swimsuits on in beach pictures. They have designated "beach swimsuits" that are only to be worn to the beach. Sand gets between the layers of Brooklyn's suit, so it's trashed by the end of the season. Their other swimsuits are rotated when we swim at the pool. :)

Are you ready for a TON of pictures??? Most are of the kids and there are some landscape photos that I will include.

Gavin gets tossed by a wave!

~LANDSCAPES~

Yes, those are sea lions sunbathing on the rock!

This one came up to say hello! ;)

Thanks for bearing with me and my picture madness!!!!

New camera, baby!!!

FINALLY!!!!! I have my new digital SLR! Woot, woot!! Matt has been researching the heck out of these cameras and when we went in, we still weren't sure if we were going to choose the Canon Rebel XTi or the Nikon D40. We ended up with the Nikon and couldn't be happier with our choice! I haven't figured out how to do any tricky/cool things with it yet, but I've gotten some good shots on the automatic setting. I just love how there is no delay when I push the button! No more missed shots of the kids!! :)

We miss the Barneys!!!

The Barneys packed up and moved to Utah for their first rotation while we were in AZ at the end of May. It was different, coming home, knowing that they weren't living in our apartment complex anymore! Hardly a day went by that we didn't see the Barneys. Jennie and I always let the kids run around together in the afternoon during that dreaded "witching hour." What was I supposed to do in the afternoons now with Jennie gone????!? Brooklyn and Blake kept asking if they could play with Sydney and I'd remind them that she was living at her grandma's house in Utah now. We *kinda* said goodbye the night before we left for Utah and gave Sydney and Macey their birthday gifts.

I was really glad that Weston and Jennie came back this past weekend to clean up their apartment and move their belongings to the apartment that they'll be returning to in August. We had them and the Poulters over for dinner Saturday night (thanks Trenda!) and we all had a great time chatting. I helped Jennie wipe down the blinds and windowsills in her apartment that evening and it was nice to be able to vent to each other, just like the good 'ole days! Who says cleaning can't be fun when you have a good friend to gab with!! ;)

Barneys, We really miss the late night Settlers games and spontaneous visits! It's not the same with you guys gone! I guess this is just practice for the real deal when we go our separate ways for good after graduation. Can't wait to see you guys again in August!!!!!

~SLACKER~

10 days since my last blog entry- WOW!! Obviously I've become a blog slacker! I have some things to write about, but just have to find the time to post! Soon, I promise!

Pizookie!

Another thing Matt has been bugging me to make! We love pizookies and have had them at several restaurants- Oregano's, BJ's, and Picazzo's (in Scottsdale, AZ). Tonight we decided to make our own pizookie. Yum! It was goooooooood! And I assure you, this was the no-calorie variety! ;)

Our masterpiece-

Cinderelly, Cinderelly

Seriously, I've felt just like Cinderella these past few days and I'm NOT talking about when she goes to the ball!! Today, I spent a good majority of time cleaning. I actually got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed the kitchen floor with Lysol disinfectant cleaner and a scrub brush! We have linoleum in the kitchen and bathroom and even when I sweep and mop, the dirt just gets pushed into the little grooves and divets and it started to look pretty gross!! Now it looks a million times better! The biggest problem is that while I was doing this, I was trying to keep the kids from walking in the kitchen and Gavin, in the meantime, is unloading my coupons and magazines from the table!! Grrrr! Yet another mess to clean up! I swear, I'm constantly picking up after everyone that lives in this house!!!

Ok, I don't want to get to much into it, otherwise this could turn into a full out rant! ;) I always feel loads better when I can sit down in the evening to a clean house. I know it won't stay this way for long, but for now, I'll enjoy it!

Stitches are out!

We made a trip to the pediatrician's office on Thursday to have Blake's stitches removed. Blake sat on my lap and held veeeerrrry, very still while the ped clipped them out. The ped said that whoever sewed Blake up did a great job and there should be a very minimal scar! :) We just have to keep it covered up while we're in the sun for long periods of time.

I keep having these images in my head that we'll be experiencing this all over again! Every time one of the kids cries, I rush to them and check them over to make sure there are no injuries. Ah, the worries of being a mom!

Blake, who we've lovingly called Frankenstein, without stitches! :)

Another winner of a dinner!

Ok, so my mom makes the most awesome chimichangas in the whole world!! Matt has been bugging me for practically our whole married life to make these chimichangas. But I know how involved they are and I simply didn't want to exert that much effort for dinner! LOL!

Well, tonight was the night! Matt finally convinced me to try to make the great chimis. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be!! Time consuming, yes, but not hard. And of course they turned out delicious!!! :)

Here's a couple pics for your viewing pleasure! I hope you're not hungry, cuz you will be when you see these! ;) Mine's all dressed up with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce and tomatoes. I didn't have any sliced olives, darn! Don't they look yummy?!?? Go ahead, wipe the drool off your chin!!

Life is goooood...

...when you're at the beach!!

Wednesday, we made our first trip to the beach for the year! It was a little chilly for a beach day, but some people still enjoyed themselves! :) Matt is always the one that takes the kids out into the water because I'm not a big fan of dirty, salty water! LOL! I do take the kids out, but just enough to get up to my calves wet. ;) Brooklyn pretty much spent the entire time wrapped up in her Tink towel, lounging in her chair. Haha! At least she looked cute with her bling sunglasses and cute pink bucket hat! Daddy and Blake built a sandcastle together. Well, Blake was just mainly digging in the sand while Daddy built. Gavin liked the water, but I think it was just too cold for him. I can't wait to go back again! I'm hoping we can make it down there every week or so.

And I didn't get many pictures because our camera battery wasn't charged. :( But don't fret, there will be many more beach pictures to come this summer, I promise!