Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy birthday, Dad. (Don't worry, I won't say how old you are.) Sorry for the not-so-recent picture. It is a cute one though. 

Coffee Ants

Ants don't like coffee...however, they do like the white chocolate syrup that you can add to it. My day had already started out not so great. Not much sleep last night, woke up too early, painful braxton hicks, a stuffy-head cold, and little things that do not add up to a happy camper. So, imagine my joy upon finding a long trail of ants leading into my coffee cupboard. The ants had attacked my bottle of white chocolate. The good news is that the syrup was basically gone already, so I felt no guilt when I tossed the bottle in the trash and sprayed the thing with half a bottle of insecticide. Even better news, upon cleaning out the cupboard I found one last packet of Earl Grey Decaf. One cup of that and I can handle ants any day.

A Helping Hand

Today my aunt was kind enough to come over at 6:30 am and watch my kids while I had my check-up. While this in itself is more than I could ask for, I came home to a clean house. My aunt had spot cleaned my carpet, folded my laundry, and dusted. Hero said that they worked today so that I didn't have to. What a great gift!
(Oh yeah, my doctor's appointment was fine. Everything is progressing along great so far.)

Happy Birthday!

Today my husband is 28 years old. Only two more years till thirty!
BTW...this picture is taken from a 3 year old's point of view. 

Owies

Today was a day for owies. Hero got her DTAP vaccine and her flu shot; while Jericho got his flu shot. Unfortunately they didn't get too much simpathy from mommy. I started laughing when Jericho got his shot because Hero was crying louder than he was and she hadn't even received hers yet. The tears didn't last long. Each of the kids got a sticker and a sucker. Jericho even remarked to his sister on the way home that it was fun. Hopefully he has the same attitude next month when he goes in for the flu-booster shot. 

Craig's List

Due to our diminishing amount of space, we decided that purchasing a changing table would be better than trying to squeeze a desk back into Jericho's room. The thought of buying a brand new one seemed a little extreme since this is our third child. I tried to find a cheap used one on eBay, but the shipping was outrageous and the "pick-up" only ones were not worth the drive. So I tried Craig's List. I have never used it before and, I was a little nervous to try it out. It turned out great! I found a changing table for only $15 and I was able to pick it up right away. How great is that?!

Birthday Pics

The top pictures are from Hero's fifth birthday party which was on Saturday. On Sunday, Hero's actual birthday, she wore her new dress that Grandma made. Daddy also bought Hero some beautiful pink flowers.

 

Hiccups

The other day I mentioned to Hero that the baby had hiccups. She questioned, "How can it have hiccups when there is no air in there?" I told her that the baby swallows the fluid and it probably gets hiccups when it gulps too much. I looked online later and found out that while we know what hiccups are (involuntary contractions of your diaphragm), we really don't know for sure what causes them. Here was one possible solution: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9685564&dopt=Abstract

Try explaining that to a kindergartener.

34 1/2 Week Check-up

Today my check-up was at the doctor's new office. This office is definitely better. Better location, better drive time, better parking...
Anyway, the baby is in the head down position. I was pretty sure of this all ready because of the more frequent trips to the bathroom and the fact that I now walk like a duck. The baby weighs about 4.5-5 lbs. (We're not going to talk about how much mommy weighs.)
So, everything is going just fine as far as baby is concerned. Now, if only we had a name...

Name Game

Well, the baby is due in just over a month and we still don't have a name. Everytime one of us thinks that he/she has the perfect name, the other will come up with about 5 different reasons as to why it doesn't work. So, we know what names we don't want (sorry, sis, no "Ziggy".) We just need to find the one that works best.

Little Photographers

This is what happens when you take a shower and forget to put the camera out of your kids reach. (BTW, there are about 50 more. Good thing the camera is digital.) 

Cute

Today Jericho said, "Look at my face, Mom!" He then started pointing around his face with his finger. After noticing that there was still some syrup on his face, I said, "Is it sticky?" He said,"No, it's cute. I'm cute, Mom." We apparently have no problems with self-esteem around here.

Sleeping In

Can it really be called sleeping in if your son climbs in your bed at 5:30 am, kicks you in the back until 7:30, then you both konk out again until a quarter to 9?

Great Uncle John

Some of us had too much fun at Grandma's party last night. 

Ballet

Here are some pics from Hero's first ballet class.



 

Preschool

Today was the first day of preschool for Jericho. The official title is Mothers Helping Mothers. It is actually a group of Moms (mainly from our church) that get together in order to teach our kids basic things that they will need to know for kindergarten. It is great to teach our kids and get to know other moms at the same time. We have some ladies involved that are not from the church so this is a great witnessing opportunity.
This first day seemed to be a typical first day. There were some snags here and there, but things went okay for the most part. Jericho was all excited before we started but became rather clingy as the day went on. Hopefully things will go better next time.

Field Trip

Here are some pics from Hero's first field trip. We went to Riley's Apple Farm and were involved in a Revolutionary War Re-enactment.


This is the Alpha and Omega homeschool group.


Hero is learning to weave.


Playing "Hoop & Stick"


Holding the line with her "musket." 

General Updates

I know it has been a while since I last posted. I guess no news is good news. The baby is doing fine and seems to be getting stronger, judging by the force of his kicks and punches. Homeschooling Hero has ups and downs. It is definitely a learning experience for both of us. Once again we will be doing a type of homeschool-preschool thing with some moms from the church. The planning seems to be a little more in depth this year so I have been keeping busy with that. Many of the regular activities at the church are going to be starting up again soon. I am looking forward to getting back into more of a routine. I think that is everything going on here. Oh yeah, in other important news, my husband finally has a new post on his blog.

Not Trains

Today while the kids were cleaning their rooms, I told Jericho that there was one more "train" to pick up. He picked it up, looked at it and said, "No, not train. Just freight car." I guess I better brush up on my locomotive vocabulary. 

Check-up

Everything seems to be going well with the baby so far. I was excited because I get to start having a check-up every 2 weeks instead of every 4. This means that the time is getting closer. The more I think about it, however, I realize that this means more co-pays, more driving, and more waiting in the doctor's office. Oh well. My doctor will be changing offices in a few more weeks so this might mean a faster trip down there. The distance will stay about the same but I will be able to drive longer on the freeway. I guess we'll have to see. In the mean time, I can keep reminding myself that the kicks, punches, and pinches that I am enduring should only reassure me that the baby is healthy (or maybe I am eating too much spinach.)

Praise

We have finally sold our car. We were able to buy my Grandma's almost-new minivan a couple of months ago. Since then we have been trying to sell our car. God's timing is perfect though. Justin was off today so I didn't have to worry about doing any negotiating. We also don't have to worry about renewing the registration (this was coming soon.) Finally, we will still be able to get a small refund for our car insurance. God is good.

Pool

Finally, found a pool. 

Three Years and Growing

Jericho had his third year checkup and immunization yesterday. Hero was able to stay with Great Grandma so Jericho had Mommy all to himself. We had many interesting discussions on the way to the doctor's office. I didn't realize how big his vocabulary is getting.
Jericho was a great patient. He weighs 34 lbs and is 38 1/4" tall. Not bad for a kid whose main diet is bread. Well, he definitely kept the nurses entertained. After each thing that they checked (size of head, ears, teeth, etc.) Jericho said, "That's not so bad." When it came time for his shot, we were informed that he only needed one. He protested, "I want two!" Well, he soon found out that one was enough. He cried, of course, and informed me that he had an "owee". On our way back to the car, as he licked his lollipop and clutched his sticker, he informed me, "That wasn't so bad." I think he is going to survive.

Compromise

The kids have finally come up with an acceptable way to share the tricycle. 

Jericho's Birthday Party

 

More Party Pics

 

Family Visit

We have been enjoying our visit with Justin's parents, my sister-in-law, and our cousins. We had a busy day down in San Diego. 

Summer Reading

Hero and Jericho finished the summer reading program at the library. The t-shirts they are wearing is their final prize. Even though we are done with the program, I am sure that we will be visiting the library on a weekly basis now. (The videos that they check out can only be borrowed for a week.) 

Happy Third Birthday, Jericho!

Then...




Now...

Kid Free

Today my kids are off to Disneyland with Grandpa and Grandma. This means that Mommy will have some time to herself. I am looking forward to going to the post office and not having to hold on to anything but my packages.

One Week Down

Hero made it through her first week of kindergarten. Mommy has survived too. Homeschooling is harder than I thought it would be. I am hoping that it will get better when Hero gets used to the routine.

Pregnancy Demensia

I am finding it increasingly difficult to remember things lately. The most common problem is remembering dates. I do write things down, but I forget that I wrote them on my calendar. I am hoping that this is a temporary thing that will go away after I stop losing brain cells with this pregnancy.