Obsessions of Kristi

Grass vs. Rock: the Battle in our Front Yard

2011-09-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

In the epic territorial battle between Grass and Rock, Grass attempts to overpower the strength of Rock by slowly creeping under and between its fortifications.

Grass seems to be winning until Rock makes an alliance with the humans, who engage in chemical warfare. While the humans like the beautiful green of the grass, they dislike the constant watering, mowing and border patrol required for its maintenance. Within a few hours Grass suffers innumerable casualties. Rock delights in supposed victory!

But with deep roots and incalculable resiliency, the grass presses onward and begins to slowly grow and encroach upon Rock again. In a bold move, Rock introduces a new weapon: the sod cutter. With the help of sweaty humans on a scorchingly hot day, the top 2 inches of grass is beheaded.

Grass suffers further disgrace when new plants take its place.

In despair, Grass is on the verge of surrender as more plants are inserted and it sees a large pile of rocks threatening to overtake its territory.

The Rock is ready for attack! Ha ha!

In a bold and final move, Grass's defeat is complete as a further chemicals are applied, an irrigation system not designed for Grass is installed, physical blockades are laid out, and finally rocks are spread over the land.

The humans and Rocks relish in victory! All are pleased with the new look, and look forward to a $500 check from City of Mesa for conversion to xeriscape.

What were the costs of battle, you ask? More than we would like:
Glyphosate for killing grass: $83
Sod cutter rental: $73
Irrigation and electrical supplies (including fixing several broken pipes and wiring): approx. $160
5 new plants: $72
New rocks: $183
TOTAL: $571

We won't actually make money, but hopefully it's still worth it. Go Rocks!

A Week of Firsts

2011-08-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

I usually think of school starting in the fall. It used to start in the fall, anyway. I'm sure it still does somewhere.

Now it's the second week in August. It does not feel like anything close to autumn. I mean, 108 degrees of melting heat does not exactly bring pumpkins to mind.

I still love Arizona. Well, at least I will in October.

In the meantime, school starting has meant lots of firsts in our house:

First Day of Junior High (7th grade):

As excited as she was to start Junior High, Jessica was grumpy on the first day of school and didn't want me taking her picture.

I took pictures anyway.

First Day of 8th Grade:

Kayla knows the drill. It's a required part of growing up that you get your picture taken on the first day of school.

First Day of Kindergarten:

Kindergarten already? Yes! Chloe gets to attend Montessori Education Center. She loves it, but she's not quite used to being away from me five days a week, even though it is only for three hours at a time. It's definitely different than regular schools, but in a good way. Montessori schools are more hands-on, self-directed and nurturing.

Chloe's teacher is walking her in to school.

I also started teaching my first real Let's Play Music classes! It was exciting, a bit nerve-wracking, and gratifying. I love how the kids faces light up when singing songs, learning and enjoying music. I can't wait to see them build on the simple concepts we introduce in the beginning.

The first semester of Let's Play Music is the Red Balloon class. It's called Red Balloons because that's the name of one of the songs we learn, which helps introduce the staff and how the staff makes notes sound. So I gave out red balloons to my students on the first day of class.

They loved it!

Summer, the season, may not be over, but I appreciate the new beginnings this time of year offers. As my grandma used to say first at our piano recitals, "Let us begin, to commence, to proceed, to start!"

Let's Play Music!

2011-08-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to start teaching Let's Play Music classes in just a couple weeks, and I can't believe I haven't even blogged about it yet! The perfectionist in me has kept me from it.

What is Let's Play Music, you ask?

Super fun music classes for young children that get them to love music, read music, sing music, play music, understand music, compose music, and yes, even play the piano, all through fun and games! Or to quote something more official, Let's Play Music is "an exciting, new music curriculum which teaches advanced musical skills to young children using age-appropriate methods." That's what I'm talkin' about!

When I first saw Let's Play Music in action at a Desert Valley Music Teacher's Association Meeting, I fell in love with the program. I have my Grandma Judy to thank for not only teaching me to play the piano, but for inviting me to the meeting where I learned about Let's Play Music. Plus she helped pay for my licensing fees. Thank you, Grandma!

In February I starting training on how to teach the first year's curriculum (by the way, it's a three-year program). I am now a Certified Let's Play Music Teacher! How cool is that? Telling everyone I know who has a 4 to 6-year-old about it (that's the starting age of students), holding Sample Classes, signing up students, and studying has kept me busy. I'm loving it!

Check out the Let's Play Music website to learn more and even watch a video of what it's all about!

For a much more amateur video (taken by Kayla), here's a clip of me singing one of the songs in a Sample Class, "Scotland's Burning". We teach the children Solfeggio hands signs to promote "inner hearing" and to help their brains make the connection between the notes and their places in the scale. The magnet board next to me had just been used for "The Red Balloon" song.

It's so much fun!

Last month I got to attend the Let's Play Music Symposium, where I learned a plethora of information and connected with other teachers. Here are some pictures from it.

Group Picture

My headshot taken by Cherie Mask.

The Let's Play Music advisory board

Watching one of the presentations

Learning more during one of the mini-classes

One of the many tables set up with lots of great teaching helps - this one has semester gift ideas.

A Kit Kat keyboard. Yum!

My parents deserve a thank you for also helping pay my licensing fees. And thanks to my husband and kids for supporting me in this endeavor. Thanks to all the parents who value a music education for their children and have trusted my teaching abilities enough to sign up for one of my classes. It's gonna be great!

The Marvelous Month of May

2011-06-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

May is...
busy
bustling
berry & peach season
beautiful
boisterous
baby bird time
a barrel of fun

With so much going on in May, I limited myself to one photo (or maybe two) from each convivial event. Otherwise it might be overwhelming.

I already ordered a 20 page photo album from shutterfly.com with all my favorite photos from May. I'm so proud of myself for being on the ball! (It's amazing how the impending expiration of a coupon for a free photo album gets me motivated.)

Let's start with Kayla being inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. Impressive! She really works hard at school, and she's smart!

Jessica and Kayla both play the clarinet in band. Here they are before their final concerts of the school year.

Did you know Desert Botanical Garden has a free day once a month? I took Chloe and Sydney there to enjoy the lovely plants.

I had the privilege of attending a photography workshop by Carolyn Wells. This is a shot from the hands-on portion at a playground. Yes, Sydney is eating sand.

My sister, Marie, chose May to get married to her mellifluous mate, Mark. This meant lots of family came in town for the event. It was great to spend time with my two sisters who live in Idaho. Here's Rachel and her two kiddos, who joined me at Tumbleweed Park.

Chloe's Uncle Justin helped her pick peaches in my parents' backyard. Delicious!

Jessica worked hard on her science fair project.

May is full of end-of-the-school-year parties. Chloe got to play at Bounce U for her preschool party. Then the students showed off their counting, reciting, singing and reading skills.

Here are some of the girls at the bridal bash we had for Marie.

I was honored to be a bridesmaid for Marie's wedding. The day before was designated "spa day" for the bride and bridesmaids. Here's Marie at the nail salon where we all got pedicures. I love having pretty toenails!

Chloe took ballet this past year. Here she is at her end-of-year demonstration.

Then there is Chloe as a flower girl for the wedding. She basked in the attention, to say the least.

The beautiful bride and me:

Kayla received a Gilbert Golden Scholar award at school. She is showing it to her friend as she walks back to her seat.

Jessica graduated from 6th grade! That means I'll have two children in Junior High next year. Oh my!

Over Memorial Day weekend we bought a family pass to Skyline Pool (also good at all the Mesa pools if anyone wants to join us this summer).

Jessica is looking at her yearbook. This is pretty much her permanent outfit for the summer.

We've already been reading a lot since school got out. Sydney, especially, loves books!

As I went in the backyard to hang some laundry, I noticed movement in the overgrown grass. It turned out to be baby birds. We counted six of them. They are so cute!

Where was the patriarch of the family this whole month? He was there, behind the scenes. See, he really does exist:

I hope your month of May was as marvelous as ours!

Sydney's First Haircut!

2011-05-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

18 months old = cute, mischievous, fun and in-need of a haircut!

Okay, so you can't really tell much difference from the before and after pictures, but I promise you there were scraggly ends that needed to go.

Before:

During:

After:

Sydney has grown a lot of hair in the last year. In April 2010 she was pretty bald:

Speaking of hair, after a request from Kayla to please do her hair in two braids (I was more than happy to oblige as this almost never happens!), Jessica and Chloe followed suit. It was one of those blissful evenings when my daughters all got along with each other.

I braided hair while Kayla and Jessica both practiced their clarinets. Chloe kept time with her rattle.

And now for some random cuteness (you can never have to much of that!):

At the park

At the zoo after playing at the splash pad:

At Marley Farms petting zoo:

All in one day

2011-04-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Bright, yellow wildflowers.
A cool desert breeze.
The smell of a fire.
Teenage girls singing at midnight.
Trail mix for breakfast.

All this before 8 AM today.

Bryan stayed home with Kayla to get her off in the morning for a service project while I took the three younger munchkins out to Usery Mountain Recreation Park for a campout with some of Jessica's teammates at Special Olympics. We had fun! We enjoyed a potluck, crafts, games, and a short hike.

Maybe it's just me, but I found the game of butt dart to be a bit inappropriate. We did not participate. Jessica thought it was hilarious, though. I had never heard of it before. Shall I explain? It involves a quarter, your butt cheeks and a cup. Your supposed to drop the quarter in the cup using your ... well, you get the idea.

Okay, moving on. The desert in bloom is beautiful!

Jessica's favorite place is always near the fire.

We also fit in a birthday party for Lanae, a second cousin. It included an Easter egg hunt and a princess bounce house plus yummy food. More fun!

Two of my pregnant cousins: Suzanne and Lynnette. My aunt Dove is in there, too. I think I have at least 6 cousins who are pregnant and 2 who very recently gave birth.

Oh, the anticipation!

My shirt was clean this morning ... really!

Chloe is in fight mode.

I feel so on the ball for blogging about something I did today! Then again, my family is getting hungry for dinner, there's unpacking to do and I really need a shower. What I choose to do with my time is always a trade-off. That's life! And this was my day.

Snow weekend

2011-04-02T21:07:00.001-07:00

Now that it's 98 degrees outside, I'm finally posting about our trip to Show Low to play in the snow!

We went over President's Day weekend. Arriving in Show Low there wasn't much snow. We drove to Sunrise Ski Resort to find some of that beautiful white stuff to play in. There's a great sledding hill there. It's really steep and scary! The older kids loved it. The snow began to fall while we were there and continued all night. The next day we had plenty of snow to play in. It was perfect!

My man.

Bryan and Chloe climbing the steep hill.

Chloe makes friends with a snowman.

Sydney chillin' in the sled. It WAS chilly!

Coming down that hill is more frightening than it looks!

Kayla - she's a wonderful girl!

You go, Bryan!

Jessica loves being in the snow!

Chloe makes a snowball for Sydney.

Bryan and Sydney - so sweet!

Chloe - you can't help loving her!

Jessica arrives safely at the bottom of the hill.

Jessica helps keep Sydney warm.

I'm ready to tumble head over heels down the slippery knoll.

Oh yeah! That was fun.

Snowball fight!

Kayla notices Bryan's plan to dump snow on her head too soon.

Kayla attempts to build the tallest snowman ever.

It's nice to reminisce about those wintry days now that Spring is here in full force.

I have 44 cousins, and that's just on one side!

2011-02-16T06:44:00.000-08:00

"This is my number one grandchild!" is how my Grandma Judy introduces me.

Is it because I'm the best or the brightest? I would like to think so, but it's not.

It's because I'm the firstborn of her 52 grandchildren, 44 of which are my cousins, 7 are my siblings, and one, of course, is me. Talk about multiplying and replenishing the earth!

In my opinion, the Judy family is pretty close-knit as far as extended families go. Our family reunions are so fun! My cousins and I who live in the Phoenix area have been getting together once a month for playdates for our kiddos. Here's some pictures from our last one.

An Ambulance at our Door

2011-02-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

To celebrate Bryan's birthday, he and I went out on a date yesterday evening while my 13-year-old babysat. It was great to have some time alone with my awesome husband.

Before we left I got out one of the Tenex tablets that my 11-year-old is supposed to take at 7 PM each evening and put it in a little medicine cup far back on the kitchen counter. That way she could take it while we were gone. I was trying to be responsible by making sure she got her medicine on time.

When we got home a little before 9 PM Sydney was fussy, so I nursed her and she fell asleep immediately. It was a little unexpected that she fell asleep so soon because she had just woken up at 4:30 PM from a long nap. I didn't think anything of it though until about 10 PM when my 13-year-old mentioned that Sydney had gotten into the medicine that was on the counter, so she had to get out a new tablet for her sister to take. Apparently Sydney had pushed a kitchen chair over there, climbed up, and done what most 15-month-olds do in that situation: put everything interesting she sees in her mouth.

After inspecting the kitchen, I found half of a chewed-up tablet on the counter. I knew this was not good. Right away I called poison control. The operator told me Tenex can lower blood pressure too low in little ones and had me try to rouse Sydney. She stirred and opened her eyes a bit but was really sleepy. Drowsiness is a side effect of the medication. The operator told me she needed to be monitored in the hospital and proceeded to dispatch an ambulance. That way she could also be monitored on the way to the hospital. She didn't want something to happen on the way there.

I quickly grabbed some things to bring with us. My 13-year-old was distraught and very worried about Sydney. I told her Sydney was probably fine, but they need to monitor her just to make sure.

So that's how an ambulance ended up at our door. Well, first a firetruck came, actually. Four burly firemen came in our door loaded with medical supplies. The chief picked up Sydney and was pleased that she didn't have any problems waking up. She started crying so I held her while they attached a pulse ox monitor to her big toe, placed sticky pads snapped to wires on her chest and abdomen, and pricked her heel to get her blood sugar level. All her numbers looked normal, which was reassuring.

Next the ambulance came with a gurney, strapped her in with a car seat-type seat belt, and loaded her in the back of their rig. I grabbed my stuff and climbed in the back with her. Unfortunately they told me I would need to ride in the front because there aren't proper seat belts for me in the back. I was worried Sydney would be crying for me the whole time, but she calmed down after a minute. The medic said she even got a smile out of her on the ride to the hospital.

Earlier in the day I had read an article in the newspaper about how Cardon Children's Hospital, the only children's hospital in the east valley, is slammed with patients right now and is having to find other places for all the sick kids. There was a picture of a 14-month-old hooked to a bunch of wires and tubes. I thought, "Oh, that poor girl. It would be terrible if Sydney was in the hospital like that! I would not want to leave her side." Ironic, I know.

Because Cardon had no available beds whatsoever, the ambulance took us to Banner Gateway. Exam Room 13 became our home for the night. Maybe it's good we weren't at the children's hospital being exposed to RSV, croup, and intestinal illnesses. But the bed certainly could have been more comfortable and there could have been less light and noise coming in to facilitate sleeping. Most importantly though, Sydney continued to show normal blood pressure readings, pulse rate, and oxygen levels. She fell asleep again soon after we got there and kept sleeping except to wake every 2 to 3 hours to nurse.

The doctor tried to find a bed for her at Cardon or at Phoenix Children's Hospital since Banner Gateway is not equipped to handle pediatric emergencies should one occur. No luck. I didn't really want to be transferred anyway.

As I lay next to Sydney on the bed, feeling her warm body, hearing her soft breathing, seeing all the wires connected to her, I thought about the Relief Society lesson I was supposed to give the following morning on sacrifice. I was thinking about Abraham being willing to sacrifice his son, about Jesus' sacrifice for mankind, and how I was willing to sacrifice my time, money and energy for my daughter. I also thought about how this incident could have been prevented, and how I need to be really careful in the future.

Most medicines are cleared from the system in 4 to 6 hours, but Tenex is long-lasting: 17 hours is the average time. Poison Control recommended monitoring for 24 hours. Thank goodness we didn't have to be there that long. After speaking with a toxicologist, checking Sydney over again and observing her waking up and nursing, the doctor sent us home at 6 AM. I had only managed less than an hour of sleep. I was grateful that Sydney kept sleeping. When she woke again to nurse at about 7:30 AM I brought her into bed with me. At 8 AM I called someone to sub for me teaching (thank you Sis. Jaten!) Then we both slept until 1 PM. She kept sleeping until 2:30 PM when Bryan finally woke her up.

Now Sydney seems back to normal. I am grateful she's okay. I hope that by sharing this incident, of which I feel ashamed, it will help others also be more vigilant in keeping drugs far, far out of reach of little ones. It is scary and humbling to have inadvertently put your own child's life at risk. I would hate for this to happen to anyone else!

Take a Look at a Book (or take a listen)

2011-01-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

I love reading. I think it's better entertainment than watching movies or TV. Most of the time, anyway.

Back when I was employed outside the home (I didn't want to say "back when I was working" because I think I do a whole lot of work now!) and commuting to work, I discovered the delights of audiobooks. Aren't they the best? They make the time fly and keep my mind engaged.

Nowadays I listen to more books on my MP3 player and on the CD player in the car than I actually read. I love that the library has free audiobook downloads!

In case you are interested in what I read, here's a peek at the books I have read during 2010 (in random order):

Adventures in Gentle Discipline by Hilary Flower is totally in line with how I want to parent. Love it! Highly recommend it!

These two books by J. Maarten Troost are hilarious! If you listen to them while going to sleep at night, which I often do with audiobooks, you may find yourself laughing instead of sleeping.

Fascinating. I like books with interesting medical information in them combined with enthralling stories. (As you will see with the next books...)

The Red Cross has a superb reputation yet some terrible history. They knew about AIDS years before they did anything to prevent the spread through blood transfusions. This book has some sad stories, but I still liked reading it.

And another cool medical-type book. I'm trying to remember even one of the medical myths ... oh yeah ... that regular checkups are unnecessary. It's actually very important to get an annual checkup with your doctor. I think I'm about due for one of those. I'm sure there were some other good ones in there, I just can't think of them right now.

Eye-opening, fabulous, possibly life-changing. If you want to understand what factors are behind overeating and how to stop it, I highly recommend it!

You are probably wondering if I read any fiction. Why, yes, I do!

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire are both captivating. I have the third book in the series, Mockingjay, on request at the library. I can't wait!

Here's another fiction book: Artemis Fowl. This is just the first in a series. It's written for kids, but I still enjoyed it. Sometimes I pick youth books on purpose because I know they will be clean (no swearing or sex or extreme violence or really disturbing content).

This one's a true story about hunting down a criminal. Reading it was like being part of the FBI myself trying to outsmart the bad guys, with out actually being there. Cool stuff!

Ya gotta love Dr. Phil! He tells it straight.

I learned a lot from this book about helping Chloe's eczema. I even learned some good tips for skin in general. Did you know that in order to seal in the moisture your skin received from your shower or bath, you need to apply moisturizing cream within three minutes of getting out of the water?
The title is a little misleading, though, because eczema is not curable. It's true that some people grow out of it, but those who don't will inevitably have outbreaks.

Quite captivating and eye-opening! I now understand better the whole global-warming issue and want to do my part to help our amazing planet. The pictures in it are great.

This is a story a Chinese mother tells her daughter. I'll cheat and copy from a review by Publisher's Weekly: "The Kitchen God's Wife is a triumph, a solid indication of a mature talent for magically involving storytelling, beguiling use of language and deeply textured and nuanced character development." They also describe it as "perceptive, humorous, poignant and wise."

I'm still working on applying these principles to someone in my household who is sometimes ...um ... explosive.

A beguiling, true story about a doctor in Haiti. Wow, I learned a lot! Awesome book!

Very entertaining and funny!

This is not a complete list of the books I read last year, but you were probably ready for this to end, anyway. Feel free to recommend your favorite books. Like I said, I love reading!

Daring Desert Driving - watch out!

2011-01-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

What did I do last weekend, you ask? Something out of the ordinary, a little dangerous, dirty and fun!

It involved two desert vehicles and a bunch of family.

Meet the Teryx and the quad.

We're ready for adventure!

And just what does one do on these all-terrain vehicles?

The adults take turns driving.

The kids pretend to drive.

Even the little ones.

You give each other rides.

Take the family, if you can!

Even the teenagers get a turn at the wheel.

You better hold on tight!

Because you'll be going up and down some steep, bumpy hills.

There are some don'ts...

Don't run each other over.

And don't turn corners without slowing down because you may tip over!

Aside from some scrapes and soreness, the four of us were all fine. We even tipped it back up ourselves. And no, I was not driving. It was ... someone else. I just don't want to make her feel worse than she already does by naming her. Really.

While you're in the desert...

You may as well grill up some beef hot dogs and bratwurst.

And get a fire started, too.

It does get cold once the sun goes down.

Trac Ball is a fun diversion.

Or enjoy being with cousins...

And all the other family.

Or just chill.

This was Sydney's favorite activity:

Playing in the dirt and dumping it on her head!

You should join us next time!

Joyeux Noel

2010-12-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

As I sit here snacking on Christmas candy that I really shouldn’t be eating (okay, I’m done now) and trying to keep Sydney happy (who is bit cranky because she just got in two molars and is getting two more – poor, teething girl! – AAAAH, she’s trying to get her hands on the keyboard and take apart the mouse – oh, now she’s trying to follow Jessica outside and crying because she can’t – hopefully the wet washcloth I just gave her to chew on will keep her happy for a few minutes), I want to tell you about our fantastic, French Christmas dinner!

But first I have to share the most awesome Christmas present I received: a Nikon D5000 camera! Never mind that I picked it out myself, bought it, wrapped it, and put it under the tree. I was just making life easier for my hubby. My goal is to actually take some good pictures with this thing.

Each year when we invite my side of the family over for Christmas dinner, we pick a country and attempt to make an authentic meal from that region. In the past we have cooked up cuisine from Korea, Jamaica, Germany, China, Italy, and Mexico. This year we picked France. I was inspired to try French cooking after reading: The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears in Paris at the World's Most Famous Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn.

The author writes about her experience at Le Cordon Bleu in France. Her story about roasting a duck is hilarious! (The duck ends up in the floor, but the chef doesn’t see it happen. She plates it anyway...) Fortunately, our ducks made it from the roaster to the table safely.

(There's also a chicken on the table because I wasn't sure the duck would be enough food for everyone. It turns out it was, so I have a whole chicken leftover.)

Have you ever had duck before?

Me neither.

I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was! It’s juicy, all dark meat, a slightly different flavor than chicken, wonderful with orange sauce, but not much meat on one bird.

But Duck a l’Orange was only the main dish...

There was also Brie pane avec ses deux sauces for an appetizer. Translation: fried Brie cheese with two dipping sauces. They looked like tater tots, but tasted mildly cheesy with a crunchy coating and a creamy inside. Yum!

Salade Chevre Figue was a green salad with goat cheese and figs. The figs were fresh-picked from a tree in my parents’ backyard. How cool is that? And the goat cheese was fresh from my uncle’s goats ... kidding. I do have an uncle who owns goats, though. Heck, when I was growing up we had goats, too! I had to milk one of them every morning.

Okay, moving on.

The bread was pain ordinaire, a.k.a. ordinary French bread, or, in our case, EXTRAordinary French bread. I used a recipe from one of favorite cookbooks: Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads by Nancy Baggett. Raising the dough took place over the course of two days, but the work is minimal and the results are superb (much better than store-bought loaves in my opinion). We took the advice from the cookbook to tear the bread instead of slicing it.

The sides were aligot, which is cheesy mashed potatoes, and carrottes vichy, glazed carrots. The potatoes had so much flavor that gravy was not needed, and the carrots provided a lovely splash of color.

And dessert? Mousse au Chocolat. Mmmmmm.

The meal was rich (in more than one way): we didn’t have to eat a lot to be satisfied and it cost a lot of money to make - $11 per duck, three kinds of cheese at about $10/pound, 6 bottles of sparkling cider, etc. At least the carrots and bread were cheap.

Everything was quite tasty! It’s fun to expand my cooking repertoire and try new dishes. Maybe you will be inspired to do the same!

Thanks to Bryan, Jessica, Marie and Mark for helping prepare the food! And thanks to easy-french-food.com for the great recipes.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

A Chocolate Cake That's Got It All - plus a dirty little secret

2010-12-04T14:29:00.000-08:00

Chloe turned 4 years old yesterday! It's so fun when kids can actually anticipate and understand their birthdays. She wanted to go to a park and eat pizza, so that's what we did!

This morning the first thing Chloe asked me in a sleepy voice was, "Mommy, is it still my birthday?"

How sad her special day is over so quickly, I thought.

"No, but you're still 4!" was my reply, trying to put a positive spin on it.

"A Chocolate Cake That's Got it All" is the name of a recipe I tried. You probably think it was for Chloe's birthday, but you would be wrong. Or maybe you guessed that already based on the number of candles. She did get chocolate cake on her birthday... (and Woody and Jessie dolls)

But the chocolate cake I'm referring to is one I made for Kayla's and Sydney's birthdays (which are one day apart) back in October, and I'm just now getting around to posting about it. Kayla is 13! Sydney is 1! Can you believe it?

Chloe's cake was made from a box. It required far less dishes, and she got to help mix it and frost it. After having a made-from-scratch cake, I really noticed the chemical-taste of Chloe's cake. I think I was the only one in my family who cared or noticed, though!

Maybe that's not entirely true. Kayla, at least, said she liked the cake I made for her birthday better.

So just what attributes does chocolate cake have that's "got it all"? According to the creator, Pam Anderson, who is one of my favorite cookbook authors, it "would have all the ease and convenience of the boxed variety, plus the rich, intensely pure chocolate flavor of one made from scratch. The frosting would be soft, supple, and as low in fat as the canned stuff but with real, intense chocolate flavor" I will also add that it was denser, more moist, and absolutely delicious!

The downside was that it was much more labor intensive than is implied in the description, especially the mountain of dishes I ended up doing. The frosting definitely lived up to expectations, but it had a dirty little secret...

Don't tell my kids, but the frosting had raw eggs in it.

This is coming from a mom who won't let her kids eat cookie dough because of the potential food poisoning risk! (Plus I don't want all the cookie dough to disappear before I have a chance to bake it.) I was too cheap and time-pressed to go buy a carton of pasteurized eggs, which is an alternative in the recipe. The eggs I had on hand were all-natural free-range ones from Sprouts, which sounded safer to me, so that's what I used.

Just where do you find this fantastic recipe? It's in "CookSmart: Perfect Recipes for Everyday" by Pam Anderson.

Here are some more birthday pictures just for fun!

Our door got decorated for Kayla's birthday by a Young Women's leader from our church. What a cool surprise!

Kayla got to play her original composition and another song at the mall as part of a Music Marathon. She is getting really good at the piano.

Sydney loved the Arizona Museum for Youth, which we visited the day before her birthday.

The three older girls all helped decorate Kayla's cake. Sprinkles are about the extent of our decorating techniques.

Did you know sparklers are no longer illegal in Arizona? And you can buy them at Albertson's? Awesome!

Meet Mr. Big

2010-10-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

In an effort to provide enriching experiences for my children and reduce the number of hours spent in the front of the TV during fall break, I planned a number of fun activities this week.

Originally I wanted to go camping.

Then I decided it was just too much work. Instead we camped out in my parents' backyard!

Pretty big, huh! (For our sleepover it was moved to the grass and it wasn't raining.)

We started out inviting people over for a potluck lunch. I neglected to take any pictures though. I guess I was having too much fun. Then my mom was nice enough to take my kids swimming. The water was freezing!

Chloe was so excited to borrow this Dora swimming suit.

Side note: whenever I see Dora I think of a book I read called Buy, Buy Baby: How Consumer Culture Manipulates Parents and Harms Young Minds. It explains how Dora was designed to be appealing to kids with her round face, big eyes, and sweet voice. So now I think "manipulation" instead of "cute character." Oh well.

After cooling off in the pool we warmed up by the fire.

Surprisingly the kids and I all slept pretty well in the tent. The girls had cots while Sydney and I shared a foam mattress.

Next we visited Boyce Thompson Arboretum. It's 35 minutes east of our house at mile marker 223 on the US 60 (just in case you wanted to know).

I'm so glad my mom could come and help with kid control. It can be difficult to go places with four kiddos!

It's beautiful there!

And we got to meet Mr. Big.

He's the biggest tree there.

He's a eucalyptus.

These pictures don't really do him justice. He's no giant sequoia or anything, but he's pretty darn big. To better illustrate the enormity of this tree, I'll tell you that five of us (everyone, but Sydney) tried to encircle the tree while holding hands.

We could not even reach. We needed another person.

Here we followed the stone-outlined path. It is surprisingly long before you reach the end.

The herb garden was full of smell-o-licious plants. There was even one called a chocolate flower. It had a faint chocolate smell.

Aren't these berries pretty?

We also really liked the children's area, especially the maze.

"I'm trapped!" says Chloe.

Kayla decided to count the number of butterflies she saw. I'll let you guess how many she spotted. Then you can find out at the end of the post. (Now doesn't that sound like fun?)

There's also a greenhouse.

Sydney loved the chance to play in the dirt.

It was great to get outdoors and enjoy some of the wonders of nature. Plus we all got some exercise.

Even Sydney.

And the final butterfly count was ..... 47!

Sydney can WALK and Chloe can DRIVE!

2010-09-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Don't I have amazing kids?

I think so.

Sydney is now a pro at walking. It's her preferred method of getting from one place to another, except maybe for being carried. It's just remarkable to me to see such a little person walking around. I love it!

Chloe started driving this mini-ATV all on her own. It was so exciting for her. She even let Sydney ride with her (with my assistance). She is such a sweet big sister!

Babywearing

2010-09-13T05:26:00.000-07:00

Wearing your baby = babywearing

And how do you "wear" your baby?

The more I say "wear" the more it sounds like some strange word that couldn't possibly have any meaning. But anyway, I'm so proud of myself that I actually completed a sewing project!

And not just one sewing project, but two simultaneously!

So here's one way to wear your baby.

The sling I made back when I was preggers has been great, but having all Sydney's 19 (or maybe 20 by now) pounds on one shoulder was starting to hurt. After borrowing a mei tai (a.k.a. Asian-style) baby carrier from one of my friends, I decided to make one for myself, but with buckles ... and a hood/headrest ... and a pocket. I didn't realize how much extra time all these extras would take!

Yes, I could have just bought a carrier from hyenacart.com, but I was excited by the idea of picking out my own fabric and designing it exactly how I wanted. The ones with buckles are a lot more expensive to buy, so I was out to save money, too.

What's so great about buckles?

They make it quicker and simpler to put on and take off. I especially like being able to easily lay Sydney down in her crib after she falls asleep in it. There's also less fabric involved.

My friend Allyson, who has a baby girl two weeks younger than Sydney, also wanted a buckle carrier, so we decided to make them together. She did the ironing and helped entertain the kids while I did the sewing. It was fun!

I'm so glad to finally have my carrier completed. I think I've used it everyday. Sydney gets so distracted and wiggly sometimes when nursing that putting her in the carrier helps settle her. It's also great for shopping with two kids because my hands are free. I love babywearing!

I just wanted to put it out there that if you are interested in trying out different babywearing options or learning more about babywearing, there's a Babywearers of Phoenix group meeting this week: Wed 9/15 from 10 AM - 11 AM at 1740 North Chestnut Circle in Mesa, AZ. You can also check out TheBabyWearer.com.

More than you ever wanted to know about vaccines

2010-09-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe you DO want to know more about those painful needle pricks we let the nurses give our children. Boy, do I have a lot of information for you!

In the interest of public health, we are told to immunize our children. Vaccines have been proven to be very effective in preventing disease. I, for one, am very glad we can avoid getting polio, measles, pneumococcal pneumonia and lots of other ailments. But sometimes vaccines do more harm than good. There are a lot of things about them that we just aren't told.

Last week I attended a class on childhood immunizations by Matthew Baral, N.D. It was a well-researched, informative presentation titled "Vaccines: A Naturopathic Middle Ground View Point." It included 124 slides, a few of which I have included. I believe it is best to be as educated as possible in order to make wise choices regarding my own individual children. Here are some of the things I learned in the class that seemed most relevant to me.

• Let's start with the Hepatitis B Vaccine, which is the first one typically given newborn babies. I opted not to get Sydney vaccinated for this since it's a sexually transmitted disease and babies have almost no chance of getting it unless their mother is Hep B positive. Also, this vaccine causes the standard side effects more frequently than other vaccines. Since its introduction in 1981, 60,000 adverse events have been reported. Adverse events are things like autoimmune problems, demyelinating syndromes, and death.

What really came as a surprise to me is that there is a correlation between autoimmune disorders and the Hep B vaccine. Here's some of the evidence:

o According to the Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, it is less effective in children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (an autoimmune disorder).

o The package insert on the vaccine says for those with MS (also an autoimmune disorder), use only if have they high risk for getting Hep B.

o From the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics "..nonresponsiveness to hepatitis B virus peptides might identify participants with a genetic risk of developing autoimmune pathologies." Vaccines are not 100% effective. Sometimes they just don't work in certain individuals. This is saying that if someone doesn't produce antibodies in response to the Hep B vaccine, it may indicate a higher risk for autoimmune disorders. There does seem to be a connection, doesn't there?

(Sequelae means the consequences or results.)

• On to the Rotavirus. It's an illness that causes diarrhea and vomiting. By the age of three almost everyone has antibodies for it, either from getting the disease or the vaccine. According to Dr. Baral, the best treatment for it is using probiotics. They have been shown to decrease the duration of diarrhea and increase the body's immune response.

o What we aren't told is that after children receive the shot, they shed the virus in their stools for up to 30 days afterwards, which can then spread the infection to others. My conclusion from this is that it's best for babies who receive the vaccine (or anyone who changes their diapers) to not be around other babies or children under the age of three who have not also been vaccinated. Of course, that may not really be possible.

o It sounds like it might be best for all babies to get this shot even though deaths from the actual disease (or dehydration brought on by the disease, to be more accurate) are rare in the United States, unless you don't mind your child being sick. Except...

o To muddy the issue, there is a possible nasty side effect of the vaccine. In 2007 the FDA issued a notification "to remind people that intussusception is a potential complication of RotaTeq." Translation: this particular brand of the rotavirus vaccine can cause intestinal folding, which is not a good thing since it obstructs the intestines.

• The next vaccine is a combination one: DTaP for Diptheria, Tetanus, and (acellular) Pertussis. There were a lot of issues with the Pertussis part in the past, but those seem to have been resolved since it was made acellular (containing no cells).

o Diptheria is an acute infectious bacterial disease that can kill, but it's now very rare. Before the vaccine was widely available there were 100,000 to 200,000 cases a year in the U.S. From 1998 to 2006 there have only been 7 reported cases in the U.S.

o Tetanus is a possibly deadly bacterial disease, and it's not just found on rusty nails. Spores of this organism are common, especially in soil; it thrives away from oxygen in deep wounds, especially punctures. It is not a disease of infancy. But once your child is old enough to walk around outside and play in a playground, it would be prudent to immunize. It is possible to get the DT part of the vaccine by itself, but the P portion by itself is not available.

o Pertussis, a.k.a. whooping cough, is one that we hear a lot about in the media. "Pertussis infections in adults are common, endemic, and usually unrecognized." Adults then unknowingly transmit the illness to babies and children. Fatalities are very rare, but babies under 3 months often end up in the hospital. So we should vaccinate early, right?

o Well, you have to balance the risk of Pertussis against the increased odds of having asthma. According to a study by the UCLA Department of Epidemiology, getting the DTP or Tetanus shot doubles the odds of the child later developing asthma. This risk is reduced by delaying the DPT vaccination by two months. In March 2008 the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology reported that childhood asthma is reduced by half when the first dose of DPT is delayed by more than two months vs. given during the recommended period. It is currently recommended to give at two months of age.

o Another study was done on giving the Pertussis vaccine to infants at birth. Unfortunately infants who received the Pertussis birth dose showed a decrease in antibodies to the HIB vaccine.

• Haemophilus influenzae type b, also known as HIB, has been very effectively reduced (by more than 99%) due to immunizations. It causes acute respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, and other diseases, especially meningitis in young children. Dr. Baral recommends babies get this vaccine, just not at the same time as the DTaP because immunogenicity is possibly reduced.

• If you're going to vaccinate your baby at all, the PCV (pneumococcal) is another one to definitely get. It is common to be exposed to but very rare to get sick beyond 2 years old. It can cause pneumonia (fatality rate of 5%-7%), sepsis (fatality rate of 20% in children), and meningitis (fatality rate of 30% in children). That sounds pretty scary to me.

o Here's another warning against combining vaccines: the Prevnar (Pc Vaccine) package insert says, "if given with Hib, Pertussis, and Polio it may lower efficacy of those vaccines."

o Also, the Pc vaccine is grown in a soy medium, so it can cause severe reaction in people allergic to soy.

o It's important to get all the doses of the Pc vaccine:

• In 1994 the World Health Organization declared the western hemisphere "polio free." The last case was in 1979. Unless you're traveling to one of the few places where the wild poliovirus still exists, there doesn't seem much need to vaccinate for polio, but I guess you never know. Another good thing about polio is that 90% of the time it's asymptomatic. Paralysis happens in only 1%-2% of cases.

• Now for the hotly debated MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. Is there a connection to autism? We still don't know. Some studies say yes, and some say no. What's a parent to do? There are actually two helpful measures that Dr. Baral discussed: Vitamin A supplementation and NOT giving Tylenol:

o Measles infections are found to benefit greatly from supplementation with Vitamin A. In the Journal of Infectious Diseases is says the live measles vaccine led to dramatic decline in a-interferon for up to one year. This equals immune suppression. It is also a good idea to load up on Vitamin A before getting the vaccine.

o After receiving the MMR vaccine, 50 to 60% of children develop a fever. So when our kids get a fever, we give them Tylenol, right? Except we weren't told that Acetaminophen can affect their ability to respond to vaccines. In a 2008 parent survey by the University of California San Diego and San Diego State University, "Acetaminophen use after MMR vaccination was significantly associated with autistic disorder..." So basically if you do give your child the MMR vaccine, do not give Tylenol. Also, don't give it after the Pc or DTaP vaccine. Studies published in The Lancet in 2009 showed decreased antibody levels in the group who received Tylenol vs. the group who did not receive it. Less antibodies means the vaccine was less effective.

o More stuff to know: Acetaminophen shuts of the IL-6 gene, which helps with the development of the nervous system. It's better to give IB Profin. Dr. Baral did point out that fevers don't kill children. It's better not to suppress a fever because it does have a purpose. It helps the immune system to fight off the infection faster. I'm fine with that as long as my child isn't badly suffering. I'm certainly glad there are options for relieving pain!

o The MMR vaccine, which is given between 12 and 18 months, causes joint symptoms in 25% of recipients.

o The disease Mumps causes orchitis in 50% of recipients who are post-puberty. And what is orchitis? No, it's not a reaction to orchids, it's inflammation of the testicles or ovaries. Fantastic.

o By the way, the MMR shot, which does not contain mercury, consists of live viruses that have been weakened (attenuated) so that the vaccine is still capable of inducing a productive immune response but does not cause the disease that the original or "wild-type" viruses can.

• There are only three more vaccines to discuss. Next is Hep A.

o There are about 10,000 case a year in the U.S., mostly in 5 to 14 year-olds and mostly in the western United States. Fatalities are almost unheard of, especially in children. It seems to only kills people who already have liver disease.

o Giving the Hepatitis A vaccine decreases the effectiveness of the Pertussis vaccination.

o Seizure occurrence following the vaccine is greater if given to children younger than two years old.

• Influenza affects 1.5 to 6 million people a year. People die from it every year, mostly the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.

o Interestingly the package insert on the flu vaccine says, "May cause fetal harm when administered during pregnancy." Other side effects of this live vaccine are fever, fatigue, arthritis and GBS (Guillain-Barre Syndrome). In 1998 The Lancet reported that "pulmonary-function abnormalities may occur as a complication of influenza vaccination."

o Mercury is only present in the multi-dose vial of the flu vaccine, so make sure your child is getting the single dose version.

• Yay, we're almost done! The last vaccine that was covered in the class is Varicella (chicken pox). I remember being relieved when I heard that there was a chicken pox vaccine because I didn't want my kids to have to suffer through that particular illness. I have vivid memories of how miserable I was when I had it. Also, one of my cousins had a terrible case of it with huge blisters covering almost her whole body.

o Chicken pox does sometimes kill people at a rate of about 25 per 1,000,000 people. Fatality rates are higher in those over the age of 20.

o I had been confused about the whole shingles and varicella connection, so it was nice to get that cleared up. Here's the deal: shingles (a.k.a. Herpes zoster) happens when some of the varicella virus, which has been hanging around in your joints since you either got the disease or the vaccine, decides to flare when your immune system is weak. It causes severe nerve pain and blisters. This disease used to be far less common. Why the increase in shingles? Because it used to be that our immune systems would get reminded of how to defend against the varicella virus every time we were exposed to a child with chicken pox. Now we don't get exposed to kids with chicken pox anymore, so our immunity gradually wears off over time. There is now a shingles vaccine for adults.

o The risk of breakthrough varicella (infections in previously vaccinated children) is 2.5 times greater if given less than 30 days following the MMR vaccine.

o 17 possible adverse events have been added to the varicella vaccine label since 1995, including transverse myelitis, GBS and shingles.

o Dr. Baral told about a healthy 3 1/2-year-old girl who received the Varivax brand of the varicella vaccine. She then developed encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). When her spinal fluid was tested the varicella virus was found in her spinal fluid. Previously, it wasn't thought this was possible. Her case was described in Pediatrics in 2010.

• We're done right? Well, we haven't talked about the vaccine ingredients yet, particularly aluminum. (Mercury is pretty much gone from all vaccines.) All current human infant studies on aluminum show it's dangerous and should be limited. It can impair mental and neurological development, yet there are NO warning labels on vaccines! Crazy.

o The amount of aluminum in vaccines far exceeds the level that is considered safe for babies based on their weight. Preemies who received 50 mcg per day through IV showed impairments at 18 months compared to the group who received 5 mcg per day.

• In 1974 there were 14 vaccines given. As of 2009 there are 34, not including the flu vaccines. Not a lot of research has been done on the safety of giving so many vaccines to our little ones over such a short time period. There's a lot we just don't know about vaccines. Here is an alternate vaccine schedule suggested by Dr. Baral.

The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears also has a lot of great information about vaccines along with a couple alternate schedules. I've mostly been following one of Dr. Sears schedules for Sydney's immunizations.

• After going to this class I think I will be delaying more of the vaccines for Sydney that I previously was unsure about. I think people should be given information on vaccines, the good and the bad, so they can make decisions based on what they're comfortable with, not necessarily what the CDC is most comfortable with.

• Thanks for reading this really long blog! I hope it is helpful and not confusing. Also, I apologize if there are any inaccuracies. During the class I had my very active and curious baby distracting me.

She's not always active though. She does take some time to rest:

(I had to include something off-topic just for fun.)

Just because she's adorable

2010-07-08T16:55:00.000-07:00

She was just too delightful-looking to pass up the photo-op. I was hanging cloth diapers on the clothesline while Sydney played. Then I just had to run inside and grab the camera.

Fun balls + cute baby legs + green grass + pretty baby = pictures to treasure

... and to have fun with editing.

Little miss Sydney is 8 months old now. She can pull herself to standing. But she has a hard time getting back down. So she will start crying when she's tired of standing and I have to come rescue her.

She likes to put everything in her mouth. I'm constantly on the look-out for choking hazards. Even Chloe will bring me small objects and say, "Mommy, this is a choking hazard!"

She is crawling all over the place and getting into mischief.

Cadavers and live worms

2010-06-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

It is seriously about time that I posted something on my blog. Memorial Day weekend was what? Two weeks ago? I do have pictures to share. And a funny story.

My in-laws' cabin in Show Low was the place for our weekend retreat. We joined Bryan's sister and her husband and three kids there. It made for a noisy house, but at least we could send the kids outside to play without them roasting or freezing.

As you can see, Jessica is just thrilled to be on a three-hour car ride.

I entertained myself by attempting to take landscape photos. Being in a moving vehicle is really not the best way to do this.

The highlight of the trip was the dead body on the side of the road.

But instead of getting a shot of the CSI-worthy blanket-covered body with the shoes sticking out, I got the cop directing traffic. Way to capture the interesting stuff there, Kristi! (Yes, I talk to myself sometimes.)

Cheyenne and Chloe are cousins. They are so cute together!

But to continue with the dead body theme ...

... we visited a graveyard, which happens to have some of Bryan's ancestors buried in it.

This is Bryan with his mom, sister and dad .... oh, and his great (or maybe double great) grandparents.

Our other outdoor activity involved another kind of death.

We were hoping to have some fish for dinner.

Tawna had other ideas.

Even the live worms were not enticing enough for the fish. Two days were spent fishing with nothing to show for it but some leftover live worms! Which, by the way, I took home with the intent of putting them in my mom's garden (earth worms are good for garden soil), but they are STILL in my fridge. I'm scared to look if they're still alive.

All this talk of death puts me in the mood for treasuring those that are alive.

These two are so sweet together.

Are so are Sydney and Kingston.

True to her character, Jessica could not be around water without getting wet. First she got wet up to her knees trying to help Kayla retrieve her bobber (or whatever those floatie balls are called) when the fishing line broke.

Then she went in up to her waist getting her own line unstuck from the grass. Finally, she got all the way wet when the top half of her uncle Brent's fishing pole flew in the water!

Success!

Many Milestones for Sydney

2010-05-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

The rapid pace of development for babies during their first year really is amazing. I'm astounded at the number of milestones Sydney has achieved just this month. By the way, she is seven months old today.

It started with her introduction to solid foods. She got to try rice cereal (it was even organic and whole grain) mixed with breastmilk on May 7th.

After giving me this perplexed expression, she decided she liked the cereal and gobbled it all up.

Since then she has also tried bananas, peaches, apricots, carrots and sweet potatoes. She doesn't seem to like sweet potatoes, though. Oh, and let's not forget barley teething biscuits. Yes, that means she's teething, too! On Thursday night she had a very restless night accompanied by a slight fever, runny nose and drooling. This may sound like a cold, but once I got a good look at her swollen bottom gums in the morning, I knew it was teething.

Today I can feel the tiniest bit of tooth poking through. Another exciting milestone!

(Sorry you can't actually see her teeth in this picture - they're too small to see yet anyway.)

This month Sydney also started recognizing me from across the room and crying for me to hold her even if someone else is holding her. It's so cool that she knows who I am. It's like she realizes I'm her mommy for real.

Another exciting achievement is learning to sit up without tipping over. Now she can play on the floor and reach more toys.

One step closer to crawling, Sydney can also get up on her hands and knees.

It is such a joy watching my baby girl learn and grow and develop. The excitement is still there even though she's my fourth.

Bow to the Beauty of Photos with Jill

2010-05-04T18:08:00.000-07:00

Turning six months old during the spring means ...

an outdoor photo shoot with beautiful flowers!

And beautiful grass.

It helps to have beautiful skin and kissable lips.

Oh, and some gorgeous eyes.

Chloe and I were included in the photo shoot, as you can tell.

But the key to capturing all this beauty is an awesome photographer! Namely, Jill, my sister-in-law. Since I know I will be asked how you, too, can get pictures this amazing, I will go ahead and include Jill's e-mail address. {jill@lavadrop.com} Hopefully she won't mind.

I love what she does with black and white...

and color, too.

Getting photos done can be stressful, but this was total fun!

I wish Chloe's hair wasn't in her face, but at the same time it makes it more artsy I think.

I love my girls, and I'm so glad I get to be a stay-at-home mom with them!

They also love each other.

Sydney has already grown so big. At her six-month appointment she weighed 16 pounds, 8 ounces. By comparison, Chloe was 14 pounds, 11 ounces at six months and didn't reach 16 pounds until 9 months. I guess each child grows at her own rate that's right for her.

Cuddles with my cutie.

Each kid has her own personality.

Happy un-birthday to Sydney!

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

In honor of Earth Day, here are some adorable (I think) outdoor pictures of the two little ones in our family who most recently joined us here on earth.

I pledge to teach them about recycling, using water wisely, reducing waste, saving electricity, and other ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

I will try to set a good example as I bring reusable bags when I go shopping, hang my clothes to dry, use cloth diapers, turn off the lights when I leave a room, and maybe even start a compost pile again.

We live on an amazing, beautiful planet created by God. I only wish I could explore more of it.

The cockpit is smaller than you'd think

2010-03-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

The day I was born is the same day my dad graduated from aircraft mechanic school. I was born just in time for my dad to be there for the birth and then rush over to his graduation. So he has worked on airplanes my whole life. During spring break my kids and I headed over to the airport where my dad gave us a tour of an airplane. It was pretty awesome! We took along my niece, Kassidy.

Yes, the cockpit is smaller than you'd think.

The kids had fun pretending to fly, trying out the oxygen mask, and making announcements over the intercom. The oxygen mask is designed to be put on with one hand. Breathing 100% oxygen made my brain feel happy. My dad explained all the instrument panels, but I think I was the only one really paying attention.

We also got to explore the engines ...

These things are pretty dangerous when they're running. If you stand in front of them you'll get sucked in and ground to bits. If you stand behind them you'll get burned to a crisp. Lovely.

The cargo hold is neat. My dad climbed inside with the girls and shut the door for a few seconds.

Chloe actually thought we would be flying in the airplane that day. Sorry to disappoint you, sweetie.

Here's the airplane we got to explore. Remember to fly Southwest! Did you know each mechanic has his (or possibly her) own toolbox that is kept in the hangar?

And my dad with one of his signature expressions. Love you Dad! Thanks for the tour!

It started out as a nice, cloudy day ...

2010-03-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

Then it started sprinkling ...

which progressed into rain.

Pretty soon it was pouring ...

and windy!

I didn't even bring an umbrella because I just don't have enough hands to hold an umbrella AND push Chloe in the stroller while carrying Sydney in the sling.

So we got a bit wet.

Our zoo trip had to be aborted early.

But we did have some fun before the downpour.

Cool Chloe checks out the ducks.

We met my cousin, Fawn, there. Gotta love friends with zoo memberships! Dylan is the smiley baby.

Here's another cousin of mine, Celestia, with her son, Radek. Don't scare the squirrel!

What squirrel, you may be wondering. Oh, here's the squirrel with his (or her) rapt audience.

The kids loved watching the squirrel as it searched for food around the stroller.

Chloe is crossing a small bridge up to the giraffe lookout.

Ya know how the lazy lions are ALWAYS sleeping? Lucky us, we got to see them both awake! It lasted all of two minutes before they went back to sleep.

They were licking each other, too, but that picture was out-of-focus.

The animals were great, but chasing each other around is just as fun!

Show Low Snow

2010-02-26T15:48:00.000-08:00

A couple weekends ago we went as a family to Show Low to play in the snow. We got to stay for the whole weekend in Bryan's parents' cabin, which they bought recently. When someone says cabin, I usually think of the kind we stayed in during girls' camp. Ya know, the log structure with hard bunks, no bathroom, and unwelcome bat visitors. Well, apparently a cabin can also refer to a nice house in the pines.

We have visited the snow before as a family, but only for a couple hours at a time. Unlimited snow frolicking time felt like a luxury. We had a blast! We had snowball fights, made snow angels, built an igloo (sort of), shoveled snow, and tasted snow. But the best part was sledding!

Jessica:

Kayla:

They both caught some air on those runs!

While in Show Low we celebrated Bryan's birthday, Valentine's Day, and President's Day (or is it Presidents' Day since there are multiple presidents we're honoring??). Anyway, Mexican cuisine is Bryan's favorite, so we had a great meal at Licano's. With their delicious chips, you get salsa, Pico de Gallo, AND bean dip. Nice! We didn't even have to order a meal for Chloe. (Side note: a sample lady at Costco a couple weeks ago pronounced it "peeko du gallow" Hello!!)

Even Sydney enjoyed the fresh mountain air.

"It's cold, Daddy!"

A highlight of the weekend was a visit from my sister and her husband. They were staying in Taylor, which is about 15 miles from Show Low, along with another couple for a romantic weekend. Bryan got to go shooting with the guys while the girls went sledding on a big hill (see above videos).

Despite all the laundry I had to do when we got home, I'm so glad we had this awesome time together as a family. Here's to many more magnificent memories in 2010!

Thanks for the lettuce

2010-02-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

...even when she's not there!

Whilst my mom was at yet another funeral for some semi-distant relative, my two little ones and I stopped by her house to grind some wheat and borrow some snow gear. We also snuck in some play time.

Chloe has a pretzel stuffed in her cheek. In retrospect, it wasn't wise for me to allow the combination of trampoline jumping and pretzel ingesting.

Chloe never wants to leave Grandma's. It's no wonder.

When Sydney woke up from her car-ride-induced nap, I got some shots of her, too.

It's so fun to make her laugh!

I couldn't decide whether I like the one of her looking at the camera better or the one of her looking away from the camera.

What do you think?

And for no reason other than to admire my mom's talent and hard work, this is her garden. I think I'll have some of that fresh lettuce, thank you!

See Sydney Laugh!

2010-02-08T20:55:00.000-08:00

At three-and-a-half months old, Sydney has changed so much since she was a newborn.

She smiles. She laughs.

She interacts with us.

She can almost roll over.

She sucks on her fingers.

It is so fun having a baby! She is a little bundle of joy - a perfect little package - a gift from God. She almost makes me want another one.

Then Chloe starts whining, Jessica starts yelling, and Kayla starts complaining. And I change my mind about more kids.

Above is a little glimpse of Sydney's adorableness.

Another reason to think I'm crazy

2010-02-03T14:39:00.000-08:00

I have officially entered the world of cloth diapers.

After some online research and talking to a new friend of mine who uses them, I decided that the benefits of cloth diapers outweigh the inconveniences of laundering them.

Sydney's cute little tushie!

I always pictured cloth diapers as the "prefolds" (which are a rectangle of fabric that is thicker in the middle strip) fastened with pins and covered with a plastic pant. Those are the kind my mom used for all of us kids. Things have improved drastically since then. The cloth diapers now are so much more cute and practical. You can still use the prefolds, but now with Snappi's to fasten them and breathable, pliable, completely waterproof covers.
There are also pocket-style cloth diapers and all-in-one cloth diapers, which are both super easy with either Velcro or snaps and work just like regular diapers, except much cuter. Here are some cloth diaper definitions if you're interested: http://www.wildflowerdiapers.com/cloth-diaper-definitions.asp

The things I was most concerned about with cloth was wetness against my babies skin, how to wash the diapers, how often you have to wash them, and what you do with them in between washes. I learned that the microfleece layer in pocket and all-in-one diapers wicks away moisture so baby's skin stays dry. I learned all I have to do to wash the diapers is do a cold rinse, hot wash then cold rinse. I can then put them in the dryer (no dryer sheets or fabric softener) or hang them on the line.

As far as detergent, a tablespoon or two of Country Save is all I need for each wash. The diapers should be washed every two to three days and are stored in a "wet bag" in the meantime. The wet bags (which come in super cute patterns, by the way) keep all moisture and smells inside them and can be washed right along with the diapers.

Another concern I had was that the poop would leak out of the diaper and make a mess. Blow-outs happens frequently with disposables. My friend told me that blow-outs actually happen much less with cloth diapers. My reading online confirmed this; many people never even experience one! Sydney blows out of her diaper most of the time when she poops, so reducing the mess involved with that would be great.

My main motivating factor was cost. I estimate I spend a minimum of $500 a year on disposable diapers. That's if I use 7 diapers a day and pay $7.00 for each package of 36 (I can't always get them for that cheap though - $.19 to $.20 a diaper, and I'm sure some days I use more than seven). If I spend $200 on cloth diapers and use them for a year then I would save $300. With the laundry costs maybe I would save a little less. Online estimates say most people spend $1000 a year on disposable diapers - I guess for those who don't shop sales or use coupons. Yet the average water bill only goes up by $2.00. I don't know about the water heater bill. The detergent is $15 or so from Sprouts and lasts a really long time because so little is used.

Another advantage of cloth is that they are so much better for baby's skin. If it were me wearing the diaper I certainly would choose nice soft cotton or fleece over plastic-feeling chemical-laden stuff. Rashes occur less often and the skin is healthier. Sydney seems to always be a little red in the creases.

Let's not forget the environmental benefits to cloth diapering. I would be keeping a huge amount of diapers out of the landfill, which take hundreds of years to break down. Plus there's all the petroleum, water and chemicals used to make the diapers in the first place. And I save all those trips to the store.

So with all this is mind I responded to an ad on Craig's List earlier this week. A lady was selling some brand new pocket-style cloth diapers. She said she had ordered too many. I paid $75 for 12 of them, which is $6.25 a piece. Normally they run $17 to $18 each. Sydney started wearing them yesterday. Both times she pooped so far it was completely contained. They are more bulky than disposable, and it's not as easy to tell if she has wet in them. I am sure they are more comfortable for her though. It looks like the redness on her bottom is already gone! Awesome!

I never thought I would be using cloth diapers. Yet they make so much sense. I wish I would have used them with Chloe. Bryan probably thinks I'm crazy. He told me he will not be changing cloth diapers. But he doesn't change any diapers anyway! So instead of Huggies and Pampers, now I'm all about Bum Genius, Happy Heiny, FuzziBunz, Smartipants, Kissaluvs, Econobum, and Envibum! (Ya gotta love those creative names).

A 3-month old and braces

2010-01-23T10:58:00.000-08:00

Sorry if the title is confusing. No, my 3-month old did not get braces.

Kayla got braces.

Sydney is three months old today.

Exciting stuff!

Before

and

after

I know you can hardly see the braces. That is partly because the top ones are all clear, which is so cool! I wish I could have had clear braces.

Kayla is having a hard time eating food. Chewing is difficult because of bite blockers put on her back molars. Her top and bottom teeth only make contact at the very back of her mouth. This is to keep her top teeth from knocking the braces off the bottom teeth.

And the first few days were painful.

Can you believe it has already been three months since Sydney was born!?

How time flies!

I love that double chin. She is so cute!

And just for kicks, this is what I did on MLK day. Well, not for the whole day, but for a few minutes anyway.

Woohoo!

Fishing was a bust, but karate was awesome!

2010-01-16T15:55:00.000-08:00

This morning Bryan took Kayla and Jessica fishing at the Water Ranch next to the library in Gilbert.

Chloe helped, too. (sort of)

Unfortunately, they didn't catch anything.

No trout for dinner tonight.

There were supposed to be extra large ones in the lake today, like 1-3 pounds, stocked by the Fish & Game Department.

The girls kept casting their lines in over and over, not even giving the fish a chance to bite. I think they were scaring them away.

I'm sure it didn't help that Chloe was trying to throw rocks and twigs into the lake, and she kept yelling at the ducks.

I came along to take pictures and enjoy the beautiful weather. It was so refreshing to be outside.

I even brought my tripod so my pictures would be clearer, but then I realized I didn't have the thingy that screws into the bottom of my camera to attach to the tripod. And I was holding Sydney the whole time, which also got in the way of holding the camera still. So my shots were not sharp. Oh well.
The kids had fun, despite the lack of fish. Bryan plans on taking them again.

Now, onto to KARATE!

Jessica has been taking karate lessons the past four months. She loves it!

Last night was a demonstration for families and the belt advancement.

Jessica advanced from a white to a green, skipping the yellow. There are nine belts in karate, starting with white and ending with black. I don't know all the ones in between.

Here she is being awarded her new belt.

Jessica was so excited that she had to open it right away!

Awesome job, Jessica!

Sydney's Baby Blessing

2010-01-05T14:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Sydney laughed for the first time! It was delightful! I was trying to elicit a smile from her by fake-laughing, which then turned into real laughing, and I was rewarded with lots of smiles and a laugh. What a precious moment.

On Sunday was Sydney's baby blessing in church. It was great to have lots of family there to support us. Bryan gave her a special blessing. I was told afterward that she was smiling the entire time. It may not be entirely reverent, but I took notes during the blessing so I could remember what was said. I like that she was blessed to have a kind and happy disposition and also that she would develop a strong testimony that Heavenly Father loves her and that the Church is true.

Bryan's brother, Jamie, also participated in the blessing, but he had somewhere else to be right after the meeting and didn't stay for pictures.

Our beautiful baby

New Year coming ... guess I should make some goals

2009-12-30T14:27:00.000-08:00

With the new year just a couple days away, I've been thinking about what things I would like to accomplish.

Goals for next year:

Don't spend so much money on Christmas. Seriously, why do I always spend too much? Do we really need this many presents?
Finish Sydney's Christmas stocking. Sorry, Syd, that your Christmas was so lame. You couldn't even eat any of the candy in your unfinished stocking. But then again, you have everything you need: warm milk to drink, loving arms to hold you, and clothes to wear. Clothes, even, are optional at this point. If you read "Diaper-Free Baby", as I did, you might actually feel guilty for restricting your baby with clothes, and worse yet, a diaper!

Get a digital SLR camera so I can hopefully take better pictures. I also want to learn more about photography and digital editing. I feel like a dunce in this area.

Oh, I also want new flooring in our house.

Wow, these goals are getting expensive already.

Maybe I should focus more on self-improvement.

I will try to be a better person and follow the Holy Ghost more. I will try to be more patient and give each of my children the attention and love they need. I will find joy in serving others and in doing work. I will be a loving and supportive wife. I will focus on the positive.

Did that sound good enough?

Okay.

Back to the photography stuff, here are some pictures my cousin, Kate, took the day before Thanksgiving.

Sydney

Chloe

Jessica

Kayla

Kate really is amazing. You can see more of her awesome stuff at katemower.com.

And here are some pictures I took today at the park. It's a beautiful cloudy day, and my kids are my favorite things (or should I say people) of which to take pictures.

There are no pictures of Kayla because she didn't want to come. Apparently now that she's 12, she's just too cool to go to the park with her little sisters.

It's okay, I love her anyway. So I'll just post a picture of her from another day. She really is looking very grown up.
But you're never to old to have fun ...
Kayla turned 12 the day before Sydney was born. I felt bad that I missed her birthday party, which was a couple days after her birthday. Hopefully everyone there had a good time.

Good News, Bad News

2009-12-08T06:29:00.000-08:00

The good news is you can view our recent family photos taken by my cousin and awesome photographer, Kate Mower! (Not the photo above - that's just temporary until I get a better one.) Just click on the link below, go to Proofing, and enter the password "Ison". You can also order photos as, let's say, a gift ..... hint, hint. I will post those that I get on CD.

http://207.218.211.90/~katem/index2.php?v=v1

The bad news is that, according to the newspaper, our wintertime friend and icicle-maker extraordinaire, Jack Frost, has died.
Appropriately, he was born in SNOWFLAKE. And it's good to know he was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My condolences to his family.

(I hope nobody is offended by the fact that I got a kick out of an obituary. I'm sure it's no laughing matter to his family.)

Our Little Peanut

2009-12-03T20:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Chloe! Our little peanut is three years old! How time flies. It seems like she was just born, yet it also seems like we've always had Chloe in our family.

She can be sweet.

She can be silly.

She can be adventurous.

But she's always cute!

She may only weigh 24 pounds, but she's quite a little fireball. Today while we were in the Safeway parking lot, she grabbed a handful of rocks and threw it at a shiny black car parked next to ours even though I was yelling, "No! Chloe! No!" The worst part was the owner was sitting right there in the driver's seat! I apologized to him and hurried off, embarrassed.

Isn't that a mischievous little grin?

The day after Sydney was born when I came home from the hospital, Chloe looked at my still-flabby and protruding belly and said, "Mommy, are you having another baby?" Way to boost my self-image there!

She also likes to tell me, "Mommy, I love Sydney," and "Sydney loves me!" and "Mommy, I love you!" And when I come home after being away from her it's, "Mommy, I missed you so much!"

We're lucky to have her, and she's lucky to have a family who loves her and lots of extended relatives who love her.

Chloe with her cousins at the Arizona Museum for Youth in downtown Mesa.

Chloe with her second cousins on the trampoline.

Chloe with her cousin outside a church.

Is she waiting under the tree for Santa, or is SHE the gift for us?

Sydney's Birth Story

2009-11-01T17:50:00.001-08:00

It began just after midnight on Friday, October 23. I started having frequent, strong contractions that I really had to breathe through. I was so excited to think that this might actually be labor!

Between 12:09 AM and 1:30 AM I had 24 contractions. I tried lying down, but there was no way I could sleep. It felt better to be up. During contractions I would lean my forearms on the counter or couch, completely relax my abdominal and pelvic region, and breathe deeply. I lit a candle and pictured my cervix becoming soft and warm and melting with the candle. In between contractions I tidied the house, put away dishes, and finished packing my bag for the hospital. I also got on Facebook and posted the following: “Been having strong contractions every 3-5 min for the past 2+ hours. I guess it’s time to wake up Bryan.”

At 2:30 AM I woke up Bryan and told him I thought I was in labor. He got up and got dressed. I then called my doula, Trine, and told her I thought I was in labor. She said she would grab some snacks and come over in a few minutes. I had Bryan time the contractions until Trine got to our house. I had 24 more contractions between 1:34 and 3:07 AM. Then we didn’t bother timing them anymore.

“This is amazing, this is wonderful, this is fantastic!” This is the mantra I repeated to myself during contractions. I truly was ecstatic to be going into labor on my own, after all the worrying that I would still be pregnant at 42 weeks. This was my first time to go into labor on my own, after all. Cytotec, prostaglandin gel, and a c-section were the precipitators for my three previous births. Trine lightly rubbed my back during contractions and told me I was doing great at relaxing.

I felt bad waking people up in the middle of the night, but I also paged my doctor, called my mom to come watch our kids, and called my sister Esther, who is training to be a nurse and really wanted to be there for the birth. Then I decided I wanted something to eat before going to the hospital. I warmed up some leftover oatmeal and ate it. Because I tested positive for Group B Strep, I was supposed to receive two doses of antibiotics, four hours apart during labor before the baby was born. So we headed to the hospital, arriving around 3:45 AM. I was looking forward to soaking in the big bath that is available for laboring women at Banner Gateway.

In triage they only allow one other support person, so Bryan came with me while Trine waited in the lobby. I told the nurse I was supposed to have antibiotics for Group B Strep, that I have a birth plan, which I handed her, and that I would like to use the bath. The nurse checked me and told me I was 4 cm and 80% effaced. I was so glad to already be at four. At my last OB appt, which was four days before, I was still at 1 cm and 50% effaced. After contacting my doctor, the nurse said they would get the IV started in triage and monitor me for the required time while they got the bath ready. She asked if I would like my doula to come back to be with me. I said, “Yes!” Since no one else was in triage and it would take about a half hour to run the Penicillin through the IV, she said they would allow her to be with me, too. I was very grateful for this since Trine’s presence was very reassuring. She seemed to know just how to touch me and just what to say to encourage me.

I think it was about 5 AM that I got into the bath. Aaaaahhhh … it felt so good. I could move around freely instead of having to awkwardly get onto my hands and knees when a contraction came. The warm water was soothing, and I stopped feeling all shaky. It took the edge off the pain and made it easier to handle. Then in between contractions I was able to rest more completely. At some point I started moaning through contractions instead of just breathing deeply. I kept my face and jaw loose, as I had practiced doing during the Braxton-Hicks contractions throughout my pregnancy, and moaned deeply. I also started doing what I think of as horse-lips, which is blowing air out through loose lips and letting them vibrate. That seemed to help my pelvis relax the most.

Bryan and Esther sat in chairs and watched, while Trine sat on the floor close by. I had a hospital gown draped over me for modesty. Using the restroom was annoying as I had to remove the gown, climb out of the tub, have a blanket wrapped around me, and then waddle down the hall. Why they don’t have a restroom attached to the spa room, I don’t know. That room seems to be designed more for looks than for practicality. And of course I got a contraction both times while in the restroom. All the moaning and breathing made my throat dry, so I took frequent sips of water. My bathroom breaks were a convenient time to let out some water from the tub and add in more hot water to keep the temperature comfortable.

Esther actually left for three hours or so since she was supposed to work that day. She had a key to the office so she could just go in early and complete her work. When she came back she and Bryan were hungry, so they went to the cafeteria for breakfast. I ate a few dried apple pieces as I was feeling like I could use a little nutrition. I said frequent prayers silently to myself, thanking my Father in Heaven for the privilege of bringing a baby into the world and asking that everything would go smoothly.

During the breaks between contractions we chatted about mundane things, and I discussed with Bryan what phone calls needed to be made and other things needed to be taken care of. Friday was to be a busy day, with an acupuncture appointment, visiting teaching appointments, parent-teacher conferences, shopping with Kayla for a different dress since the one I bought her for her birthday was itchy, and karate lessons for Jessica. Also, Kayla’s birthday party at Skateland was to be on Saturday. All I had to do to go into labor was plan things I didn’t want to miss!

There was a shift-change at 7 AM, and Trine requested a nurse that would be accommodating for a natural childbirth. I was wondering how far I was dilated, but I wasn’t ready to be checked yet. I didn’t want to be disappointed. Taking each contraction one at a time and not worrying about how much longer I had to do this for was my priority. I remember making the comment, “This is a lot of work!” Although to the people in the room it probably didn’t look like I was doing much of anything besides making a lot of noise.

After triage the monitors used for recording the baby’s heartrate and the uterine contractions were traded for wireless waterproof monitors, which I wore until the baby was born. They were a bit annoying, and they had to be adjusted a few times. The first nurse, a tall blonde woman, had me get out of the tub when the baby’s heartrate stopped tracing, and she spent like five minutes trying to get it again. That was not fun. The new nurse, Rakay, who had short brown somewhat-spiky hair, was much more relaxed about it. She just wanted to get a tracing 20 minutes out of every hour and didn’t make me get out of the tub the one time it needed adjusting. At around 8:45 Rakay said that Dr. Brass wanted me to try getting out of the tub and try walking around. I was thinking, “But you don’t even know how far dilated I am. Are you assuming I’m not making any progress?” So I told her I would much prefer to stay in the tub. I asked to be checked, and I asked when the second IV dose was supposed to be administered. I wanted to get that over with.

I was delighted to learn that I was 8 cm, 100% effaced, and my cervix was stretchy and paper thin. I’m almost there! I tried not to think about the pushing part coming up, which I was dreading. The second Penicillin dose was started I think at 9 PM. I had to keep my arm out of the water until it was finished and the line could be disconnected. The nurse said she could break my water and the baby would probably be born pretty quickly, but I would need to get out of the tub and the pain would increase. She also said Dr. Brass was about to do a c-section on another patient. I opted to stay in the tub since Dr. Brass wouldn’t be available for awhile anyway, and I felt I was barely able to handle the contractions as it was. They were getting stronger and closer together. It seemed I spent more time in them than out of them. Plus the pain persisted between contractions, so it was hard to tell when I was actually getting a break. By this time I was moaning louder and getting hot even though the water was getting cooler. Trine got a container of cold water and put cool washcloths on my neck and forehead. That felt so nice. I also started getting emotional. After a particularly difficult contraction I broke down in tears for a bit. I was just so overcome by the power and the intensity.

I complained about needing to pee. Trine and the nurse both said it was okay to just pee in the tub since I would be getting out soon anyway. So I did. But then I kept feeling like I needed to pee more and I held my breath to push out more pee. I didn’t know I had that much pee in me. It turns out my water broke, I just didn’t know it. A few minutes later they had me get out of the tub and walk to the delivery room. Actually, the nurse offered a bed on wheels for me to get on, but walking was much more appealing than being recumbent. As I followed Dr. Brass down the hallways, I was dripping more than just from being wet in the tub, although I didn’t really notice. The nurse called for housekeeping to come after me with a mop.

In the delivery room the pain reached a new intensity. I was really hoping it would be over soon. I think I started sounding more like a lion sometime during this stage of labor, which is known as transition. Guided by Trine and the nurse, I tried various positions, like hands and knees, sitting on the birth ball, and side lying. Nothing was comfortable. I remember being asked which position I preferred, and I said, “I don’t like any of them!” I was discouraged when I was checked and told I was 9 cm with an anterior lip. I wanted it to be time to start pushing. Finally at 10:50 it was time to start pushing. Then the nurse said the baby was posterior, and I was thinking the baby was never going to be born!

The squat bar was set up and a sheet was wrapped around it. I was supposed have my legs in a frog position and my chin tucked to my chest while pulling on the sheet with my hands and pushing. It was really hard. On the one hand, pushing relieved most of the pain, but on the other hand, it was such exhausting work! Coaching from the nurse and doctor was really needed to keep me motivated. I pushed so hard that my face felt like it would burst and my lips got tingly. Taking quick breaths and going right back to pushing worked best. If I paused too long then the pain was overwhelming. Fortunately the baby was rotating as I pushed, so there was hope. I was thinking; no wonder so many moms get epidurals! Now why is it that I don’t want an epidural? I know there were some good reasons, but they seem insignificant right now in the midst of all this pain. Trine helped me get focused again and remember to breathe deeply in between contractions. She was right next to me holding my hand. Then Bryan held my hand for some of the time.

Esther told me that there was bulging when I pushed. This was very encouraging because it meant the birth was close! I switched to pulling back on my knees while pushing instead of pulling on the sheet. Esther helped hold one of my legs part of the time. Finally I was told they could see the head while I pushed. I tried to feel for the head, but it wasn’t far enough down the birth canal yet. I received lots of encouragement. “I can do this!” I told myself. After a couple more contractions and hard pushing I could feel the baby’s head move lower, and suddenly I felt an intense burning sensation. I said, “It burns!” I looked down and I could see why. I reached down and touched her head. I pushed a little more gently now, as I didn’t want to push too hard and tear, and she was born! The time was 11:37 AM. Dr. Brass handed her right to me. I was so overcome with joy and relief! “You’re here! I’m so glad you’re here! I did it!” I exclaimed as I laughed and held her close. I have never felt such relief and amazement in my life! It was bliss.

After a couple minutes, Bryan got to cut the cord. I held little baby Sydney skin-to-skin, which felt wonderful. Esther had been snapping pictures the whole time. She said we could just delete any of them we didn’t like. Some were a bit graphic. The others in the room commented on Sydney’s alertness. She didn’t cry much; she just looked around contentedly. Soon the placenta came out. Dr. Brass said there was only a small tear on my perineum, and it didn’t need any stitches.

At 12 PM Sydney latched on and nursed. She’s been nursing great ever since with no problems. That first day I even was able to nurse her while lying down, which has helped me get enough rest. With my other babies it took a couple weeks to figure out how to latch the baby on while lying on my side.

A whole hour went by with Sydney and me bonding and getting to know each other. Bryan probably felt I was hogging her. So when she stopped nursing and drifted off to sleep I handed her over. I don’t think he actually got to hold her though until after a nurse bathed her, weighed her and dressed her. The scale said 6 pounds, 15.8 ounces, which gets rounded up to 7 pounds. A nurse measured her length while I was still holding her, and said she was 20 inches long. However, on Monday at the pediatrician’s office she was measured by being stretched out on the table, and she was 19 inches long. I think this second measurement is the more accurate one.

I am so happy to have my new baby: Sydney Abigail! She is a joy! I love her so much already, and I am cherishing these precious first days. The recovery so far has been very smooth. I need lots of rest, but overall I feel great. Kayla, Jessica and Chloe love their new little sister. They shower her with affection. Chloe gets jealous of Sydney sometimes, so Bryan and I have tried to give her extra attention. It’s hard to believe we have four girls! We love each one of them and feel very blessed.

First Acupuncture Experience

2009-10-16T05:08:00.000-07:00

When your childrens' only exposure to acupuncture is from watching "Kung Fu Panda," they might think you're a little crazy when you tell them you are going to get acupuncture. No, I'm not getting hundreds of needles in my back, and no, my heart will not stop beating. So, why am I getting acupuncture?

Specifically, to help me go into labor. Even though there is not enough research showing the validity of acupuncture as a means to induce labor, I feel the lack of side effects combined with the improved energy and biochemical balance created by acupuncture, make it a reasonable choice. It's also supposed to stimulate the body's natural healing abilities and promote physical and emotional well-being.

My first treatment was yesterday. It was an interesting experience. Dr. Denise Grobe, a naturopathic physician, answered all my questions and explained that all the acupuncture points she would be using are located distally, namely on my feet, hands and ears. Then she took out thin prepackaged needles that each had a plastic tube over them. Starting with my ears, she pushed the needle in a bit, removed the plastic, and tapped it in further with her finger. Each needle had a pointy end and a non-pointy end with little grip-rings on it to make it easier to take it out. Some of the needles didn't hurt at all going in, but some of them did hurt just a little bit. Any discomfort went away quickly. Soon I started to feel warmth and energy circulating in the area around the acupuncture points. I could see why this ancient Chinese treatment actually helps people. It really does change how things are working in your body.

There were 14 needles total: 4 in each ankle/foot area, 1 in each hand, and 2 in each ear. The needles stayed in for 20 minutes, during which time I just relaxed with my feet up. It's best not to move any muscles that have needles in them, the doctor told me, because they can seize up painfully. Lastly, she removed the needles, leaving little red dots behind on my skin. One point on my ankle had a drop of blood, which is normal.

Since I am only 38 1/2 weeks pregnant and have a tendency to go past my due date, I wasn't expecting to go into labor immediately or anything. I have had a lot of contractions since the session, though. Next week I'll be going back for more needling fun!

I am trying to do everything I can to prepare my mind and body for labor, including taking herbs, doing yoga, and practicing relaxation and visualization. Plus I'm getting a massage today! It's nice to feel pampered. And yes, I am aware of the other natural induction techniques, such as sex, nipple stimulation, and castor oil. Here's hoping I go into labor on my own before 42 weeks!

Free Zoo Day

2009-09-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I took Chloe to the Phoenix Zoo. There's a promotion this month where you can get in free on Wednesdays with your Fry's VIP card. Not one to miss out on a good deal, we went. It was a bit hot, but not too terrible. Although we were pretty worn out by the time we got home.

Chloe loved seeing all the animals. Her favorites were the lions, orangutans, and fish. The orangutans were so entertaining that I even took a video of them. There was a young orangutan who was so playful. Seeing the little creature latch on to his mom and nurse for a little bit was very exciting to Chloe. She's been talking about it a lot.

We met my sister-in-law Megan at the zoo. She had her two boys with her. It was fun to hang out with her for part of the day!

I'm glad I could do something fun with Chloe before the new baby is born. I know I won't be up to doing much afterwords. I'm 36 weeks along, which means anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks left of pregnancy.

September ...

2009-09-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

Now that September is almost over, I finally got around to uploading pictures from my camera, so I will post some Labor Day and birthday pictures.

For Labor Day we got together with both the Shaw clan and the Ison clan. Unfortunately I couldn't find my camera when we were chillin' with the Isons, so I have no pics. But we had a fun time BBQin' and swimmin'!

With the Shaw's we played kickball ... well some of us did. I just watched and took pictures!

On my birthday, Bryan got me some flowers, a large collage picture frame, and a cherry pie. Yup, I'm his "Cherry Pie." I can't eat a cherry pie without thinking of that song. Was that totally inappropriate? Well, sorry, but we are married.
Also for my birthday, we used b-day money I received and a gift card I gave Bryan for Father's Day to buy a Wii Fit. Yes, we've been sucked into the Wii vortex. Actually, we've had a lot of fun doing the exercises and games. Even Chloe has joined in the fun. One thing I don't like about it is that it tells me I'm overweight - thanks a lot - too bad there's no "hey, I'm pregnant!" button.

Here's Jessica trying to keep a candle on the TV from flickering - it's a Wii fit thing.
Did you notice the karate uniform? She started karate lessons this month. She loves it!

I bought some black fabric to use as a background for taking pictures at home. I hung it up on the wall with tacks today. Here are my attempts at photography so far.

It helps to have such an adorable girl to take pictures of!

She's just goofing off in this one, but I still thought it was cute.

Christmas in August?

2009-08-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

It took three years and over 10,000 stitches, but Chloe's Christmas stocking is finally finished!
Now I have started cross-stitching a stocking for the new baby. Why am I getting myself into this again? Everyone in the family has a homemade stocking, so we can't leave the new baby out! Will it get done by Christmas? Probably not, but I'll try. I don't think it has as many stitches as Chloe's stocking.
Kayla and Jessica going back to school is kind of like a Christmas present for me, so there's another reason to think of Christmas in August. The house is quieter and cleaner. Sure I love being with my kids, but it's nice to have a break.

Here are first-day-of-school pictures.
I sort of got Jessica to smile. You can't tell that she is the one who's really excited to go back to school, whereas Kayla would rather have more summer break.
In between finishing Chloe's stocking and waiting for the snowman one to arrive in the mail, I completed another sewing project.
Yay, no hands! The sling is actually for the new baby, but I had to try it out on Chloe. I decided to make one after reading about all the benefits of babywearing, like babies cry less and it's good for their emotional, mental and physical development.

Now if only the weather were more ... Christmasy (and by that I mean, not so darn hot!)

People Think I'm Crazy

2009-08-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

It's true. People think I'm crazy.

Why? Because I believe in natural childbirth. Yes, that means no drugs, no epidural. Preferably it also means no IV, no electronic fetal monitor, no being stuck in a hospital bed during labor, no Pitocin, no catheter, no episiotomy.

Unfortunately in our culture childbirth is seen as a traumatic, painful, and medicalized event. Yet a woman's body is designed to give birth without any interventions. It doesn't always work perfectly, which is why it is great that we have trained obstetricians to deal with emergencies. But the majority of the time it does go smoothly, especially if a woman is given the support she needs and is allowed freedom of movement, baths or showers, continuous one-on-one attendance by a midwife or doula, and anything else that will help her be more comfortable.

On the subject of the pain of labor, here's a quote from a book I'm reading right now called "Born in the U.S.A.":

"The physiological fact that pain is an essential component of a normal labor, that it is necessary for the release of hormones that control the progress of labor, is either not understood by most American obstetricians or simply ignored. So, again, we have one intervention leading to another. When an epidural block removes all feeling in a woman's lower body, the necessary hormones are not released and the labor does not progress normally, which leads to more interventions." (This book is written by an obstetrician, by the way: Marsden Wagner, M.D., M.S.)

Pain with a real purpose, as in a means to an end, is a lot different than pain from an injury. And the pain of labor is not continuous. It is intermittent and there are many things that help ease it, like relaxing through contractions instead of fighting them. This all sounds good as a write it, but actually experiencing labor is different than you can imagine ahead of time.

I have done birth three ways: induced with an epidural, natural and c-section. My favorite: natural! I cannot even describe how empowering, fulfilling, and wonderful it was to experience labor with full feeling and push my baby into the world. There is a natural high that is just amazing. I felt like I could do anything. The recovery was so much easier, too.

I will admit that near the end of labor I was saying to myself, "I am never going to do this again!" I guess I've changed my mind.

In the United States women have not been told all the facts about the risks to them and their babies of having an epidural. For example, close to one-quarter (23 percent) of women receiving it have complications. And just what are these complications?

Death (risk is tripled)
Temporary paralysis (1 in 500)
Permanent paralysis (1 in half-a-million)
Development of fever, which requires diagnostic evaluation like a spinal tap on the baby (15 to 20%)
Inability to urinate after birth (15 to 35%)
Severe back pain after birth lasting for days, weeks or months (30 to 40%)
Longer labor
Greater chance that forceps or vacuum extraction will be used to extract the baby (4 times greater risk than with vaginal birth)
Twice as likely to have a c-section
A sudden drop in blood pressure in the mom is common, which results in a sharp drop in blood flow through the placenta to the fetus, which then results in lack of oxygen and possible brain damage to the baby. Doctors try to prevent this by giving the woman a big dose of fluid through IV, but still 8 to 12 percent of babies show a severe lack of oxygen.
Increased risk that the baby will show poor neurological function at one month of age.

And epidurals don't even work 10 percent of the time.

You can see why I'm not a fan.

There is so much actual scientific evidence out there that confirms the advantages of natural childbirth with a minimum of interventions. Yet the gap between obstetric practices and scientific evidence is wide. The above statistics are from the book mentioned above, which was published in 2006. Another excellent book promoting informed choices in childbirth and evidence-based medicine is "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" by Henci Goer.

And if you're not so much into reading, let me also recommend a movie: "The Business of Being Born." It's produced by Ricki Lake (yes the talk-show host) and as the back cover states, it "is an entertaining and informative celebration of the road to motherhood that 'should be seen by every preganant woman in America.' " I loved it, although I must warn you that there is nudity and a little bit of swearing; it is a documentary with real births after all.

Well, I've probably spent enough time on my soapbox telling you things you may not want to hear. In case you're wondering, yes I am planning on a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) for my current pregnancy. While there is a 1 percent chance of uterine rupture, the overall risks with a VBAC for both mother and baby are lower than for a c-section. I certainly feel I am choosing the safer option.

Just for fun, here are pictures of each of my babies as newborns:

Kayla

Jessica

Chloe

And here is the actual room Jessica was born in. It's at the Bethany Women's Birth Center in Phoenix. Isn't is purdy?

"Ten is better!" Jessica says

2009-08-04T16:43:00.000-07:00

Miss Jessica is 10 years old - a whole decade - double digits!

We celebrated her birthday last week.

We did the usual ... presents and cake.

Plus she got to go to Red Robin with her two best friends from school.

After dinner, Bryan and I took all the kids to see the new "Harry Potter" movie.

Note to self: As Harry Potter gets older, the audience to which his movies appeal also gets older.
This movie was far too slow and too quiet for young kids who have a difficult time sitting still in the first place. Apologies to anyone in the theater with us.

Another note to self: Do not bother spending money to take my kids to the movies .... ever! (Okay, maybe when they're all at least 12 years old, and it better be a really cool movie.)

Speaking of sitting still, Jessica actually let me do her hair on Sunday! Yes, there was screaming and yelling and squirming as there usually is when anyone tries to touch Jessica's hair, but it wasn't too bad this time.

And her hair actually turned out!

I also did Chloe's hair.
She was so happy with it. (And there was a lot less screaming, yelling and squirming than with her older sister.)

Not every time I attempt to do hair does it turn out.
Case in point:

To save the above-person from embarrassment, I will leave her nameless.
Below is the hairstyle we had in mind when beginning the venture.

Would anyone like to hire me for their wedding?
I didn't think so.

Jessica had a great birthday and a fun week.

Here she is at a Primary Activity Day playing kickball.

We also set up a slip 'n slide in our backyard, and Jessica got to go to a friend's birthday party.

Next week it's back to school. Sorry kids, no more fun! J/K

The photographer in Bryan

2009-07-24T17:06:00.000-07:00

Every so often the photographer in Bryan will come out and take some cute pictures. It's nice because then the burden isn't all on me to capture the kids' cuteness (Chloe's, in this case).

Of course, Chloe isn't always happy about getting her picture taken.

She looks like a sad clown, if you ask me.

She decides to still eat her ice cream even while covering her eyes.

Is Daddy still there?

I guess it's not so bad. At least I get ice cream!

And here's one Bryan took of me a couple weeks ago: 25 weeks pregnant. In the past two weeks my belly has definitely gotten bigger, or my baby has, I should say.

Here's a picture taken less than two weeks after the first, although Jessica took this one, not Bryan.

Chloe is starting to understand that her mommy is going to have a baby. Everyday she tells me, "You're going to have a baby!" She likes to kiss my belly. I tell her how neat it is that she will get to be an older sister and mommy's big helper. But I know it will be a difficult adjustment for her to not be the youngest anymore and to not get the most attention.

Chloe's competition already fighting back!

2009-07-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

Right now Chloe is cuddling with me with her head on my chest. It's sweet, but the baby must know Chloe is competition because she keeps kicking her. I don't know if Chloe can feel it though. Maybe that's a good thing.

We've been busy the past two weeks with swimming lessons. Kayla and Jessica took synchronized swimming and beginning diving, and Chloe and I did a mommy-and-me class. Fortunately the lessons were in the morning before the water was too much like bath water in temperature. Chloe has gained a lot of confidence in the water. She kicks and uses her arms really well, but she can't quite keep her head above water to breathe. Kayla and Jessica both learned how to do back dives and how to jump off the board correctly. The "oyster," "tub" and "dolphin" are the names of some of the synchro moves they learned. It's been fun.

Now let's rewind a month-and-a-half, travel 2000 miles and get 40 degrees cooler. Where are we? Washington, D.C., of course! You see, I still have pics to share. And on this 114 degree day, it's nice to sit in my air conditioned house and picture our green and beautiful (for the most part) nation's capitol.

I'll start with cute pictures of Chloe because ... well, she's just so cute!

This one's at Arlington National Cemetery.

Have you ever seen grass in Arizona that looks like this?

Me neither.

Riding the metro was part of the adventure.

At Mount Vernon

In my brother's back yard - I think during a game of hide-and-seek - ssshhh, be quiet!
Speaking of my brother's backyard, he set up a badmitton net while we were there. Fun times.
Isn't it so green and pretty? I would show you a picture of my backyard just for the contrast, but that would be embarrassing. My yard's not too pretty.
Since my brother lives so far away, we hardly ever see him. It was really great to get to spend so much time with him and his family.

My nephew and niece, Remi and Genevieve, after swimming in the above-ground pool Aaron set up on his back porch. The water was freezing cold.
And here is my nephew, Brent, at a park near Aaron's house where we all got to play.My brother's family and our family both took a trip to the D.C. temple. Aaron and Stephanie even babysit our kids so we could go in the temple. Here are Aaron and Stephanie with Remi on the left and Nicolas on the right. Stephanie has since had her baby, Melanie Elisabeth. Their twins, Brent and Genevieve, were not there for this picture.
They were hoping the baby would be born while we were there, but she was shy and waited until the following week to come.
And here is our family, too.
I guess it would only be fair to post some pictures of my other cute daughters since there are so many just of Chloe.

Kayla
People could tell we were from Arizona, although why we would be Diamondbacks fans this season, I don't know.

At Mount Vernon - Old George Washington had a serious estate - it was huge!
Here is Washington's house, which we got to take a tour of.

Jessica
The Washington MonumentThere's an elevator that takes you to the top. You have to come first thing in the morning to get a ticket to come back later in the day just to go up the elevator. It's quite a view!

While we were resting under this tree near the Washington Monument three helicopters flew directly overhead. One of them landed at the White House and the others flew away. My brother said that is the procedure when the President is arriving, so if there are snipers they won't know which helicopter the President is in.
When we did actually go try to see the White House up close the entire area behind and around it were blocked off. We couldn't even see the building at all. I didn't realize how secluded the White House is among all the trees. The only view I was able to get was by sloshing through a wet field, where I took this picture. On the way back to the sidewalk where Bryan and the kids waited I slipped and got my rear end all wet. It was lovely.
One of the places we visited that our kids especially loved was the National Zoo. Bryan is taking a short break here - we did A LOT of walking.
I have at least 100 pictures of all the cool animals, but I will spare you. I'll just share a photo of the animal I liked most: the giant Panda. There are three of them at the zoo, and all three were busily eating their bamboo breakfasts when we saw them.This is on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial.
On our last day in D.C. we visited the Museum of American History. We let the kids get their feet wet by the fountain out in front.
I've showed only a fraction of everything we did, but I don't want to bore you anymore than I probably already have. I hope all your vacations this summer have been amazing, too!

Happy Birthday to my Mom!

2009-06-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

Even though I still have lots of vacation pictures and stuff to share, I'm going to insert some current news before finishing the vacation documentation.

Today was my second ultrasound, and for those of you doubters out there, it is still a girl. Nothing's changed there. My due date is confirmed again to be Oct. 26, so I'm 21 weeks now. I just can't explain how cool it is too get to see my baby before she's born! She is such a real person to me already. I'm already thinking of myself as having four kids, even though that in itself is a difficult concept to wrap my mind around.

To me, it looks like the baby's face has filled out a little. Bryan says she looks like his sister, Shalay.

Yesterday Jessica, Chloe and I were talking about how we all have blue eyes and wondering if the new baby will have blue eyes also. Chloe pointed to my tummy and said, "Mommy, open it! See the baby!" She doesn't understand why she can't see this baby we've all been discussing so much! Jessica and I were both laughing.

Today Chloe and I made sugar cookies. Chloe likes to help me cook, so I wanted to make something where she could fully participate, from stirring the dough, to rolling it out and cutting the cookies, and finally decorating them. We both had fun.
Let's see ... we've also done a lot of swimming since we got back from vacation. My kids LOVE swimming, as I did when I was a kid. Wait, I still like swimming!
We also celebrated my mom's birthday, which is on Flag Day. Kayla had the idea to decorate her cake like a flag. Kayla also helped make the cake, which was a whole wheat gingerbread cake - one of my mom's favorite! (There's a reason she stays so skinny.)
My mom blew out all the candles, but one. Can you believe we still do candles for her? There's 58 of them, to save you the trouble of counting. (Like you were really going to do that anyway.)
Happy Birthday, Mom!

D.C. is the Place to Be

2009-06-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

We took over 1200 pictures. It must have been a good vacation.

My brother, Aaron, and his family live in Virginia just outside Washington, D.C. We got to stay with them for almost two weeks while visiting many sites in D.C. and the surrounding area. It was an awesome vacation. We loved it!

Narrowing down which pictures to post is quite a task here. I will probably do more than one post.

The first place we visited was the National Museum of American History. The giant elephant greeted us as we entered.
Chloe's favorite part was the coral reef aquarium. She was so excited to find "Nemo" and "Dory." She said, "I see Nemo! I see Nemo! Awesome!"
It seemed fitting on Memorial Day to visit Arlington National Cemetery. We missed seeing Obama, who visited there also that morning, because it was so difficult with all the traffic just to get there. But we did make it and got to see the changing of the guards in front of the tomb of the unknown soldier. I was amazed at how quiet the large crowd was during the the ceremony, even my own kids.
It was a very humid and hot morning. You can see how happy Jessica and Kayla are, even when taking a break from all the walking.
It is so beautiful in that part of the country. I love how green everything is, and I loved the weather. The humidity was very different for me, but I actually liked it. It was nice for my skin. And everything seemed so much more alive.
Bryan told Kayla and Jessica he would pay a dollar to whomever could find a gravestone with "Ison" or "Shaw" on it. So who found this grave?
Not me or any of the girls earned a dollar, for Bryan himself spotted this one. I don't know yet if I'm related to this guy, but I could be!
No surprise, there's a Memorial Day parade in Washington, D.C. on Memorial Day. Some of these people are really into their roles. Check out the guy with no shoes.
We ate lunch that day in the food court at the Old Post Office. We discovered we could go on a tour to the top of the bell tower. It was a great view from way up there.

There was one day that Bryan took Kayla and Jessica to Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Weeee!

Jessica talked about the Batwing ride a lot when she got back. It must have been fun!

While they were off riding roller coasters, Chloe and I visited the National Building Museum where they have a playroom for toddlers.

She had a great time going to a place made just for her age level.

She even got to dress up.

Afterward we took the Metro to D.C.'s Chinatown, where we had lunch. Chloe must have been hungry because she was chowing down! She ate almost the whole plate of food. In fact, the whole trip she ate a lot of food and seemed to be hungry all the time. It must be a growth spurt.
Then the next day all of us went to Chinatown for lunch after going on a tour of the Capitol building. I mean, $3.95 for a big plate of food is not bad.

The Capitol as seen from the Old Post Office bell tower.

Through Jeff Flake's office (he's an Arizona representative in Congress), we arranged for a tour of the Capitol. It was really cool. Although Jeff wasn't there, we met one of his interns at his office in the Cannon House Office Building, which is connected to the Capitol through underground tunnels.

He took us on an hour-and-a-half tour. There are a lot of statues inside. Here's Kayla next to Brigham Young.

The artwork inside is so intricate and amazing.

I could keep going on and on with this post, but I think I will have to continue another day. There are plenty more museums, monuments and memorials plus the temple and the zoo, and I want to share pictures of our wonderful hosts, Aaron and Stephanie and their kids.

D.C. is a great place to visit. It's green, gorgeous, and mostly free!

Those darn birds!

2009-05-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

Besides anticipating having a new baby in a few months, what else has the Ison family been up to? I know you are all dying to know.

Just for kicks, I'll start out on a sad note. We had a lot of our nectarines eaten off our tree by birds. We did get about 30 nectarines for our consumption, but they were small.

Now for something fun! Chloe got to ride the carousel at the mall. She chose the "Tigres", as she called it. She and Jessica like to talk about and pretend to be the characters (like Tigres) from the movie "Kung Fu Panda." However, I do not recommend this movie for kids unless you want your children to go around the house Kung Fu fighting with each other. We had to hide the movie to avoid reinforcing this behavior.

Playing at Grandma & Grandpa Ison's during our visit for Mother's Day.

Bryan with his wonderful mom. He gave her an "Edible Arrangement" for Mother's Day.
Me with my wonderful mom.

Jessica's Hip Hop Dance Class performance. For some reason she stayed in the back far away from the other girls. But she did great at the routine.

Kayla had her last band concert of the year. She asked me to curl her hair in ringlets, which took about a half hour. And yet most days she doesn't even want to do her hair. Go figure.

For the first time, I could actually see Kayla playing her clarinet during the concert! At her other concerts she was hidden behind other students out of view. So annoying.
Chloe and Jessica - cowgirls with attitude.
Jessica was getting ready for her Arizona state report fair, for which she could dress up if she wanted.
Bryan, Chloe and I all got to visit Jessica at her school to see her report. It was great to be able to go and support her.

We also got to go swimming once so far this month, but I forgot my camera. And we are all looking forward to visiting my brother, Aaron, and his family in Virginia and seeing all the sights in Washington, D.C. It will be awesome!

Ultrasound Results - It's a .....

2009-05-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Did you think I would just tell you right off the bat? No, no, you will have to wait patiently like I did through the ultrasound. Why is it they have to wait until the end to tell you the sex of the baby?

Anyway, I'm very glad that the baby is healthy and normal. Here is the baby's back. Parts of the ultrasound were done in 3D, which I didn't expect. So cool!

And the baby's legs. I know, they look weird. Wait until you see the next picture. It's even weirder.
The baby's face. Keep in mind at this stage the baby has no fat and looks rather skeleton-like.

Here is a regular ultrasound picture - the baby's profile.

And closer up:

And now for the moment you have been waiting for....

It's

A ....

GIRL!!!

Yes, we are having another girl. That makes four girls. We were hoping for a boy (who wouldn't after 3 girls?), but I am happy. I can keep all the girly stuff we have. Bryan may need some consolation, though.

And there's another surprise. The ultrasound indicates my due date is October 26 instead of October 3. When I see my doctor next week, she may officially change the due date. So that would mean I'm only 16 weeks and 2 days (instead of 19 weeks and 5 days). No wonder I didn't know I was pregnant for so long - I wasn't!

219 ounces. Seriously.

2009-05-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

No, this is not the amount of weight I've gained so far in my pregnancy. Nor is it the amount of chocolate chips my kids ate in one day. And it isn't Chloe's weight either. It is the amount of water I drank in one day. Seriously.

I keep telling people that I'm thirsty all the time, I drink water all the time, and I pee about every hour or so. I was told by one person that maybe I'm nauseous so much because I'm dehydrated. I don't think so. It's the pregnancy hormones.

Oh, and my doctor said my frequent headaches could be caused by dehydration. Although, now that I think about it, my headaches occur mostly in the mornings. And since I don't drink while I'm asleep, maybe I am dehydrated by morning.

Anyway, you may be wondering, just how much is 219 ounces of water?

It is ....
13 pints or
26 cups or
6.8 quarts or
all the water that fits in these containers:
So please do not tell me I need to drink more water because I'm sick of drinking so much water all the time and of taking so many trips to the bathroom!

Sorry if I'm being a grumpy, pregnant lady. Which reminds me, I don't even look pregnant yet, just ... fat. I am 18 weeks, so I have five months left. On a happy note, I felt the baby kick for the first time yesterday! It was so cool! It definitely felt like a baby inside, although the kick was very light.

I'm really excited for my ultrasound. It's scheduled for Wed, May 13. Since that day is early release from school and Bryan works from home on Wednesdays, the whole family gets to come! I will be sure to post any news we learn.

At this point, my baby looks something like this photo of an 18-week-old fetus:

I think pictures of babies inside the womb are so cool!

Easter Fun

2009-04-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

Like my kids don't already eat enough candy, along comes another holiday where sugar seems to be mandatory. I guess I didn't have to give them chocolate bunnies and Rolos, but I did anyway. Chloe's Easter dress didn't survive the day very well. Thanks goodness for Oxiclean.

Kayla's and Jessica's Easter dresses left pink sparkles all over the bench at church. Oops. So I returned them. Actually, Kayla didn't even wear hers to church because it was too itchy. So much for that. I didn't even get a cute pictures of them in their dresses. My nieces Kassidy and Natalie have some cute dresses, though!

We went for casual attire. (It was Saturday.)

At least for the Easter egg hunt tradition on Bryan's side of the family the kids get coins in their eggs instead of candy. There's even a "golden" egg (really it was pink this year), with a silver dollar in it! It's always the hardest one to find. This year my niece Mekenna found it.

The Easter party at the Ison's did double duty this year as a celebration for Greg and Chanelle's wedding, which took place in Michigan. It was the only time the entire family could get together at one time. So congratulations again to Chanelle and Greg!

On the Shaw side of the family, the Easter party was at my brother Ben's house. And there was a surprise! My sister Rachel showed up with her baby Edgerrin! She lives in Rexburg, Idaho and attends BYU-Idaho, so it was a real treat to see her (much better than candy).

The eggs here had jelly beans in them. My kids discovered they like the real Jelly Bellies (I think that's what their called), unlike the generic jelly beans, which I agree are gross. That's just fantastic. More candy to rot their teeth.

So it was a happy Easter, despite the fact that I forgot to add salt to the rolls until I was done mixing in all the flour. Some of the rolls had way too much salt and some had not enough. For Family Home Evening we did talk about the real meaning behind Easter. The holiday wasn't all about Easter egg hunts for us! But it was wonderful to see all the family and eat lots of good food.

Cute Talkin'

2009-04-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

While I was vacuuming earlier this week, Chloe was on the couch. She had a bit of a runny nose, and I watched her wipe her nose on her shirt. I said to her over the roar of the vacuum, "Chloe, I want you to use a tissue to wipe your nose." She responded, "No, shirt!" meaning she wanted to just use her shirt.

Except it sounded like the same word without the "r" because of the vacuum noise. I was laughing. I'm glad she doesn't really use swear words, but sometimes kids' mispronunciations make it sound like it.

When Jessica was little she would say "truck," but it sounded like the "f" word. It was funny.

Toddlers are so cute, aren't they! Here are some random things Chloe has said the past couple days:

"Yay! Daddy, I a big girl." - This was after stepping on the scale and discovering she is 22 pounds!

"Jecca take a bath! Me a take a bath!"

"Daddy teach me play a game!" said while Bryan is showing her the Skipbo cards.

"Mommy, I saw a you on TV!" said after watching a family reunion video.

"I like chocolate!"

Everything is said with much exuberance. I just love the enthusiasm for life that children have!

They even like swimming in freezing cold water. Yes, we've already been swimming this year.

Here is Chloe with her cousins Cheyenne, Caleb and Megan.

I signed Chloe up for a four-week mommy-and-me "Jumping Beans" class at the Red Mountain Center in Mesa. It was a lot of fun. She was the smallest one in the class, but she didn't let that stop her from participating!

A Little Slow

2009-03-31T17:10:00.001-07:00

I thought I was just tired because I needed to go to bed earlier. I thought my bladder was waking me to be emptied a couple times during each night because I was drinking too much water in the evening. I thought I gained 5 pounds because of too much Valentine's candy. I thought my cycle was just irregular. Oh boy was I wrong! How could I be so slow?

Anyway, if you haven't already heard or guessed ... yes, I am pregnant! Crazy, I know. We are excited! I can't believe we're going to have four kids! That seems like a really big family. Coming from a family with eight children, I used to think four kids was just a regular size. But when I started having my own I realized what whole lot of work and sacrifice they are, but also what a joy.

My due date is October 3, which means I was already 9 weeks along before I realized it. It was the nausea that finally clued me in. At least my pregnancy will seems shorter now! How wonderful that I get to be pregnant during the whole long, hot summer! I say that with a fake smile on my face.

Now I am 13 weeks and this pregnancy has been hard so far. I've been so tired and nauseous with frequent headaches and bad allergies. I've been feeling overwhelmed and stressed and it finally caught up with me on Wednesday when my back spasmed out on me big time. I was bending over helping Jessica get her pants on in the morning and all of a sudden there was extreme pain in my back. I cried out and writhed in pain. Then I was frozen laying down and afraid to move. Fortunately Bryan was working from home that day and he came to my rescue. He helped me get to the couch where I stayed the whole day except to use the bathroom. I could not stand or walk or sit up without support. My lower back was not able to support the weight of my upper body. It was not fun.

I am feeling much better now thanks to all the help I received. There was my neighbor who brought me a rice heating pad, helped my kids get off to school Thursday morning, and let me borrow her walker to get around. There was a priesthood blessing from Bryan and one of our home teachers. There was Bryan who fetched me things, made food for me and helped me whenever I asked. There was my mom who cleaned my house, cooked dinner for me, took me to my ob appointment (where we got to hear the baby's heartbeat!) and to Dr. Fairbourne for my back, and helped get my kids off to school on Friday morning. And there was Dr. Fairbourne ... I walked into his office Thursday afternoon using the walker and walked out completely unassisted. It was amazing! There was my sister, Esther, who babysat Chloe while I was at the doctor, made me popcorn, cheered me up a bit, and offered to help if I needed over the weekend. There was also the wonderful sisters in my ward who arranged to bring my family dinner on Friday evening. And finally another wonderful sister who is substituting for me playing the organ on Sunday as I was supposed to sub for the regular organist. I am truly grateful for all the wonderful people in my life and that I am recovering more quickly than I expected.

I just want to share one more thing. On Thursday evening I decided to read a few verses of scripture even though I was really exhausted as I had not slept the previous night due to the pain I was in. I opened to Doctrine and Covenants Section 35 and my eyes went right to verses 8 and 9: "For I am God, and mine arm is not shortened; and I will show miracles, signs, and wonders, unto all those who believe on my name. And whoso shall ask it in my name in faith, they shall cause ... the lame to walk." As you can imagine this scripture struck me very powerfully since I had just regained the ability to walk after suffering the humiliation of having to crawl around the house or use a walker. I believe in God and in His healing power. I will be more aware from now on when there is too much stress in my life and do something about it before it manifests itself in such a dramatic way. This is a learning experience for me, and I know I will be better because of it.

Since it just doesn't seem right to post a blog without a picture, here is a picture, as promised, of Kayla wearing her new glasses. We recently bought her a new bedspread, too, which she loves.

The Wildlife World Zoo is cool!

2009-03-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

It only took an hour to get there. I thought it would be longer. But it sure is pricey!

We visited the Wildlife World Zoo yesterday and had so much fun! It was cool to see some of the more exotic animals that aren't at the Phoenix Zoo, like penguins, alligator snapping turtles (Kayla's favorite) and a sloth (my favorite because it reminded me of myself lately). The interactive stuff is especially awesome. We got to feed a giraffe, touch starfish, and pet stingrays.

Kayla, Jessica and Chloe were fascinated by all the animals. Chloe was frightened by some that were close even when they were behind glass. The monkeys that jumped around everywhere and were constantly moving were especially captivating. She would point to each of the different animals and say, "Mommy!" or if there was more than one, "Mommies!" By this she means that they are mommy animals. Then the little ones she would call, "babies." I don't know why she thinks they are all mommies and not daddies, but it's cute!

Sadly, it seems a lot of my pictures didn't turn out very well - bad timing and flash reflections off of glass. But here are some.

Chloe is excited to see the hedgehog - I think that's what it is anyway.

Checking out the tortoises. Don't worry, Jessica is tying her shoe, not climbing over the fence.

This is the animal Jessica was most looking forward to seeing. I think it's because she watched "Madagascar 2" recently. She called them all, "Marty!"

Cool camels! Jessica is so good with her little sister.

I didn't bring any change to buy feed for the animals, so my kids had to pick up the stuff that had dropped on the floor. Pretty sad, I know, but it was free!

The petting zoo was scary to Chloe at first, but once the animals determined we had no food for them, they stopped trying to nibble us, and Chloe actually got down and walked around a bit.

At the gift shop, Chloe was drawn to the tigers for some reason and picked out two of them to carry around. She's showing how the tiger's mouth is open.

Here's the real tiger we saw. It was so close we could see it breathing.

I would definitely recommend this zoo. (Thanks to Celestia for recommending it to me!) After walking around for four hours we were all exhausted and ready for a nap, just like the tiger. The Wildlife World Zoo is cool!

A little slow

2009-03-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

The comments below are for the post "A Little Slow" published 3/31/09. Apparently the date I start writing a blog is more important that when I actually publish it. Dumb! So I had to fix it.

Shiner

2009-03-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

You are only allowed to read this if you promise not to call CPS. You promise? Okay, then.

First of all, it wasn't my fault. I wasn't even there when it happened. Or maybe it was my fault because I wasn't there. Anyway, here's the story. Kayla was babysitting while Bryan and I were on a date. She was playing with Chloe like a good big sister. As part of whatever game they were playing, Kayla got on her hands and knees. Chloe climbed on her back, but she slipped off and hit her face on the coffee table - right next to her eye to be exact. My poor baby has a black eye! It's pretty sad.

At least it's not bothering her enough to keep her from making funny faces.

To make up for having to see Chloe with a black eye, here are some more flattering pictures.

This was my first time to put pigtails in Chloe's hair. She actually has enough hair now, and it's adorable!

Chloe loves her sisters!
All three are Daddy's little girls, and Bryan wouldn't have it any other way.

Doomed to Wear Glasses

2009-02-27T13:27:00.001-08:00

For some reason I feel the need to apologize to all of you who check my blog regularly for not having posted in so long, even though I'm actually under no obligation to update my blog. (Although, Esther would tell me differently.) What can I say? I've been busy! Chloe and Bryan were both sick for a week-and-a-half, I've been seemingly constantly sleep-deprived, and my time has been occupied with things like doctor's appointments, singing in stake choir, learning several difficult songs on the piano for choir, doing our taxes, painting our hallway, canning salsa and tomatoes, visiting teaching, attending school events, the usual housework and laundry, and of course there was Valentine's Day and Bryan's birthday. Enough excuses already, let's get to it!

So did any of you catch "The Amazing Race" a week or two ago when the contestants had to climb up a grassy, slippery, steep hill and carry 50-pound blocks of cheese back down the hill? It was hilarious! We were laughing so hard! The contestants were stumbling and sliding all over the place. Anyway, the analogy of sliding down a slippery hill came to mind recently as I took Kayla to the eye doctor to get her eyes checked. Why? Well, once you get that first prescription, you're on that slippery hill of having to wear glasses more and more as your eyes get worse and worse. Kayla is on that unfortunate slope. I'll blame the genes Bryan passed on since he started wearing glasses at Kayla's age, too.

Even though her last eye exam in August was fine, in December she failed the school's eye test and she's been complaining of not being able to see the whiteboard in her class. So I dutifully took her in again. Possibly her growth spurt since August has been a catalyst, but she is near-sighted, .75 in her left eye and .25 in her right eye, if that means anything to you. Her glasses should be in next week. They actually look really cute on her. I'll be sure to post some pictures. So how does Kayla feel about this? She didn't want to accept the idea that should would need to wear glasses, but now she's glad she will be able to see better. Here is a note she wrote me over the weekend.
Isn't she a sweetheart? The portrait she drew is of me.

Here are some random pictures from this month.

This is Chloe wanting me to take a picture of her doll, not her!

The first edible growth in my garden. It was delicious!

Kayla's report on Albert Einstein. She did a great job!
Thanks to my sister-in-law Megan for letting me use her Cricket machine to cut the lettering!

Painting the hallway. We worked together as a family.
Kayla and Jessica were so excited to be able to participate!

Chloe having a good time in the bath.

Valentine's Day preparations

Bryan's birthday. Happy birthday Honey!

Another thanks to Ben and Megan for the great Christmas present: a gift certificate to Golfland for whole family! We had a great time!

Now I'm off for a Friday-night date with my hubby!

Desert Botanical Garden

2009-02-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this was actually last year, December 31 to be exact. Of course we waited until the last day of the year because that's when our free passes expired!

On the way to the Desert Botanical Garden we drove over the new Metro light rail train tracks. A couple days before we spent a couple HOURS waiting in line to ride it for free - so not worth it. The kids liked the free bus ride from the mall to the train station better! (Less crowds.)

Here's a picture looking out the window as the train crossed over Tempe Town Lake. It was quite a view!

Here we are at the garden. A nice lady offered to take our picture. Behind us you can kind of see a boat filled with colorful glass balls. The red reeds sticking up behind us are also made of glass. There's a special exhibit going on with all these amazing glass sculptures throughout the gardens.Salsa anyone? I thought it was cool how these peppers grow straight up. There's a whole section of herbs and other edible plants. The smell was wonderful.

This crazy cactus looks more like a vine, but don't pull a Tarzan and try swinging on it!

I don't think I mentioned that one of the reasons for procrastinating until the last possible day to go here was because my kids were less than enthusiastic about the trip. Kayla, in particular, did not want to go. She was determined to look miserable in all the pictures just so I wouldn't forget how horrid of me it was to MAKE her enjoy a beautiful day outside surrounded by beautiful plants.

Despite her grumpy attitude even Kayla couldn't help being fascinated by the fluttering butterflies. She spent at least 5 minutes watching this one.Once we got there, Jessica was enthusiastic about exploring. She wanted to write in all the log books they have at various spots in the garden. You can record the current temperature, the underground temperature, what animals you have spotted and other things. She was determined to find an animal to write down, but the only ones we saw were birds and bees. (I promise that was an inadvertent reference to .... uh .... never mind!) Anyway, she wrote down the bees along with her name and the date and time.
Usually you have to pay to look through these telescope contraptions at sightseeing locales, and I'm never willing to fork over the money. These were free, so we actually got to look through them. It was cool to identify the different mountain ranges and see the landscape closer up.We discovered there is beauty in the desert, and we had a fun time!

Until next time ....

Which Would You Rather Lose?

2009-02-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

Last week I had about 30 minutes of panic thinking my wedding ring was lost. I had taken it off so it wouldn't snag the gloves I put on to go for a walk in the morning. I thought I had put it in my pocket, but it wasn't there. Did it fall out of my pocket sometime during my walk? Was it in the stroller by chance? I searched the house and all the places I had been. What happened to it? Oh no! How am I going to tell Bryan? Would we ever be able to pay to replace it?

Then I remembered a dream I had had the previous night that three of my front teeth fell out. When I woke up I was so glad that nightmare wasn't real! But was it a premonition that I would be losing something important to me? I asked myself if I would rather lose my front teeth or my wedding ring. Which would you rather lose? After pondering the pros and cons of each I decided I would rather lose my wedding ring than my front teeth! So maybe I should be grateful.

I said a pleading prayer. And then it came to me. I remembered that during my walk I had felt uncomfortable about keeping my ring in my pocket because I thought it might fall out accidentally. So I moved the ring to a zippered pocket in my purse, which was in the bottom of the stroller. Then I promptly forgot that I moved its location, probably because I was busy listening to an audio book on my MP3 player. I checked my purse and there it was! Yay! I am so thankful that I have both my wedding right and my front teeth!

Celebrating Successes

2009-01-22T09:37:00.000-08:00

Failures and disappointments are inevitable in life. For example, I failed at preventing Jessica from scribbling on her bedroom wall yesterday, and Bryan learned that no one at his work will be getting raises this year. (In this economy we are thankful he has a job.) But today I will focus on the successes in our lives.

Chloe has been pacifier free for six days now.
I redecorated and reorganized our family room. I'm loving the feel of the room now with my red curtains and pillows and Ikea boxes.
We successfully ditched our landline and got rid of cable TV. Now we only have cell phones and basic channels. (Let me know if you need my cell number.)
There are real live vegetable plants growing in my small garden despite the meager amount of sunlight that any portion of my backyard receives in winter. One of my pea plants even has a flower!
I survived and even enjoyed my first week as a nursery teacher. Two-year-olds are so full of life, love, energy and enthusiasm!

Bryan has a new manager who is a fan of telecommuting, so Bryan will be working from home on Wednesdays and every other Friday. Awesome!

Kayla learned "Greensleeves" on her new keyboard (a.k.a. "What Child is This.") She seems to have a natural talent on the piano. Her clarinet playing is coming along also. She is really good at playing by ear.
Jessica has met several of her goals on her IEP (individualized education plan) and is now working on new higher goals. Good work, Jessica!

I successfully downloaded an audiobook and some music from the library's website onto the MP3 player Bryan got me for Christmas, and I actually started listening to it. I've had bad luck with MP3 players in the past. This is my third one, and so far it's working great!

We made $77 at out garage sale last Saturday! Lucky sevens!

Bryan is gone skiing today with a friend from work. Fun! I hope he returns home safely with all bones in tact.

12 Years of Marriage!

2009-01-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

Today is the 12th anniversary of my wedding to my sweetheart, Bryan.
Here we are 12 years ago at our wedding reception.

Good times. Gotta love those puffed sleeves. Doesn't Bryan look handsome in a tux?

This is yesterday before our date.

It was a bit windy so that's why my bangs are sticking out funny.

Each year for our anniversary we have a tradition of going to a restaurant we've never been to before . This year it was Z Tejas. It was really good!

In honor of our 12 years of marriage, here are a dozen things I love about my husband:

His ability to fix things and solve problems
His witty sense of humor
His full head of hair
His big, strong hands and how gentle he can be with them
How he adores our children, spends time with them and makes each one feel special
His computer saviness
His dedication and hard work at his job
How thoughtful he is with gift-giving
His wonderful singing voice
His piano playing
How he rarely gets sick and doesn't complain when he does (usually)
How he teaches our kids to treat me with respect and he backs me up in parenting decisions

Overall, he's a pretty great guy. I love that man of mine!

Snow!

2009-01-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas (yes, I know I'm a little behind here) we took the kids to the snow! We went with Bryan's sister's family (Tawna & Brent). Our last trip to the snow was at least four years ago, so we were really looking forward to a fun day playing in the snow. This was Chloe's first time to see the real stuff.

We found a place in the mountains past Payson near a campground to pull over. Chloe and I both needed to use the restroom and luckily there were restrooms a little ways away at the campground. The problem was actually getting to them. A walk that should have taken about 30 seconds took like 15 minutes. When I held Chloe I was too heavy for the snow to support me, and I would sink in up to my knees. It was really difficult to lift my legs out of the snow while balancing Chloe on my hip. So I tried crawling on my hands and knees with her on my back, but she couldn't hold on very well to my slippery jacket with her slippery mittens. Then I tried having her walk by herself while I walked beside her. Walking on the snow was a bit intimidating for her. She took these tiny shuffled baby steps. Finally, I determined the easiest way to travel was to set Chloe on the snow, crawl a few feet ahead of her, and then reach back, pick Chloe up and move her a few feet ahead of me, and repeat. It was slow going.

When we finally arrived at the restroom, it was locked! We spotted another one further away ... as if getting to the first one wasn't hard enough! I considered just going behind a tree but decided it was worth it to get to a real toilet, mostly for Chloe's sake. So on we trekked. The second restroom was unlocked, but snow was blocking the doorway. I tried digging it out. It was too difficult without any tools, so I decided to check the other side of the building. There was another restoom and less snow! We were able to open the door just enough to squeeze in. After we both used the facilities, we started trudging back. By this time Bryan was looking for us. He met up with us and helped hold Chloe, who was now crying. After we got back she didn't want to play in the snow again. So much for it being a positive experience for her!

Our rescuer:

Chloe stayed in the car with Kayla, who was unhappy about her boot getting stuck in the snow and having a cold foot. Kayla only got out of the car one more time just long enough for me to snap a picture.
Jessica was having a good time at least, even though she also got a boot stuck in the snow. Here is Brent helping her out. Thanks Brent!
And here is Tawna with Caleb and Cheyenne. Isn't the snow so cool?
I packed a picnic lunch for us. While we were eating it started to snow and we got cold! It was 20 degrees! Jessica and I sort of attempted a snowman, but the snow and wind were getting too much.
Everyone was ready to go by that point. Unfortunately it was not the fun day in the snow that I pictured: no snowman, no snowball fights, no snow angels, no running joyously through the white fluff, no picture perfect moments. Oh, and I had to wear plastic bags on my feet because we forgot one of the pairs of boots.
On the bright side, it was really awesome to see the beautiful snow blanketing the ground and falling from the sky. It was nice for us to get outdoors and experience the splendor and power of nature.

My Beautiful Girls

2008-12-30T10:01:00.000-08:00

I'm their mother. Of course I think they're beautiful. But it always helps to have my photo-genius sister-in-law, Jill, take some gorgeous pictures! Feast your eyes!

Surprisingly no one fell in the lake, not even Jessica, although she did get her hands wet.

"I'm just sitting here look stunning, as usual!"

How did this sweetheart of mine get so sophisticated and striking?

Presenting my dazzling darling Jessica!

A little about my oldest, she's:
An excellent student (5th grade!)
A creative artist and loves to draw, paint, color and sculpt
A talented musician - piano, clarinet and recorder
A capable babysitter
A sweet girl who tries to do the right thing

Jessica is fun, determined, affectionate and energetic. She thrives at school (4th grade), loves to sing, wants to play the trumpet like her daddy and do everything else her daddy does (she's daddy's little girl, all right!), and really enjoys the Wii her daddy got the family for Christmas.

Now my little mischievous angel, Chloe! It seems like a contradiction in terms, but she is two, ya know. She does something naughty, like paint her face with watercolors or say "No way!" when I ask her to do something, then I look at that sweet face and I just can't stay angry.

Chloe's achievements so far include being potty trained, counting to 10, learning lots of new words and phrases (my favorite so far: "I love Mommy soooo much!"), learning to ride her tricycle - just kidding - she can't even reach the pedals yet, and doing all sorts of crazy climbing and balancing acts.

Yes, I love my beautiful girls!

Games Kids Play

2008-12-16T20:44:00.001-08:00

When I'm putting Chloe to bed at night she likes to play a little game. First she asks me to rub her back. Then she says, "Stop!" so I stop. Next she says, "Go!" and I start rubbing again. She does this over and over. It's cute. I think she finds it fun to have control over something, even something so simple. So much is decided for her, she often likes to assert her independence. Of course, she is also two years old, the prime age for autonomy to emerge!

Here is a game Kayla and Jessica made up together. First they get a big blanket a spread it out on the living room floor. This is their "magic carpet". Apparently in order to visit the exotic locales the magic carpet will take them to, they need to bring all their favorite toys and books. So they bring them all out of their room and arrange them neatly around the edge of the "carpet." The problem is getting them to put it all away when they are done! At least they are getting along and having fun together. I hope they remember the happy times as they get older instead of the the times they fight.

Kayla likes to make her bed on the bottom bunk into a fort by surrounding it with blankets. I remember how exciting it was when I was a kid to build blanket "forts." We would make passageways and different rooms then play pretend games in them. Does every kid do this? One thing I love about being a parent is that it's a chance to relive my the fun of childhood all over again.

My silly girls:

I love my beautiful girls!