Our not so Bland life

Freak Hailstorm

2011-10-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

My grandparents cabin has a loft over the garage. You have to go out on the porch of the cabin and take the stairs up to get into the loft. It is really a great place for the kids. There are a bunch of beds up there, and the kids can watch movies or whatever else they feel like without bothering all the adults.

However, when there is a freak storm and the kids are out there, and the adults inside it can cause problems. The cabin and garage also have metal roofs, so it makes the hail even louder. Anyone who knows Caleb very well knows that he DOES NOT like loud noises. See a couple posts back....even the merry go round (happy noise) makes him upset. So it started to hail and Jayme, Hannah, Caleb, and Loralai were all out in the loft. When there was a little lull in the hail, super grandpa (my Dad) ran out there to check on the kids. All 3 of the smaller kids were crying, but Jayme had done such a good job of trying to take care of everything. She had closed the windows, turned off the tv, and had a prayer with the kids. How sweet! It was a pretty traumatic experience for Caleb and Lor, but they had fun playing in the hail piles afterwards.

Thats hail in their hands...can't really get a good pic of that

Did I just post a pic of Lor's rear end? Hmmm yep....

So much cuteness, it needed it's own post

2011-10-17T18:09:00.001-07:00

Seriously, with all this adorableness I couldn't pick just one or two! So it's my blog and I'm ok with picture overload :)

We all love the cabin!

2011-10-16T19:52:00.001-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa's cabin in Island park is always tons of fun!

Isn't Mom gorgeous?!?

Bella enjoyed paddle boating with Auntie Bay and Grandpa

Don't tell Grandpa...I'm pretty sure she isn't supposed to be up there

What a cheese

Beautiful day for a walk with Grandpa

Rexburg adventures

2011-10-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Somehow I didn't get my camera out of the trunk of the van the ENTIRE 6 WEEKS!! But thankfully, Mom took some pics. Here are a few of the fun things we did in Rexburg.

They have a really fun splash pad (a little more to do than the ones here in TX)

All the girls had a great time....

And here is what Caleb did....he sure hates loud noise

Then they walked over and the girls went on the merry go round....

And here is what Caleb did...

Super Vacation!

2011-10-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

This summer we went on the longest vacation! All of us left home and headed to Idaho in the beginning of July. While we were there we were able to see most of our extended family! We went to the baby blessing of my cousin's baby. Where we were able to get a 5 generation picture with my great grandparents. We played at the splash park in Rexburg and had a fun time at my Grandma and Grandpa Winn's with my Aunts, Uncles, cousins, grandparents, parents, and sisters. We went to the cabin and enjoyed playing in the reservoir and survived a freak hailstorm. It was so much fun. After a week though we had to send James home to get back to work. The kids and I stayed a little bit longer in Idaho, and then were able to caravan back to Michigan with my family. We played at the beach, watched family compete in 2 triathlons, went camping and biking and hiking...and sooo many other things! Finally after we had been gone for 6 weeks my Mom drove back to Texas with us (so I wouldn't have to do it myself with our little crew) and stayed for a couple days.

We had a blast, but were glad to be home. Pictures to come....

Easter

2011-06-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

We had an Easter Egg hunt filled Easter this year. There was one at home, one for Loralai's preschool, and one with Caleb's kindergarten. There was lots of fun, and LOTS of candy...

The 2 school egg hunts were on the same day. So I dropped Bella off at a friends and started at Loralai's prek egg hunt.

Then Loralai stayed with a friend after her hunt and I headed up to the school just in time to have lunch with Caleb and then go out to his egg hunt.

The kids made cascarones (confetti eggs) earlier in the week and then got to smash them before the egg hunt.

Caleb with one of his cascarones

Caleb and his best friend Cameron ready to get each other

"I'm gonna get ya!"

Then on to the egg hunt

The Easter bunny was there to give the kids directions on how to "hunt" the eggs.

Like walk with high knees and get 2 eggs....

Mrs. Davenport and the class after the hunt, they were HOT and ready to go inside!

And of course there was the requisite Easter Egg hunt on Easter morning.

Unfortunately I somehow didn't get pics of my kiddos in their Easter church clothes, but I promise they were cute!

Bella is 2

2011-04-10T16:06:00.000-07:00

I have the most original titles, right? But at least this post is current, so no complaining...hahaha!

I love having people over, playing games, and just being social. James, not so much. He doesn't mind, but if it was up to him to invite anyone it would never happen. So when I realized that Bella's birthday was on a Friday I thought that it was a perfect excuse to have a party. It really was more of a get together than a birthday party. But it was fun nonetheless. 5 other families from our ward with little kiddos came over and we had a cookout. Don't call it a barbecue or James will be expecting steak, ribs, brisket, or something similar. I learned this the hard way, we had hamburger and hot dogs, so we will go with cook out :) The kids played, we ate, the parents played games, and we had birthday cake. It was tons of fun. I sure love having friends that you can just relax and have fun with! Bella LOOOOVED her cake! I realized that with her allergies and other health issues that at 2 yrs old she had not really ever eaten cake before. I was so thrilled to see her enjoy it so much.

On with the pictures. I am a horrible photographer, I think that I would be ok if I had a good camera, and if I ever got my camera out. But I don't have (or do) either. But my awesome friend Steph brought her awesome camera and got some awesome pictures. I was soooo happy. So here are the awesome pics, not taken my me!

Bella and her "Bubble Guppy" (it's just a mermaid, but she says it is one of the bubble guppies)

I love this dress. I saw it at the store and thought it would be pretty for her to wear on her birthday. Unfortunately she spilled stuff all over it and was in her pajamas by the time we did the cake. It probably was for the best though, because of the purple frosting smeared all over her jammies at cake time!

While we were waiting for the meat to cook Bella wanted a piece of red onion soooo bad. We tried to tell her that she didn't want any, but she insisted. James gave it to her and although she made a little bit of a face she ate the whole thing! She didn't want seconds when we offered it though :)

Bella and her favorite person these days.

I usually order cakes the day before so they will be some kind of theme that the kids would like, but we had teeball practice and other stuff the day before so we had to just take what was there. I had never gotten a cake at Sam's Club before and was very pleased. So was Bella.

She needed a little help blowing out the candles, but was so excited when she got them out.

Gotta love a good pic of me and my favorite person :)

"I'm happy, Mommy gave me cake"

Soooooo cute!

Christmas 2010

2011-02-06T11:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas is so much fun with little kids. It is such a thrill to see them so happy and excited.

Loralai was happy with everything!

This was the first year that Bella really opened presents, it was cute

She would have been just as happy with my rice cooker and toaster though...I know I was thrilled with them too

By far Caleb's favorite present was his Who's Your Hero books, now he has them all. If you know our family very well you know that we have VERY high opinions of these!

James was even excited...hahaha!!

Upper Peninsula Children's Museum

2011-02-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

I just love this museum and so do the kids. We always make sure that we have the chance to visit whenever we go to Michigan. They have the most amazing exhibits, especially for a town of that size. Oh how I wish we had something as great here.

Jayme helped Bella climb up the house stairs to learn about the water system and go down the toilet slide

While Caleb, Lor, and Hannah picked apples off the tree, put them on the conveyor belt, turned the wheel to drop them back into the tree, and then start all over again! This is always one of their favorites.

After that, shopping, dress up,

and a play. Including their final bows, sooo cute

There was a prehistoric restaurant

Lor was very excited, James not so much

Bella rode from one exhibit to the next and thought it was the best

Caleb played in the ambulance...hmmm doesn't look too safe :)

Speaking of unsafe, look who is flying

A very happy pilot

This little passenger must not know that a 3 yr old is flying the plane....

And lastly we learned about the human body, by climbing into this freaky ginormous head

Then play twister on his tongue

and climb into his intestines....

So much fun for everyone including James and me. Can't wait for our next trip!

James is 30!!

2011-02-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

We had a little pizza and game party for James' 30th birthday with some friends. I picked up this ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, and before we had even pulled out of the parking lot Loralai had bent the top of the box and smeared all the lettering...why can't we ever have a nice looking ice cream cake in this family? Remember Loralai's cake?? Oh well, this time it was our fault.

Family Pics

2011-02-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

In October we had our family pictures taken. It was just mini shoot, so only 10 minutes but we got some really good shots. Unfortunately Bella got bit by an ant right before our turn so she isn't really happy in any of them, but she is cute even when she is cranky. These are some of the best ones, we got sooo many I couldn't believe it!

100 Day Celebration

2011-02-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

So I'm behind. I really want to document both Christmas and Caleb's birthday, but they will just have to be out of order. I have decided that if I don't just jump in and post the things that are happening now I'll never catch up. So, here goes. Yesterday Caleb had his 100th day of school. In the kindergarten classes they make a BIG deal out it. They had a party all day and I was able to go to a lot of the day there. It was soooo fun. The kids worked all the week before on their tshirts for the celebration. There are 10 cookies and they used their fingerprints to make 10 chocolate chips on each cookie (ahhh 100 chocolate chips). They did math all day, but thought they were just having fun. It was great!

Thanksgiving in MQT

2011-01-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

The kids had so much fun playing with their Grammy, Grandpa, and Aunts over the Thanksgiving break. On Thankgiving day she planned an activity with the kiddos. She started by reading a book about a scarecrow and being thankful.

Which then devolved into this...

And this...ahh I love that they all love each other so much!

Then they took these little sticky back foam leaves

And the kids wrote things they were thankful for on them

Or asked for help in Lor's case

Then they stuck their leaves on their "thankful scarecrow"

Then they stuck their cute little scarecrow in a jar and put rocks in to hold him up

And there you have it...isn't she cute? (The scarecrow and the kid of course)

Hannah with hers

Jayme and hers

and Caleb with his.

We displayed them in the window at Grammy's house, but the kids brought theirs home so we'll get to put them out next year!

Playing in the Snow

2011-01-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

We drove to Marquette for Thanksgiving to visit my family. It was so fun to go there. I hadn't been there in over a year, and I don't realize how much I miss it until I go. One day it snowed a little and the kids ran outside right away. They had a great time, but unfortunately it didn't stick or snow much more while we were there. But my little Texans thought that this tiny little dusting of snow was awesome!

Thankful

2010-12-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

Today I wasn't able to go to church because Caleb was sick and have had some time to think. It is so easy as the year is ending to go into "resolution mode", but I am trying to not do that. I haven't posted much lately because of life in general, but I think I need to record how thankful I am today.

I am so grateful for:

1. Family-It's obvious I suppose, but I am truly so happy to have a husband who keeps me down to earth and loves me unconditionally. Children that bring joy to my life (and every other emotion as well), and all of our extended family too. They are all so caring and loving.

2. Home- It's been cold for Texas the last couple days and I love our little home. James cut some firewood out at a coworkers ranch a few days ago and we even got to have a real fire in our fireplace on Christmas morning. It was a wonderful "homey" Christmas morning surprise. We own our own home for the first time this year (I guess technically the bank owns it, but hey details, details) and we have enjoyed it immensely.

3. Health- I think I've never understood what it was like to be truly grateful for health. After almost losing our little Bella earlier this year I have so much gratitude to my father in heaven for the gift of health in the lives of my family.

I know there are many more but these have been on my mind today as I enjoy relaxing now that the Christmas hustle and bustle is over. I know that I should have had these things on my mind throughout the Christmas season, but hey better late than never I suppose. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and will take a little time out from devising the New Year's Resolution list to think about the many blessing we've all been given this year. I know it has made me feel pretty loved today!

Ward Halloween Party

2010-11-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

Our church had their annual Trunk or Treat 4 days before Halloween this year, so I actually have pictures from that uploaded already. I don't have any from trick or treating, but will probably post some later this week. There were some really cute costumes at the party this year, but I was so proud of ours. Caleb was a Snickers Bar, Loralai was a cupcake, Bella was a chocolate chip cookie, and James and me were the bakers. It was a really fun family theme! I made all of the costumes except the aprons, and I had planned on making those but ran out of time. I only started on the costumes 3 days before the party, so I guess I shouldn't expect to be able to finish everything! I am horrible about taking pics, but my super wonderful awesome friend Steph emailed me these pics that she took...I am forever grateful that someone will help me out with documenting my family life :)

The whole family

He was so excited about this costume. Lor and Bella chased him around all afternoon trying to eat him!

This costume looks better in person I think. It doesn't seem as "poufy" in the picture. I wish I had cut all the sprinkles the smaller size, but she was happy as can be and I guess that is all that matters.

Sweet Cookie

I just couldn't resist this pic. My girls have such gorgeous eyelashes. I wish they got them from me!

Saturday is a Special Day

2010-10-31T19:00:00.000-07:00

I just love Saturdays at our house. Daddy is home all day and we try to do at least one fun activity as a family. Most of the time it is a trip to the park or to the library. We have had some wonderful weather lately so we have had a great time at Bee Creek Park.

Usually we avoid the swings because it is hot and they are out in the sun, but the girls got on and had a great time!

Caleb and Dad were great pushers

I absolutely adore that James always jumps right in and plays with the kiddos. (They love it too)

Bella has the most fine, wispy hair and you can really tell once it gets a little static-y she just wanted to go down the slide over and over and I couldn't help but laugh every. single. time.

Caleb is getting so grown up and takes so much enjoyment in making his baby sister happy *love*

This trip was her first time on the swings, and she was just over the moon happy. What a cutie.

Still alive??

2010-10-30T19:33:00.001-07:00

Yep, we are, I swear! My parents came to visit shortly after my last post, and then Caleb started school and we are just adjusting. I still can't believe that my baby boy is a big old kindergartener...and I miss him EVERY day. Even now that he has been going to school for over 2 months, I still miss him every day. But he is doing great, and he loves it (after a little adjustment period). So I guess I'll just have to deal with it. I'll have quite a few catch up posts. I think I do that quite a bit.

Here's Caleb on the first day of school
And one of when my family was visiting. I didn't really take any pics while they were here. But I'll have to download and share a few of the ones that my Mom has on her share site!

Bella's Growing Up

2010-08-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

She started walking about 2 weeks ago! We aren't planning on having any more kiddos, so it is bittersweet. She loves it and is very happy, but I'm losing my baby and getting a toddler. She has a sweet little personality and even loves to take care of Loralai's dollies. There is one in particular that they always fight over, I guess we know what to ask Santa to bring her!

Walking....Her new trick!

Feeding the Baby Doll

Making Dolly Share!

Also just a little update for those that have asked, we still don't have results from when she was sick. Some of the tests that were sent off came back abnormal, indicating a rare genetic metabolic disorder. We have been referred to a pediatric metabolic specialist and he repeated the tests that were done while she was in the ICU. They came back normal this time, but he said that they can normalize between "episodes". So now we are moving on to DNA testing to find out if she really has the disorder or not. We are praying that she doesn't, and also just wish we had answers. I think the waiting is the hard part.

Memories

2010-08-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

I was unpacking the scrapbooks from my childhood last night (yes it has been 3 months and we are still unpacking) and Loralai kept pointing to all the pictures of Hailey and me and saying "Look it's me and Bella!". It was so neat to look through the pictures and think that my little girls are kinda the same. I always thought it was funny how different Hailey and I looked as kids, one with blond hair and blue eyes and one with brown hair and brown eyes. Then my sisters, Jayme and Hannah, came along and they were the same. And now I have my own little mismatched pair.

My pair of troublemakers!

Bella

2010-07-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you all for the prayers and support. We had a very scary couple of days. Now that it isn't as fresh and I'm not so emotional, I decided that I would post what happened since I have had a lot of people ask, and talking about it is still kinda hard.

On Mon night Bella acted a little sick, but just a little fussy nothing to worry about. James had a stomach virus on Mon but felt fine on Tues. On Tues morning Bella was very lethargic and threw up a couple times. I figured that she might need some fluids, but it wasn't too bad. I made an appt at S&W and took her in at 2:30 on Tues afternoon. When I got there the doctor said that they would give her some IV fluids there at the clinic but that if she perked up after that we would go home. She wasn't worried at all.

So, we go to the treatment room and they start the IV. Bella fusses a little while they are trying to do the iv, but not as bad as you would think. They had to poke her quite a few times to find a vein. Then after they have been giving her fluids for about 45 minutes, her heartbeat had not gone down at all and now she is breathing really fast and we can't get her to wake up. The nurse went and got Dr. Svendsen and she came in to check on her. She immediately asked to get a blood pressure and blood sugar check. Her blood pressure was only 70/38 and her blood sugar was only 37. These are REALLY low numbers. So all of this happened at the clinic in a VERY short amount of time. Dr. S was very worried because they were treating her and she should be doing better, but instead was going backwards. 3 of the other S&W pediatricians came in and were helping out as Dr Svendsen called the pediatric icu doctor in Temple, and called the ambulance to take her to St Joes where she could be flown to the Children's Hospital where they had a pedi ICU. At this point they are talking about putting her on a ventilator, etc.

She spent a day in the pedi ICU, and they were worried that there was some underlying cause for the low sugar. At this point they have done a LOT of tests and have decided that it is just from the stress of getting dehydrated sooo fast and so badly. We are home now and just grateful for our many blessings. Thanks again for everything.

Father's Day

2010-06-21T06:33:00.001-07:00

One of the gifts for James from the kids was a picture frame. It had these pics in it. This is definitely not an original idea, I've seen it in quite a few places. Doesn't make it any less cute though, right?

I think I will try and retake at least the one of Bella. She was hungry and tired and was NOT going to smile or even really look at me.

Flowers

2010-06-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

I love flowers and pretty things. I'm not really a gardener, and I don't really enjoy being out in the Texas heat. But if you can bring the flowers inside...now that is the way to do it. I never have flowers though. James is not the type to just go and buy me something. I'm pretty sure that he has purchased flowers 2 times since we met. So, last weekend I bought myself some. I got home and put them on my table in a pretty vase and enjoyed them so much. I think we will have flowers here much more often. Ah, the simple things.

Thank goodness for piggy

2010-06-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

My children are loud. L-O-U-D, loud. I love them, but this a very noisy place to live some days. So, when Caleb and Loralai ran up to me and said, "Shhh Mom, piggy is taking a nap in Lor's bed", I decided her room was the place to be. I laid down on the floor and the kids covered me up, gave me a pillow, and played for half an hour. The whole time they whispered and tip toed around. It was the most sublime playtime ever. I think piggy should take a nap everyday!

Dining Chair Makeover

2010-06-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

James drove to Houston shortly before we moved and bought me a new table and chairs. I was sooo excited. If you had ever sat in our old chairs at our old table I'm sure that you know what I mean.

After getting the new set home it didn't take very long to realize that a small makeover was necessary. The chairs were clean and pretty when we got them...but cream was not a color for my children to eat on, over, or near. As you can see they were already stained in some places before I even got to recovering them.

So, I stripped off the old fabric, pulled out my staple gun and ended up with this.
I'm very pleased. It was simple. I bought fabric and a clear vinyl to cover the pad with. I would prefer not the have the vinyl (it kinda reminds me of restaurant chairs) but it is definitely essential at this point in our lives. It wipes off like a dream, this chair has already been assaulted by jelly, honey, icing, and soda. And it looks like new. I'm happy!

Princess Party

2010-06-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

Loralai went to a friend's princess birthday party about a month before her birthday and talked about it constantly. Every time we mentioned her birthday she would say "oh my princess party?" So we got a princess cake. At 3 years old we aren't throwing actual parties for our kiddos. This year was Caleb's first party with friends and he is 5. So, we told her it was a princess party, and she got to invite 4 people! Her Mom, Dad, Caleb and Bella. :) We had just moved into the new house, so it was pretty hectic, but she was happy.

We had our trip to the balloon store. Unsurprisingly she picked a princess balloon. Then they wanted to have a photo shoot with the balloon. So of course I obliged. The pic of all three of them just might be the best pic I have of all my kiddos! (And for those that haven't seen it, these pics are all in the new house)

Lor wanted a DQ ice cream cake, so we ordered one for her. They said that the "decorator" would get it done tomorrow, so Lor was really excited. We picked it up and the flowers and stuff were alright, but I'm pretty sure a small child wrote on it.
James: "What does that say on it"
Me: "It's a birthday cake, what do you think?"
James: "Well, I couldn't tell"
Yeah, its pretty bad.

Luckily, Lor didn't care at all, in fact it was the best thing in world to her. Plus it tasted pretty dang good.

I don't get pics of the kiddos and me very often, I am usually behind the camera. Oh wait, I'm behind the camera in this one too :) Ask anyone, I have always loved to take pics of myself and whoever I'm with.

Our baby girl is 1!

2010-06-04T19:56:00.000-07:00

Bella turned 1 on April 8th. I can't believe that my little sweetheart is that old. She doesn't look that old, and that is not just me wishful thinking. I have had quite a few people agree that she still looks like a baby, and she definitely isn't interested in walking anytime soon. So I guess I get to enjoy my snuggly baby girl a little while longer.

We didn't really buy her a whole lot. She is only 1, and we have such an abundance of baby things already. But I'm pretty sure that she would have been happy with just a card. She played with this one from Grammy and Grandpa Winn for a looong time

See, still happy with her card...

Caleb and Loralai enjoyed opening Bella's presents, oops I mean "helping" haha!

"Oooo I think this would look good on me"

No? Ok, maybe this one!

Lor was very disappointed that the clothes weren't for her. She loves clothes! We eventually had to put them on Bella to show Lor that they were Bella sized, not Loralai sized.

Easter 2010

2010-06-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

Yea, it's June and here are the Easter pics. As I said in the previous post, we made the trip up to visit James' family in Ardmore.

Caleb was worried that the Easter Bunny wouldn't be able to find us, but no worries he did. I think the baskets were pretty cute this year (if I do say so myself).

Caleb and Lor thought they were pretty cool too

I know that I have written about Caleb's photography skills before, but every time I upload pictures from my camera I find more pics that I didn't take. I find it so interesting to see in photos what is important to a 5 year old.

And he can always get Papa to pose for him...how photogenic!

The first of many catch ups!

2010-06-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

Well the camera cord resurfaced just in time for the camera to vanish. But now the planets have aligned and, amazingly, I have a few pics to post.

Our family did have Easter, I promise! Caleb's preschool had an Easter party at my friend, Janine's house. Caleb and Lor had such fun with the egg hunt at the end.

All of the pictures that I have of Loralai are of her hunched over her basket, and in most of them she is popping her eggs open to get some candy.

I tried to get a pic of all of the prek kiddos and their siblings, but somehow I didn't get even one pic with all of them

Then for the Easter weekend we headed up to Oklahoma to spend some time with James' family. The kiddos and I went to an Easter egg hunt at a local church with my sister in law and her 2 girls. My girls absolutely ADORE Cathy, Audrey, and Shelby. I tried to find a pic of Cathy with Bella and Lor and I couldn't find any decent ones. So, Cathy remind me next time we are up there! But at the Easter egg hunt I got a cute one of Lor and Shelby in their matching skirts and Audrey holding Bella.

And, of course, a wonderfully goofy pic of my 3 little sweeties

And what is life without sharing cookies with the ones we love?

I should have a bunch more posts up in the next few days. Including but not limited to: Easter morning, Bell and Lor's Bdays, the new house, and a little crafty goodness that I have been working on.

Hmmm...

2010-05-26T13:35:00.001-07:00

Well, we're in. We officially have a new house. Closing was stressful and got pushed back a week, but it happened. According to Map Quest our new home is 6.78 miles from our old one, and we got a new zip code and had to get a new home phone number! How ridiculous, right?

I would love to post pics, but the cord to hook the camera up to the computer has disappeared. My guess would be that it is in the large stack of boxes in the garage!

The kids are starting to adjust. Caleb has such a hard time with new things. He occasionally cries and begs to move back to the "little house". He finished preschool a couple weeks ago, and is very stressed out about having to go to kindergarten next year. I am glad that he has some time to get used to the house change before having to go to a new school.

Loralai and Bella have also had their birthdays since I blogged last time so now we have 1 and 3 year old girls! They are getting so big. Expect a big picture post coming soon...I better get to unpacking!!

New House

2010-04-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't had much time to blog lately because, for those of you that haven't already heard, we are buying a house! It has been pretty busy around here lately getting everything ready, replacing some of our furniture (don't want to move our junky stuff into a new house right?) and packing. It seems a lot harder than last time I had to move. I don't know if it is having more kids, more stuff, or a combination of the two, but man I am swamped! We have a lot more commitments than last time we moved when I just had a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old. We go to the gym on the mornings we can make it, Caleb has preschool 2 times a week, Loralai has had speech on a weekly basis for the last month, and we have various other random things that need done. Then in my free moments I pack and clean. Lately though I have let the cleaning slide, just ask James, he'll agree and then complain for awhile :) But,I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are closing tomorrow, then painting and moving this weekend and the beginning of next week. Then hopefully we will get back to our busy life, without the *extra* busy on top of it ;) Guess I ought to get back to packing!

Waco Zoo

2010-03-25T08:20:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Caleb's preschool group went to the zoo in Waco. A couple of other kiddos Loralai's age came along, and it turned out really well. They all had a good time, and the weather was gorgeous!

These 3 were so cute climbing up the "mountain"

And of course there was a "queen of the mountain"!!

What a funny kid, he just doesn't really take a good picture, but we love him lots!

This one on the other hand is quite photogenic and had a great time climbing on everything!

Looking at the huge tortoiseLoralai loved the snakes, she kept trying to "catch" them through the glass as they slithered by. I had a hard time getting her to leave the reptile house.
I do have proof that Bella was there. She was perfect the whole time. I was so happy that she was such an angel and came along for the ride like a trooper!

And see all those teeth? My baby is growing up!

These 2 are just the best of friends, I love it when they get along!
I think this is my favorite pic of the entire trip!

Budding Photographer

2010-03-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

Caleb and Loralai love to steal my camera, and then Caleb takes pictures. Mostly they are of himself and Loralai, but there is the occasional random toy or other thing that is just oh-so picture worthy (can you hear the sarcasm?). This is the kind of stuff I find on my camera after they get it. Every once in awhile there will be a cute pic, but I think that Caleb is going to have to find a career in something other than photography.

There are tons and tons of these!!

Snow in Texas

2010-03-12T10:11:00.000-08:00

It was an exciting day on Feb 23rd here in Texas. We had snow, and it was during the day, AND enough for the kiddos to play in woo hoo! It was bittersweet for me; a little sad that we were playing in this wimpy little snowstorm instead of a full fledged UP blizzard, but also thrilled to see Caleb and Loralai enjoying themselves so much. We scraped together the odds and ends of wintery clothing which wasn't much, and had a blast!

The Birthday Party

2010-03-07T13:29:00.000-08:00

Well, 2 months later, here it is. We have been passing around every single sickness in the world here lately. But I think we are finally doing a little better *fingers crossed*!

So, as promised here is the birthday party. It was sooo much fun! The kids got a work schedule when they came in and got a sticker for each "job" as we finished the activity. They did all sorts of fun things during their workday like knocking down an old house with a "wrecking ball" James rigged from the ceiling, painting a house he built from 4 washer and dryer boxes, and they even had a lunch break. Caleb was so happy and wants to have another construction party next year!

Birthday Boy ready to paint!

Ahhhh

2010-01-25T15:06:00.000-08:00

Well, crying it out is working. And we were getting a lot more much needed sleep. I say WERE because now we are all sick and no one is sleeping all that well. But soon all will be back to normal....I have a feeling I will be saying "but soon all will be back to normal" for about the next 18 years, what is normal anyway?

Books are for Reading

2010-01-18T16:55:00.000-08:00

Caleb got a Hooked on Phonics set from Sharon and George last year and liked it, but got frustrated really easily. So it got put away for awhile. A few nights ago when James was reading the kiddos their bedtime story I decided that I would pull it out and see what Caleb thought about it the next day. He wanted to look at it right away, so I found the easiest book, Cat, and let him see it. And what do you know? He can read! He read that book and the next 2 in line (on their chart) with minimal help. All I had to do was remind him to sound out the words. It was exciting for him and for us. We're so proud of our big boy!

When The House Gets Quiet Immediately After Putting Kids In Bed....

2010-01-16T16:04:00.000-08:00

You better check on Loralai! Last night within 15 minutes of being put in bed, Lor had changed her jammies to a princess nightgown (shame on us for not putting one of those on in the first place), pulled all of her clothes out of the drawers while looking for the jammies, and was sitting on her bed chomping on some Tums. Luckily, Tums aren't toxic (we've had to check before on that and other things). Ahhh I can't wait for her to grow up (just a little).

Knitting

2010-01-15T17:21:00.000-08:00

I've really enjoyed knitting lately. Hailey taught me how while we were visiting Marquette this last summer. My first large project has never come to fruition, but I've finished quite a few things since then. Below are a pair of slippers I made for a friend's baby shower. They are pretty adorable if I do say so myself.
And these are the kiddos Halloween bags complete with candy inside, that they will get to use again next year! (Now to make one for Bellie)It has been such a fun hobby! I'm working on a pair of pants for Bella right now, hopefully pics will be coming soon of a cute baby in cute bell bottoms.

New Words

2010-01-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

When I teach preschool I love to teach the kids at least one new word that has to do with the unit that month. It is fun to hear the kiddos use such grown up words (and it is good for them to learn too).

This month is the dinosaur unit and today in the car Caleb said to me, "Mom, that popcorn Dad made last night is extinct. I sure wish it wasn't!"

I guess I wasn't too clear that it was for animals in particular. That's ok though, I was pretty proud of him for remembering the new word and the definition.

Bubba is 5!

2010-01-11T17:30:00.000-08:00

Caleb turned 5 on the 5th of January! I can't believe my little boy will be going to kindergarten next year. His birthday was on a Tuesday this year, so we ended up going to Chuck E. Cheese on his birthday. Then we came home and opened the presents from family and had cupcakes. Then we had a big birthday party on Saturday with all his friends. The party turned out great! Stay tuned for a post with party pics.

Loralai on the carousel at Chuck E. Cheese, somehow I didn't get a picture of the bday boy there. I guess we were just busy having fun!

Opening his presents : He got a Leapster Tag pen for Christmas and this is a new book to go with it. I highly recommend this system for anyone with preschool age kiddos. He just loves it and it is really educational. (Not too expensive either!)

Mema and Papa got him this big truck, we are trying to keep it from getting too much abuse. It is more like a collectible than a toy!
Ha! This is what Loralai thinks of Caleb getting presents and not her.
Waiting for the cupcakes
I know the cupcake looks a little small and sad...but I really didn't need two cakes! One is hard enough on the diet. James said we shouldn't get anything for his actual birthday, just the one for the party. But I just couldn't bear the thought of not singing Happy Birthday and having him blow out the candles on his birthday with us. I know I am a dork.
And of course we have to have a pic of the bday balloon. Those of you that know us very well know that the kiddos go pick out a mylar balloon on their birthday every year. It is a fun little tradition.

Christmas in Oklahoma

2010-01-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

We drove up to Oklahoma on Christmas day again this year. It has been a good way to do it for us. We enjoy being at home with our little family on Christmas morning, and then packing everything up and leaving in the early afternoon. It is nice to go when there isn't any traffic, and everyone has some kind of new toy to play with on the way there. Another plus this year was that we got to have a white Christmas. I have really missed the snow, so it was exciting that there was quite a bit there.

I can't believe I didn't get a picture of my kids in the snow. Caleb and Lor both said it was too cold and they didn't want to play in it anymore. But Bek got a pic of her boys out in it. Also Papa always makes a big breakfast. The kiddos love it, and we got a couple pics of all the cousins except Bella. It was quite a mad house with all these people, but I guess that is what family is for.

The Bland Band

2010-01-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

For his birthday James got another Guitar Hero game and the drums and microphone to go with the guitars that we already had. Caleb just loves the games, and is quite the little "rockstar". Usually we have all four of us doing something. Lor loves to sing into the microphone (or be a backup dancer), James and I really enjoy the drums, and Caleb plays the guitar. It just cracks me up how into it he gets.

More Christmas Stuff

2010-01-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

Just a few of the other cute pictures that we had from Christmas morning here in Texas.

Opening up her cool dolly from Grammy and Grandpa

Not the best picture, but she got a dress up chest from Santa and was SOOOO happy. She had to put her stuff on right away.

The presents were stacked up on either of side of Bellie and one fell over. Too cute. She was pretty happy with all the confusion.

Bella's present from Santa. She thinks it is really fun, and so do her older bro and sis.

James looks pretty pumped up huh?

Caleb with his bike from Santa. It is a little big for him, but I guess better big than small right?

Santa

2010-01-09T17:11:00.000-08:00

Well, I realize that these last few posts are terribly out of order. But hey, at least I'm blogging right? These are from the Ward Christmas party at church. This was the first time that Caleb has ever sat on Santa's lap.

Hmmm....not sure about this

Ahhhh....I see the basket with toys and candy.

Ok this isn't so bad.

Crying and Sleeplessness

2010-01-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

Last night at 4 in the morning Bella started crying. This is not an unusual occurrence, she had already been up 4 times since I had put her in bed for the night. But this time I just could not summon the energy to go get her. So I laid there and listened to her cry for about 30 minutes before dragging myself to the bedroom door to shut it and climb back in bed. She cried for an hour total before going back to sleep, at which point I promptly went back to slumberland myself. 15 minutes later Loralai comes walking into the bedroom, the sound of Bella crying following her in the door. Coincidence? I think not...leave it to Loralai to make sure she wakes up Bella. At that point my determination had crumbled and I went in and nursed Bella back to sleep.

But this morning I have new resolve to let Bella cry it out. I'm pretty sure that getting sleep in 2 hr increments for the last 6 months has turned me into a walking zombie some days. I know that it is just a habit for her and that it is my own fault. It is just that in the middle of the night when she gets up, it takes me 5 minutes to nurse her back to sleep but it takes at least an hour for her to cry it out on her own. So tonight is the night. Tough love here I come.

I still don't understand how a face this cute could be such trouble at night!

Expectations

2010-01-06T15:58:00.001-08:00

Christmas at the Bland house was a lot of fun this year. Caleb's excitement really rubbed off on the rest of us and made it extra merry. I will be adding another post with more pics later. But first, here is a picture of Caleb opening his present from my parents. (Note the absence of excitement on his face)

After opening it a little he kind of paused and said very politely, "hmmm, well it isn't exaaactly what I was expecting" you just have to love how he was trying to be nice about the present that he wasn't too excited about. This is what he saw when he ripped it open.....

I told him that maybe we should open the box and see what was inside of it. His face brightened up and said "That's a good idea Mom."

After opening the box he exclaimed "oooh Mom now this is what I was expecting!"
Inside the box was this cool football piggy bank, complete with rolls of change to put in it.
Christmas was saved!!

An update and a few old things...

2009-12-20T15:36:00.000-08:00

Well as usual life is busy. We are all very excited about Christmas, and have been keeping busy with all the festivities and such. Caleb is obsessed with whether he is on the naughty or nice list and is convinced that Loralai is on the naughty one. Which most days I agree. She is just such an inquisitive, smart little girl and that tends to cause trouble. Bella is starting to "crawl" around and just loves to be on the floor with the big kids. She isn't crawling up on her hands and knees, but she would make a pretty good little member of the armed forces.

I haven't had a lot of spare time lately since I have been making a lot of our Christmas presents, so I haven't uploaded pictures in quite awhile. But I do have a few pictures from the last few months that I have been meaning to put up for posterity's sake and all.

Caleb started preschool in September of this year. We are doing a co-op type preschool where all the Moms take turns teaching (or doing other jobs) so I end up teaching every 4th week. He has really enjoyed it. These pics are on the first day of school. He always has a great face for the camera doesn't he?

In October our ward did an emergency preparedness fair. It was quite informative and the kiddos got to climb in and around a fire truck and police car. They thought it was pretty cool.

Mario, a Princess, and a Sweet Little Bunny

2009-11-22T19:29:00.000-08:00

Life at the Bland house has been pretty hectic lately, but I figured I needed to do some catch up on my blogging. That is life in general, always playing catch up, right? Halloween week we had 3 parties to go to. Caleb was so excited to be Mario for Halloween, and it turned out to be a pretty easy costume to make. Loralai loves princesses, and Bella slept through most of the festivities.

I knitted this princess hat for Loralai and didn't finish it in time for the first 2 parties. She did wear it on Halloween night, but somehow I didn't get a picture of it. She plays dress up with it all the time, so it wasn't too hard to snap a pic.

Who needs a bed?

2009-10-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

Not Loralai. She has been wanting to stay up like her big brother, but she just can't do it. Then she ends up in weird places asleep.

We Love Auntie Bay

2009-10-19T08:32:00.001-07:00

At the end of our 5 weeks in Marquette we packed Auntie Bay and me...

Bella....

Caleb....
and Loralai!
into the car and drove the 1,513 miles back to Bryan.
Hailey got to stay at our house for a couple days before flying back home. We had a ball with her, and Caleb still talks about the "running piggybacks, they were the best EVER!"

Finally Finishing up Blogging our Summer Trip!

2009-10-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have soooo many pics of the Michigan trip. Here are just a few more of the rest of them. We just had such a good time!

The Upper Peninsula Children's Museum

Caleb loved pumping gas!!

Hannah the banker

Lor had a good time sliding down the toilet slide at the water cycle exhibit...although she climbed in the toilet the first time and promptly pooped in her diaper. Maybe she IS ready to be potty trained.
Lower Harbor Park
Jayme and Hannah

James, my Dad, and I climbed out on the breakwall at Presque Isle. And Mom got stuck playing with kids. She was feeling pretty sick from the merry go round by the time we walked out and back!

More Swimming in Lake Superior

This time Hailey (Auntie Bay) got to come with us. She is tons of fun...all the kids got buried in the sand, and had even more fun in the water.
Around Grammy and Grandpa's House

Loving Siblings

2009-10-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

I love it when all the kids get along! Unfortunately, it doesn't happen as often as we would like! But when it does, how can you resist taking a bunch of pics??

Another Michigan Adventure

2009-09-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

After tackling Sugarloaf some of our group decided to hike Hogsback next. It is a little harder of a climb so Loralai and Bella couldn't go. When we decided that some of us were going to go, I realized that Caleb only had sandals, which wouldn't be good enough for that hike. So we went to the store and got him some "hiking shoes".

James, Mom, Dad, Caleb, Jayme, Hannah, and their dog Bode went up. Mom and Dad had to laugh at Caleb the whole time. He talks, and talks, and talks, and talks....He kept telling everyone how he had his hiking shoes and was an expert hiker. He loved going on the "up cliffs and down cliffs" and even invented his own walk, the "crippy walk". Don't ask, I'm not sure what it means either. It is just how you get down steep rocks. He had a great time and talked about it for weeks!

Swimming in lake Superior

2009-09-26T17:32:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about summers in the U.P. is the beautiful lake. It is pretty darn cold most of the time, but there are wonderful beaches and every once in a while it warms up enough to play in. We went a few time while we were there and had a blast!

Grandpa was a pretty good real estate developer....

Loralai, however, is an even better one man wrecking crew!

Summer gets in the way....

2009-09-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

....of blogging!! We had such a good time on our trip to Marquette. We were able to be there for about 5 weeks (at least that is how long the kids and I were there James only took a week vacation). It was nice to get away from the blistering hot summer days in Texas. Plus we got to do some really fun stuff while we were there! One of the fun things we did was hike Sugarloaf. We took a big crew up to the top. It consisted of James, Mom, Dad, Jaymes, Hannah, Caleb, Loralai, Bella, and me! It was a lot of fun.

Climbing rocks is always fun

Loralai was VERY tired by the end, but she made it ALL the way up and all the way down with her own two little feet...she did have to take breaks and play with the leaves at the end though.

Our Little Sunbeam

2009-07-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Our little boy had his very first talk this Sunday. We really thought that Caleb might freeze up in front of everyone, but he did really well. He spoke loudly and clearly. I wish I had a few pictures of him from Sunday, but it was kind of a crazy day so we were pretty busy. This blog is for our family and friends, but it is also a personal family history so I want to include a copy of his talk. We were so proud of him.

I like to read scripture stories with my family in this book. (He held up our Book of Mormon Stories book)

One of the stories I really like is about Nephi.

Nephi had brothers and sometimes they would fight. When the Lord told Nephi and his brothers to go to Jerusalem to get the brass plates, his brothers said it would be too hard. But Nephi said "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded."

I know the Lord will only ask us to do things that he knows we can do. The Lord helped Nephi even though it was hard.

Heavenly Father will help me do things that are hard too, like doing my chores, cleaning up my toys, being nice to my sisters, and being respectful to my parents.

I am thankful for my family and for families in the scriptures that are examples for us.

Pick Pick

2009-07-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

Loralai definitely has a mind of her own. She knows what she likes and what she wants, and will do whatever it takes to get it. I'm pretty sure that these are things that have been said about me as well!

Every morning we do the same thing. When she gets up I come in and change her into her clothes for the day. She has wanted to pick her own clothes for a few months now; but the last few weeks she has decided that if she didn't pick it, she isn't going to wear it. If by some miracle I can get clothes on her that she doesn't pick they are off within an hour. So every morning she wakes up and says "pick, pick" then she goes to her closet and picks out a dress. I bought her a bunch of cute new shorts, skirts, and shirts. But she won't wear anything that is in the dresser. Only the dresses hanging in the closet. Arg!! Then after she puts on the dress that she has picked out for the day she says "shake, shake" and twists her body making the dress twirl around her. She is just such a cutie, but her stubborness rivals even my own!

A New Favorite

2009-07-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

Caleb has a new favorite TV show. What, you might ask? Could it be Backyardigans, maybe Spongebob, a Disney show, or maybe some Nickelodeon cartoon? Nope, none of the above, not our Caleb. His favorite show is now.............

Ice Road Truckers on the History channel. Yep, you read that right, our little 4 yr old boy is obsessed with a show on the HISTORY channel. He must get it from his Dad. Caleb loves Jack, one of the drivers, and was upset when this weeks episode failed to have Jack in it. He knows all the truckers' names and will watch an episode over and over again. For those of you that have seen the show, you know that while it is somewhat interesting, nothing really ever happens. It is basically a very manly soap opera. Do any of you have kiddos with weird obsessions?

Speech

2009-06-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

Loralai was sent for a speech consult back in February of this year. The therapist recommended that she start therapy. We talked it over with the therapist, and because it is much harder if we wait and it becomes a bigger problem we made the decision to go ahead and start now. We have 2 therapists that come here to our home 2 times a month, and she loves them both! I have been amazed at the progress she has made.

At her initial evaluation she was about 20 months old and really only would say "yeah" and "Da" which was what she called James, Caleb, and me. She also did a lot of screaming. I think it was frustrating to her that she couldn't tell me what she wanted, even though she is a kid that definitely knows what she wants and does NOT want!

She is now 25 months old and talks up a storm! She speaks in sentences and is also speaking very clearly. She has been sick the last few days, and when I was trying to make her take her medicine she looked right at me and said "I not gonna eat it!" James and I both cracked up. She has such an attitude. She surprises us every day with new things that she says.

We are just so glad that we started working with her when we did. She still sees the therapist, but probably won't have to for much longer. I think there are some days when I wish she was quiet again, but listening to her funny comments is just so sweet.

Quick Shred Update

2009-06-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

For those that have been wondering, I am still doing the shred. I haven't been doing it everyday like I should, but I'm trying. Bella has had thrush which in turn makes any high impact workout hard for me. (If you have had a nursing baby with thrush you know what I mean :) ) I have been doing yoga and wii fit on the days that I haven't done the shred.

I also started level 2 on Friday and LOVE it. I should have started it sooner! It is a lot lower impact so I think I will be able to do it every day. It is definitely harder than the 1st level, but I love the new moves.

Happy Fathers Day!

2009-06-21T17:52:00.001-07:00

Our family is so lucky to have so many wonderful Daddys in our life! James is a great father to our children, and in addition I have the best Dad in the world and an awesome Father In Law. I also have 2 kind and generous Grandpas and a loving Great Grandfather. I hope that they all have a wonderful day!

James has had a fun time playing his new Mario Kart game for the Wii with Caleb this afternoon :) Caleb was so excited about his Dad's present, but he actually kept it a secret...for the most part. Caleb also sang with the Primary in sacrament meeting for the first time. He was sooo cute. At beginning he marched right up to the pulpit and pulled the microphone down. He was all set to sing for everyone. Luckily he was stopped before saying who knows what to the congregation. He sang really well, and then when it was over gave the bishop 5! It was pretty adorable.

Happy Baby

2009-06-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

This age is so fun with a new baby. She is starting to get a little personality of her own. She loves to coo and "talk" and has the biggest smiles! Caleb is a very good big brother and loves to play and chat with her. He even shares his prized blankies with her. And just to update, I finished day 7 of the 30 day shred today!! Woohoo!! It is getting easier, but it is still a really hard workout. I definitely can tell that I am getting stronger and losing weight. Now I just need to stick with it.

30 Day Shred Day 2

2009-06-11T15:28:00.001-07:00

Well, so far so good. I did it today, and it was a little easier. But I am really sore. I told Caleb that my legs were sore, and laughingly said I feel like I got hit by a truck. He looked at me and very seriously said...

Maybe it was a bulldozer...

Or maybe a dump truck....

Eureka...I know...it was Mack from Cars!!!!

30 Day Shred Day 1

2009-06-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I've decided to get back in shape. It has been almost 2 months since Bella was born and I have got to lose some more of this baby weight! I think that the best way to keep myself accountable will be to tell people I am doing it!! :)

Today was day 1 and it kicked my behind. It is only a 22 minute workout. And I had to keep telling myself...

It is only 22 minutes

You can do ANYTHING for 22 minutes

Although by the end I wasn't so sure :) But I did it. My legs are like jello and I'm not sure that I will be able to walk later, but I'll do it again tomorrow. And the next day, and the next day. Maybe by the time day 30 rolls around I'll start to feel energized by it...

But I'm not counting on it.

Memorial Weekend

2009-06-04T11:31:00.001-07:00

For Memorial Weekend we got up and decided that we would go to the Waco Zoo. We packed all the kids up and told them where we were going. We got to Waco and it was POURING rain. Blech! BUT, I was able to look up somewhere else that would be fun to go on my cell phone (yay for technology!). So we went to the Mayborn Museum.

It ended up being a really good time. They had a neat Da Vinci exhibit going on, but we didn't get any pics there. It was more interesting to James and I than the kids so we sort of rushed through that part.

The kids had so much fun in the kid part of the museum. There were tons of different exhibits and we were exhausted by the time we left!

Cooking in the Wild West

A Tour Through a Texas Cave

The Water Table (Definitely a Favorite!)

Getting Ready for the Tea Party

Proof that Bella made it on the trip

Even Daddy sat down for cookies

Happy Birthday Loralai!!

2009-05-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Loralai's 2nd Birthday! She had such a fun day. We had one of her friends over in the morning for a playdate, then went out for dinner at Chik-Fil-A (she LOVES their playplace!). After dinner she got to go to the store to pick up her bday cake and pick out her birthday balloon. I'm pretty sure that the kids love their balloon they get every year more than the rest of their presents! Then we opened presents and had our cake and ice cream. Everyone had an awesome day.

Blessing Day

2009-05-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

Bella was blessed on April 24th. James gave a wonderful blessing. George and Sharon and James' sister Rebekah were able to come. Rebekah brought her two oldest children Sam and Seth. We were so glad that they were all able to be here. My Mom and sis Hannah were already here so we made sure to bless Bella before they left. I didn't get any good pics of just our little family, but I got a really cute one of all the kids that were there. Bella wore the same dress that Loralai wore for her blessing. I made it when I was pregnant with Caleb before I knew that he was a boy. She looked so pretty. We are so lucky to have such a sweet little spirit in our home.

Bella Kate

2009-04-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say welcome home to Miss Bella! She was born at 1:04 am on April 8th. She weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 20in long. She is a VERY sweet and calm baby. At least so far! Here are just a few cute little pics.

Wake up!

2009-03-21T10:49:00.001-07:00

This morning Caleb and I had a long conversation when he woke me up. Here is a highlight!
Caleb: How come you are 25 and Daddy is 28?
Me: Cause I am young and beautiful and Daddy (who is very annoyed that Caleb and I are talking while he is still trying to sleep) is old and crotchety
Caleb: Oh you're young and beautiful, but I don't think Dad is old and crunchy!

Less Than A Month!

2009-03-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

Yay! Baby Bella (yes James won and decided on the baby's name) is due on April 11th. I decided yesterday that I am officially fed up with being pregnant. Loralai was sooooo wonderfully sweet to share her bronchitis with everyone but James. So I am just miserable and dealing with miserable kiddos. At least at my last appointment my wonderful doctor said that at my appointment on April 2nd we would schedule for me to be induced if that was what I wanted. (YES!!) So it shouldn't be too much longer. I think I just need to keep repeating that over and over in my head.

Girly Girl

2009-02-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

I have decided that the highlight of Loralai's day is when I blow dry my hair! I know it is weird, most little kids hate the noise and definitely don't like it blowing in their face, but Lor is the exception. The moment she sees me go in the kids' bathroom or hears the dryer she sprints in. Then she pushes Caleb's stool up to the counter and climbs up. She usually empties out one of the drawers (always the same one, even though there really isn't anything too exciting in there) and then does her hair too. She likes to look in the mirror and thinks it is great if I will point the blow dryer at her for awhile too. She NEVER leaves until I am done. It is the cutest thing! She also loves to pretend that she is putting gel on her hair too. She pretends like she is getting it out of any sort of container that she can find then rubs it all over. Awww...what am I going to do with a girl that will spend 30 min on her hair before she even turns 2??? I am in for it!!

Oh and excuse the mess, that is the contents of her "getting ready" drawer!

Oklahoma!

2009-02-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

James decided on Thurs afternoon that he really should go to his Aunt's funeral, so we packed up the kids and left a few hours later. We stayed with George and Sharon in Oklahoma for the weekend and got back Sunday afternoon. I was surprised how different the climate was! It was amazing what a difference a few hours drive makes. The kids had a great time playing outside on Friday afternoon, and I enjoyed playing around with my new camera. I took A TON of pictures, but wanted to include a few of the ones that I liked.

One Lucky Mommy

2009-02-12T07:15:00.000-08:00

This morning at 9 I went in to talk to Caleb and see if he is ready to get up (our usual routine). This is how our conversation went:
Mom: Good morning Caleb
Caleb: Hi Mommy
Mom: Did you have a good sleep?
Caleb: Yeah
Mom: Are you ready to get up? We are going over to Cooper's house in a little bit.
Caleb: Mmmmm maybe...
Then I leave to go do my makeup, and hear
Caleb: Mommy?
Mom: Yes Caleb?
Caleb: I just love to sleep soooo much!!

How lucky can one Mommy be? Both my kids love sleep SOOOO much...now only if we can get a third that way??

The Easy Life

2009-02-10T19:50:00.000-08:00

Caleb and Loralai definitely live the easy life. Last night a little after 7 pm our power went out. The kids were watching a TV show in the living room, and James and I were in our room. As soon as everything went out we hear "HEY who turned off my SHOW!?!" shortly followed by such screaming and crying as I have never heard before. It was very cloudy and the power was out on the whole street, so it was pretty darn dark. James and I stumbled out of the bedroom in the blackness, while Loralai and Caleb cried and cried. I ran into Loralai in the hallway and picked her up, then made my way to the flashlight in the kitchen. By the way, thanks Mom, James' Christmas present was the only one that I was able to find without light! Once we had a flashlight on the kids were able to quit crying, and we got out the big spotlight that lit up the whole room. (Thanks for that one Sharon!)

After everyone was calm, Caleb and Loralai freaked out that the tv wouldn't come back on. I think they spent 5 min pushing the power button on the front of the television. Slowly, really hard, soft, then really fast....but to no avail. Then Caleb looked around behind the entertainment center and announced "I found the problem, this red light isn't on, I'll switch it!" (Talking about the power strip). We then tried to explain that the power was out and the tv and lights weren't going to work until it got fixed. He then announced "I'll go get the batteries, that should fix it". Let's just say that the next 15 minutes were pretty frustrating while the kids tried to figure out how to turn everything back on.

Our electricity was off for a grand total of 20 minutes. I don't think we could live without. My kids are definitely living the good life. Modern conveniences are not just conveniences to them they are necessities of life!

The first of our week of appts...

2009-02-09T18:07:00.000-08:00

Caleb had his hearing test today. I was worried that it would be hard to get him to cooperate but he did really well. He showed minor hearing loss, but when the ENT used the headphones that bypassed the part of the ears that could have fluid build up he passed. So he is going back to his pedi tomorrow to take care of the fluid on his ears. Hopefully it will just be that he has an ear infection and we won't have anything else to worry about. Loralai is going to the same ENT tomorrow as part of her speech assessment. They are checking her hearing as well, to rule out any problems with that affecting her speech development.

Enjoying...

2009-02-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

There are a few really nice things about Texas, and the weather right now is one of them. It has been around 70 degrees all week long. The kids and I have really enjoyed being able to spend our days outside in the beautiful sunny weather.

This week has been very relaxing, and now we are going to gear up for next week. Last Friday the kids had their well checks at the pediatricians office and they both ended up getting referred for more appts. Caleb is going to have his hearing checked, and Loralai is going to be seen for a speech consult. As a result we have appointments and other obligations EVERY DAY next week, and a few days we have multiple things going on. I'm tired just thinking about it. So these are some pics of us enjoying the nice calm present!

Rock Stars

2009-01-28T07:49:00.000-08:00

My kids love music about as much as I do. I have found that a fool proof way to curb Loralai's crankiness (which seems to be neverending lately) is to turn up some music in the kitchen. It can't just be calm, soothing music though. No nice primary songs or hymns, nope not my kids. Caleb says that they love to "rock out!" And rock out they do. They run, dance, jump, and Caleb has even taught Loralai to air guitar. It is quite a sight. Here are some pictures of the kids listening to music and rocking out, but I found they move pretty quickly so this is the best I could do!

Why not??

2009-01-27T18:00:00.001-08:00

So I've decided to join the blogging world. For those that don't know what we have been up to here's the condensed version.
We are living in Texas for James' job
Caleb is 4
Loralai will be 2 in May
Our very affectionately called baby girl "no name" is due April 11th
We are all happy (most of the time) and healthy.

Our *not so* Bland life