Christmas spirit

Well the Christmas spirit is officially here at our house. We spent the last few days getting into it.
We took the kids to see Santa:
Tim made some presents all by himself. He was so proud of this wood gingerbread house that he made:
We decorated the house:
And even made a gingerbread house:

Whew, we are busy. I love Christmas time... I know the next two weeks will be full of parties, and cooking and wrapping presents.... Take some down time, enjoy the sounds and sites of the season... and the smells (yuummmm, pumpkin pie anyone?) I have a new perspective of the holidays since I had kids. They make me slow down a bit, and savor the moment. May your holiday be merry and bright, and may God grant you a truly wonderful Christmas season!

P.S. Erika was not quite big enough to participate in all the family activities, but I will sneak in a picture here at the end... LOL

Whew!

We have been on the go for the last week. Whew.
Last week we had a visit from the kids Grandma and pa Eastham. The kids had a great time hanging out and getting to know them. Tim cracks me up. The first thing he said (while looking Grandpa Eastham up and down)"Wow, your a giant!" I was practically rolling on the floor laughing. We all had a good time, and are glad they made the trek out here to see us.
Then just in the last two days we have had many appointments.
Yesterday started with the two older kids in the dentist office. Technology is truly amazing. The dentist informed us that both kids will be loosing their front teeth in the next 6 to 8 months... if not before then. For Christmas next year we may very well have both kids asking for their two front teeth. LOL They did good, and no cavities! Yea!
Right after that Erika had her monthly appointment. She is now up to 9 pounds 4 ounces, and 22 inches long. She is getting so big. I do hate it when they get shots though. I don't do needles... heh. Here are some photos of her all dressed up for church: It is amazing how quickly they grow. She smiles at everyone now, and I discovered at the doctor's office she will laugh when you play the "get your nose game". It was really cute. She looks for familiar faces and voices now. Namely mom, dad and her bother and sister.
Then today the kids and I attended the monthly class at the Space center. As usual we ALL learned some new cool stuff about the planets. It was fun. Lex loves the puzzles and Tim had fun pretending to be a comet.
We have one more appointment tomorrow, and then I think we will take Thurs. off and just hang out at the house. LOL
I was looking at my calendar for 2009 and it is shaping up to be an incredibly busy year. With lots of various appointments, sports, church activities and homeschooling we will be VERY busy. I guess it's a good thing, but I am tired just looking at my calendar already.
Anyway, for those waiting for me to get some photos printed off and in the mail... they will be coming soon. I am just trying to get some of the better ones to get printed off. :)
I will leave you with a photo of all three kids... Enjoy!

Fashionista

I know one day my kids are not gonna like the fact that I have so many incriminating and crazy pics. But these were too cute not to post.

She will one day rule the cat walk with her new Mohawk hair... ROFL!

Happy birthday

Our nephew Jordan turned 2 this past Thurs., so we celebrated yesterday with some fun at the park.
For more pics make sure to check out my other blog.

A day late and a dollar short...

Ok so I am a little late in my Thanksgiving post. What can I say... I have three kids under 5, a computer geek for a husband who likes playing video games on his days off, and a brother in law who likes to hang out at our house, eat and play video games.
Did I mention that they like video games?
That was how most of yesterday was spent. I was fortunate enough to have some wonderful in laws who graciously took us all out for a nice Thanksgiving dinner. So there was not a whole lot of cooking going on at my house. (I did however make a turkey anyway... what would the Friday after Thanksgiving be with out turkey tacos.)
Anyway, My brother in law was here and between he and Mike, I don't think I managed to get on the computer for longer than about 5 minutes yesterday. Did I mention that they like video games?
LOL
Ok now on to the all important list of things I am thankful for:
Family: Ok I know this is a gimmie... everyone worth a grain of salt has this one on their list. But with our newest addition just barely a month old and all the planning and adjusting for a new baby the last half of the year, I am EXTREMELY thankful for such a wonderful, gracious and just all around great family! Yes that also includes my hubby, who has had to make the most adjustments with not just time (no more napping on his days off), but space (I forgot how much "stuff" a newborn "needs"). He is really a great dad!
To continue on with the family theme I am extremely thankful for my kids. My oldest son has been such a great trooper. With all the changes that have taken place in such a short time, he has managed to adjust wonderfully. Not to mention that he is a great big brother to both his sisters. Then there is our middle child. Adventurous and talkative, she embodies the spirit of every Disney type princess. Combine that with her mini mom tendencies, she has proven to be both a challenge and a blessing at the same time. Last but certainly not least our newest addition. It's still to early to tell to much about her personality, but so far she has proven that she loves her brother and sister (she looks for them when she hears their voices and makes cooing noises when they are around) and that it's only really necessary to cry when you are hungry or need to be changed... everything else seems to take care of itself.
Baby stuff: I am very thankful for all "baby" items out there. I will never understand how previous generations did it all with out all the gadgets to help.
Sleep: I think this year I am most thankful for sleep. With three kids under 5 sleep seems to be a rare commodity here. So I take it when I can get it.
Cooler weather: Ok for those living where it's snowing now this may be a little strange. But when you live in the desert and the average temp most of the year is about 90 degrees, cooler weather is a blessing.
So there you have it, just a few of the things I am thankful for on this beautiful Friday after Thanksgiving.
I hope you all had a wonderful day and did not stuff yourselves to much...
We will be taking it easy today and are looking forward to some yummy turkey tacos later this afternoon! Hope you enjoy your day as much as we will!

One month and counting...

One month. One month today our newest blessing came into this world. It's so hard to believe that in just a month so much has changed. We are tremendously blessed (and tired).
Erika's personality is now starting to come out. I told Mike just tonight that we are in trouble. I tried to give her a pacifier, she pursed her lips and would not take it. Then she looked right at me and smiled. We are in deep trouble.
Well here are some one month photos of her and her new friend, Mr. Bear. I am telling you she is growing like a weed. Seems to me like she is already out growing some of her clothes.


Hard to believe a month has passed... it seems like she has been a part of us all along. I have to wonder if that comes with being a parent. I seem to recall I had similar feelings after my other two were born too. Anyway, we are all well, and looking forward to a nice Thanksgiving. We obviously have much to be thankful for this year.
Happy Thanksgiving and may you cherish all the blessings God has granted you this last year. Oh and make sure not to eat to much turkey, you have to leave some room for pumpkin pie.

New Friends

One of Mike's co-workers was so thoughtful and got Erika a new bear. At first she was not sure what to think, but then she quickly began to share some secrets with her new friend. (for more photos like this click here!)
I also will be using the bear as a gauge over the next year. I will try and get a picture every month with her and the bear. That way everyone can see how much she has grown during that month. Here she is at 3 weeks old with her new bear:
Anyway just thought these photos were too cute to not share. Take care and thanks for stopping by!

Zoo news

On Friday we spent most of the day at our local zoo. We had a great time. It was so much fun to get together with friends and see all the animals and exhibits. (And yes we even did a bit of learning too! LOL) This was Erika's first time to the zoo. She slept through most of it, but it was fun none the less :) She was wide awake here, and she looked so cute in her outfit and hat.

Amazing

It truly amazes me how something you have spent 9 months prepping for can still manage to throw you for a loop. In just over two weeks our whole lives have changed.
Don't get me wrong change can be a great thing... I like to change things up actually... but shesh.
Maybe it's because after 4 ultra sounds we still had no idea if she was a girl or boy, or the fact that I had gotten used to my older two; who are now somewhat independent, or just the fact that we now have another person (along with all the "stuff" that you need to take care of said person)living in an already full house, but our lives have changed a lot in just over two weeks.
Erika really is a good baby... she rarely cries unless she is hungry or needs to be changed, and she seems to take most things in a stride... including being passed around, and poked and prodded by her curious brother and sister. It's also strange at how I cannot now imagine my life with out her. Two weeks and she is already such a part of our lives... Amazing how that happens. But how could you possibly resist that beautiful face.
It still amazes me (I am still in that post hormonal stage, where everything either amazes me or makes me crazy... ask me about our new president-elect to really get an idea of what makes me crazy... heh) that she has ONLY been out of the womb for for 18 days.
We are actually adjusting nicely. The kids just love to dote on Erika. They want her to grow up fast though, so she can talk and play with them. It really is cute when they get so excited about helping. Lex loves to help me pick out Erika's clothes, and Tim is just a good helper all the way around. So things are going good (so far... talk to me once she starts walking and getting into the older ones stuff... lol).
Anyway I just wanted to post some new pics. I have been having problems with a finicky camera, but managed to get it working this morning, so I snapped a bunch of pics of Erika, Tim and Lex at the park. Here are a few, but there are more of Erika at my "other" web site, so make sure to check there too!

Happy Halloween (part 2)

Happy Halloween!
UPDATED: For more pictures from the fall festival we attended check out my "other" blog site. Thanks!

Here is how I spent my Halloween this year: Being scared by a cat... Taunted by a princess fairy... and shot at by a cowboy...
Hope you all had a good one too!!

Happy Halloween

Well this has been one interesting week at our house. Erika came home, and our little family is now complete. It is amazing how quickly one forgets how much work a newborn is. Both Tim and Lex are pretty independent now, so I am getting used to being on call 24/7 again. LOL! But it's all worth it. Ericka is a good baby, very easy going so far. (Talk to me in a few weeks once she is fully settled in and we'll see if that sentiment still holds... heh)
Anyway being that today is Halloween we took Tim and Lex to a local fall festival, so they could get all dressed up. (Really we all know the ONLY reason to get dressed up is for the candy.) They both looked so cute in their costumes. Even Erika, who stayed at home to keep daddy company got to get dressed up on her very first Halloween.
I hope you all had a great day and did not overindulge to much in the candy bowl. Enjoy the photos and thanks for stopping by!

Welcome to the world!

Well our little bundle of joy FINALLY decided to make an appearance into the world. We have now added another GIRL to our growing family. Erika Danielle was born on Saturday October 25th. She came into the world weighing 8 pounds 4 ounces and was 20 inches long. Unfortunately she had a bout of jaundice and had to stay in the hospital a few extra days, but she is now at home and resting comfortably. Her brother and sister are thrilled and are already planning all the things they want to teach her and show her. We are extremely blessed to have another blessing in our family! I will post a more detailed update later, but wanted to get the announcement out ASAP!
So make sure you check back later!

Busy day

Well we had a good and busy day yesterday.
We started out the day by going to the Space center and learning some more about the planets. The kids all had a great time, and did actually manage to get some learning in as well. There is a whole series of photos at my other web site, so make sure to check them out.
After doing all that learning everyone was hungry, so we spent some time at McDonald's eating. Then the fun really started as we spent the rest of the afternoon at the train park. The weather is finally getting nice enough for us to be outside for longer than a minute at time, so we took full advantage of it yesterday!
Needless to say with the weather turning nice, a new baby due soon and the holidays looming in the near future, there will be plenty of pics and blogs to keep everyone updated! So make sure to check back often, and I hope you enjoy hearing about our days!