Welcome to Jake and Sarah's blog!

My kids are "cupe"

2011-04-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

Oliver turned 2 in January and over the last few months his language skills have exploded. It seems like every day he says something new that makes me squee. Like most babies his age, he mixes up a lot of his sounds. He likes to frame his face with his hands, grin cheesily, and say "Oli cupe!" Which means "Oliver is cute." He's gotten extremely interested in books and often makes me sit on his lap so he can read to me. One of his favorites has a scene from The Lion King in it and he likes to point it out and say "lion cut!" (Lion cub). He loves "yoge" (yogurt) for breakfast and his favorite toys are "ankle logs" (Lincoln logs) and "Tato pets" (Mr Potato Head). There are a few things he says so clearly and perfectly that a total stranger could understand him like "apple sauce" and "fire truck." Unfortunately another of those very clear phrases is "dumb ass." Other kids have tantrums when they don't get their own way but Oliver just calls me a dumb ass. This is a real problem when he asks for something at the store and I say no. I've had to hold my hand over his mouth multiple times while navigating my cart through the aisles.

We are very excited to announce that Grace has been accepted into a French dual-immersion program at a local elementary school. She has some trepidation about going to a new school with new kids but after watching her socialize so comfortably with strange kids at the playground, I don't have many concerns about her ability to make friends. Grace is a very smart girl and I don't think a typical school is enough to challenge her and keep her interested in her education. I don't want her to get complacent and stop trying, or even worse, start acting out in the classroom. Grace's teachers have always told me how well-behaved she is. My question to them is always "Grace who?" Just kidding! Grace is a very good girl and I want to keep it that way. This summer I am going to work on spending more one-on-one time with her. I know she plays second fiddle to Oliver most of the time and that makes me feel bad. It's hard having two kids with their own separate needs and unique personalities.

I've been thinking about having a third child lately and to be honest the idea just plain scares me. Currently Jake and I are hanging on my a thread. We put up a pretty good front so our kids think we know what we're doing, and most of the time they think we're in charge but how can we maintain the facade if we're outnumbered? They would finally have the numbers they need to mutiny. Part of me wants another baby but I think a bigger part of me realizes that I should quit while I'm ahead. Maybe in a few years the baby-hungry part will grow stronger but for now I think my little family is the perfect size.

Oliver is almost two!

2011-01-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

If only I had a magical stop watch that I could use to pause time for just a little while. I would pick my sleeping boy up, lay his head in that spot between my shoulder and chin, and I would just sit and listen to him breathe for hours and hours and hours. I would stroke his soft cheek and smell his hair. I would lay my hand on his rib cage and feel to his little heart beat deep beneath my fingers. I wouldn't worry about laundry or dishes, or stress about work, or wonder if so-and-so is mad at me. I would just live in that moment with my baby boy forever and ever and ever.

Ok, enough wistful thinking. There is no magical stop watch, which means I have to enjoy Oliver the way he is right now: making a house out of scrambled eggs. When I sternly tell him to stop playing with his food and eat he just laughs. I've said it before and I will say it again: There is NOTHING on this earth worse than a cute kid who knows he is cute.

Oliver is really smart too. I think we were all a bit worried about how he'd stack up Grace the Genius but I can see very clearly we have no reason whatsoever to be worried. He picks up on everything and often surprises me by how much he knows. In the morning he tells me exactly what he wants for breakfast: milk, Cheerios, and an egg. For a long time he wasn't talking at all, but just these past few weeks his vocabulary has exploded. He refers to toys by name, like he Legos are "Build." All of his cars are "Tucks" and he even calls Grace's stuffed animals by the names she gives them, like "Perry" the parrot. Yesterday he really impressed me by showing me her La-La-Loopsy doll and saying "Oopsy!" I was also impressed when he said "Mickey" and showed me a ball with Mickey Mouse on it.

Yesterday I stripped the sheets off Grace's bed and washed them. I took all of her stuffed animals out of her bed and piled them on the floor so I could do it. Oliver saw me doing it and he started screaming and sobbing. He was going "Bed! Bed!" I think he thought I was getting rid of Grace's toys and he was really upset because he knew she'd be upset. He really cares about her. I feel like Grace is another mother in the house. She loves Oliver so much and helps me constantly. She stayed with my own mother for a few days last week, and I really felt like I had suddenly become a single mom without her!

Well, Oliver's scrambled egg house is now all over the floor. The dogs are outside looking in and I can see them both quivering and salivating at the thought of cleaning it up for me. Oliver is pulling on the strap that keeps him in his booster seat singing "Belt" over and over again. That's my cue it's time to end this post and go play with my sweet, gorgeous little boy. I might not have a magic stop watch, but I have my memories and those are priceless.

Another Graceism that I just had to share!

2010-08-06T22:21:00.001-07:00

Just in case you were wondering what the definition of "future" is.....here is it, according to Grace...

"It's when I'm a teenager and you're dead".

That Grace...

2010-06-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

No matter what is going on, Grace can always say something to make me feel better. Today I got three perfect gems I'd like to share.

1) We were in the car and I was telling Jake I was stressing out about whether I wanted to apply for this new job or not because there are a lot of pros and cons. I've been stressing for weeks! Jake asked, "What does your heart tell you?" I snapped, "My heart says I'm an idiot." Grace: "I think he meant about the job, mom."

2) We were in the car again a bit later and Grace was playing with an old cell phone. She got off the call and told me, "He drives me crazy!" I asked her who and she said her husband. I asked her why she married someone who makes her crazy. Her response? "He had a cute accent, but I didn't realize how dumb he was until after we were married. Now it's too late for me to get out of this marriage." I laughed so hard I about went off the road.

3) After we got home I was changing Oliver's diaper when Grace came in the room. She sat there for a moment and then said very seriously, "That thing Oliver pees out of kind of looks like a faucet....(pause)....I mean if faucets had pee come out of them."

Thank you, Grace, for making every day such an adventure. I love you!

Have I got a deal for you!!

2010-05-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

2 Kids: ~~$10~~ FREE to ~~good~~ any home

Don't get me wrong, I love my kids but they drive me crazy. I would love about one hour to myself to just have a drink and read a good book.

Lately my whole day is GO GO GO. I wake up to two kids pulling me in 2 different directions. Play with me! Feed me! Change me! Can I watch TV? Can I have candy? Can I stick my finger in the electrical outlet? Getting the three of us dressed is a challenge in and of itself since Oliver prefers nudity and Grace argues with me to let her wear outrageous outfits. I know the experts say to let kids pick their own clothes, but come on! Orange and black striped pants with a hot pink tank-top?! That is just plain offensive to those of us with eyes.

Then we go to the store which is an exercise in humiliation. Grace is going through a phase right now where she zones out and doesn't hear a word anybody says. You can say her name 100 times and tap her on the shoulder and she just doesn't hear you! So eventually you shout her name and everybody turns and stares at you. I can read their glares: "What a horrible mother! Raising her voice at that sweet little girl, she should be locked up!" And don't even ask what happens when I threaten to rip out her arm and beat her with the bloody stump. Oliver usually spends his time in the store trying to rip things off store shelves and screaming when I move them out of his reach. Lately I've been bringing crackers with us to distract him, but most of the time he just screams and throws them down so there's always a nice Hansel-and-Gretelesque trail following us, except my crackers are whole wheat, low-sodium, and hella expensive. By the time we leave the store I am beyond frustrated and want to kill all the little old ladies who comment on how adorable and sweet they are. Adorable? Sweet?? Whose kids are you talking about?!

We go home and play. Oliver plays by throwing his toys at the dog, and the dog takes them into a corner and rips them apart. It's really fun for all of us, especially me who gets to clean up the dog's puke later. Grace gets out one toy, plays with it for 30 seconds, then moves on to the next. She does this until every single toy in the house is out. Unfortunately she is physically unable to clean anything up no matter how many times I bribe, beg or threaten.

Dinner time. Ah, my favorite time of the day. I spend a lot of time making delicious, healthy recipes that I spend a lot of time finding and preparing. I care about my family, and it's important that they eat a nice meal with a good balance of fiber, protein, and veggies. Every night I do this and then I set the table expecting a nice, happy family dinner where we all talk about our day and give hugs and kisses all around. But no, because nobody will eat anything I cook! I have three picky eaters, one of whom will ONLY eat crackers. So dinner usually consists of yelling and crying. The kids aren't very well-behaved either.

So then I go to work, where I spend the next 7 hours at a job where I fight other agents for sales like sharks fighting over a bloody surfer. I get off work at 1am completely exhausted and fall into bed, where I sleep for about 6 hours and wake up and do it all over again the next day.

And you know what? I am grateful for every single second of it. I wouldn't trade my family for anything in the world. I love you guys, thanks for putting up with me and being a part of my life.

Oliver's First Birthday

2010-03-07T12:03:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe my little guy is already one! Where did the time go?! His birthday was so much fun. We went swimming with our family on Jake's side to celebrate Oliver's, Maddy's, and Carter's birthdays together. The next day we had my parents and some of our friends over for cake and ice cream. Oliver had so much fun opening presents and being the center of attention all day!

And of course don't forgot the birthday cake! It was Oliver's first time having anything like it. He was nervous at first but by the end he loved it. It was in his hair, in his pants, everywhere you can imagine. What a fun day!

Merry Christmas!

2010-03-07T11:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a lot of fun this year! Of course it was Oliver's first Christmas so he wasn't really sure why he was getting so many presents, but he didn't really mind. He was delighted with the wrapping paper, decorations, and all the new toys! Santa brought a lot of presents this year, like the giant stuffed caterpillar and the razor scooter you see here.

Grace's Hospital Adventure

2010-02-27T18:47:00.001-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Things just get so busy with the kids and work and everything! I plan on making a post about Oliver's birthday really soon, but I wanted to write about Grace before I forgot a lot of the details. I write this blog not only for friends and family, but also for myself so that someday I can go back and remember all the good times we had. Though with how infrequently I post I don't know how well that will work!

On Tuesday Grace started showing some symptoms of having a urinary tract infection: fever and a hard time controlling her bladder. We used an at-home test and determined that Grace did indeed have an infection. Later that night her fever increased to almost 105 degrees; she was having terrible nightmares and ended up needing to sleep with us.

Wednesday morning was typical. Grace was behaving normally and she only had a slight fever so I decided to send her to school and take her to the doctor after. Because we had about an hour between the time she got off school and when the appointment was to begin, we decided to meet Jake at Denny's for lunch. While there, Grace became increasingly irritable and whiny. I noticed she looked pale and when I felt her forehead she was burning up. She had the chills and couldn't eat her lunch even though it was just fruit and bread.

When we got to the doctor, they immediately took her sample and put us in the room. Her temperature was right about 102 degrees and she was still experiencing chills. The doctor checked her out and confirmed based on the exam and the results of the urine test that it was a UTI, but that it didn't seem like it was in her kidneys yet. However we would need to watch for vomiting and a worsening of symptoms which would indicate a kidney infection. As we were leaving I gave Grace a hug and noticed that she was practically on fire, so I requested that they take her temperature again. Now let me pause here to explain something. All my life, I've had extremely high fevers, once when I was about 9 or 10 I even had one of 109 degrees. Grace has followed in my footsteps and frequently had temperates of between 102 and 105. The highest she's ever had was 107 degrees. What's frustrating is the doctors never believe me. They are condescending to me and suggest I get a new thermometer. So on that day when they took her temperature and it was 104.4 degrees, I felt vindicated and grateful that they finally saw the truth!

For the next few hours Grace was about the same, but that evening around 8pm she started throwing up. She couldn't keep down anything, even one sip of water would come right back up. Her temperature was also back to about 103, but we couldn't give her medicine because of the vomiting. We called the doctor and got an RX for Tylenol suppositories and were instructed to watch her all night and let them know if it got worse.

Thursday morning came with no improvement so I called the doctor back around 9. I spoke with a nurse who told me she'd have the doctor call me back when he got in at 10. Grace's fever was increasing so I prepared to give her another suppository, but before I could the doctor called and told me to take her to the emergency room as soon as possible.

It took about an hour but we finally made it to the emergency room at Jordan Valley hospital. The admitting nurse was incredibly rude and condescending, but she got Grace into a room right away for which I was grateful because hospital waiting rooms freak me out. Our nurse in the ER was a lovely woman named Trish whose comforting and kind demeanor helped Grace remain calm when she was getting her IV. Through her IV, Grace got about a liter of fluid along with anti-nausea meds and an antibiotic. The doctor in the emergency room was wonderful to us, and he suggested we stay overnight. He called Grace's pediatrician, who called me and told me that Jordan Valley was ill-equipped to handle children and he suggested we head up to Primary Children's. Up until this point I had felt pretty calm and positive, but the thought of my baby staying overnight in the hospital really upset me. Grace has had 5 UTIs in the past, 2 of which landed her in the emergency room (once in November then again in December) but she has never stayed for a whole night or been officially admitted.

Grace's doctor told me to go through the main entrance and check in, but the doctor at Jordan Valley told me I needed to go to the emergency room and check in there since it was a transfer from another emergency room. I figured since they handled more emergency transfers, it was wise to do as they suggested. So we got to Primary, checked in, and waited for an hour in the emergency room. Grace played a little, but mostly snuggled up to me because she felt so yucky. I was getting irritated with all the dirty little kids running around without their parents paying attention to them. I was furious about an extremely obese and dirty man wearing daisy dukes and a tank top sitting two chairs down from us who was pretty much hacking up a lung despite all the signs around saying if you have a cough to leave or put on a surgical mask.

Finally they called us back into a room. The nurses were very kind and we met with a child life specialist who gave Grace a doll and showed her how nurses do IVs and shots. I was delighted by how calm and happy she made Grace, who at this point was the color of cement. Her eyes were completely dull and were surrounded by dark purple. I wish I had taken a picture because nobody who knows animated, bright-eyed Grace would recognize the weird creature I took to the hospital that day. Edited to include picture! Thanks Mom! While Grace was playing the specialist the nurse came in and announced that we weren't supposed to be in the ER at all because Grace's doctor had made arrangements for her to stay in the surgical unit. I was pretty irritated with the doctor at Jordan Valley for telling us to come here, and with myself for listening, but it didn't matter at this point because Grace was finally getting to where she needed to be.

The surgical unit was painted like the ocean floor with water, fish, whales, etc. It was really cute and I think it put Grace at ease. Our room was directly behind the nurse station which helped me feel more secure. We met with our nurse and with the residents almost immediately, and a child life specialist brought some crafts in for her to do. My mom and dad arrived to visit with Grace and with the nurse's permission the three of us took her to the playroom. It was such a cute place with a kitchenette, computer games, dinosaurs, dolls, and plenty of arts and crafts supplies. We played for awhile until Jake arrived at the hospital with Oliver. My parents left to take Oliver home with them just as Jake's parents and 2 of his sisters arrived for a visit. After they left, Jake hung out at the hospital until Grace went to sleep. He went home to take care of the pets and sleep so he could go to work the next day. I stayed overnight with Grace.

At this point she was hooked up to another bag of IV fluids, and she had another round of anti-nausea meds. I wasn't too crazy about Grace's new nurse who was polite but seemed to have a chip on her shoulder. She was very negative and complained a lot about how busy she was and how she never gets a day off. Luckily we saw very little of her and in the morning we had a new nurse. I so wish I could remember her name because she was a real sweetheart and I'd like to write a letter to the hospital about how wonderful she was. The nurse tech, Kelsi, was also a joy to be around.

In the morning Grace got another dose of antibiotics, then we had to take her downstairs for a test on her bladder called a UCG or something like that. They had to insert a catheter into her bladder and fill it with saline fluid so they could take pictures, then they had to drain it and do it again. It was a painful procedure for Grace to bear, but she was extremely brave. I couldn't have felt more proud of her. We went for a renal ultrasound after that where it was determined that the infection had indeed reached her kidneys but there didn't appear to be any permanent damage, thank God. Grace loved the ultrasound, she said it felt like she was getting a massage. (she pronounces it like "mashage.")

Now we just had to wait until the doctors did their rounds to tell us what was going on and if they needed us to stay another night in the hospital. We went to the playroom for an hour or so, then went back to the room to watch a movie so Grace could get a bit of rest. On the way there I decided to see if an old friend of mine, Stephanie, was still there with her son who had recently had surgery on his jaw. I asked a nurse and was surprised to find out that not only was he still there, his room was just around the corner from mine! I haven't seen Stephanie in about 7 years so of course I had never met her 2 year old son, so it was fantastic visiting with them, even under the poor circumstances.

Finally the doctors came in and discussed Grace's problem with me. The good news: there is nothing anatomically wrong with Grace that is causing her to get all these infections. The bad news: they don't know why she keeps getting them. They explained that some kids are just prone to certain illnesses, like some kids seem to get strep throat all the time and others get ear infections. I don't like this answer and plan on speaking with Grace's doctor this week to see if he can give me any insight. Anyway, they prescribed strong antibiotics for us to take home and want to see us back in about 2 weeks to do another urine culture. They just want to make sure the bacteria is all completely gone so that there's no chance of it rearing it's ugly head again.

It feels so nice to be home! Primary Children's Hospital is great as far as hospitals go with their super-friendly staff and all the fun things for the kids to do, but it's also a very depressing place. No child should ever have to endure surgery or illness of any kind, and it was heartbreaking seeing kids attached to oxygen tanks or being wheeled around in wagons because they were too weak to walk. I'm sad to say I know a few people who have gone into that building with a beloved child and walked out alone and my heart just aches for them and their losses. When we were in the playroom my dad pointed to a "wish tree" where one child had written they they wished their sister didn't have to get a new heart. This brought tears to me eyes and I found myself praying as hard as I could for this little stranger and for her sister "Ellie" who needed a new heart.

At the same time, a lot of wonderful miracles happen there every single day and thinking of that helps me stay positive. I am so grateful for all the doctors, nurses, and other staff that dedicate their lives to making children well. I am going to work on getting together a bunch of toys and books to take there soon to say thanks for all they did. I'm going to call their volunteer services coordinator and see if I can do a story time or something there a few times a month to help lift the kids' spirits. Anything I can do to help those brave little souls I want to do. I know it seems cheesy, but this experience has changed me in a lot of ways. I know I'm incredibly lucky that my child's biggest health problem is something innocuous. In a lot of ways I feel guilty that I have two healthy, bright, beautiful kids when other parents are going through such hard trials.

As for Grace, she is about 90% back to being herself. She's still a bit on the pale side and she doesn't have much energy, but her appetite is starting to return and her temperature is lingering between 99 and 101. I bet she'll get to go back to school on Monday which we're both really excited about. I want to say thanks to everyone who sent us positive, encouraging messages and who offered to help us out! It's so nice to know that there are so many great people we can depend upon when times are tough. I want you all to know that you can depend on us too!

So much going on!

2009-12-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful time hanging out with family and friends. This year, Grace turned 5. I can't believe she's getting so big! We're so proud of

her intelligence and creativity. She has a giving, loving personality and always has us laughing. She has lots of friends at preschool and her teachers tell me she's very well-behaved. At a recent parent-teacher conference they informed me that she scores well above average on tests. She surprises me with how independent she is, right now for example she is playing the Super Nintendo by herself and doing a great job. Her favorite character is "Yoga." You know, the dinosaur that Mario rides around? She cracks me up!

Oliver is now 10 months old. He's got 2 teeth and is working on the 3rd. He also has 2 chins and is working on the 3rd! He can walk really well holding on to furniture, but can only take a few steps on his own. We are in no hurry for him to start walking by himself! He's a champion crawler and does a great job finding every tiny thing we missed with the vacuum and putting it in his mouth. I'll be the first to admit that he is spoiled rotten! If he doesn't get his own way he shows his frustration by arching his back and screeching! Thankfully, he is also really mellow and sweet so this behavior isn't a constant thing for him. Most of the time he's content to sit in his walker or his playpen and just chill. He loves to watch Grace dance and sing so unfortunately for her, I make her "babysit" all the time when I have to do dishes or take a shower.

Pictures taken by my good friend Kallina Smith!

6 months already?

2009-08-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

Oliver cannot be 6 months old yet. He just can't! Where did the time go? As any mother knows, watching your children grow up is bittersweet because it's awesome watching your kid grow and develop, but it's also hard to let go of that sweet baby stage. Oliver now weighs in at almost 16 pounds, which is still small for his age, but at least he is growing well. Grace has always been tall and skinny yet still perfectly healthy, so I'm really not concerned. Oliver is a very happy baby, he hardly ever cries and he loves to coo and babble. For some reason he doesn't like to laugh, when we're tickling him it's like he's trying really hard to resist, but he eventually he caves and we get to hear his adorable giggles. He loves his toys and watches his big sister with so much admiration when she plays with him. Speaking of big sister, I never in a million years expected her to love him as much as she does. She's extremely patient and sweet with him. Cheesy as it may be, my heart soars when I watch the two of them interact. It's priceless!

Oliver: 4 months

2009-06-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

Oliver had his 4 month appointment last week. He's a healthy little guy but the doctor was concerned about his weight. He's 11.3 pounds, which means he has gained less than a pound in 2 months. At his 2 month visit he was in the 25th percentile for weight, at 4 months he's in the 3rd percentile. The good news is he'2 25 inches long which is exactly where he needs to be. His head circumference is 15 inches. The last 2 months have been awesome. He is playful and happy. He laughs and smiles all the time. Because of his low weight, the doctor suggested we start solids a little earlier (nowadays the recommended starting age is 6 months) and as you can see he wasn't a big fan at first. Now that he's had it a few times though he really likes it. We're starting veggies tonight, so wish us luck!

Preschool Graduation

2009-06-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe my little girl graduated from her first year of preschool. It feels like yesterday I was posting about her first day! She's learned so much. She can recite her phone number, write all her letters, and read tons of words. Every child won a special award and Grace's was "Happiest kid in school" which makes me incredibly proud. Congrats, girlfriend! We love you!

Easter

2009-04-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

We had a nice, quiet Easter this year. The Easter Bunny hid lots of candy-filled plastic eggs all over the house. He tried to trick Grace, but she found all of them!

Of course this was Oliver's first Easter but he had no idea what was going on.

Oliver is 2 months old

2009-04-01T13:42:00.001-07:00

Oliver went to the doctor on Monday for his 2 month check-up. To quote the doctor, he is a perfect baby! He's in the 25th percentile for weight and the 75th for height, which means he is tall and skinny just like his sister. He smiles a lot and acts excited when he sees us. I think his favorite person is Grace. When she comes in a room he grins from ear to ear. He coos and squeals at her all the time, it's adorable. We're so lucky to have 2 beautiful, healthy kids.

Please vote for Grace!

2009-03-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

Grace, is in a contest to win a new Backyard Adventures playset. The contest is called Kiddieokee on the radio station 97.1 ZHT. Could you please help us by watching her entry and voting?

To view, go to this link (http://www.971zht.com/pages/kiddieokee-2-4_09.html?page=11) and she is entry #41.

To vote, go to this link (http://www.971zht.com/pages/kiddieokee/vote-2-4.html), select entry #41, and vote! You will get a confirmation email that you need to click on to make it official (might go to junk e-mail).Please pass this on to anyone you know! Thanks for all your help!

Basketball star

2009-03-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of March, Grace started basketball. From the minute we arrived at the rec center, she was in heaven. It is so fun watching her run around and interact with the other kids.

Life with Oliver: week one

2009-02-05T13:15:00.001-08:00

So my little guy was born a week ago, and I'm just now blogging about it! It's been awesome, but hard getting used to taking care of 2 kids. Grace is the best big sister in the world, she helps us with everything we need. She loves her little brother so much. Her teacher told me that she carries her picture of him around with her at all times, she hardly ever sets it down, and she talks about him constantly. Oliver is a good little baby, he hardly ever cries and sleeps as well as we can expect. He's a little backwards though, he sleeps a lot more during the day than at night! We're so delighted with the new addition to our little family. Keep checking back for updates!

Does this baby make me look fat?

2009-01-27T20:34:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is the big day! We're so excited. I thought since I haven't blogged about the pregnancy very much that it was time to jot down some of my thoughts.

The thing that sticks out the most to me is how quickly it has flown by. I was in school part time and working full time for the majority so my mind hasn't been on it as much as it was when I was pregnant with Grace and unemployed and out of school.

I'm really excited to be having a boy which is funny because I never wanted one before. I was really hoping to have a house full of girls, but from the time I found out I've been really ecstatic. How exciting that I will have a son and a daughter!

There are some concerns of course. Grace has been the center of everyone's world since the moment she was born and now she's going to have to share that attention. She is very excited about the baby, but I have my concerns about how long that is going to last. Grace also tends to be very independent and she doesn't always listen well, so I'm going to have to make sure she doesn't decide to feed him a peanut butter sandwich or something while my back is turned.

Well, I think that's about it for now. What else can I say really? It's a baby, of course we're going to be happy and nervous all at the same time! Wish us luck and keep us in your thoughts tomorrow. Check back soon, hopefully we'll have some baby pictures up here in 24 hours!

Christmas

2008-12-31T09:39:00.000-08:00

I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas! We certainly did. We spent the morning opening gifts and the rest of the day relaxing at home. Grace had so many new toys she didn't know what to play with first! She spent her day going from one activity to the next so fast that she wore everybody else out. All in all, it was a great day for all of us.

Anybody who has spoken to Grace at any point over the last month or so knows how bad she wanted a Water Baby. Did Santa bring one? See the video below to find out!

If we don't get a chance to see you, Happy New Year!

Happy Christmas Eve!

2008-12-24T21:32:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! I'm posting this entry as I sit in front of my Christmas tree waiting for Santa to arrive. Don't tell Grace, but I totally ate his cookies and milk.

We've had a great couple of weeks getting ready for Christmas. I'm so happy that it's finally here! When you have kids, Christmas is so different. I'm going to have a hard time sleeping tonight, not because I'm excited for my own presents but because I can't wait to see Grace's face as she tears into the colorful paper in the morning and sees what she got.

Tonight was a blast! We spent about an hour and a half with Jake's family chatting, exchanging gifts, and eating Cindy's delicious confections. We were so sad to leave, but it was late and Grace needs her beauty sleep. We got home and put out milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer. Grace was pretty much bouncing off the walls and talking a mile a minute. (Seriously, if you think I talk fast, you should hang out with her sometime!) Then we opened one present and went to bed. Surprisingly, she went right to sleep which I was totally not expecting. I just hope she doesn't make us wake up at 4am to open presents....

Anyway, winter time isn't all about Christmas of course! A few weeks ago it snowed and Jake bought Grace a sled so they could play together in the snow. This is one of the funniest videos I've ever seen. It's about a minute and a half long. I hope you enjoy it!

And just for fun, here are some pictures of the pets!

Santa!!

2008-12-06T10:11:00.001-08:00

Grace sat with Santa last night. Can you tell she's a little bit nervous? She warmed up pretty quickly and told him she wanted a water baby and a talking parrot. Santa told her, "I'll have to look around and see what I can find." Grace told him, The only place I've seen them is Walmart, so you should check there."

Happy Birthday Grace!

2008-11-27T10:23:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Grace's birthday. My sweet baby turned 4! I can't believe how old and grown up she is. On Saturday we had a party at our house with friends and family and yesterday we took her to eat at McDonalds (no rude comments, we let her choose the place and she was adament) and then out for ice cream. We had lots of fun!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-08T13:14:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween! Grace was a "woman pirate" and I was a pumpkin. Well, actually my huge belly was a pumpkin. As you can see, we had a very fun night and by the time we left Grace couldn't even keep her eyes open.

On the Wednesday following Halloween, it snowed for the first time. It snowed all day long and we ended up with about 3 inches on the ground! Grace had a great time.

Photo Tag!

2008-10-26T22:32:00.000-07:00

Jessica and Natalie photo-tagged me! I'm supposed to go to my photos, pick the 4th folder and select the 4th picture from that folder and post it with an explanation.

This is Danvi, one of my best friends in the entire world. We've been friends for over 10 years. We've been through so much together, so many milestones I can't even count them all. This picture was taken last time we were together back in August of 2006, not too long after Jake and I moved into our house. Her family was in Salt Lake on business so she came over for awhile. I really hope we get a chance to get together again soon! You know what's funny about this? I had just been thinking about her when I went to Jes' blog and noticed I had been tagged, so when I noticed that it was this picture, I had to laugh. I love you, Vi! You too, Jes and Nat! ;-)

San Diego

2008-10-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

Yay! We made it back from San Diego alive. We had such a great time! None of us had ever been there so it was a new experience all around. Even the drive, 14 hours each way, was fun!

The first thing we did was go to Mission Beach. The sand was warm but the water was icy. We still had a lot of fun playing in the waves!

We had a great time at Old Town State Park on the 2nd day of our trip.

On the 3rd and 4th days of our trip, we went to San Diego Zoo. It was awesome seeing animals like pandas and koalas that we'd never seen before. They had a 9 week old giraffe and an amazing polar bear exhibit, you could see the animals right up close through the glass. I think we had the most fun on the bus tour. We learned so much about the animals and the zoo, especially their conservation efforts and breeding program. I can't wait to go back!

I'll work on adding more pictures and even some video later, so check back!

Show and tell

2008-10-15T19:19:00.001-07:00

Grace was really excited at school the other day because it was her turn for show and tell. The assignment was to find something that began with the soft "G" sound and bring it to class. Grace immediately decided she just had to bring this giraffe...not just any giraffe, she wanted this one! Why? Because he walks around and moves his head and makes a silly sound! The last time I saw Grace this proud and excited was when it was her turn to bring the class snack.

I'm a bad blogger!

2008-10-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

Are you really surprised? I'm a bad mother, bad wife, and bad daughter so doesn't it make sense that I'd be a bad blogger too? So the question is, what have we been up to?

Well a few weeks ago we headed out to Midway for Jake's summer company party at Homestead. It was just a short mini-vacation not too far away from home, but it was nice to get away!

A few days later we went to the State Fair. That was a lot more fun for Grace than it was for the rest of us, but then again aren't most things that we do?

Grace was actually terrified of this goose, and with good reason. Look at that evil look on his face!

This steer is "Big Red." He weighs over 5000 pounds I believe. He doesn't look too happy to have all those little kids around him, poor guy.

This calf is just a few weeks old, he seemed about as happy as the steer. He didn't move the whole time we were there. I don't think he was in very good shape. Man, I really hate the fair.

Yet another thing I hate...pony rides! But I have to give these guys credit, they were switching out the ponies pretty frequently. They were in the shade and had lots to drink. Grace's pony's name was Stormy.

The last thing we did at the fair was check out the Tiger show. Grace was getting pretty tired, thank goodness her chair had such a nice, comfy armrest.

A few days later at home, Grace learned how to roller skate!

That's all! Thanks for your patience with me. Keep coming back, I'll try to be better. We're going to San Diego in a few weeks, so hopefully we'll get lots of good pictures there!

Grace's first day of school

2008-09-08T16:55:00.001-07:00

It's a healthy baby...

2008-09-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

BOY! Today was our 18 week ultrasound. We were nervous it would be too early to see the gender, but thankfully it wasn't. We are having a boy! We are so happy, but also a little nervous. We've done a decent job with Grace...can we do it again? With a boy this time? Eek! So anyway, here are some pictures of our little guy. The top right and the one below show you his hand next to his little butt and the one on the bottom right is a profile shot. The three on the left are his feet. It was really cute, Grace whispered to Dad that she wanted to see his feet so the doctor took these three pictures for her. She was really excited. When the doctor told her she was having a brother, she exclaimed, "But I wanted a sister!"

Bonding time with Daddy

2008-08-31T11:57:00.001-07:00

Pregnancy

2008-08-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

I have just entered my 17th week of pregnancy, or in other words I'm just over 4 months along. In one short week I'm getting an ultrasound to determine the health and gender of the baby. I'm really nervous and excited. I'll post what I find out here on September 2nd as soon as I get home from the doctor!

Drivers, beware!

2008-08-22T18:32:00.001-07:00

We finally took Grace out on her bike. It was quite an experience. She had a great time crashing into fences, trees, mailboxes, etc. Thank goodness for helmets!

Welcome

2008-07-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We started this blog so that we could keep our friends and families up to date on everything that's going on in our world. We're excited to have a chance to share with you and hope you have fun coming here and checking in on us.