4th of July weekend

This was one of those weekends that I looked forward to and dreaded all at the same time. My committee was in charge of putting on our Ward's pancake breakfast. I bought 2 bags of Krusteas pancake mix (enough to make 540 pancakes) 5 cases of 5 dozen eggs, two large containers of syrup. 6 gallongs of OJ, and 2 gallons of milk. We got up early Saturday morning to set up. The night before of course, I'm running though my head what I could need....tape, scissors, mixing bowls, spatulas, butter, sugar, trash bags, more forks... on and on. It was the activity I've been least stressed about but right before the actual event, my mind is always racing. Will the speaker show up? With the scouts be ready to do the flag ceremony? I think what took the stress off was that I WASN'T cooking. I wasn't even mixing the food for that matter. So right as we finish setting up that morning and the program is about to begin, the speaker is a no show and as I look down at the program....my blurry spot in the center of my vision decides to rear it's ugly head. This, for me, means a migraine is on it's way. It comes most times even before the headache does and it usually means I'm dehydrated and that I'd better take 2 Excedrin, get a jug of water to drink, and wet cold rag over my eyes, a dark quiet room, and a bowl in case I puke. Well, that wasn't going to happen. So I pretended like I didn't have it and went on with the show.
The Cooks!! Stan Anderson, Bishop Ham, Graig Rhodes, and Doug Carroll

It was a complete success...we had an amazing turn out...which meant we had to ration the eggs a bit, and it also meant that the Bishop was inspired by bringing another couple of bags of pancake mix. (How did I doubt my ward's support in this activity?!) Anyway, another veteran in the ward ad-libed a little patriotic thought, we sang some songs and got right to eating. Toward the end of the activity, I had to keep one eye closed and look at the ground (it was bright out there!) And I broke the news to the committee that they were on their own for clean up. I felt bad but I really was going to vomit at any moment. I couldn't even drive home so my mother-in-law took me home and got me all set up in my bed. Waiting 2 hours after the first sign of the migraine was NOT smart. I was crying in pain and just plain miserable. I didn't drink anything that whole morning and I NEVER eat at those functions because I can't stomach the food when I'm worried about everything turning out right. Thank goodness for a great committee that stepped up and took care of the rest....and a sweet husband who spent yet another Saturday in charge of the kids. After about 4 or 5 hours, I emerged from my room. My stomach was raw and my body felt tired from dealing with the pain.

The next day was the 4th and I'll have to admit, I kinda felt like we were party poopers. I was maybe the only one who wanted to take the kids to see fireworks, but with everyone else dragging, it just seemed like too much effort. So, we didn't go to see any fireworks....although we could hear a few in the distance...and we didn't have any of our own to light like last year. Alli talks about eating chicken (KFC) and watching fireworks all throughout the year (we did it once and she seemed traumatized but then seems to look forward to it at the same time) It was Sunday so we weren't going to get KFC and somehow we just kapooted on the whole thing. I think we were all just having a really lazy Sunday.....We had good food, good company, and played some games together. I took the chance though to take a few pics of our family on the 4th...Kaitlyn got this darling little patriotic dress form her Uncle Nick and Aunt Kendra. I'd been looking for one for her but wasn't liking anything, so when we opened her birthday gift from them and saw it, I was delighted!! I thought Kaitlyn looked especially cute in it! And I somehow convinced my picky dresser to where this adorable navy coat...
Get ready for a picture palooza......

A year ago today....

I was calmly awaiting the arrival of our sweet number 3. I was determined not to be pregnant another day (as most women feel toward the end) and I knew the hospital would be full on the morning of my inducement. So I got some things done that I couldn't get around to...like mopping the floor. I kept calling the hospital to see if there was a room open and finally late that afternoon, they told me to come in. Unfortunately, my doctor was sick, so she waited until I the baby was practically pushing her own way out (my water hadn't even broken yet), to come finish the 15 minute job of catching Kaitlyn as she came out in half a push! Kaitlyn has by far the most personality as a baby than either of the other kids. She gets a kick out of the funniest things...and the not so funny. Some things I LOVE to see her do: climb in and out of a bucket or the cooshie seat on the ground (she thinks she's so cool when she does that), tackle Cole (there's something about Cole that makes her squeal with delight), put on necklaces....poor thing always gets one side caught on that darned ear, and watching her run away from anyone chasing her....she has a look of terror and sheer thrill all at the same time, all the while, letting out bursts of laughter and shooting her arms out every which way in an effort to escape without falling....oh, and my latest favorite is when Dan blows on her face and she blinks back at him purposefully over and over just because she knows he loves it.
I see now why parents say time flies so fast with your kids...the more you add, I think the faster time goes. I definitely feel like I'm struggling to keep up on the house...especially the mopping and annoying things like cleaning the fan blades, but Kaitlyn for the most part just jumped right in to our family without a hitch! I see the importance more so each day of setting patterns in our family for our kids. We are raising our kids in a very challenging world. I'm sometimes overwhelmed with thoughts of how to help my kids develop a healthy self-esteem and good work ethic. I want them to make good choices not just because I'm watching, but because they are the right choices. I see more now how things HAVE to be black or white because if I give just a little on some things, the message is clear that we can pick and choose what we want to follow. Mostly I think about how much joy the Gospel has brought to my life and I want the same for my kids and their own families.
With that, here are some pictures from our celebration of having Kaitlyn in our lives for the past year!

(The camera was sneekily removed from my diaper bag and wasn't there to document our annual excursion to the Del Mar Fair (it will never be the San Diego County Fair to us.) So, Dan was sweet enough to capture some moments from the day on his phone!!!) <<<>>>


I think this picture describes perfectly the life of a baby with older siblings.
Daddy's favorite duty....helping unwrap the presents!

My attempt at a cool birthday cake for my baby....




Ain't no party like a family party...these guys are such great friends...I feel so blessed to have them live close to each other.

Puppy love

Dan was on a plane ride home and read an article about a military man, home from war, with PTSD. His cure? A beautiful black lab. Dan fell in love with it just through the pictures and decided that we should go take a look at the pet store with the kids that next weekend. We went to Puppies for less (I didn't like the name) and Alli LOVED looking at the puppies from the window. Then we found a beautiful black English Lab and asked to see him. He was a feisty little thing. He didn't quite bite but he sure liked to playfully try. Alli had enough of it after a minute and watched from outside the fenced off area. Then we decided to see his roommate....a rare white English Lab. She was SOO mellow and cute and playful. She'd pounce around a second and then just sit content. I'll have to admit, as much as I don't want another small one to take care of, and all my friends with dogs seem to wish they didn't, I was falling for this sweet little girl. I hugged her and pet her and then we put her back and went on our way. I did get in the car with white dog hair all over, which helped me get over it faster. It was a fun little excursion with the kids anyway.

Summer Swim Lessons

The first two weeks of summer, we had the kids take private swim lessons from a girl in our neighborhood named Maddy, who works at the YMCA. It was the best investment by far. Alli is so comfortable in the water now and loves swimming!! She's really good at it too. I can see that she has really matured over the last year and really listens well to those who teach her. After the lessons were over, Cole needed another couple of times with me in the water at our community pool to reinforce what he had been taught and he's really getting it now. He can jump in and swim a really long distance in one breath, but when he has to come up for a breath, he loses his form and starts struggling. I think a few more times in the water together will help him get it. A heated pool, with one on one lessons in a private backyard is the only way to go! Thanks Maddy!

Allison's Preschool Promotion

This time it's for real. Allison is moving on from Preschool. The other day we were driving in the car and Allison was having a girl moment. She was crying over....well, everything... among the list of missing her GG and why did she have to move to Utah, she cried that she wouldn't be seeing Miss Diane at preschool anymore. We dropped off some stuffed animals Allison had brought home from Preschool a while back and Miss Diane couldn't come to the door....but a few days later, she came to visit Alli and brought every kids' favorite treat....fruit snacks! It was so sweet and meant a lot to Alli to see her. I hope she likes her Kindergarten teacher as much as she loves Miss Diane!




Thank goodness we were still able to contain this little one in her carseat...not much longer!

It's a balancing act

This little gal can't wait to keep up with her older brother and sister...so she's wasting no time getting that balance down! She'll be 1 in two weeks...she's my earliest walker --by 2 1/2 months! She's got places to go and things to do! Watching babies learn to walk has to be one of the coolest, and cutest sights.

Can't a mom poop?!

Sorry. Was that TMI? I couldn't think of a better title.
Today was going well. Really well. My kids were getting along, I hit the gym for my new favorite class, then I picked up Alli's friend from her preschool to keep her for the afternoon. We hit McD's on the way home and I splurged on 3 happy meals....which only reminds me why I don't (the kids hardly touched their chicken nuggets) and I let them play. Forever. Kaitlyn was sleeping in my arms so I let them play to their hearts' content. They met some other girls there and became BFF's in an instant. Suddenly, I got the urge...you know, nature called. But I wasn't about to take care of it there. I had 4 kids and no stroller, and I wasn't going to have a party in the bathroom. After hearing the other moms announce they were leaving soon, I added my 5 minute notice that we were leaving. We loaded up and headed home so I could take care of business. The kids begged to play in the front yard but I made them come in just while mom could use the bathroom. I put up the gate, checked the floor for chokables, put Kaitlyn on the playroom floor in front of a dollhouse, propped open the playroom door so she wasn't trapped, and locked myself in the bathroom right around the corner for some alone time.....I mean, can't a mom have a quiet moment to use the bathroom? The older kids ran into the garage to play with chalk. I guess Kaitlyn wanted to go too. I heard her coming out of the playroom and starting to climb over the little Dora couch that happened to be blocking her path. I remember there were some of Alli's school papers on the Dora couch so I could tell she was attempting to climb over it. Then, I heard it. That horrible sound of head hitting tile....or so I realized a few moments later. I heard her cry a hurt cry. Not quite finished, I opened the door, and I could only see her little rump and I could tell she was flat on her stomach. I tapped on the door frame to get her attention and let her know I was in the bathroom (thanks to my long go-go-gadget arms), telling her to come to me . The cry changed. It was a different cry than I'd ever heard. And she wasn't coming, so I hopped off the toilet (pants at my ankles) and saw blood coming from her nose and mouth and drops of blood on the tile. I was surprisingly calm. I picked her up and grabbed some toilet paper, wet it down and started wiping her face and hands, trying to see exactly where the blood was coming from. Her eyes were closed and she kept tilting her head back in pain. I was afraid she'd faint, or throw up. All the while, I was trying to pull up my pants one handed so as not to startle anyone coming in....and to cure the draft. The left nostril was the first culprit. But her mouth, her poor mouth. I was checking to see why it was bleeding and the worry set in when I thought her new little baby teeth on top had been jammed up into her gums. Come to find out, her top lip was swollen so it only appeared that her teeth were recessed, but they weren't. Her teeth must had just cut into her lip. I finally got her to drink some water to clear out her mouth and held her on the couch until she calmed down. I was so relieved it wasn't worse. We have a new rule after today to keep those little couches on the carpet.....they make for good catapults...or bad ones.
And so I've realized, that yes, a mom has to put her kids' needs first...even sometimes at inopportune times. And I've decided that's okay.