Another Year Older...

31 feels OK, I guess.

I had a wonderful birthday.
Ryan surprised me by taking the day off, which meant I got to sleep in.

Summer eventually came to wake me up with some flowers that she picked out.

She and Daddy had decorated the kitchen with balloons and happy birthday signs.

Joshy and Summer helped Daddy make some very delicious and colorful waffles

(we love food coloring around here!)

We took a fun hike, even though it was a bit chilly and rainy.

There were tons of grasshoppers and crickets and beetles

(yikes! I tried not to be too scared)

Later that night, Ryan and I dropped off the kids and went to dinner just to two of us.

What a GREAT day!

Tired...

I think we're all looking forward to when

Sydney starts sleeping through the night.

Third Time's the Charm...

I must say that this time around, the baby experience has been a bit different.

First of all, the pregnancy was tougher - I threw up more.

(I didn't throw up at all with Summer, and only once with Joshua. )

Secondly, the delivery was easier - a pretty speedy affair. She was earlier, too. Summer was delivered on her due date, Joshua a week late, but Sydney a week early, making her our smallest baby.

She was our most yellow baby, too. We had to do the billi lights for five days - not fun.

Aside from all that, though, things are different in other ways.

I find myself more relaxed this time around.

Maybe it's that I have more confidence in myself as a mother, who knows.

******

When we had Summer, I was a basket-case! I was afraid I was doing everything all wrong. I read all the books, which my wise mother told me not to, and they made me crazy (especially Baby Wise). I was terrified of creating bad habits like nursing my baby to sleep (which I later discovered was no big deal). My mom just kept advising me to follow my instincts, the problem was I didn't know I had any.

When we had Joshua, I was a basket-case again! This time I was overwhelmed with caring for 2 children. I was so emotional, too! I would feel guilty that I wasn't giving Summer the attention she needed. I worried that I wouldn't love Joshua as much. Again, I discovered these fears were unnecessary - it IS possible to give each child the individual attention he or she needs. It IS possible to love another child just as much.

And then the third time around... bringing Sydney home has been so much easier. Maybe it was because my mom and sister were here virtually every day for the first 6 weeks, helping me out with meals and cleaning and child care. But, I suspect it's more than that. I've finally gained some confidence and discovered, yes, I do have instincts. Instead of worrying so much, I am just enjoying this baby. I love her so much.





Yes, my babies are a lot of work, but the joy they bring into my life is more than worth it.

Crash and Burn

Last week we went out as a family for frozen yogurt.

While we were leaving, Ryan and Summer were horsing around in the parking lot. Ryan does this thing with the kids where he runs and jumps over the kids.

Well, he went to do this to Summer, as he's down thousands of times before, but this time she moved right when he was in mid-air. He came down right on top of her and sent her face first onto the asphalt.

She had a giant bruised goose-egg on her forehead and her nose, lip, and chin were bleeding. Of course, she was screaming, "I need a band-aid."

Ryan felt terrible.

I took this picture 3 days later - it doesn't do it justice.

It's incredible how quickly kids heal - thank goodness!

The Best Mother's Day Gift...

For Mother's Day, I got front row tickets to see my favorite band, Keane.

Kimi and I got all gussied-up, left the kids, and off we went!

Their tour bus

Look how close we were!

The band

Tim on the keyboard

There's Tom, the lead singer. I'm so giddy!

Thanks, Ryan, for a much needed GNO!

I could eat this kid!

We got our photos back from our recent family photo shoot. So cute! Now I just have to decide which ones to put on a birth announcement, so I can get them sent out - She's 6 weeks old already!

Matchy Matchy...

It drives my husband nuts when his sister dresses her girls alike.

He he he... look what I've started doing...

I can't help it - it's so fun!

Introducing...Sydney

She's here!

Well, she's been here for a little over 2 weeks,

but I'm just now getting around to blogging.

Sydney Jane Oakes

6 lbs 6 oz, 19 1/2 inches long

(our smallest baby yet)

She is so stinkin' cute! We love her soooo much!

I'll try to post more photos soon - right now I'm headed to bed because a little munch-mouth will be wanting to eat in a couple of hours (sigh). Goodnight.

Introducing...Rainbow House

So, we are currently residing in my sister-in-law's pre-fixed-up fixer-upper. Built in 1968, it comes with an avocado green dishwasher, pink bathtub, blue toilet, and lime green blinds. We have affectionately named it "rainbow house."

Have a look around...

(yes, that is carpet in the kitchen)

The kids have adjusted pretty well. It's hard to call this place "home," but I have figured out that "home" is wherever we are together as a family, doing the things we normally enjoy... baking, making arts/crafts, playing together, reading, and of course, watching cartoons every morning over a cup of chocolate milk.

It's that simple.

We are continuing our search for the right house, but until then, "Rainbow House" is home sweet home.

Bye Bye House...

Well, it's official. We closed on our house last Wednesday.

What a week we've had - moving, cleaning, and saying goodbye to the home we've known for the past 5 years. I wasn't as emotional as I thought I would be as I walked through it for the last time. I'm sure there will be more tears in the coming weeks (I don't usually do this well with big changes). My mom and visiting teacher, Diane, helped me out tremendously with the move and the cleaning - a huge thanks to these beautiful women in my life!

As we finished up, I did a last walk-through and said my goodbyes to the house. Summer was with me, and as we left the keys and garage door openers on the counter she said, "I'm going to miss this counter with all its spots." I felt prompted to offer a prayer, so there we stood in the empty kitchen and thanked Heavenly Father for all the wonderful memories we've made in the house. Summer thanked Heavenly Father for the wood floor - funny kid!

It really was a great house.

Our latest adventure...

We decided to list our house for sale...

and it sold.

OK - here' s the story...

Ryan has been commuting 100 miles a day for the past 5 years, plus with baby #3 on the way, we were short a bedroom upstairs. There are tons of houses for sale (several bank-owned), and interest rates are low. So, we thought, let's just list our house and start shopping around. Well, 2 weeks and 2 offers later, we had a buyer.

Do we have a new house to move into?

NO

So, we are continuing to look for the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood for the perfect price. In the meantime, we'll be renting from a very generous sister-in-law.

Oh, and yes, I AM 33 weeks pregnant... all round and waddling.

The kids don't know what to think - one second they are excited for this new adventure, the next they are emotional and clinging to Mommy.

Cross your fingers we can find perfection soon!

In the meantime, I'll try to keep the blog updated (hmmm, we'll see about that).

Terrible Two's...

NO NO, Joshua!...

We don't finger-paint with our yogurt!

Or rub it in our hair!

More Christmas Break Highlights

One of the many highlights of our Christmas break was our house guests. We're so glad that Kimi, Casey, and Jacob were willing to leave the 80 degree weather of Los Angeles to spend a snowy holiday with us.

The kids absolutely adore their cousin, Jacob. It was so fun to see them interact with him. My favorite was when Kimi and Jacob would come up the stairs in the morning and Jacob's sleepy face would light up when he saw Summer and Joshua. It was so cute the way Joshua would say "Good Mornin', Jacob."

(Joshua feeding Jacob some lunch)

(successfully sharing toys)

It was tough when they left. Joshua kept asking, "Where'd Jacob go?" Summer and I would try to explain that he went home to California on an airplane. It took a few days of more "Where'd Jacob go?" before he realized he was gone.



Besides the fun with the kids and all the Christmasy stuff we were able to do, Kimi and I were able to have some fun girl time together, which included:

• Shopping and more shopping (lots of cute jewelry, outfits, and of course, shoes for Kimi. More maternity clothes for me)



• Good Eats! Our favorites - sugar cookies from Cutlers, Mom's fudge and butterscotchies, Nielsen's Frozen Custard, and loads of Chicken Tikka Masala from Royal India.



• And of course, lots of movies... DVD's - Dan in Real Life, Mansfield Park, The Family Stone, Mama Mia (a few times) plus, a few rentals that were so dumb, not worth mentioning). In the theaters... Doubt (Meryl Streep is awesome), Valkerie, and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. All very enjoyable.

• Some days (especially when it was totally snowing) we'd just stay home in our pajamas all day. Everyone needs days like those!
  

As usual, her visit went by too quickly. I can't wait for the next one! I love you, Kimi Koo!

Happy Birthday, Joshua!

Happy 2nd Birthday to our Joshua!

Helping Mommy with cupcakes

Licking the batter

Fun at the Discovery Gateway with our cousins


2 years old!!
(what a fun and crazy age!)

Christmas Break Highlights

Seriously, there was no time to blog over the holidays.

Here are the highlights of a crazy family night we had back in December. Assembling and decorating a gingerbread house with a 2 year old was quite an adventure. Both kids ingested an almost lethal amount of frosting. Thank goodness for flouride and toothbrushes!

(Hint to grandparents... you can click to enlarge)

Back to Life...

Happy New Year!

Wow - I can't believe the holidays are over. What a lot of fun and work!

Well, we have officially put Christmas away and have started to get back into the swing of things, which has been a little tough. Our day yesterday involved a hefty dose of separation anxiety. Dropping Summer off at pre-school involved a lot of tears and hugs, but in the end she was fine. I took Joshua to Kindermusik, but instead of his usual outgoing self, he was withdrawn and glued to me.

It snowed all day yesterday, so after all our running around in the morning, it was nice to stay in for the rest of the day.

I'll be posting some of the highlights from our holiday over the next few days (time willing, of course!).

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year too!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...part 5

This little toy nativity set has been such a hit...

Not only does it teach the kids about the real reason for Christmas,

It saves them from playing with MY nativity figurines

(which cost a little bit more)

(Do you love the addition of the pretty ponies...?)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... part 4

Exciting news!

Santa came to visit our local grocery store, Dick's Market.

Of course, Summer wouldn't sit on his lap unless Mommy did, too.
(ugh, my face is starting to look pregnant... gotta love the chubby cheeks!)

What did we ask Santa for?...

Joshua - "_______" (just a blank stare)

Summer - "A dollhouse"

Shurelle - "new MAC makeup - for this chubby face"

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... part 3

(actual size = 2 feet)

The kids LOVE the snow - good thing we're getting more this weekend!

Joshua loves to take his gloves off, and then cry, "oowww, coooold..." when his hands freeze.

This Christmas season has been a blast with a 4 year old and a 2 year old... everything is so exciting for them...

Check back for more holiday fun around here...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... part 2

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... part 1

I'm so lucky...

I get to have breakfast with this kid every morning!