Apparently I look Asian

I finally thought I'd post one of these, I've done them before, with quite a few pictures. I'm surprised Linda Cardelini didn't come up, I've had tons of people say I look like her, it's probably that 25 pounds I'd like to lose.

Cora the Explorer

Cora has been crawling for a little while now. The first time I really noticed was when we were at my parents house last, which was in February some time. But it took a while longer for her to do it for anything that wasn't really interesting. She would crawl a few feet to an object she really really wanted, but aside from that she didn't see the point.

This week however, she's been crawling everywhere. She's been into the kitchen a few times and bonked her head. And all of the sudden she wants to sit as well. She's so very sweet, when she crawls to me she's so thrilled to be able to come to me on her own that she giggles with each 'step' she makes closer to me. It really breaks your heart when such a little one loves you so much! She's such a joy!

She's began something else in the past few days, she's been pulling up to her knees, something I thought she might not do for a bit since she's just got the crawling and the sitting down really good, but she's doing it quite often. A lot of times on my leg to say hello, but also on other things, usually short things. She's looked at the coffee table and thought about it, but not yet done it. The first time was on the fireplace on this past Sunday to try and reach some balloons leftover from Gillian's party.

I really have to say, I'm treasuring almost every minute with her lately. I love this age! She's so much fun, she's so sweet. She'll crawl up to you and snuggle her head against your leg or in your hands if you hold them out to her. She also snuggles her head into your chin when you're holding her. She's quick to smile and loves to babble and giggle. She's also ticklish just about everywhere and loves to be tickled. She'll also sing along with you when you sing to her. She loves to be sung to, she's really my first, so I'm way out of practice in singing to my babies, as the other two seemed to hate the times I tried. Her favorite song is "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" as she has a mobile that plays that tune.

Gillian's 6th Birthday Party

After a few weeks of high stress and trying to figure out how to do a party and what to do for a party, the day was finally here. Gillian had such a great time and her friends seemed to as well. We played a few games, had them decorate and eat their own pizzas, and plant strawberry plants, Gillian's favorite part.

Making picture frames to take home.	Cassie, Grace, Gillian, and Samantha pose for a picture to put in their frames.
Samantha and Gillian decorating their pizza.	Decorating sugar cookies, some found it most fun just to eat them.

Liam's 3rd Birthday

** Note, I hope to add individual pics relating to this entry later, for now I chose the least number I could possibly limit myself to and uploaded them. Click on the pic on the right to see more. **

We celebrated Liam’s birthday today. It was a great event. Liam was such a blast to experience, and the other two were perfect gems as well.

The day started with Stake Conference, the plan was for Patrick to go early (8:30 am) to get us a seat and we would head up there around 9:20 am. As the morning went rather well, the kids were dressed before Patrick had to leave, they decided they wanted to go with him. I didn’t complain too loudly, but thought it was a rather long time for the kids to be at the building with no entertainment.

I arrived at 9:20 am to a fairly full building, at least the first and second overflow were fairly full and filling. The parking was atrocious, but they did well. I was just a little bad off because I was trying to get in to an entrance where they were currently filling parking places.

The kids were well behaved, Cora even let Sister Woomer hold her for a half hour or more before deciding she wanted me back. She was great, I fed her and a little later she wanted to nap so Patrick took her and Liam out, around 11, as Liam had had enough by that time. All he wanted to do was “walk”. They were both so well behaved, Gillian and Liam.

The kids were ready to start ‘the party’ as soon as we got home. We started eating lunch at 1pm and the new recipe I tried for the crockpot was actually good this time, thank goodness, as I get nervous cooking for my parents. They both are pretty stuck on eating the same stuff again and again.

Liam played with a cardboard box all last night and today, he kept calling it the bus. An episode of Blue’s Clues is to thank for that. He was really sweet playing in it as well. Liam loved his balloons and it took all night yesterday and this morning to convince him that they were for him, he was so sweet, he kept saying Gillian’s balloons, or Mommy’s balloons, so funny.

He was very excited about the cake when he heard about there being a cake. I had Audrey make it, it was fabulous. We thoroughly enjoyed it. It takes a lot of willpower to sit here and to write about it without going and getting more. Although, it is quite a bit more satisfying than cakes I’ve had before, where you just keep going back and back and back again and never seem to get enough. It was so amazingly yummy!

Liam was the best present opener a parent could wish for. Often we wonder why it is that Gillian opens things so fast, never acknowledges them and moves on. Liam did the exact opposite today, taking time for each and every one. As evidence of his good mood, I offer the following example: Present number one was a pair of pajamas with his favorites Lightening and Mater on them. He was having such a blast that he got excited about pajamas!! Not only that, he grinned at us and pulled the pants over his face, and then laughed very hard. It was a superb moment! Unfortunately, we only got the before and after in pictures.

He loves his new train set, that took us a while to decide on. We got him the Brio Smart Track Starter Set, which combines with the other track he has already. He’s been playing with the trains a lot over the last little while and we thought it’d be great to have some electric accessories to kind of bump up the overall fun level of the train. We were right on the money, he could have been perfectly happy with the train and nothing else. He wanted to take it to bed with him tonight. Mostly so that he could play with it instead of sleeping, I am sure. Those two were like two kids on Christmas night this evening.

It really makes you feel so special to know you made them so very very happy.

Precious Moments

Cora awoke this morning at 6am, and as traditionally I brought her into my bed and laid her down next to me to nurse her. I always go back to sleep until she stirs. She stirred a lot this morning and kept sort of pricking me with her fingernails while eating. I switched her to the other side sometime in the middle (and changed her diaper). Around 7:40 this morning she sort of whimpered like something was wrong and didn't want to nurse anymore. Usually in these moments I get quite frustrated not knowing what she wants.

This morning I took my arm that was lying behind her and wrapped it around her and brought her in close to me, thinking I might switch sides again. She calmed right down and went back to sleep. It made me feel so special that all she needed was me to hold her and then she went back to sleep. In fact, Liam came in a few moments later and Cora slept the whole time I got out of bed with her until I managed to get back into her room and lay her down. She's now peacefully sleeping in her bed.

It really makes me feel so special and important to have these moments with my children.

Love is in the air .... well, maybe it's just sugar

Valentine's Day was a lot of fun this year. Cora will be 8 months old on February 30th, oh wait, there is no 30th ... so I guess she'll be 8 months on the 2nd?? Hmmm.

Anyhow, we had a blast on Valentine's Day making cookies. And Mom and Dad got to go out on a date, our first really since Cora was born. Why did we wait so long? Well, it just took that long for us to have long enough to breath and set something up. We decided on asian and finally went to PF Chang's. I think I totally ordered the wrong thing, but enjoyed it a lot anyway. I loved the atmosphere and we did have potstickers for an apetizer, they were splendid! The funny thing was I kept smelling things that smelled like what I would have loved to have eaten, but I had no idea what I was smelling.

I think it was the coldest day of the year so far, it was so freezing. We actually had snow flurries to watch as we sat and talked and ate our lunch. We're so greatful to Brenda for keeping our two little ones so we could have a real date on Valentine's Day.

Patrick bought me a ring, which had to be sent off to be sized, and instead of flowers he bought be a plant. It's a lovely Amstel King Ficus tree, it's a lovely addition to the living room. And they assured us hard to kill. Yeah! I need that.

Babies are like Animals

I'm not sure when I got it into my head, but at some point I really began to think having a baby was like having a pet. Or having several small children was like having a zoo and in some moments it seems more especially true. For example, when you bring your baby home from the hospital and every time they cry you think that there's a baby Pteranodon in your home.

I took this picture of Cora on February 7, 2007. This is Cora's baby sea lion impression. The sound that goes with it is just phenomenal and every time she does it I just crack up inside as all I can see in my mind's eye is a baby sea lion laying there on the ice whining for it's mother.

It's playground weather again Mommy!!

Yesterday was such a beautiful day. We decided to let the kids play on the playground after school. They both had a great time and I did too. I was especially happy to see so many friends there.

And my favorite photo subject was thrilled to have me photograph him the whole time. Even though I was shooting for Liam. :D

Boys love dirt ... Joshua and Liam	Joshua poses with his portable dirt
Gillian's favorite playground activity	Gillian swingin'
Secret Dirt Hideout	Liam Climbing
Liam Slides	Joshua Slides