Big Hair Betty's Blog

Serene Bean

2010-05-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

Since Serena is baby #4, there aren't as many photos of her as the other kids in her first year of life. We decided to splurge a bit and have some fun and fancy photos taken of her. Jessica and Peter did a fantastic job!! Now I've got to get her photo album together, any suggestions of which site to use, Shutterfly, Snapfish, Picasa, etc.??

It's about that time...

2010-05-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

to update the blog, post some new photos, and make an announcement!

My husband finally joined me in our 30's last month! We celebrated with an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. Remember when you were SO excited to be at a birthday party with an ice cream cake??!! It is STILL exciting! But that isn't the big announcement.

I like taking pictures of my kids when they are sleeping. It is so sweet and it just cracks me up! But, again, that isn't anything new.

(Photo courtesy of Stephanie Lutz!)

Serena is going to be a big sister! Yes, we are expecting baby #5! I am due in early November and thank God, have been feeling really good, no sickness at all! Wow!

Mommy/Daughter Bedhead

2010-04-28T22:16:00.000-07:00

Neighborhood Nice

2010-04-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

Erin had a post about their neighborhood, so I thought I would chime in!

We love our neighborhood! We have lived here for 5+ years and it is nice to have a "street" to call home. We are blessed to live right next to (share a wall with!) a wonderful family who loves our children and puts up with our noise! Another family across the street told us they love to hear our children laughing and playing outside. Although, I do occasionally have to remind the kids that our neighbors do not like to hear kids whining and crying, that keeps them in check usually. It is amazing what people living in close quarters (city living) have to endure!

It definitely helps to have common interests with others, i.e. kids, vehicles, gardens, etc. we tend to gravitate to those types of people first, which isn't always bad. We didn't talk to some of our neighbors until they had their first baby! Now, we are outside playing together and talking about parenting and life. Thankfully we had some other neighbors host some gatherings to allow people to meet and greet one another. It may be a little awkward at first, but even if you just pick up someone's name during that mingling time, your street will be that much better off. You know when you see someone walking or driving down the street every.single.day. it is just nice to be able to have a name to go with that face. I'm not so great about reaching out to the more difficult-to-know type of neighbor, but it is possible to break the ice with kindness and just being available!

We spend A LOT of time in front of our house, especially on the weekends. I also spend a lot of time in our kitchen, which faces our front street. I usually know who is home, who is at work, and when people are there or shouldn't be there! We have called the police a few times, just because there were suspicious things happening! Did you know that the more times the police get called to an area, the more they start patrolling that area? We learned that at a neighborhood meeting to address certain crime items and just to get to know the officer who is on this beat (or whatever it is called). That night also helped create an email list that our neighborhood has. It is super helpful to find out about neighborhood events, concerns, and other community items to be aware of. It also helped to piece together some bits of info the police needed as they were "watching" a certain unsavory neighbor we had. You get a clearer picture of a situation when you piece together different perspectives from the neighborhood! There are certainly times when people have called the police instead of just going over to talk to their neighbor about a problem, that usually doesn't end up with the greatest of outcomes. Problems or not, a neighborhood is almost like a family in that you have to see these people almost every single day!

Our kids are getting old enough to play with the other kids on the street. While it is fun being able to see them grow and branch out, it will be interesting to see how things unfold as there are already certain kids they are going to have to steer clear of or play with when Matt or I are around and can keep a close eye/ear on. The good and the bad of living near people, I guess!

Great Inventions!

2010-04-15T22:08:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, I (or anyone I know) didn't come up with these, but I think they are wonderful inventions for moms and families!

The first is a product by the company Boon Inc. that I have been eyeing for a while now, but just recently went ahead and made the purchase. It is the Oval Animal Bag, Stuffed Animal Storage and Soft Seat. In about 6 years and 4 kids, we have accumulated quite the stuffed animal collection. There are some that I have been able to get rid of, but others, I just can't. This bag is the perfect place to store those bears, dolls, and lambs, with easy access if a child wants to play with one or another. There are 3 zippered sections to see and access the toys and the material is super soft! I love it!

The next product is one that bought at Jellibeanz, a local children's store that buys/sells/trades new and used stuff. It was barely used and would be the perfect item to use at the beach. Gianna has been more like her big brother Ezra, super daring and adventurous, so last summer I wanted something to hold on to her in the waves, instead of her poor arm that I was yanking and dragging her around with! It is called Walking Wings and while it worked perfectly at the beach, I really didn't get to realize it's full advantages until Serena was starting to walk. It really is a back saver and your baby doesn't have to learn to walk with their arms in the air! Serena loved it (she is walking on her own now) and would bring it over to us to be able to go walking!

(Why do I talk in videos??)

Anyway, I love learning about new products that are helpful, so here I am to pass along the information! Sorry, I'm not a pro-blogger and cannot offer you these products to try out for yourself, but if you live in the area, you are welcome to try out our Walking Wings or come sit on our stuffed animal bag!

Thrifty Thursday

2010-03-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

My friend has been doing a helpful Thrifty Thursday over at her blog and I thought I'd join in!

I really get most of frugal living info over at My Frugal Adventures, but I do have a tip of my own to finally share!

When you are done grocery shopping, be sure to check your receipt before you leave the store. There have been SO many times that I have been overcharged (the computers aren't perfect) or gotten the wrong item to get the sale price (even I'm not perfect!!) and have had to go to the customer service counter to get a refund/exchange. It has taken me so many times and lost dollars (they really do add up!) to finally check my receipt before I leave the store. Just last night I was shopping at Safeway and as I was slowly walking towards the door, I realized that the cleaning items I bought weren't at the sale price (because of my mistake, the third item I picked up to get the promotion wasn't included in this specific promotion). I made a u-turn and returned the items (I was just stocking up because they were at a good price, I didn't really need them, which is an entirely different subject!), and I was on my way again. It would have cost more to buy the 2 items than to buy the 3 items together.

So, most of this necessitates knowing how much you are paying for each item going into cart and sticking to your shopping list (you ARE using one of those, aren't you??). My goal for the next month is to make a price book and really know, rather than just casually knowing, where the best deals are for certain items (I usually get my dish soap at CVS- free-$.75, foil at Walgreens- $.59), yogurts for Matt's lunch-Safeway, $.25-$.35 each, etc.). Costco doesn't always have cheapest items, cereal is one thing that I know I can get cheaper elsewhere.

Have fun living and learning the frugal way of life! It is a game that I like to play and I don't always win, but it is always a challenge!

Little Sister

2010-03-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

Serena will be turning 1 year old next week! She still seems like such a baby, but is quickly trying to keep up with her brothers and sister!

Not Too Shabby!

2010-03-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

Ran over to Safeway tonight (while Matt and the kids sat in the truck and ate their Coldstone Ice Cream, which was bought with a gift card) to grab some of these great deals!

I used a $10 catalina I got my last trip for the Frozen Food Promotion, so I paid $7.62 out of pocket and picked up a $3.50 catalina for next time. I used 11 manufacturer coupons and 7 e-coupons (loaded onto my Safeway card. I'll head back over there this weekend to get another $30 worth of frozen foods and do my regular shopping. This was pretty much a fun trip to see how little I could pay for so much! You should try it!

MANY thanks to My Frugal Adventures for lining up most of the coupons! You can check out her blog to find out what some of these terms are if you are a bit confused.

P.S. Flowers not included!

Finished!

2010-03-10T15:47:00.001-08:00

Here is the finished product! The girls have a bird theme going on in their room, so the branches actually work (they were the only things we had handy to hang the letters up!). I'm really really not much of a decorator, but this room is slowly coming together!

I Did It!

2010-02-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

I was crafty! Ever since baby #4 was born, I've hardly sewed or crafted one little bit! I've been wanting to do this name craft forever now, and finally did it! One girl name down, one to go!

Flashback Friday!

2010-01-29T22:33:00.001-08:00

I forgot I was doing these! Here are some photos of Matt and I as babies!

Sweet outfit Dad!

Matt's Nicaraguan Grandma Sonya.

View From a Girl of Two

2010-01-10T23:05:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-19T21:18:00.000-08:00

Fort

2009-11-23T23:11:00.000-08:00

I was pretty impressed with the fort I made.

He's Almost Got it!

2009-11-23T22:59:00.000-08:00

Justus is almost riding a 2 wheeler with no training wheels! Wow!

(Sorry about no helmet and no shoes..., he didn't crash.)

There were 3 in the bed...

2009-11-23T22:53:00.001-08:00

And the little one said,
I'll be 2 years old in less than a week,
I can climb out of my crib,
I'm potty-trained,
My paci has been taken,
So, can I sleep with the boys now?

Okay.

She Loves to Dance!

2009-10-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

I love it!

Cow

2009-10-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

As we begin the homeschool journey, we are excited to see which areas our children are talented at and interested in. We got this drawing/writing book for school, Draw Write Now, and Ezra has been having fun with it! Here is a sample of his work! Ezra has never really been one for drawing or coloring, he mainly likes to scribble. Occasionally, he'll turn out a recognizable piece here or there (remember his airplane picture? I don't think he's drawn one since then), but usually it's hard to get him to draw "something." He has been doing a good job with his letters and I was actually surprised that he took to this drawing book so quickly. Maybe we have a budding artist in our family? We will see! Have I mentioned that I LOVE having a scanner?

Flashback Friday

2009-10-16T08:36:00.001-07:00

Well, not exactly the same flashback, but at least we are both on trikes! Notice Matt's red striped tube socks and the CHiPs trike (with Ponch's face by his knee) that Kyle got for Christmas one year!

Flashback Friday

2009-10-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

Do they still have this van at Universal Studios? That would be fun to have our kids take pictures holding it up! Do you have this same photo?

Flashback Friday (on Sunday)

2009-10-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

We finally got the scanner set up and it has been fun going through old photos tonight! I put together a photo collage to be on display at our wedding and it was so fun discovering similar pictures of Matt and my childhoods! Here is a fitting seasonal photo! Did you know that my brother and I never went trick or treating when we were kids? We'd dress up for school and go to the little harvest festivals and such, but I was probably in 7th grade when I went out with friends for the first time. It wasn't for any religious reason, but my mom didn't like the idea of us going out to get candy! Maybe that is why I have a major sweet tooth now?? Even with the little trick or treating we do (at the mall or church harvest festivals), I'm not really excited about all the candy that we collect (and I end up eating). So, I'm not sure what we'll do this year, I'll keep you posted! I'll try to post regular flashback photos on Fridays to help keep me on track on this blog! Happy Fall!

Menu Plan Monday (on Tuesday)

2009-09-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted a menu on the blog in a while, but I have been semi-faithfully been sticking to one in the kitchen. It really does help with the shopping and general organization of how a meal gets planned and made during the course of the day. I have been having a wonderful time saving money and finding out about good deals over at My Frugal Adventures. It's like a game, using what feels like play money (Extra Care Bucks at CVS and Register Rewards at Walgreens), but is actually FREE MONEY! If you haven't started racking up the rewards, start now! In the meantime, here is our "not so exciting" menu for the week:

Monday: Red and Green Tortellinis (Tomato and Pesto), broccoli

Tuesday: Italian Pork Chops (chops, italian dressing, crock pot)

Wednesday: Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

Thursday: Enchiladas (Thanks Nini!)

Friday: Broccoli, Red Pepper, Chedder Chowder (Thanks Erin!)

Saturday: Baked Potatoes with Broc, Bac, Cheese

Sunday: TBA!

Check out more menus over at Organizing Junkie!

Kids at Play

2009-09-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

I love seeing my kids play.... together... alone....nicely.... in a clean room.... in a messy room....

It's Soccer Time!

2009-09-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday began Ezra's second season of soccer. He is very excited to be playing again and shows much improvement from last year! He scored about 4 goals (nevermind 2 of them were in the wrong goal) and is a great teammate!

Thursday's Recipe Rodeo

2009-09-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

I'm finally joining in! Nini has been hosting this fun event and I finally have a moment to sit and do the necessary clicks to participate! She posted a Slow Cooker Pulled Pork recipe and I'm going to post our favorite BBQ Pork recipe. Erin made this for us when Justus was born and it has been a favorite over the years (3 to be exact). It is from Dave Lieberman, who may not be on the Food Network anymore, but his legacy will live on in our home!

Beer Braised BBQ Pork Butt
Ingredients
For the dry rub:
2 tablespoons salt
About 40 grinds black pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground mustard seed
12 ounces good ale or dark beer, such as Bass
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 5-pound pork butt (shoulder of the animal)
Directions

Combine rub ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Rub all over pork butt. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour and as long as overnight.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Unwrap pork and place in a roasting pan with sides about 2 inches high. Cook 45 minutes until dark browned and even blackening in places. Remove from oven. Lower oven to 325 degrees F. Pour beer over the top and add chopped garlic around the pork. Cover tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil or twice with regular foil. Poke about 10 holes all over the top of the foil. Cook pork butt 2 1/2 hours longer until so tender that it comes away very easily from center bone.

Place the meat on a plate and pour the pan juice (there will be plenty) into a saucepan. To the pan juices add:
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
Bring to a simmer until reduced by half and thick, about 20 minutes.
While the sauce is boiling down, pull apart the pork with 2 forks. Pour the sauce over the pulled pork and work through until fully absorbed.

Back

2009-09-09T08:50:00.001-07:00

Wow, guest blogging is the best! I get to read an update on my own blog and I didn't even have to do anything!

We had to get a new computer because our old one (almost 4 years old) got infected with viruses and died! I had a bad experience with Norton, worst customer service EVER, so beware.

2009-08-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hi it's Giselle... I'm tired of looking at the same blog entry on Sara's blog and latetly she has been having major computer issues... so I'm stepping in.

I don't know about YOU but I love checking Sara's blog for updates, well really for updated pictures of her ADORABLE kids. So I'm obliging and adding a few cute photos of Ezra and one of Justy. These were taken at my wedding.

ENJOY!

Doing the J.Crew Kids pose.

How about a * SMILE * for the camera Ezra?

Now there's a REAL SMILE!

Justus enjoying the swing set.

Matt helping his wife give a toast!

Sara (aka Super Mom) wearing her littlest, wine in one hand, microphone in the other!

Sara: We can't wait for your computer to be in good working order so you can upload more pictures of your adorable children!

Baby!

2009-07-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

Serena isn't in front of the camera much because she is usually attached to me! Here are some photos and a video of the growing babe.

Muddy Buddies

2009-07-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

That Girl...

2009-06-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Give me that watermelon....

And then I'll smile.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-06-01T08:43:00.001-07:00

Here we are again, time to post the menu plan! Since I didn't spend much time over the weekend planning it, I'm going to fall back on some freezer items. This is definitely harder than it looks, but I can honestly say that last week went unbelievably smooth and easy in the kitchen! Here is the link to check out more menu ideas!

Monday: leftovers from the weekend (my Pizza Casserole that I took to our Midwest Themed Potluck after church wasn't too popular, even though it didn't taste that bad!)
Tuesday: Turkey Chili (turkey from the freezer)
Wednesday: Spaghetti (didn't get to make it on Sunday, so we'll have it today)
Thursday: Chicken Stew (from the freezer), make biscuits for the top
Friday: Cheeseburgers (from the freezer)
Saturday: Justus' 3rd Birthday! Lunch (and train ride!) at Roaring Camp with the family!
Sunday: Something with a whole chicken in the freezer, maybe in the crock pot, need to research.

Ugh, got it out there, now may make adjustments!

Winning is Fun!

2009-05-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

So, I won another blog giveaway! Over at Metropolitan Mama, I won a set of receiving blankets from aden and anais. Stephanie has a bunch of great giveaways going on over there, check them out! Thank you, thank you!

Big Daddy

2009-05-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

Matt is taking a sales class and the teacher told the guys that they could win a $100 gift card if they took a picture of themselves doing something out of their comfort zone. He isn't exactly a sling guy (He is wearing Serena in the sling in the photo) and he hasn't taken all 4 kids out by himself yet, so this was definitely out of his comfort zone. I did have to tag along, to be able to document the event. He did a great job, I hope he wins!

Oh Brothers!

2009-05-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

She really is an amazing sister, she didn't even cry.

"Caught on Film"

Cast:

Ezra: Photographer

Justus: Babyhandler

Serena: Innocent Babe

The End.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-05-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

I'm finally doing it! I've got my menu planned and most of the meals shopped for, it only took me about 3 days to plan. As always, meals are subject to change, but at least we've got somewhat of an idea for dinners for the week! Here is the blog I'm getting inspiration from, come and join in the fun!

Monday: Memorial Day Cheeseburgers, Broccoli (I like it roasted and everyone else likes it steamed)
Tuesday: Cheesy Potato Leek Soup, with some other vegetables hidden in the cheesiness...
Wednesday: BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches (Crock Pot), Salad
Thursday: Beef and Cheese Burritos, carrot and cucumber sticks
Friday: Chicken Divan (from the freezer)
Saturday: Leftovers, for the kids and I as Matt will be at a Men's Meat Meal
Sunday: Spaghetti (sauce made in the Crock Pot!)

The First Time

2009-05-14T15:43:00.001-07:00

It happened today for the first time... all four kids crying at the same time. I've been kind of waiting for it to happen and finally it did, thankfully not in public. We were driving home from Sand City and for many reasons, all felt the need to unleash the beasts. Ezra only lasted a few seconds as he quickly realized the insanity of it all and was able to start laughing with me. Other than that time in the car, we had a fairly pleasant shopping trip down to REI, Target, and Costco! Whew!

Shut Up!

2009-05-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

After winning my first blog giveaway, I won my second one!! For the same thing!! Yes, that's right, I won the giveaway over at "Deal"ectible Mommies for another pair of Eleven Shoes! Thank you Candace, love your blog!!

Babies with Babies

2009-05-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

Crash and Burn

2009-05-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

Top Gun was on the other night and all the boys (Matt included) were super excited to watch the fighter jet scenes. They were standing on the bench flying their jets having a grand ol' time.

The music at the end of the movie was especially moving for Gianna.

Finally!!

2009-05-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

After a year of entering blog contests and giveaways, I've finally won! YAY! Thank you to Crystal at Blondes, Poop and Mascara and Eleven Shoes for hosting this shoe giveway. Ezra will be the proud owner of the Alistair sandals, perfect for the summer!

Mission: Impossible

2009-04-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

I thought getting a decent picture of the 3 kids together was hard, 4 kids is going to be even more difficult! We may have to invest in Photoshop or something like that.

Video Fun

2009-03-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

The Greco and Legge kids wrestling with Uncle Joey.

Justus and Gianna figured out some baby stroller fun the other day. Here is Ezra giving Gianna a ride.

The proud big brother. He LOVES holding his littlest sister!

St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

Although my due date was April 3rd, I had a feeling I was going to have this baby a little bit early. Little did we know she would be born on St. Patrick's Day! We had a great home birth experience with Veronica Wagner. Serena Rene Greco was born at 10:30pm, weighing in at a hefty 6 lbs and 18 3/4 in. She is doing great! The boys have been at my mom's house in Sacramento since Friday, but until then they were loving the new baby. Even Gianna has been a very good big sister. It is amazing how fast she has grown up in the last week! God has been SO good to our family, we are overwhelmingly blessed!

2009-03-02T22:37:00.000-08:00

Ezra thought he was taking a picture of himself, but the camera was set to video.

Just a girl enjoying her chocolate!

Stay tuned for the Greco Family Band

2009-03-02T22:28:00.000-08:00

My grandfather was a music teacher/musician all his life. He'd be proud to see this!

Funny Biandi.

2009-02-20T23:25:00.000-08:00

Why does this sound never grow old?

Steamed to Death

2009-02-20T23:15:00.000-08:00

My midwife's office is right next to New Leaf, so sometimes I'll walk through the store to see if there are any good deals to buy. Today, I found some organic artichokes for $.69 each! I steamed them and then was eating them at dinner and this little guy fell out of one of the first leaves. I actually wasn't that grossed out, it could have been a lot worse, like a worm or a pincher bug. But, to have a lady bug in your artichoke, kind of cute!

Of Blogworthy Note...

2009-02-20T07:55:00.000-08:00

Giselle has started a blog!

Repetition

2009-02-06T21:36:00.001-08:00

I've already posted these on Facebook, so I'm wondering if I need to continue this blog. What do you think??

Videos are fun.

2009-01-24T22:38:00.000-08:00

Ezra could literally spend hours watching airplane videos on the computer. And not just watching, but flying along with them!

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to turn this thing. It's still kinda cute even on its side. The brothers are closer to the tv watching a morning show, while Gianna likes hanging out in the chair to watch.

A Motorbike Built for 1...2...3...

2009-01-24T22:20:00.000-08:00

Motorcycles are a popular thing in our household. Justus got to take a couple of rides up and down the street the other day. Last night, all the kids were up for taking a spin around the living room!

Lazy...

2009-01-22T20:52:00.000-08:00

Really, I'm just a lazy blogger. I pretty much use this site to bounce off to all the other great blogs out there. Here is our Christmas photo for 2008. Amazing that we are all happy/smiling and thankfully our photo software has red eye correction! Yes, we are in the same position as last year's photo. Funny to think that in this year's photo (2009) there will be a new, not so little, bundle in there with us!

Happenings

2008-12-16T08:33:00.001-08:00

Gianna turned 1 year old at the end of November. The poor 3rd child only got a small family party with balloons and a cupcake. I think she had fun!

At the beginning of December we went down to San Diego for a little vacation/business trip for Matt (he was taking a sales class). The kids and I went to the USS Midway (aircraft carrier), played at a park, and went to lots of drive thrus! Other than the kids getting sick, we had a nice getaway!

These are our kids with some friends in our "new to us" suburban! Thankfully, it didn't break down on our trip to San Diego, but just the other day while we were at the park. With the help of another friend, AAA, and my husband, we were all rescued and the car towed to the shop. Yay!

kids

2008-12-16T08:27:00.001-08:00

Justus loves his babies!

Who is this big girl???

Quite the comedian!

Q-PONS

2008-12-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

Some people make fun of me for using coupons, which I pronounce, Q-pons, but last night when I saved over $9 at Safeway, I decided it is totally worth it! I think this might be my record. The shopping did take a bit longer this time, as I wasn't really prepared (many of the crumpled coupons were at the bottom of my purse or mixed in with expired ones in my dilapidated coupon envelope). Thankfully I was by myself and didn't have to worry about the kids getting in my bargain way. At the checkout, I decided to treat myself to a 3 Musketeers Mint bar. When did candy bars start to cost $.99?? Wow! Anyway, it tasted good and was worth it. Now, I've got to go send in the 20% Timex rebate for Matt's new watch. Happy Christmas shopping and even happier savings!

Testing, 1...2...3...

2008-12-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

Did I really just post a video on here?? I'm feeling very talented. I'm a lazy poster these days, but maybe I'll bust out a few posts this week. Stay tuned...

E.T. Phone Home

2008-11-13T22:24:00.000-08:00

Yes, it was E.T. in that picture that Ezra drew. He wouldn't pose with the stuffed E.T. (which used to be Matt's when he was a kid), so Justus was happy to stand in. Ezra wanted to watch E.T. tonight, but instead we watched home videos and let me tell you how LONG it went on for.

Justus FINALLY ate all of his dinner tonight, so he was able to have some ice cream. And, he really wanted to get ALL of it!

I'm an Aunt!

2008-11-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

Kyle and Jamie, my brother and sister-in-law, had their first baby on Saturday morning. Her name is Brianne Hisako Whiteside and we are all SO excited to meet her! It is going to be very fun to see my little brother be a dad. A totally different role than I have ever seen him in, but I am confident that he will do a great job!!

Halloween

2008-11-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

Can anyone guess what Ezra was for Halloween this year? He finally got a pilot's jacket to wear so he was very happy and hardly wanted to take it off the whole day. Justus started the day being Thomas, but he really wasn't too excited about that costume. Thankfully we have all the makings for a cowboy so he was happy to change into that. I really wasn't sure what Gianna was going to be dressed up as, but finally it all came together. With some wings made out of pipe cleaners and tissue paper and packing tape, she was an angel (or while brushing her teeth she was the tooth fairy). We went to the mall to trick or treat and the boys had the funniest looks on their faces as people were putting candy into their bags. It really is like that Seinfeld routine,
"everyone we know is just giving out candy??!!" The little minds just have trouble understanding the concept. We then picked up Matt from work and headed over to our friends' church's Harvest Festival. More candy and some games and a mini bounce house. They loved it. Ezra and Justus even tried their hand at the balloon and dart game, which was actually a bit scary. Thankfully they didn't hurt anyone.

Who is it?

2008-10-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Can you guess Ezra's new favorite movie? This is the main character.

Hint: It's not a new movie. When it first came out Matt and I were kids. I hated it and he loved it.

Some Pumpkins

2008-10-20T22:56:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season to go to the pumpkin patch! Here are some photos...

For the Love of Airplanes...

2008-10-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago we went up to the city to see the Blue Angels during Fleet Week. It was the first time I have seen them and I have to admit that it was quite amazing! We viewed them from Treasure Island and they were just flying over our heads, it was the perfect spot to see the show.

Now, normally when Ezra draws or colors, there isn't much that is recognizable on the paper. He does know how to draw a really good cross (or a "t" or an "x") though! So, the other day when I made him draw his own airplane, this is what he came up with:

It was pretty funny. All of a sudden he started shouting, "I did it! I did it!" I was so proud that later on I taped it up on the door. When he saw it up there during dinner, he asked Matt who put that up there. Matt told him I had done it and asked if it was okay. Ezra said, "No, I want to take it down." Matt asked him why and was told, "The wings aren't right." Oh well, it's still up on the door and I think it is great!

(Is it me, or is it hard to write a conversation???)

Belated Pictures from Yosemite

2008-10-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

Tending the Heart of Virtue

2008-10-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

Our book club last read this book, Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child's Moral Imagination, by Vigen Guroian. I HIGHLY recommend it! One of my first thoughts is that I have been lied to for much of my childhood. Stories such as Pinocchio and The Little Mermaid aren't just movies by Disney, but really amazing and redemptive stories that have been altered by the entertainment mogul. I was a reader growing up, but definitely not so much of the classics as Guroian writes about (think Babysitter's Club and Choose Your Own Adventure). We still have a ways to go with the boys. They were almost able to sit through a reading of The Velveteen Rabbit the other night. Guroian uses this story to discuss its themes of love and immortality (the rabbit becomes "real" in the nursery because of the boy's love and then becomes Real, like a real rabbit, by a Greater Love). He contrasts the idea of "teaching" morals to that of allowing the child to discover or realize how morals are essential for building a life of character and value. There does seem to be a fine line between the two sides, especially as we are living and raising our children for Christ. We have much to learn! I am looking forward to the reading and educating of my children, so my own education will have a chance to be redeemed!

The Chariot of all Chariots

2008-09-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

Boy, would I attract A LOT of attention with this contraption!

It's the Valco Trimode Twin. First, it's a double jog stroller. Then, you attach the toddler seat at the front, so you've got a place for 3 children to sit. Theoretically, it looks like you could then attach the Hitch Hiker Ride-on Board, so an older child can stand and be pushed around as well. However, I'm guessing this might be pretty heavy. 4 children, 1 stroller, might be asking a lot. Speaking of A LOT, did I mention how much this chariot costs? With the toddler seat, a whopping $799!! Yikes!

So, way to go stroller inventors! Keep 'em coming!

Fun in the Mud

2008-09-24T08:42:00.001-07:00

Luxury Item

2008-09-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a great contest to enter for all you baby wearers out there! I've seen this baby carrier on the internet and am very curious to see how it works and WHY it is so expensive!!! It's cute, but wow, definitely a luxury item. Simple is having another great contest, hosted by babySNAZZ, where you can win one of these carriers! I've had fun browsing that site, isn't this onesie a super gift idea? Anyway, check it out when you've got a moment!

YAY!

2008-09-12T23:01:00.001-07:00

We got our gift card in the mail the other day, since our camera was not repairable. I HIGHLY recommend getting the insurance on an item like this! Unfortunately, we didn't get it in time to take on our Yosemite camping trip. I'll have to get pictures from my dad to post later. It is always great to vacation with family. My dad and his girlfriend cooked and brought most of the camping supplies for us. Matt's dad was there to provide the occasional comedic relief. They all also babysat for Matt and I to go out to breakfast at the Ahwahnee one morning. We celebrated our 5th anniversary a few days early. Matt had steak and eggs and I had eggs benedict, which was awesome!

The whole family hiked up to Half Dome! Just kidding. We just looked at it from our campsite. This was the first time we went camping with all of the kids, with any of the kids, actually. They had a great time! It is just so nice for them to be dirty, dirty, dirty, and not have to clean up! Okay, I did use a baby wipe to wipe their faces sometimes. They played in the Merced River, rode their bikes around, played with their tractors and watched the garbage man pick up the garbage each morning. Ezra's favorite part of the trip was seeing an F-18 fly around for a while. It was probably Matt's favorite part as well!

Here are some other miscellaneous photos, including some from the fateful day that our camera was dropped in the pool.

Justus loves Matt's motorcycle! He is potty trained! He loves his cowboy boots!

This is Ezra's big boy bike he got for his 4th birthday. He is totally a big boy, weird!

Priceless

2008-08-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

Testing positive on an expired pregnancy test: $.50
Walking into Walgreens with my 3 kids in tow to buy a new pregnancy test: Priceless.

I didn't walk in Walgreens, but I thought it would be funny if I did. I did take a blood test to confirm this pregnancy, wow! I don't know the due date for sure, but am guessing it will be in March. I've heard many comments, "You're brave; You're crazy; You would have made a good Mormon; You guys are like bunnies." I have a feeling that my life as I live it now is going to drastically change with this 4th baby, which isn't bad, just different. That's what this whole life is about anyway, right? Dying to self... And to top it all off, we are going to have a home birth! Yes, to the world around us, we are officially crazy!

No photos...

2008-08-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted any new photos lately because our camera fell into the swimming pool. Justus picked up the camera and before I could tell him to put it down, he had dropped it, it bounced once, and landed in the pool. Oh well, it's really not that big a deal, as this is the 3rd camera we've owned and last time we were smart enough to get the accidental insurance! Yay!

New Blog

2008-08-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying this mom's blog that I found one night. She has some really cute kids and is truly growing and challenging others in her/their faith in Christ.

I think I just gained 10 pounds from reading this....

2008-08-14T22:49:00.001-07:00

Two food posts, in 1 night!!!??? I don't post for over 2 weeks and then I come back with these! I try not to go to the Pioneer Woman too often, there is just too much to read and too little time. However, tonight I sneaked (snuck??) over there and started drooling over this. Biscuits and Gravy are probably my favorite breakfast food ever, even above eggs benedict. Seriously, her recipes just look awesome and it is pretty amazing that there are step by step photos! Great inspiration!

Rumpledethumps, Colcannon, and Bubble & Squeak....

2008-08-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

What??? We had this recipe for Rumpledethumps in our farm box newsletter today. I've never heard of it before, but I had all the ingredients and it looked tasty. It's pretty much mashed potatoes, mixed with leeks and cabbage (didn't have broccoli to put in), lots of butter and a dash of nutmeg (the recipe called for mace, but all I had was nutmeg), and chedder cheese on top! I had some purple potatoes in our bag this week and purple cabbage from last week, so our rumpldethumps dish was definitely purple! The recipe was adapted from a Moosewood cookbook, but said that it is similar to colcannon. My Joy of Cooking said that colcannon is an Irish dish. Wikipedia linked the Irish colcannon (substituting cabbage for kale) to the Scottish rumpledethumps (topped with cheese) to the English bubble and squeak (using leftover meat and/or vegetables, chief ingredients usually are potatoes and cabbage, then all is fried together). There were actually lots of other variations from many other European countries, all similar to a hash or hodgepodge of leftovers. I think next time I will put BACON in my rumpledethumps! YUM!

Happy 4th

2008-07-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

Ezra turned 4 years old on Saturday! We celebrated with lots of airplanes and flying things, dinner at the Watsonville Airport, and a cake that actually looked like a space shuttle!

Walking Freakshow

2008-07-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Matt went to the Giants game with my brother. The kids and I were going to hang out at a mall somewhere and then pick up Matt after the game. We decided to go to the Stanford Shopping Center and have Matt take the Caltrain from the city to Palo Alto. So, I wanted to go to Nordstrom and check out the Anniversary Sale (plus I was picking something up for a friend) and as soon as I walked in, I seriously had so many people staring at me/us, it was pretty funny! What was so interesting about us?? Well, I was wearing Gianna in the baby carrier and pushing the boys in the double stroller. Nevermind you that were dogs all around us (yes, inside Nordstrom!) and they weren't even seeing-eye dogs or little feeble dogs, but BIG dogs!! I guess it is normal over there to bring your dogs shopping with you, but your children, now that is just crazy! As we made our way over to the other side of the mall, I didn't even attempt to go into Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales, I did see strollers and children and more dogs. Guess where we played? In the McDonald's play area (which is indoors), after we ate a hot fudge sundae. Finally we finished walking around the mall, made our way back to our car, and still had time to kill before Matt's train arrived. I wanted to find a Target, but according to 411, there wasn't one in Palo Alto. So, we drove around until we found a park and were able to play amongst the commoners who were sitting on the grass and playing with their children. I don't think saw any dogs there (they probably have special dog parks in that city). Anyway, it was a fun adventure and hopefully we were able to show the world that you can have 3 kids and still go shopping!

Majestic What??

2008-07-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

Aren't you supposed to WANT to look like the model??

link to link...

2008-07-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

My mom is in town this weekend, so that leaves me with some free time! I just spent a good hour (if not a little more) "surfing" the contest websites found here:
http://www.prizeatron.com/
I will keep you posted if I win anything....

Bowling Baby!

2008-07-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Ezra started a bowling class through the parks and rec a couple of weeks ago. He had a personal best this week (a score of 87!) and has been enjoying seeing bowling on ESPN. Did you know that they have outdoor bowling alleys? Crazy! Anyway, Ezra continues to wear his "pilot's outfit" daily, thankfully I got another white shirt, so he can switch between the two. This other picture is what I found on his feet after he took off his shoes when we got home from the library today. I guess that means I haven't been keeping up with laundering the boys socks! Oops!

Co-pilot

2008-07-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

Ezra has recruited his little brother to be his co-pilot...

Wow! What a Contest!

2008-06-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

You know me and my constant search for a good deal! Here is a great contest to win a bevy of baby-wearing items!

CSA

2008-06-12T08:44:00.001-07:00

We did it! We finally signed up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) through Two Small Farms and have enjoyed our first week! It is wonderful that our pickup site is just a couple of blocks away, super convenient! I was worried that we would have too many vegetables to eat, but we've actually gotten through all of them (except the avocados that are still not quite ripe). My dear husband has been a champ, eating spinach and collard greens like a real pro!

Good Neighbors

2008-06-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

We are fortunate to live next to great neighbors in our duplex. I know we are noisy, but they love us anyway! Bob and Cheryl took this picture and framed it for Justus' birthday gift. It is a good one of the brothers!

Buddy Bday

2008-06-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today I was in labor with Justus Scott! He was born at 4:06pm on 06-06-06. He shares his birthday with his grandpa Jay (whose twin brother, Scott, had passed away the previous August). Now Matt's dad will always have someone to share his birthday with! We went to Toys R Us last night to spend some money that Nana Kay sent and Justus picked out a set of 6 motorcycles (I think some of them are already broken). Speaking of labor, did you catch this story on the Today Show this morning?? It is crazy, this woman was pregnant, found out there was a tumor growing with the baby in the uterus and taking up all the blood/nutrition that the baby needed, so they took out the WHOLE uterus, cut out the tumor, sewed it back up, put it back in the mom, and the baby was born 10 weeks later. CRAZY! Now that is a medical miracle if I ever heard one.

Let the kid fall already...

2008-06-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

Last night I was reading this post about letting boys be boys and I had to comment. We've already visited the emergency room two times and have had our fair share of bumps, bruises, and blood. Just today we were at the park for a parks and rec play day and I was surprised at how many moms were trying to corral my boys, to keep them away from getting hurt. I was a bit on the quiet side today, as Ezra had already taken a spill on his bike, and let a couple moms direct Justus away from an area that he might have gotten hurt (although he was playing in the same space a little bit before and there was really no danger). Ezra ended up falling again and actually got a good size drop of blood on his shorts. If it weren't for his dramatics when he does fall, it would probably be a good testimony to these moms that kids can and should get hurt once in a while. I will now be investing in one of these to keep in the diaper bag/stroller, as I keep having to borrow band aids when we are out.

Whipping Cream

2008-05-28T22:14:00.001-07:00

This week I bought a small container of heavy whipping cream. For the last 3 nights I've whipped the cream and enjoyed eating it with strawberries and when those are gone, by itself! Tonight was the best, I added some chocolate and ate it with some strawberries we got at the Farmer's Market today. SO good! I almost forgot that I also own (thank you Lindsay!) one of those stainless steel cream whippers! I've got to keep that thing filled up!

9-1-1

2008-05-26T17:35:00.001-07:00

Have you ever dialed 9-1-1 before? I have a few times in my life, never for help for myself, but others I'll see, usually as I'm driving by. One time we were driving over Hwy 17 and on the side of the road saw a lady wailing on a guy, with another lady getting ready to jump in, I think to help the other lady out. I think (my memory is getting foggy) we pulled over at the next turn out, but we couldn't really see anything. Anyway, I thought it was worthy enough to call and report the incident.

Today, I called to report (what looked like) a bum fight. We were driving on River St. (next to the river) and cars started slowing ahead of us. Finally we see 1 guy on one side of the street yelling at another guy on the other side of the street. We passed them and I turned around to see the 1 guy taking some swings at the other guy. The other guy got away and was yelling for help. We pulled into the parking lot and I called 9-1-1. One of the things I hate about calling 9-1-1 is that there is an echo, have you ever noticed that? Anyway, the lady asked me to describe the guys and it took me a while to say that the 1 attacking was African American male and the other one was a Caucasian male. It would have been a lot easier to say the black guy was chasing the white guy, but I didn't want to be accused of racially profiling or something like that. What is this PC world doing to me?? Anyway, as we were walking downtown, we could see through the parking structure and there were 2-3 police cars attending to the dispute. Crazy!

TMI

2008-05-25T23:46:00.000-07:00

Have you ever really looked into the life of an ant? It is pretty fascinating. Here is the link to find out everything you could have ever wanted to know about them. I was watering the lawn today and noticed that I had disrupted an ant home, so I got closer to check them out. There were ones with wings, ones carrying eggs, and regular ones just trying to get away from the water. Pretty disgusting. I had goosebumps then and when I was reading about them. Even though the Bible praises the hard work of the ant (Prov. 6:6), they still gross me out.

Bad Blogger

2008-05-20T16:19:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know I am a BAD Blogger. But, hopefully these pictures will make up for the last month of not posting anything!
Here is our mini-Giants fan. She went to her first game last Thursday, one of the hottest days in the city ever! Bummer!

On Friday, we went to the Aerospace Museum at the old McClellan AFB. The boys were so excited to see real airplanes, it was pretty fun! Gianna had a nice time in her car seat.

Ezra's favorite part of the museum was the gift shop, where Grandma bought him an F/A 18.

This is Ezra's favorite outfit. He calls it his, "pilot's outfit." He always wears it to school, I get in trouble if I forget to have the shirt washed. Thankfully school is only 2 days a week.
We got home on Sunday and the Legge's stayed with us for a couple nights. We always love spending time with their family and wished they lived closer! Their kids are Autumn (5 yrs. old), Ben (3 1/2 yrs. old) and Peter (4 1/2 mos.).

I'll try to be better about posting, really...

Some newer pictures...

2008-04-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

Secret

2008-04-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

Well, to go along with the last post, I have to admit that I've been catching a minute or two of the show, "The Real Housewives of NYC" on Bravo. They are obnoxious, outrageous, annoying, but it is pretty funny sometimes. I haven't watched a full episode, but with the way this station plays re-runs, I'm sure I'll know who's who soon enough. Oh Bravo, why are you doing this to me!

Reunited

2008-04-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

The Today Show was on the tv this morning as I was eating breakfast. I could hear lots of cheering and screaming and was curious to know who was on the show. When I came around and saw the faces, I instantly recognized them, the New Kids on the Block. I was mildly obsessed with them, as (most) any pre-teen girl was in the early 90's. They were my 2nd concert to attend (my first concert was a Club Mtv tour with Paula Abdul, Ton Loc, Information Society, and yes, I saw in concert, Milli Vanilli!!!). While they are no longer kids, in their mid-late 30's in fact, they still look pretty good. And, I guess they are coming out with a new album. Funny!

P.S. Could that picture be any smaller???

How To

2008-03-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

Make your own compost bin! I came across this idea a while ago and wanted to share it. This link isn't the exact same one that I originally saw, but it is pretty close. These instructions use a metal garbage can, but a plastic one was used in the first video I saw. Just poke holes in the bin using a screwdriver and hammer, fill it with the right balance of materials (see article) and then roll it around the yard every so often to mix everything up inside, and there you go! Pretty easy! I'll keep you posted when I actually get this idea going, and if I decide to put worms inside.

Bitaminins

2008-03-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

The boys LOVE their gummi vitamins and I occasionally take the time to take a leftover prenatal vitamin. I have noticed that my teeth and fingernails take a beating during pregnancy and even now post-partum. So, as a result of coupon/get-a-good-deal love, I've entered a contest at this website, Simple, to try to win some new vitamins by Beeyoutiful. (I don't know how to add the logo for this company, but I'll try to figure it out). I'm curious to see the difference between a good vitamin and a generic. Normally I'm pretty skeptical about vitamins and herbs and such, but I did recently try some herbs to help with my varicose veins, so we'll see about this new one. I'll keep you posted!

BACK!

2008-03-26T15:23:00.001-07:00

I was having some internet problems, but now I'm back! Here are some photos of the kids over the last few weeks:

Gianna in her Easter outfit, which she only wore 1/2 way through church because she had a blow out and needed to be changed.

After church on Easter, I slammed Ezra's finger in the car door and this is what it looked like a few hours later.
This was Gianna with a cold a few weeks ago, caught her just after a sneeze.

She is so good to let me put this thing on her head!

Not that quirky, but take a peek at my life!

2008-03-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

I was having fun reading about the quirkiness of my friends and I started to worry that nobody would tag me! Not that I'm that quirky, but I wanted to play to! Thanks Meris! I'm running out of people to tag, but here they are: Jen, the Brooks', Julia.

First the business:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2.Post the rules.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag at least 3 people.
5.Make sure the people you tagged know you tagged them by commenting to them.

I sway- It started when I was a nanny and has continued since I've had my own kids. I sway in the grocery store line, I sway at church even when there is no music, I sway when I am talking to people, everywhere I stand!

I use coupons- I pretty much hate to buy things at regular price. If I don't have a coupon, I try to buy things on sale. I love a good bargain. And I say "Q-pon."

I use rubber gloves to do dishes- All the time, even to wash one dish.

I have piles- I like to think my house is pretty clean, usually, but there are a few piles of "stuff" around the house, in the kitchen, next to the computer, and on my dresser. The things these piles contain are: coupons, newsletters, grocery ads, post-it notes of grocery lists, photos, bills to file away, miscellaneous papers that are just too important to toss in the recycyling. I try to go through them about 1x a week. Sometimes they merge, but there are rarely moments when the house is pile-free.

I always put shopping carts back- Even with 3 kids now, I'll purposely park next to a cart return area, or even walk back to the store with the kids after putting the groceries in the car as I hate to leave shopping carts alone, next to a car, in the planter, etc. And I hate when I see people putting their carts in these places, I want to say to them, "I hope you don't go whining to the store when a cart slams into your car and dents and scratches it."

I like getting recipes from the backs of packages- From the backs of pasta boxes, soup cans labels, magazines, etc. My favorite lasagna recipe is from the back of the Barilla no-boil lasagna noodles. Just today I was looking at a bunch of different pasta boxes to see if any recipes looked good. None did, so I just got the lasagna. It's nice being able to see the recipe and buy the ingredients that I need all in one trip!

Infant Development

2008-03-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

Today we went up to UCSC to participate in an infant development study. It was interesting, I almost laughed out loud because I just didn't understand what they were doing. They were studying how infants between 2 and 18 months learn about height, or something like that. All I know is that if they started doing something weird, Matt instructed me to get out of there fast (being the Psychology major he was, he knew how these experiments could be, haha). I was holding Gianna on my lap and we were in front of a little stage. The curtain was raised and there was a litle box and a blue tube with about 5 little red cotton balls at the base of the tube. There was a little ding (like when you're trying to click on an icon that isn't opening for you) then a hand with a yellow rubber glove picks up the box, shows us that inside there are a couple of little stars, then it is placed on top of the tube, which is then pushed up and down. Then the box is placed back next to the tube and the curtain goes down. This happened about 10 times with different a couple of different sized boxes and a red tube instead of the blue one, I was somewhat distracted as I was trying to keep Ezra and Justus quiet at my side. Gianna was happily sucking on her hands the whole time and only once looked away. When they squeaked a little toy, her attention was brought back to the stage (at least we know she's not deaf!). We were videotaped and it must be a pretty funny thing to watch as Ezra asked a couple of times, "what are they doing? why are they doing that?" Then, towards the end, he said he had to go pee. Anyway, not exactly sure what we contributed to the study, but I'm glad we were able to help out. Go slugs!

It's a Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood, sort of...

2008-02-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

I had 2 interesting interactions with 2 different neighbors today. The first was a conversation with 1 neighbor who just got back from a long road trip. I asked how it was and she asked how the baby was doing. Then, she said that her and her husband are trying again to have a baby (from another neighbor I know that they've had a few miscarriages over the years). I responded with an, "I'll pray for you" and she said, "Thank you so much." The funny thing is that I rarely say this to my friends, much less people I hardly know! So, a seed was planted, and I really hope that this couple is able to have a baby.

The 2nd interaction was later on in the afternoon. I noticed out of our front window there was a lady and her dog on our lawn. The dog was sniffing around and looked like he/she was about to do some business. I really hate when dog's poop in our yard, especially when it stays there and we have to pick it up. The lady had a plastic bag with her, but I opened the window and asked if she would move her dog to another yard. She looked a little offended and said that the dog probably wasn't going to go. I said that it grosses me out knowing that my kids play on this grass. She moved along. It wasn't until later that I realizd that this is a neighbor who lives down the street. Oops, I might not have said anything if I recognized her. It still grosses me out though.

Playdough

2008-02-21T22:28:00.000-08:00

Leah gave the boys a box of playdough for Christmas and I usually bring it out for them to play with while I finish making dinner. Today I sat down with them to play with it and it was a little stressful. I realized that I don't like mixing the different playdough colors, who would have thought I'd be like that?? The boys could care less about keeping the colors separate so I was able to follow along with them and help them build whatever it was they wanted. We made lots of snakes at first. Then, Ezra got bold and asked me to build a fighter jet. Surprisingly, I was able to craft fairly recognizable F-14, at least recognizable to a 3 1/2 year old.

Then, this is what the F-14 looked like after playing with it for about 30 minutes.

I am not a fan of the playdough smell. I'd rather eat paste. Although, I was never really in to eating weird stuff. Justus does like to nibble on cat food here or there. He's really not that weird though.

Gianna hasn't really done anything weird yet.

One man's junk is another man's treasure.

2008-02-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

On a weekly basis, I've been trying to go through the toys, books, kitchen stuff, clothes and anything else in the house to clear out what we aren't using and donate it to the California Grey Bears. Some of the hardest things to get rid of are stuffed animals! I'll pick one up that hasn't been used in a while and remember who gave it to one of the kids, and I just can't do it! If I can't remember who it was who gave it to us, it usually gets tossed, but for some reason, I picture these little critters and the faces of those who so lovingly gave them to us. Actually, one of the ones that has been so difficult to part with is the dumb, blue, ugly dog that my brother won at the Boardwalk for Ezra when he was a baby. I keep thinking that it will be funny to give my brother when he and his wife have kids. The 2nd hardest thing to get rid of is this silly little happy meal toy that makes fart noises. It's hilarious! For this one, I'm just waiting for the batteries to run out, then I'll toss it. I'm going to go fill up a bag with some stuff now.

Big Kids

2008-02-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

These kids are just growing so fast, it's crazy! Ezra learned how to ride his bike without the training wheels over the weekend. He kept saying as he was riding around, "I'm such a big boy now!" Truly he is. He's also sleeping on the top bunk, although will occasionally sneak in the crib with Justus when the light first goes out at night.

This is Ezra posing next to his aircraft carrier. It holds a couple of fighter jets, a jumbo jet, some people, and a space shuttle.

Justus learned how to ride the scooter and generally loves to have his helmet on.

Auntie Gigi (Giselle) threw a lovely baby shower for Gianna on Sunday. The group gift was a scrapbook album full of pages already decorated! I just have to put the pictures in. It is awesome, I can't wait to fill it up.