The Fourth Of July Two Thousand and Nine

What a fun day. We were given this to play with and we thought it was a pretty big pool. To our surprise, it happened to be a Banzai Waterslide! Hel-lo! We had a blast.

Look at her go! She loved it. I guess the waterslides in Utah really helped prepare her for this fun adventure.

Mommy and E getting ready for a big splash.

The boys got to ride without Daddy. It was very funny. I think they liked it...well maybe? Probably not. But me and Aunt J were at the bottom catching them. It was like catching a greased pig being shot out of a cannon.

Daddy and E

Aunt J making a splash.

Uncle G ready for the thrill.

Cousins E and C playing with E.

Basking in the sun.

Didn't take her long to learn the climb herself.

Daddy rolling himself down.

They all enjoyed the pool.

What a fun day.

W at the Hospital

W has been at the bottom of the growth charts since birth. This fact has never bothered us nor worried us. But back in January, our doctor was getting somewhat concerned that he just wasn't gaining enough weight. She wrote in her charts- Failure to thrive- and gave us paperwork to get a few tests completed at the hospital. Well, we thought she was jumping the gun somewhat. He's always been on the small side, and yes, difficult to feed, but developmentally on track. We decided to wait until the next check up to see if he gained weight. Nope. He was getting slightly taller, but no significant weight gain. We still weren't concerned though. It wasn't until our Temple Sealing with all the kids dressed in white, that we noticed W looking a little yellow. That is when we started to become a little concerned. So...

We made it to the hospital where they completed a few chest x-rays, blood work, and a urine analysis.

The two ladies working with W for the chest x-rays were wonderful. He was smiling, laughing, batting his long eyelashes...the little flirt. He knows what he's doing too. Those ladies were oooing and ahhing over him. In the end, he got a soft teddy bear and lots of hugs.

The next two ladies, although somewhat nice and extremely chatty, just didn't get the smiley, flirty W. These ladies touched him with rubbery blue gloves, tied a rubberband around his arm, and stuck a big fat needle in him. Scream! He was not happy with these two ladies.

The loving and always concerned Big Sis to help him feel better. It was so cute.

These ladies also told us that we were responsible for bringing in our own urine bag. It's a bag that literally sticks to the infant to collect urine. What? They actually wanted me to get a bag from our doctor's office and come back another day. I don't think so. I stood my ground and insisted W have his test done right then and she can go find a bag for his urine.
She did...in like 40 seconds.

Poor W had a horrible diaper rash. What timing, huh? So, here comes the lady with the blue gloves. W began to cry. She wiped off his diaper cream and stuck the bag to him, which literally sticks to the entire bottom half of him. As we waited for the urine to appear, W ran around and drank water. It only took about 20 minutes for the bag to drop to his ankles as it filled. Unfortunately, the lady had to peel off the bag from his raw bum. OUCH! That didn't feel so good.

As an update, everything came back normal except one area dealing with his liver. It was elevated, so in 3 months we'll get more blood work done.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Our traditional outing to the ballpark was a lot of fun this year. We took E's cousin with us and they loved being together. They shared snacks, danced, sang, cheered, and ran after...

This guy! The big green grasshopper mascot.

The joy he brought the girls was surprising to us. Daddy walked the girls across the ball park to get close to him and wave. That evening, we stood in line, waiting for a glimpse, another wave, or a chance to even say hello. We were first in line and when the girls saw him running towards us they began to scream with delight!! He literally smothered them with hugs and "kisses". On the way home, she talked as if they were best friends...and he is still brought up occasionally..."that funny guy."

Swimming

The weekend of O's birthday brought a heat wave. My ingenious father got ahold of an enormous tub at his work. He lined it with thick plastic, filled it up, and ta-da...a pool for the little ones. What a hit!

E is now going under water for more than a split second. We taught her how to plug her nose and she goes under, kicking her legs.

Scared to let go of the side, W smiles at Mommy.

O has never shown fear. He was all over the pool.

Big O's Birthday Bash

I can't believe it. Our baby is ONE! Although he is the height and weight of the average 2 year old, he's still our sweet, cuddly baby boy and we just can't believe he's ONE!

We hung our traditional birthday banner.

O is our monkey, ape... gorilla. He clings to you, walks like one, waves objects over his head as he walks, and he has grunted like one since birth. So naturally, I made monkey cupcakes.

Pretty cute, huh?

He didn't hesitate. With a fist full of cupcake, he dug in to sweet goodness.

As usual, he has a little too much in his mouth.

You're not eating this, right?

Even with his forehead still bruised from Utah, he's so handsome!

After a bath, he opens his fabulous present, the Leapfrog abc spinning wheel thingy. It was as if he got gold. All siblings and cousins were continuously plotting to take it from one another.

Crazy 8's

Crazy Eight Tag- J tagged me about a week ago. I bet you were wondering if I was going to play! Here goes.

8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. when daddy comes home
2. sewing
3. going to target by myself
4. ethnic foods cooking class
5. sleep
6. nap/quiet time
7. the beach
8. fall-cool weather, sweaters, and jeans

8 things I did yesterday (very exciting, I know):
1. fed and clothed my kids (always adventurous)
2. watered the garden
3. read a book
4. checked email/wrote a blog entry
5. got the mail (while the boys cried out the window)
6. made dinner (yummy Thai)
7. cleaned the Bonus Room
8. played Candy Land (and lost)

8 things I wish I could do:
1. fix anything
2. reconstruct, decorate, or redecorate my house
3. keep my house spotless and organized
4. ballroom dance
5. exercise regularly
6. have the time to sew more clothes
7. find a cheap, but nice swingset for my kids
8. read more

8 Shows I watch ( Not all on the same day or season) :
1. Super Why
2. Sesame Street
3. Curious George
4. So You Think You Can Dance (LOVE)
5. Lost (fan since 1st show, 1st season)
6. Biggest Loser (occasionally)
7. Masterpiece on PBS (Austen, Bronte, Dickens movies)
8. Amazing Race (fun to watch)

8 Favorite fruits:
1. watermelon
2. Fuji/Gala apples
3. red grapes
4. strawberries
5. pineapple
6. dried mango
7. cherries
8. peaches

8 Places I'd like to travel:
1. Switzerland (always loved)
2. New Zealand (always interested in)
3. Italy (heritage, food, art, history, architecture)
4. Prince Edward Island (always loved)
5. Hawaii (beautiful islands, beach)
6. England/Scotland (rich with history)
7. California (old stomping grounds)
8. Mexico or Spain OR Iceland!

8 Books I've read:
1. Messenger by Lois Lowery
2. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
3. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
4. The Host by Stephanie Meyer
5. The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley
6. Simply Living Smart by Anitra Kerr
7. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
8. The Invention Of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

8 People I've Tagged (hmmm)
I tag anyone who wants to play! And I could give you 8 reasons why I chose to do that, but I won't. ;)

The Beehive State-Part 10 of Our Trip

The return home... it was a sad day for all. We were going to miss our family and all the fun times. To this day, I still laugh over the heated confrontation between Hot Chocolate and her car's On Star. It refused to comprehend the command of calling home. "Eight," she said very clearly. The On Star couldn't grasp it. "Speak slowly," it reminded her again. "Eeeeiiiigghhtt!" she clearly and slowly yelled into her rear view mirror at On Star. Our desperate plea to call home lasted about 20 minutes before we were filled with frustration, but laughing hysterically. Thank goodness it wasn't an emergency.

You know, making sure all of our belongings could still fit in our luggage and weigh under 50 pounds was stressful. Thank goodness we had a kind woman helping us. Either she took pity on us or we made her day by giving her lots of smiles, but when our suitcase lit up as 53 pounds, she smiled and let it slide right by. Hooray!

Daydreaming of her grandiose time in Utah.

O, climbing onto everything. It takes a lot of effort for this big guy.

And poor W. The crying began before boarding...and didn't stop.

The belt is buckled and we're ready to take off.

The thrashing had begun. It was a long trip home.

When we arrived in NC it was almost 9pm. We were all tired, especially the kids and we still had to collect our luggage, car seats, and retrieve our car. When A left us to get the car, I was feeding the kids some snacks outside the airport. Between bites, the boys continued to cry, but E was in good spirits. She was dancing along the sidewalk, shouting out for Daddy. She was actually calling out for Uncle A, which is what she still calls him occasionally. (She also calls me by my first name, however she mispronounces it, which is funny). "Uncle A! Where are you?!" "Uncle A, come back!" "A! A! Where are you?!" Everyone turned to stare, laugh, or comment...even those across the street catching the buses. I was so far beyond caring what she was doing at this point in the journey. As long as she stayed clear of the street, she was fine. It was entertaining actually. We finally arrived home well after midnight. Phew!

We had a great time in Utah and we absolutely loved staying with our family. We miss them terribly and wish they lived closer. Hopefully, we can go back again and start the adventure all over. Let's hope we don't have twin babies in tow.

The Beehive State- Part 9 of Our Trip

Our Beautiful Birthmothers!

We were so excited to see W's Birthmother,C, while we were in Utah. Between naps and work schedules, we were able to meet at a beautiful park near her home. We spent a couple hours playing, blowing bubbles, taking pictures, throwing the bomb-like whistle football, and just chatting. It was nice to reconnect with C and her family.

We were also blessed to visit with E's Birthmother and family. Our schedules were such that were able to enjoy a yummy brunch together. We chatted, took pictures, played outside, and our cute little E even showed off a few dance moves.

E was cheesing it a little too hard, M (far left) was laughing because he kept receiving wet willies from O, and L, E's Birthmother, was such a good sport holding onto our wiggly W.


Spending time with these ladies and their families was definitely a highlight on our trip. What a great opportunity it was to visit with one another. We just love our Birthmoms and their families. They hold a special place in our hearts. We're so grateful to them and love the fact that we now have these fun memories to share with our kids. Thanks ladies!