Vacation

I've been back from my mini vacation for over a week now and it feels like I never went. I hate how that happens. It goes by way to fast. Kai and I flew to Washington state to visit my sister while Thayne stayed home with the other three kids. I enjoyed every minute I spent with my sister and her family. Her and her four boys entertained and took care of Kai which made it even more relaxing for me! We did crafts, shopped and just relaxed. I even finished a huge book while I was there.
I spoke with Thayne several times a day and was happy to hear that he was doing a GREAT job playing Mr. Mom. He did tons of activities with them and they all slept in our bed every night. At the end of the eight days, Thayne was pooped and worn out but still being a great dad. He did say to me once on the phone, "Now I understand why you're so grumpy sometimes when I come home at night!". I think that was a good thing......but not sure if I like that fact that he called me grumpy....oh well. He did admit to me that he let the discipline go out the window which made it hard for me when I came home and tried to enforce the rules. I couldn't believe how naughty they were. But after about two days, I was the queen of the house again and rules were obeyed....well as much as they were before! I do have say that after the first day I was home I was ready to pack up and go back to my sister's house....but the next day was better!

Here is me and my big sister. While I was at her house one of her friend's husband asked us who was older.....I couldn't believe it!! Just for the record, I'm ten years younger than her (sorry to make a public announcement Beck!)


















My sister was so happy to cuddle, hold, feed, and change Kai the whole time we were there. It only took about a day or two for Kai to warm up to her!




















We made great traveling partners. The traveling time was long with lay overs and plane rides but she was a trooper and smiled at whomever spoke to her.

Christmas Pictures

Once again, I found matching dresses for the girls!! I think this might be the last year that is possible because Josie is moving out of the toddler clothes into the young lady clothes. I can't believe it! Here's the pictures that we sent out in our Christmas Cards!!


I could not get Josie to do a different face! She was sticking with that face, so I guess I'll be happy that she's smiling even if it's forced. I dont' think her eyes could get any bigger ...hehehe




















Isn't he a handsome fellow! Sorry the picture is so bright.



















Kaia's sisters love her so much. And, I think she loves the attention (when it's not being pushed, laid on, or dragged!).

Anniversary!

Thayne and I celebrated our 10th anniversary a couple of days ago. I can't believe it's been that long! I can honestly say that I love him so much more than I did 10 years ago. We've gone through some very hard times but have always come out with more love for one another than we started with! I think most of you know, but our first date was Oct. 3rd, 1997, we were engaged on Nov. 3rd, 1997, and were married on Dec. 27th, 1997. We know it was FAST, but we survived and have become better people and better spouses!

On our first year anniversary, Thayne planned this huge "Walk down memory lane" date. He took me to places that we went when we were dating.......except one! We drove up the canyon and stopped at this HUGE rock. He said, "Do you remember coming up here and making out right here?". Well to make a long story short, it wasn't me he spent time with at the rock! At first he was adamant that it was me, but he finally gave in and admitted that he was wrong. And...that was the last spot of the "Walk down memory lane" date so, of course, it is the one and only spot I remember! I bring it up ALLL the time....hehehehe.....and he always looks a bit embarrassed. He blames it on the fact that we got married so fast, which may be true!

Well on this anniversary we decided to go to Indianapolis and celebrate at a Murder Mystery Dinner. We both received parts in the play which was a lot of fun! The food was great and the murder mystery show was very enjoyable. We were almost at the end when I excused myself and went to the restroom. When I returned there was beautiful wrapped jewelry box on my place setting. Thayne bought be a beautiful diamond ring! It is very unique and very lovely. It even FIT, so I could wear it right away!

On the way to Indianapolis, Thayne and I each took turns telling each other why we love the other. This was a great moment, I think! We always say "I love you!" but often times don't follow it up with why. It gave me the chance to tell him EVERYTHING that I love about him and to hear why he loves me. He seriously is my hero and my true love! He knows what I need and almost (I say almost cuz sometimes I have to remind him!) always meets those needs with a smile and a hug! I feel so blessed and honored to be his wife!

We're on our way out the door for our big date!















My big surprise!

The best Santa EVER!

The Day after my Mom came we decided to take the kids to see Santa. Unfortunately, the night before we went Jaed started throwing up and had diahrrea. So, Thayne stayed home with him and my Mom and I took the girls to the mall to visit Santa. Indi was a little hesitant at first but then when I reminded her that Santa was a good guy cuz he brought them Christmas presents she was smiling and ready to jump up on his lap. She was the first one there and started telling him everything she wanted. Of course, Santa couldn't understand much of what she said but I did and I was pretty sure that Santa would bring her everything she said. Santa asked Josie to come over and tell him what she wanted but didn't let Indi down. After Josie was done reciting her list he told us to put Kaia on his lap so that we could take a picture. Kai was not very happy about the whole situation but she sat there for the picture but was ready to get off and soon as it was taken. Santa gave them each a stuffed animal and I told Santa that Jaed wasn't able to make it and he said, "Oh, I almost forgot about him. Please take him a stuffed animal and tell him that I missed him!". Can you believe that!! What a great Santa! The girls picked out the stuffed animal for Jaed and were anxious to get home to give it to him.

Indi was so loving every second of this experience! I'm a little sad that I didn't get individual pictures of the other girls and Santa.



















Can you tell that Kai is not thrilled with this experience? We didn't get a smile but we didn't get any tears as well!

Christmas Day

Watching my kids on Christmas morning brought back so many memories of my childhood. The energy they have at 6:00 a.m. in the morning is amazing to me and I can't believe I was like that at the age. Josie was the first one up and was in a room saying, "Mommy, Santa came!!" over and over and over! After about 5 minutes of it we finally got up, made them get in a line and said, "GO!" which started the race down the stairs and to the living room. When they saw their chair where Santa had left their toys they were smiling and jumping up and down with complete joy. I remember being that age and taking every gift I got and showing my mom and dad like they had no idea I got it. They were so good to look completely shocked and thrilled for me that I tried to mimic their reaction to my own kids as they showed me their gifts. Our kids didn't get very many toys this year but the ones they did get seemed to satisfy any desire they had!
Thayne showered me with crafting accessories for my card making hobby and a plane ticket to visit my sister next week! He's the best!!!!

Jaed got a marvel hero matching game that he absolutely loved! He played with this more than he played with any other toy he got for Christmas.



















Josie asked for Dora the Explorer stuff so we found this Dora house and TONS of accessories on Craigslist for a very cheap price. My mom helped me clean it up so it looked brand new. She loved it!



















Indi wanted anything that had to do with princesses so when I found this princess scooter I knew she would be overjoyed. That scooter was all over the house! The basket in front was always full of toys that she didn't want anyone to play with.



















Here's little Kai with her one and only gift (from Santa!). It was a great toy to keep her busy and smiling! She didn't know what to do when she first started pushing the buttons and it played music. But she finally decided that she liked it and was bopping her head to the beat.

Christmas Eve!

We were so blessed to have my Mom come out and stay with us during the holidays! The kids loved every minute of it and she seemed to enjoy it was well. On Christmas Eve we decided to start the tradition of acting out the birth of Christ. First we read the story to the kids (while they were bouncing on the couch, picking their noses, and playing with toys) and then we gave them each an acting part. Thayne was the donkey and Jaed was Joseph but we had quite the fight over who was going to be Mary. We finally compromised and told the girls that we would act it out TWICE so that each one of them could be Mary. Indi was not happy that she had to be a shepherd while Josie was Mary but she participated with a frown on her face. We made Kai a shepherd as well and she loved it! I guess we might have to act it out several times every Christmas so that each girl can play Mary. At least our kids will know the story very well :)!

After we had our little "program" the kids were allowed to open one present from Thayne and I. We decided that the kids would open a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve so that's what they opened. As soon as they all opened them, Josie sat down and hung her head low. I asked her what the matter was and she said, "I don't like Christmas Eve!". After I asked her why, she responded "Cuz I don't want pajamas, I want toys!". We all chuckled and explained to Josie that Santa brings the toys and he doesn't come until they are asleep.

Here is Mary and Joseph and the Donkey!



















Here was the first run through with Josie as Mary. Can you tell that Indi is not happy being the Shepherd?



















This is the second run through with Indi as Mary. I don't think her smile could be any bigger!


















After the initial shock that the present they opened was not a toy, the pajamas were a hit and they all loved them!

Our boy can DANCE!

Our church was having a Christmas party and we decided to go. They had a Christmas program and part of it included letting the children go in the back of the gym and dance while some guys played Christmas music on their violin and guitar. Thayne and I were shocked at how outgoing Jaed was on the dance floor. He had all these moves we didn't even know. I decided to grab my camera and take some pictures of him in action:

Look how much he's concentrating oh the next move he's going to make:



















He can break dance!! We have know idea where he learned this:



















He even grabbed Josie and swung her around a couple of times:



















Indi was apsolutely thrilled to be dancing with Jaed but it didn't last long. Indi wasn't going for the swing type dance:

Gingerbread Houses

Since this is our first year staying home for Christmas I decided to test out some traditions. I saw some gingerbread house kits at the store the other day and decided to get them. The thought of making the house by myself seemed a bit overwhelming but when I saw the kit, I knew it could be done! I bought two kits, one for the boys and one for the girls. It was funny to watch Thayne work on the house with Jaed. Thayne, obviously, had a picture in his mind of what he wanted the house to look like. Jaed didn't seem to care that his dad was telling him where to put everything but I think in a few years we will have to buy Jaed his own kit! Me and the girls.....well...I just decided to let them go where they wanted to go. If our house looks like it has any order at all it's because I did help decorate some and that's probably where it looks the best :). The whole time we were sitting at the table decorating the houses, Kai was in her high chair watching every move. She was darting her eyes from one group to the next and must have been concentrating a lot because we didn't see many smiles. I definitely thing this will be an event we do every year. The kids had a great time and Thayne and I even thought it was amusing!

Here are Jaed and Dad showing off their great gingerbread house:



















Here are the girls and I showing off our house:













And here is Kai in her highchair surrounded by her talented siblings:

Is that a Gingerbread man or woman?

When Jaed came home from school today he dug in his backpack and pulled out this great Gingerbread man. He was so excited to show it to us. I asked him if it was a man or a woman and he said, "Mama, gingerbread mans are boys!". Hmmm.........I then asked him what the circles were on his chest and he started to laugh. That was the end of our conversation!

(Click on the picture below to see a close up of the gingerbread man!)

Sweet Revenge

This last weekend the kids were allowed to stay up late and watch a Christmas movie (Frosty the Snowman). Indi didn't make it through the whole movie and she fell asleep on the floor. Well, we let Kai down to roam around the room and she went right for Indi. I think she was saying...."Oh my, she's asleep so nows my chance to bug her!". Thayne and were laughing......is that bad?

Kaia is ready to go at it:




















Kaia found a bottle close by, went right over to get it and crawled right back to her spot:



















I think Kaia was going to give up but then decided to try and sit on her for one last jab:

Relaxation

Thayne loves to cuddle with Kai, especially if she is drinking a bottle or ready to take a nap. It's like that gives Thayne permission to close his eyes and get a 5 minute nap or something. If they other kids are around and they see Thayne with his eyes closed, they immediately start yelling, "WAKE UP, DADDY!". It doesn't stop until Thayne opens his eyes and acts like he is awake or until I tell them to leave Thayne alone (which doesn't happen very often, hehehe).

When I took this picture, I think Thayne was the only completely clothed.....as a matter of fact.....he's usually the only one clothed when we hangin' at home:

Bath Time

We put all three girls in the tub the other night and they seemed to love every minute of it. Thank goodness there was no dunking going on! Thayne and I were a little worried that Josie and Indi might want to see if Kaia can swim or something but they pretty much left her alone unless she had a toy they wanted.

Josie has some great hair here, and Kai looks like she has no hair:












Josie never had eczema until we moved here. We get it cleared up but with a couple of days or a week it's back:

Beautiful Dress

I was shopping at a second hand store and ran across the most beautiful old fashion dress. It's obviously hand made but looked brand new. It's the kind of dress my mom LOVES. I knew that if she was with me she would have grabbed it off the rack immediately. So what did I do.......THE SAME THING!! I was so anxious to get it home and try it on Kaia. I when I did, Thayne was chuckling at me. I'm sure he was thinking...."Ally and her dolls!". When she was completely dressed, Josie came in the room and said, "Oh mommy, I want to hug her!". Then Indi came in next and said, "Mommy, Kaia looks like wonderland!". It was a great girl (chic) moment and I was glad to be able to experience it with my daughters :). Jaed did look up from the T.V. and said,"Yeah, she does look beautiful", but then he went right on watching t.v..

So here she is:

My little Elfs!

I saw this funny elf thing on a friend's blog and I thought I'd do it for my kids. Here's a quick snapshot of my little elfs:











And if you click on the link below you can watch them dance!
Dancing Elves

No More FOOD!

Feeding Kaia is a quite a chore. She takes a couple of bites and then decides that she doesn't want anymore. But, then we get up to do something else and she acts like she wants more so we sit down to feed her and she takes another bite. Then it starts all over again with not wanting any more. Here's some pictures of Kaia trying to tell us she doesn't want anymore:


First it usually starts with her just putting her head down:



















Then she goes for the fingers in the mouth so no food can get in:



















Then she puts her hands straight out and does the "stop" sign:



















She even tries to bury her face:



















And finally she goes for closing her eyes and swatting the air in front of her:

Jaed playing basketball

We signed Jaed up to play basketball with some hesitation. He played basketball a couple of years ago and absolutely hated it. He threw himself on the floor and refused to do anything. I remember Thayne and I being so frustrated and saying that we would never sign him up for basketball again. Well, a couple of months ago he asked me to sign him up. I explained what happened the last time we signed him up and told him I was afraid it would happen again but he reassured me that he would like it and would participate. So, we signed him up......and he LOVES IT! I think the hardest thing for him to remember is that it is not a full contact sport. At first, he was grabbing and tackling. It was quite funny but something that we had to talk to him about. He was a great rebounder even if it was tackling his own teammate for the ball when it was shot. I do have to say that in the several weeks that he's been playing, every week he is improving.

What a handsome boy he is. All this running is really slimming him out!




















Here's Jaed and his team. As you can see, he is one of the tallest kids on the team.












Here's one of the full contact sport pictures. He elbowed one of his own players in the face.




















Jaed is the one in the middle with the red shirt ready for the ball to come down.




















There he is (red shirt) again with his arms stretched high. He got the rebound and the other boy went down to the ground!

Ewww.....

A hilarious conversation:

Thayne: "Jaed your breathe smells bad!"

Jaed: "No it doesnt, Daddy. I just farted!"

Thayne: "Oh..."

I overheard this mini conversation and have been laughing about it all day. I thought I'd share it so the rest of you could have a chuckle for the day.

Do as I say......not as I do!

It seems like the last couple of days my eyes have been open to how the saying "Do as I say...not as I do" doesn't really work. Let me give you some examples that have happened recently:

Jaed is a very loud boy and sometimes I have had about all I can handle. So instead of saying it in a normal voice, I yell "Jaed, you are tooo LOUD!". How ridiculous is that. I want him to be quiet but yet I'm yelling at him. Hmmm......

When I clean the kitchen and wipe off the counters I brush everything onto the floor because I have to sweep anyways and it seems easier to me. Well, the other day Jaed saw me do it and asked me why I was brushing it on the floor. I explained to him that I had to sweep anyways so it was easier for me to just put it all on the floor. WELL......(can you guess where I'm going with this example?), yesterday morning Jaed spilt his cereal on the table and I told him to clean it up. He proceeded to push it all on the floor. I was dying and couldn't believe he would do such a naughty thing. I asked him what he was doing and he responded "It's easier to just push it on the floor since you have to sweep anyways!". AHHHHHHHHHHH......

Thayne and I are really bad about taking off our clothes and putting them in the dirty clothes basket (mostly because our basket is usually full and spilling over), so the clothes just go on the floor in the area of the basket. Last night, Thayne told Indi to take off her clothes and get her pajamas on. Indi took her clothes off, grabbed them and threw them in different places of the room. Thayne was so bugged. He told her that she needs to put them in her dirty clothes basket, not all over the floor. She looked at him with a confused look on her face, like she never knew that was what she was suppose to do.

We have had extended conversation about how important it is that when the kids are in the car they buckle their seat belts. A couple of times the girls have pretended to buckle and lied about it. Well, I HATE wearing my seatbelt. I know all the reasons I should and try to be mature about it and wear it but sometimes I rebel. Well, since our little talk with the kids I have been put in my place. If we start to drive the car and I don't have my seat belt on, Indi starts chanting "Mommy is not being safe, Mommy is not being safe", and she won't stop until I put the dang belt on.

So the moral of this post is that Thayne and I should be better examples to our children and not expect them to do anything different than what we do. Will we change? Hmmm....I'd like to say "YES" but I might be lying!

No HAIR!!

Kaia is 9 months old today and I'm dying that she has no hair. When Josie and Indi were this age I had their hair up in pony-tails. So, I sat Kaia in front of me and put a pony-tail in her hair. She didn't like any of it and gave me this look like she couldn't believe I was doing it to her, but I succeeded. I even got a bow in it. What do you think?

Halloween

Okay, so I've been getting nasty emails from some of you viewers, wondering why I haven't updated my blog recently. My answer........I don't have one. I intend to but run out of time and think "Oh, I'll do it tomorrow" but then tomorrow comes and I do the same thing. Welcome to my life :).

I guess I'll start by telling you about Halloween. I bought the girls princess dresses (of course) and I bought Jaed a Storm Trooper (Star Wars) costume and got them all at GOODWILL!! They were brand new with tags still attached. I was so excited and so were the kids! My good friend loaned me a flower costume for Kaia which fit great.

The Law School had it's annual trick-or-treating fest the day before Halloween. They give the kids "Evidence" bags and they go trick-or-treating at all the professors offices. It was funny to see there bags when they got home because Josie had at least double the candy that the other two did. Thayne said he caught her, a couple of times, taking handfuls of candy instead of the one piece we continuously try to enforce.

We decided to go trick-or-treating with some friends, on Halloween night, which turned out to be a lot of fun. My three kids were running from one house to the next singing "More candy, more candy!". We had to constantly remind them to say 'Thank You' and several times it was a yelling 'Thank You' as they ran away from the door on their way to another house. They were so happy with their bags of candy and were excited to get home and eat it. Thayne and I give the kids a set amount of time (usually 20 minutes), after we get home, to eat as much candy as they want. The clock started and the unwrapping the candy began. I was amazed at how much candy they could each eat in a short period of time. After the time was up the candy was piled in a bowl and Thayne hid it after the kids went to bed. He brings out a piece for each of them every once in a while but as far as they know, the candy is gone and the candy they are getting is candy we have had for a while. Being SNEAKY, as a parent, IS GREAT!!


What a dang cute flower!















Indi twirled and danced like a princess when she had her costume on.



















I did buy Josie a princess costume and she wore it a couple of times but then she saw last year's costume and wanted to wear it. I said no at first but she was very sad so I let her wear it. So, two years in a row as a unicorn and she's still so cute!



















Jaed was very proud to wear his costume. He was a "bad guy Trooper"!



















One of the houses we visited had this HUGE pumpkin in its drive way and there was guy hiding behind it with a microphone. The kids thought it was the pumpkin talking to them.