Preschool Graduation

I've put this post off for quite some time now because it makes me sad! I can't believe how old Karianna is getting, and it makes me even more sad that we don't live by her good preschool friends anymore. Karianna can try my patience sometimes, and it's easy to get frustrated with her. I regret those moments the more I consider how quickly she is growing up. I recommit every day to enjoying my time with Karianna, and the rest of the kids for that matter, because I want them to know how much I love them and how much I truly enjoy them. The end.

Alrighty, so preschool graduation! Karianna officially graduated from preschool on May 14th. She had a fantastic time with Miss Holly and all of her preschool friends. Her favorite parts were playing with friends, eating her lunch, and having free time. My favorite part was the exposure she got to social situations in a good, positive home environment. Miss Holly started the graduation by having the kids do several of their daily routines: saying the pledge, the days of the week, and singing a few of their favorite songs. Then we watched a DVD presentation of the year from start to finish. Seeing all the different activities they do from a picture-perspective just clarified how grateful I am that the spirit told us this was the right choice for Karianna's preschool year. I am also grateful we got a copy of that DVD to keep-we watch it frequently! After the DVD, the kids were called up one by one to receive their diplomas. Karianna looked so adorable in her graduation robe! We gave her a bouquet of flowers that I had arranged for her, as well as a gift bag containing a locket. She seemed so proud of herself and I couldn't help but project myself 14 years in the future to her high school graduation....oh, sadness, lets keep going here!

Here's a few pictures of graduation. I made Karianna's robe out of my college graduation robe-peel and stick seam tape works great! Her hat unfortuneately wouldn't stay on, but she didn't seem to care! I'm so glad Karianna had a great preschool experience, a big thanks to Miss Holly for providing such a great environment and spectrum of activities for the kids! And finally, we are so proud of our big, little girl and for all the ways she has grown over the last year! Kindergarten, here we come!

Dealing With It

A few days ago, I took the kids to the McDonalds play area just for something fun to do on JD's birthday. After a while, Karianna ran over to inform me that a boy was teasing her. She said he called her "nasty". Karianna proceeded to ask me if "nasty" was a bad word. :) We talked about it in quiet tones since this boy's mother was sitting right in front of me and I sent her back to play. Of course, Karianna ran back a few minutes later to tell me he was still calling her names. This happened 3 times when I finally gave her a very succint way of dealing with it: 1, ask the child to please stop calling you names; 2, move to a different area; and 3, come tell mom. I didn't know if Karianna was brave enough to try and follow through, so I was very proud of her when she marched right up to the boy in question and said, "PLEASE stop calling me names.". The boy stared at her for a minute, said "OK", and then thoroughly ignored her the rest of the time...which I suppose accomplished her purpose quite successfully.

I worry that when Karianna goes to Kindergarten in August that she is not going to know how to handle silly situations like this. She is such a sensitive little girl, and although she has a good, strong backbone, I worry that she'll get her feelings hurt. I hope that she has the confidence and integrity to stand up for what she knows is right. Maybe I'll take her to McDonalds on a weekly basis through summer just so she can practice this whole problem solving thing...

Happy Birthday JD!

JD turned 3 years old on June 1st-Happy Birthday Bud! I can't believe JD is really that old...in my mind, 3 is the official end to baby/toddler hood. And honestly, I still see JD as my little baby in some ways. He loves to cuddle up in my arms when I come to check on him before heading to bed. He gives the sweetest hugs and kisses, usually with his hands pressed against my cheeks. If he accidently knocks heads with me or something, he will gently put his hand under my chin and very sincerely apologize. I'll always remember with JD, he said "zorry" instead of "sorry" for the longest time! I miss that "zorry mom, zorry" to this day. Here's a few things JD has accomplished in the last year:

1. JD talks. A lot. And most people don't know that because that's how JD exerts his terrible twos/three-sense-of-independence-and-stubborness: he refuses to talk to people. ;) Silly kid, just this morning I asked him to tell Jared what happened to his bed, and he refused for a good 20 minutes. In case anyone is wondering, his diaper massively exploded. As soon as we get settled in the new house, those diapers are down the tube. I digress...
   



2. JD knows all his letter and sounds. I have to admit, I think that is just plain old cool, especially since I didn't really do anything to promote his learning. He learns so much from being around Karianna, and the Leap Frog ABC video we have didn't hurt. He seriously loves letters, and I just think that is great.



3. JD still loves animals of any sort, especially the kind that could rip you to shreds. He got a shark torpedo for the pool from Grandma and Grandpa L and hasn't let it out of his sight for a second. He can still spend hours with two or three animal toys, fighting them back and forth!




4. JD is turning into a very involved brother. He wants to do everything Karianna does. At the same time, he wants to play with Jordan whenever he can, which Jordan kindly endures. He has gotten very adept lately at pulling Jordan away from anything he shouldn't be touching. I love that protective nature and I really hope it continues.




5. JD loves Jesus. He loved the Easter pagaent this year and I could just sense his...familiarity with the spirit. He is very intrigued with the Easter story in general. If you want to catch his attention, just spend 10 minutes drawing out each scene on a whiteboard, and you will have JD's rapt attention. That's how we passed sacrament meeting last week in relative silence. :)




6. JD is very loving and I am personally so glad he has not lost that very innocent quality. Oh, he can be rough and tumble when he wants! But I am so glad I still have my cuddler-snuggler-hugger of a son. I really cherish those moments with JD.



7. JD is a nursery pro, but I feel bad for whoever gets him as a sunbeam! He did some rec classes this year, and though he had fun, it was a challenge to get him to sit still instead of race around the room, so much so that I decided to stop doing them until he was ready for those types of activities. So when he hits that nursery room in January, I sure hope it doesn't turn into a sunbeam race track.
   

So happy birthday to this happy little boy that I love! We started off the birthday celebrations on June 1st. We headed to Toys 'R Us to buy some clearance gifts and to walk every single aisle-talk about being in kid heaven! JD got an uber-cool balloon since it was his birthday, and then we headed over to McDonalds for a quick lunch and play break. After an afternoon swim with cousins, we had a small family party with presents, candles, and cupcakes. Very relaxed and laid back in light of our recent move, but honestly, it was a great day. I truly enjoyed hanging out with the kids and celebrating JD. Everytime I told him it was his birthday, he broke into a huge smile-he gets it. He loved opening his presents and watching Karianna blow his candles out. If you ask him how old he is, he'll tell you (unless he is opting to ignore you). JD is such a special little boy and we love him to pieces! Birthday celebrations will continue over the next week or so, so stay tuned for the rest of the activities!

Warning

For anyone who reads my blog, I'll just warn you now, there are going to be a billion new posts over the next few days. When I get sick of cleaning or unpacking boxes or trying to fall asleep, I'm going to resort to blogging! So be prepared for posts like "Moving Day #17" :) My brother told us about a cool website service that will print your blog out and bind it like a book for a reasonable price. We are so going to do that, but I have to have May completely updated before I put in the order so I can have a full year's worth. From that perspective, it is important to me to have all the little/big events recorded on the blog so we can go back and look at a good record of the 2008-2009 year. So again-be forewarned :) What a relief for me though, I have missed the relaxation factor that comes from blogging. Yeah for the nice cox guy that finally hooked up the internet after two hours of crawling through the attic!

Spare Minute

Amidst all the craziness of moving, I just have to mention real quick how grateful I am for my little family. We've run into quite a few problems that just naturally have to happen when you move; rather than get overly stressed out and frustrated at each other, I am grateful our family has managed to stick together.

The kiddos, bless their hearts, have been so good natured about packing. They've endured a lot of movie time, nap tims, and loosely monitored play time; I'm so glad they are so flexible, especially when its got to be obvious to them that changes are happening.

I'm also so grateful for Jared. He has got to be the most sensitive man on the face of the Earth. He has been so good about helping me out with every little detail of the past few weeks-taken over with the kids while I finished my masters portfolio, coming home from work each day and immediately jumping in to help, and putting up with my never ending list of "to do's". I'm just grateful for his attitude and willingness to help because it seems to make my day go by so much easier.

We celebrated our 7 year anniversary yesterday; the word "celebrate" here means "pack boxes and do laundry". But we did it together, talking the whole time and reflecting on the first 7 years of our forever. So at the risk of sounding mushy, I love my husband so much and am more in love with him today than ever. I packed my wedding bouquet last night-it has not only survived 7 years in one piece, but 5 moves, soon to be 6. That's gotta mean that we are in for the long haul! :)

So despite all the stumbling blocks, I am grateful for those things, and there are tons more things I am bound to be grateful for over the next few weeks as well. I have tons of things to blog about as soon as we get internet at the new house (not to mention some free time). Stay tuned!

Just For the Moms!

Happy Mother's Day! In order to commemorate this event, I had to share the following...it is just for the moms out there, so if the husbands can stomach it, good for you!

While getting the kids dressed for church, Karianna decided to put my bra on Jordan. If that wasn't funny enough, she then said the following:

"Happy Mother's Day Jordan! I'm giving you a breast for a present-now you can be a mommy too!"

Yahoo!

What a gorgeous day for swimming! Our whole family decided to take a break from everything and head to the pool for our first afternoon of swimming since the kids and I attempted it in early April. Karianna found out that she is tall enough to stand in the shallow end of the pool! Yahoo! That means she feels much more comfortable swimming without floaties. She was starting to get the hang of it last summer, but was still very unsure of being in the water unsupported. It was great to see how confident she was today, bopping around on her own and using her height to support herself independently. Granted she still needs to be monitored very closely should she stray past the 40 inch mark, but I think this will be a great step for her swimming skills. Yahoo again!

What Seems to Be My Weekly Update

I never thought I'd see the day where I was updating the blog once a week :) Hopefully once we are settled in the house I can indulge in this more-I miss it! So for our journaling purposes, here's a random update on our family.

Jared is finishing up a difficult class before he takes the summer off-I think he is counting down the seconds until that break begins! I am finishing up my masters portfolio and will be completely done with it by the 15th whether I like it or not! I love my studies, but it will be wonderful to have this accomplishment done. Both of us are just trying to keep our wits about ourselves trying to pack up in between our studies and work; I am hoping that getting everything organized first and cleaning as we go will ultimately help the actual box packing and eventual sanitizing processes go a little smoother.

Karianna is about to hit a landmark-preschool graduation! That event will be happening next week and I am excited to build it up for her throughout the week. At some point I'll have to post a huge "graduation" post for her, myself (authored by Jared hopefully), Uncle Robby and Uncle Stevie. Karianna is also finishing up her last tumbling class here in Phoenix and I love watching her do her thing. Even though this is beginning tumbling, she has progressed so much in simple things like hopping, balancing and stretching. I'm excited to see how she does when we start swimming lessons this summer! I think Karianna is feeling a bit sad about moving-she's seems a little sad all around and I can't blame her. She has a good group of friends I know she will miss a lot. I am trying to really give her good mommy snuggle time every day and I think that's helping. Cute Nana story: while in the car, Karianna wanted to know why she has sharp teeth and flat teeth. I explained in part that the sharp teeth are used to tear things like meat. Karianna said, "Oh, like spam." Of all the meats she could have named, that's the "meat" she came up with! Had Jared heard that comment, he might have passed out. :)

JD grew up a little bit a few nights ago. He does not have a nurturing instinct with his stuffed animals. They are usually trying to body slam eachother. When I came in to check on him a few nights ago, I found him scrunched in the corner of his bed, fast asleep, with no blanket on at all. That's odd for him. I realized he had sacrificed his comfort to tuck in his Goofy, Mickey, Pooh, and Tigger stuffed animals. They were carefully arranged on his pillow with the blankets pulled up to their chins. It was so sweet and made me realize JD is growing up! He has also been waking up a few times a week with "owies in his feet". We think its growing pains and rubbing his feet a bit before sending him back to bed helps-it will be something I ask the doctor about at his next appointment. I think JD's favorite thing right now is letters-he's pretty obsessed, which is great! Any game with letters is right up JD's alley. He is turning 3 in less than a month now and I am going to bet out of the whole family (including myself) that he will be in the pool the most this summer. Such a sweet boy-I love JD kisses and hugs. When Jared gives me a break and puts the kids to bed, he always sends JD running down the stairs to wish me goodnight. I have to smile when I hear those footsteps rushing down the stairs-JD comes racing into the room, strikes a Kung Fu Panda pose, and says in a sweet, yet mischevious voice, "Good night Mama-I love you!" Then he races back up the stairs. Classic JD-I need to record that at some point.

Jordan is such a character. I can't remember if the other two were like this, but he is truly a character. That's something my Dad would say. ;) Jordan is such a joyful baby, and seems tickled anytime he can unpack and repack my boxes. He's started to add several words to his vocabulary, including "ka-ka" for cracker, "ru-ru-ru" for ruff, ruff, ruff, "eh-meh" for amen, "mwha" for any kiss, and "dah" for dog. He follows directions so good; thankfully "clean that up" is one of them! You can see in Jordan's face that the coolness about walking has not worn off yet. He has a funny skipping run now when he wants something desperately enough (like food or milk or food) and he has adopted the funniest laugh I've ever heard from a baby, which is even funnier when you play echo with him! I can't help but crack up when he starts laughing from the backseat in the car because seemingly nothing is inciting the laughter-its almost like he's trying to get me to laugh back at him. Maybe I have a class clown on my hands! Jordan finally finished nursing about a week ago, and though I was nervous that our relationship would change, he has become such a loving boy. He likes to lean in and give me kissies and just lay down with me where ever I may be. Those are the kind of pick-me-ups during the day that every mom needs. Sounds like I have a perfect baby right? Just to dispell that myth, Jordan is currently sporting what I call "booger caterpillars" under his nose with cracker crumbs mixed into it. Gotta love it!

That's whats up with us for now-the next two weeks until the move are bound to be nuts, hopefully I'll have a chance to do a few more posts before we are officially Mesa Bound!

The Business of Busy-ness

Okay, I am procrastinating for 2 minutes and ignoring the boxes laying around the house. Our family has been so ridiculously busy the last few weeks, and it is only going to get worse! Jared's in the middle of a very difficult class right now; the kids are finishing off their last rec center classes; I am working on transitioning primary responsibilities since my release last week; I am also finally submitting the last part of my masters portfolio in a measely two weeks; and of course, we are trying to pack everything in an exceptionally organized fashion.

Maybe the hardest thing of all is making sure life is still normal for the kids amidst all of that busy-ness. I try to talk to them everyday about moving details so they are fully informed and not surprised when we make the transition in 3 weeks. I do my best to let them pack and help clean without losing my patience :) I barely even let Jared help with the packing-I need to know exactly what goes in each box! Maybe I need to let that go? I'll think about it.

I'm also trying really hard to stick with our normal routine, which includes a lot of kid-parent time. That one has been hard and being the Rachel that I am, I go to bed feeling guilty about the time we didn't spend together. Argh. Maybe I should have just hired professional movers to do all the work without judging me for what might be under the couch cushions or stuck to the carpet.

I am counting my blessings though from the standpoint that staying active and busy all day keeps the nausea away...wow, I think I just came up with a new motto? Wonder if I could stencil it on a wall in the new house just so I can make it through pregnancy in general?

I am also excessively thankful for a husband who understands that I need some alone time when he gets home. Thats the time when, regardless how busy I try to stay, nausea and exhaustion just overwhelm. Jared has been so good about making dinner, putting kids to bed, I don't know what I would do if I couldn't count on my snicker time each evening (you know, "Wanna get away?"). A few days ago I was having a massive bout of anxiety over moving to a house with a pool. I couldn't get the terrifying images out of my head-all dealing with the kids of course. Jared gave me a wonderful blessing that helped me refocus my faith. I really appreciated that from him and I am so grateful to have a worthy husband.

And finally, though maintaining patience is a daily battle, I am grateful for my kiddos and how well they are handling things thus far. They are wonderful and they make me smile everyday-that just helps tons! So on that note, I have to share just one anecdote that was the shining moment from yesterday.

A huge part of yesterday's job was gutting out the master bedroom-tossing what we don't need, boxing what can go to Goodwill, and packing what I consder to be nonessential for the next 3 weeks. In other words, tons of cleaning. Jordan watched me clean for a few minutes and I was tickled when he started picking up garbage and exhuberantly shoving it in the garbage bag. With my little helper fully engaged, I got busy discarding hole-y socks. When I had a good pile of socks ready for the garbage bag, I realized that Jordan had overdone his cleaning job. In the garbage bag I found: 3 shirts, 4 unused diapers, 1 hanger, 2 books, a stuffed elephant, and about 7 pairs of socks-good ones. No way in the world could I get frustrated at him, it was just so adorable. So thanks for the help Jordan and thanks for making me smile!

Allrighty, procrastination time is done-back to the business of busy-ness.

How To Clean Your Bathroom

Jared and I are pretty good about having Karianna be responsible for keeping her room and her bathroom clean. She's pretty good about it, sometimes to the point of being downright obsessive compulsive. The following conversation ensued after naptime today. I don't have too many lines because I was laughing so hard.

Karianna: Guess what I did during naptime?

Rachel: What?

Karianna: I cleaned my whole bathroom!

Jared: Wow, all by yourself?

Karianna: Yup!

Jared: Did you use soap?

Karianna: Yup!

Jared: What did you use to wipe it with?

Karianna: I used a toothbrush!

Jared: Did you clean the toilet???

Karinna: Nope, I just used the toothbrush to clean the sink and the counters and the mirror and the floor.

Jared: Where did you put the toothbrush when you were done?

Karianna: Back in the toothbrush cup with JD's.

Jared: But Karianna, your toothbrush has germs on it now.

Karianna: DAD! I don't even know what germs look like, and I didn't see any, so its okay for it to go back in the toothbrush cup.

I could be wrong, but I think Jared and I were not clear enough about the art of cleaning a bathroom.

Just for Grandma!

Karianna decided to spend the rest of her money jar funds at the Disney Store today. After much contemplation, she settled on this nightgown, which incidently matched some snow white shoes she already had. The belt was just a purely Karianna touch. She wouldn't be my daughter if that belt was missing, to be honest. Grandma Erickson asked us to take a picture, so here it is!

Bring On Reality TV

Jordan loves to dance. He has his staple move of pointing with both index fingers and just shaking his arms up and down. He has recently added a squat mid-point. Its funny because its not a quick up and down motion like you might imagine, its a slow squat. At times, he'll pause in the middle of a squat for, like, 10 seconds while still shaking his hands. It's pretty hilarious-the kid is going to have quads of steel!

In order to get him to dance today, Karianna started singing the Barney theme song, which eventually morphed into Bingo (don't know how). Well, that version of Bingo turned interesting very quickly:

"...And Bingo was his name-o: B-I-embryo! B-I-embryo! B-I-embryo..."

And I suppose Bingo was still his name-o, because I don't know how to pronounce "Biembryo".
All I can say is I've got two reality show stars on my hands: the judges of American Idol would be impressed with Karianna because she is making a traditional song her own. Don't think anyone could deny that. The judges of So You Think You Can Dance would be impressed with Jordan simply because of his stellar dance moves-the sqaut is seriously cool. Anybody got any ideas for reality shows that JD could go on? I wouldn't want him to feel left out.

Who Can Take a Rainbow....

Karianna did an Easter Egg hunt today at preschool and was very excited about the goodies inside. However, that initial excitement paled in comparison to the unspeakable joy she felt when she discovered she had gotten a Willy Wonka Chocolate Golden Egg!They do exist! This was the exact face she gave us when we read the label to her.Karianna loves Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, both versions. The other day during Show and Tell time, she chose to explain to her preschool friends who Slugworth is and why he really was not a bad guy. So yeah to Miss Holly, she hit the nail on the head when she put chocolate from Wonka's factory in the plastic eggs!

The First Swim of the Season

What I learned from taking the kids swimming in April: it's too cold to go swimming in April, even if it is 92 degrees.

Nonetheless, the kids had a blast; I'll let the pics do the talking!

We were sad to see the baby pool out of commission.

Nonetheless, the kids ventured into the big pool; this was all they were willing to do at first.

Starting to get a little bit braver and take it down a step. This was more than I managed.

Karianna started playing a game where she would inch down to the third step, start screaming "It's cold! It's cold!" and then leap back up the stairs only to break into raucous laughter.

A good amount of splashing ensued from the deck.

And of course, they had to check out the collection of dead crickets in the drain.

It was bound to happen-Karianna was the first to slip off the step and submerge herself into the pool! She kicked her way back to the step and JD, being the loving guy he is, offered a hand of help while asking her, "Are you all right, Nana?"

Undeterred, Karianna started up a game of "chase" with JD on the ledge that wraps around the pool. And of course, JD was the next to slip off the ledge and find himself flailing in the water. Karianna pulled him back to the ledge. What nice kiddos I have! After that, JD "fell in" everytime he hit this point in the chase circuit. He was cracking up each time, so funny!

All in all-we will probably not go swimming again until May-ish. But the first experience was fun, certainly well worth the pics!

Stop It!

By which I mean, stop growing up!!!! Why does that have to happen so darn fast?!?! I have a constant goal of enjoying my kids more every day while they are still kids. Today is no exception to that general rule! Karianna's charter school for next year requires uniforms (which I am toally okay with). They wear red or white tops with navy blue on the bottom. I never realized how difficult it can be to find stuff that works! We finally struck gold at Burlington Coat Factory today for cheapo prices; Karianna put on a brief fashion show for me and I wanted to share those pics because darnit, she is growing up so fast and I thought the blogging world could share in my "Stop It!" attitude! Here's a few shots of her-no red stuff yet, which is unfortunate becuase I won't buy more than 2 white shirts to go under her jumpers-what's the point of having white as one of the colors? It's going to get dirty in seconds anyway. Sorry, I digress. Here's the pics!

Blog Worthy

Although JD's hair really is not that long, Karianna decided today that it was too long for a boy and proceeded to make the following comment:

"JD, your hair is too long-you are turning into a GIRL!"

It was followed by peals of laughter from the adults. That's been the running joke for the day.

Random Reflections

1. I am not doing a very good job of instilling good cleaning habits in my kids. I am so pooped out all the time that the house has gotten very messy; the kids seem to be picking up on that and that just can't be good. I've got to figure out how to find enough energy to keep things picked up so it doesn't marr my kids forever!
2. I don't want JD to change. He has been such a loving little guy for the last month or so! The first thing he does in the morning is crawl into bed with me, snuggle up in the crook of my arm, and refuse to leave. He'll come up to me at random, put his hands on my cheeks and say "I love you mom". Most recently he locates me wherever I am and tells me that he is "sickie", which I gather to mean he just needs a big hug, which I gladly give. I love his cuddles and snuggles, especially on days when I need them. So maybe if I wish for it hard enough he'll never change!
3. Poor Karianna. She has had a tough week. She has several canker sores in her mouth, and as a result, she hasn't eaten much more than applesauce and slim fast for 4 days. If she talks, she does so without moving her bottom lip. Try reading this sentence out loud without moving your bottom lip-funny, right? Poor girl. As if things weren't bad enough, she tried to climb on the treadmill with Jared two nights ago. He was in a full out run. We were lucky, and Jared got the treadmill off fast. Her shoulder had gotten stuck underneath it and now has an awful rug-ish burn on it. She says it doesn't hurt at all, but man. Talk about a yucky week. I feel so bad for her everytime she looks longingly into the fridge or tries to talk!
4. Despite number 3, I think I can now call Karianna a beginning reader! Woohoo! She is finally getting the concept of sounding out words. It has to be short vowel CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant), but she is getting it without any help now! I'm just so proud of her and her progress. I gave her a challenge word today-"shot". She needed a little help chunking that one, but she was so proud of herself once she got it. She then excitedly drew a picture of a girl getting a shot with a HUGE needle. I am not sure if her glee about the picture was something to be concerned about... :)
5. Jordan, as cute as he is, is hitting a stage. I would like to call it an irksome stage, but lets be positive. It's the stage where he likes to do things simply because I've told him no. Once he has defied me, he runs away smiling from ear to ear. Sigh. Cute at first, but now entering the stage of wanting to introduce time out. Good thing he still enjoys a good cuddle like JD-takes the irksome out of it. I love the word irksome.
6. Jared is a saint of course. I don't think I have been that easty to live with lately. Jared comes home from a long day at work only to encounter a wife who is done with kids. Period. He hasn't complained once! He even goes the extra mile to make dinner for us while I escape to non-kid land. He gets the kids in bed, even sending them into my room to say good night and I love you. That's gotta be in the realm of sainthood. In my book anyway!
7. Tomorrow is General Conference, and I am very excited. I think I need some spiritual uplift. We are in the middle of so many decisions and changes that remaining close to the spirit is just essential. It seems that whenever we make big changes, the adversary kind of attacks in multiple ways. Some of those ways leave me very sleepless. So hearing the prophet and other general authorities speak tomorrow will be a welcome event. Channel 6 or 61, 9 AM!
8. That's it for my list. Blogging is good therapy. If I had a piano, that would work too. Or a heated pool. That would be lovely!

Sneaky Kids!

When did my kids get so sneaky?!? One of our Easter traditions is to put a book or two in the kids' Easter baskets. So in order to get them books I know they will like, I usually let them mill around the book section at Walmart while very carefully observing which books they attach themselves to. While they are so engrossed, I covertly sneak another copy into the cart, hide it with random food items, and giggle as they sadly put their books back on the shelf, convinced they will never see them again.

Yea, so much for my undercover ops. Not five minutes after I "hid" this year's book choices in the cart, Karianna had put her hands on her hips and exclaimed, "Mom, did you put a book surprise for me in the cart?" JD was on the other side of the cart throwing aside a box of Eggos and string cheese to uncover his book. Man! I need to figure out a better time to shop sans kids so my surprises can actually remain surprises! At least Jordan's book will still be a surprise-he was so engrossed in pasty animal cracker residue that he didn't notice anything at all.

Mainly For Jared

I spent about an hour today creating a not-to-scale map of the house we are moving to in May. It's about 450 square feet smaller than our house now and only one story, so I've been racking my brain on how to arrange furtniture, kids, and toys. All of our toys now are contained in the loft or in a walk in toy closet, neither of which come with the new house; time to get creative, eh? Anyhow, figured Jared might want to look at this and since I can't wait until he gets home, it gets to appear on the blog. Jared, click the picture so it will enlarge for you and tell me what you think. And seriously, this is not drawn to scale...though not too bad either.

The Dream Becomes a Reality (Maybe)

Karianna drew a picture the other day:

As you can tell from her labels, its a picture of me, Karianna, and Sara. Who is Sara you ask? Well, Sara is Karianna's little sister that just isn't born; if you ask Karianna, she'll tell you baby Sara is in heaven and she'll come join our family when Jordan is bigger. All of Karianna's old clothes go into baby Sara's box. If Karianna outgrows a toy or a doll, she'll add that to the box, graciously stating that baby Sara can play with it when she joins our family. Karianna knew full well that baby Sara wasn't coming anytime soon, but it has been fun for her to plan ahead, so to speak.

We are now at a point where that dream is becoming a reality since (if you didn't already know) we are now officially expecting baby Sara....or Joshua. If its Joshua, Karianna is going to have to have a major paradigm shift. Baby is due October 22nd and we are certainly excited to get into the craziness that we believe will be a family of 6. Question for everyone: how do you go anywhere with 4 children ages 5 and under? I'm still working on that. Any suggestions would be helpful.