The Gray Family

Anniversary Trip

2012-01-24T15:52:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago (on January 5th) we celbrated our 10 year anniversary. I am still trying to figure out when we got old enough to be married for 10 years :>) Rich had to work that night, so we just went out to dinner. We were excited to take a trip soon though! When my mom asked what we wanted for Christmas, we asked for babysitting. Fortunately for us she obliged, and she and my sister came over to watch the kids while we got away for a couple of days! We left Friday afternoon, and were able to go do a session at the L.A. temple (where we started this whole crazy journey 10 years ago). We took a picture of us standing in the same place as one of our favorite pictures from our wedding day (thank you Pinterest!).

Afterwards, we checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club in Redondo Beach (which would normally be a bit out of our price range, but I found a good deal on Living Social). It was beautiful!

The weather Friday night and Saturday morning was cold, windy, and rainy. We braved the weather to take a walk on the pier (I know, my hair was CRAZY!). We goofed around in an arcade where we played games and rode a crazy spinning ride which made both of us laugh a lot and feel just a tad bit nauseous :>)

We hung out in the lobby (which was gorgeous) and watched a couple wedding parties. It made me feel a bit nostalgic!

Our room was right on the water. We had a cute little patio that didn't get much use because it was really cold :>)

We did see some beautiful sunsets from our room though!

And we ate. A lot :>) We loved the shakes from Ruby's!

We also had our first experience at a Brazilian steakhouse which was amazing. I am still a little full from there I think :>)

They had some dancers do a little show, and it was fun. Rich was convinced for awhile that the one in blue was a guy, but I'm pretty sure she was a she :>)

The hotel had bikes you could use, and when the rain cleared up we were able to go on a couple of nice rides. We biked through Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Manhattan Beach. There was a nice bike path with the ocean on one side, and multi-million dollar homes on the other side. Gorgeous!

All in all it was a great weekend. We spent plenty of time relaxing, snuggling up with movies, reading books, and just spending time with each other (free of demanding little people). We did miss our kiddos though! Thanks to my mom and Janine for watching our rugrats so we could go!

Riding a Bike

2012-01-10T20:14:00.000-08:00

Brendan hasn't really spent much time riding his bike (he likes his scooter a lot, and our neighborhood is so darn hilly), but the other day Rich and I were thinking that he is probably old enough to take the training wheels off. Rich worked with him for just a little bit, and he picked it up right away. He is by no means a pro, but he officially has no more training wheels!!!

15 Months

2012-01-03T22:00:00.000-08:00

My babies are not "babies" anymore. It makes me a little sad! It is fun to watch them grow though.

Sabrina

This little lady was taking a few steps on her birthday, but was fully walking around 13 months. At her 15 month appointment she was 21 lbs 12 oz and 31 1/4 inches (29th and 70th percentiles). She has 11 teeth, is a pretty good eater (a little picky about her veggies, but hungry ALL THE TIME!). She looks adorable in pigtails, even when she has big snot bubbles coming out of her nose :>)

Her hair is growing in kind of oddly (some spots are really short, others are a few inches long), and when I don't do anything with it she looks a little CRAZY!

She is a happy baby though who makes me smile all the time! She is starting to talk a bit, and says mama, dada, dog, ball, book, baby, and a few other things we can't figure out :>)

Whitney

This one was a little lazier when it came to walking. She really didn't pick it up til just after her 15 month mark, but is now very proud of herself! At her 15 months appointment, she weighed 20 lbs 13 oz and was 31 inches long (16th and 62nd percentiles). She has 7 teeth, and will eat pretty much anything you put in front of her (and large quantities of it as well!)

Poor kid is still pretty bald. Almost everywhere we go, I am almost guaranteed to have someone ask if they are two boys (no matter how much pink they may be wearing).

She loves to give big cheesy grins, giant hugs, and big belly laughs. She is not talking much...she basically only says mama and dada, although she is great at growling and roaring! She can be a bit of a bully, and whenever Sabrina gets a toy out Whitney usually tries to take it away (hopefully she will learn her lesson soon, since after a few times of this Sabrina has a tendency to bite her!)

These girls are a lot of work, and I feel like I don't really get a moment to myself when they are awake, but we love them so much!!!

Fun twin thing that they do...when we are driving in the car, they both like to take their right shoe off. Almsot without fail, when we get to whatever our destination may be they are both sitting there with their left shoe only.

Knott's Berry Farm

2011-12-28T22:20:00.000-08:00

The last few years, we have been able to go to Knott's Berry Farm around Christmas time when Rich can get himself and one other person in for free (due to his job). It's always something we enjoy. We usually go a few weeks before Christmas, and it has never been very crowded. We went between Christmas and New Year's this time, and it was a whole other story! It was really crowded, but we still had a good time. We started the day off by meeting up with some of the Peanut's gang (and Carson was mad because...well, because he is 3 and a moody kid ha ha).

We started off in Camp Snoopy where the boys went on a couple of rides...

and the girls just looked cute.

They did get to ride the schoolbus though, which they seemed to like!

We spent a LOT of time waiting in lines, and the kids got a little silly...

but were pretty good overall.

Brendan wanted to go on GhostRider (it is fun now that he is tall enough to go on some of the big kid rides!), so while we waited in line (for almost TWO HOURS...man those lines are deceptively long!) Rich took the rest of the kids around the park. Carson wanted to go on the carousel (until he was actually on it at which point he freaked out a bit)

but it was nothing a sucker couldn't fix!

All in all it was a fun day with our family. We look forward to going again next year, but we will try to avoid winter break next time :>)

The Elf on OUR Shelf

2011-12-26T22:32:00.000-08:00

I had been seeing a lot of Elf on the Shelf stuff this year, then the boys saw the movie and really wanted one. After going to TWO sold out Targets, we finally found one. Brendan came up with the name Jiminy Cricket (which I thought was a little fitting....I guess he is kind of like a conscience???). Jiminy became our fifth kid, and we every morning e found him in some strange spots! He waged fierce battles against the evil Empire...

got busted sneaking into the twinkies...

tried to join in our family pictures....

remembered the real reason for Christmas when he held the baby Jesus...

hung out with his buddy Darth...

flew a plane....

and the crazy elf even turned our milk green one night!

he made rice angels, and found himself in some other strange situations.

He witnessed some pretty naughty behavior from my boys, but must have seen some good stuff too because Santa was awfully good to my children this year! On Christmas Jiminy flew back to the North Pole, but we are looking forward to seeing him next year!

Christmas

2011-12-26T22:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was really great. The boys are at SUCH a fun age. They were so excited for everything, and I loved it!!! Here is Brendan's letter to Santa (he sure asked for a lot more than this, but the past couple weeks he has developed a mild Harry Potter obsession and wanted to make sure Santa knew it!). Not sure why he insisted on cutting it up so small????

My mom and sister were able to be here Christmas Eve. We watched Mr Kreuger's Christmas (while Carson loudly proclaimed the whole time "I DON'T LIKE THIS MOVIE!"), read the Christmas story, then the boys went outside to see if they could see the Christmas star.

Brendan was excited to put out reindeer food.

Christmas morning we woke the boys up a little after 7 (not sure how many years we will have to do that for???). Santa was very good to these ~~naughty~~ nice little boys!

The girls didn't quite get what all the fuss was about, but were happy to enjoy all the Christmas treats floating around!

After presents and breakfast, we went to church. The girls enjoyed some cuddle time with Grandma while we were getting ready!

After church we came home to play for a bit, then headed over to my aunt and uncle's for Christmas dinner with the whole family. We sure fill up this minivan :>)

We had a great time with everyone!

Monday morning we were able to skype with my sister in Italy (after a whole lot of technical difficulties). We missed having her around this year! She seems to be doing great though. It was SO GOOD to see her!!!

Some of my favorite Christmas presents were the costumes. The girls look so stinkin cute in their princess outfits (although I'm not sure why these 2Ts are so small??? They are mostly in 12-18 month clothes now).

Lazybone Whitney finally decided this past week that she wants to walk!

The boys got some fun costumes too.

For Christmas, I got my mom and sister Glen Ivy passes. It was fun to spend the day relaxing and hanging around in the mud (although oddly enough I remember doing the mud thing for free with my sister many years ago ha ha!).

Now I am cleaning up the disaster scene that is my house, and feeling a little sad that it is all over! Til next year...

Jones' family Christmas party

2011-12-19T22:02:00.000-08:00

We went to Tommy and Krista's house for the annual Jones' family Christmas party. We got a message from Krista earlier in the day saying their 3 year old had the stomach flu (and a particularly nasty strain it turned out), but they kept him upstairs and everyone braved it anyways. I know we were lucky that no one in our family came down with it later...hopefully everyone else was the same!!! We always have fun when we get together, and the kids especially make me laugh!

The gift exchange is always a favorite, and the kids were (mostly) excited with what they got (even Carson, although you would never guess from looking at this picture ha ha!)

Charlotte and Eliza are so good with kids, and it is always nice to have them around! Wish they lived a little closer cause they would make some good babysitters :>)

More Christmas Programs

2011-12-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

Since the kindergarten Christmas performance at Barnes and Nobles was INSANE, they decided to have an encore performance at the school. It was much calmer :>)

The rest of the kids were great as long as I kept the snacks coming!

I kept Carson home from preschool that day since he was getting over a stomach bug, but he hadn't had any incidents that day and was sad to be missing his party and program so after Brendan's program we stopped by Carson's class. Here is a picture of Carson's class...minus Carson. All morning he talked about his program, and told me his part OVER and OVER, but when push came to shove he wanted nothing to do with it. So we just watched :>)

Christmas Outfits

2011-12-13T22:02:00.000-08:00

I got these cute little Christmas outfits for the kids on super duper clearance last year, and thought I would TRY to get a picture of them in front of the tree before church. Brendan and Carson are typically pretty cooperative.

The twins...not so much.

I give up :>)

Early Christmas

2011-12-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

My Dad and sister Janine were able to come over on Saturday, and it was fun to see them. Aside from the scheduled power outage that put us in the dark for a few hours (it was the 4th one in the last 6 months...grr). Before he left, the boys got to unwrap their Christmas presents from him.

Right as the kids were getting ready for bed, the power came back on. Whoo hoo! Although my boys did find it exciting to be carrying flashlights around the house :>)

Thanks to my dad for fun presents, and for coming to visit!

Still Not Fans...

2011-12-10T21:29:00.000-08:00

We tried again at the ward Christmas party, and the girls still don't like Santa!

Christmas Program

2011-12-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

Brendan's school had a Christmas program at Barnes and Noble. I know it is a good idea for fundraising purposes, because a portion of whatever you buy at that time goes to the school. However, it was CRAZY!!! They had everyone stuffed into this one tiny area, and you could barely move.

I tried somewhat unsuccessfully to shove my way in to get a picture :>) I didn't get to see him sing, but they sure sounded cute!

Here is Brendan with his teacher Mrs. McDonald. We love her!

We did run into a few friends amidst all the madness afterwards.

Mat, Brendan, Jacob, Emma, Brielle, Brooklyn

Here is Brendan practicing his reindeer skills :>)

Soccer is Over!

2011-12-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

Yeah...so this post is a little late. Brendan's soccer season ended about a month ago, and it was a lot of fun. After the last game, we had a little party at the park. It was FREEZING, but the kids got medals and desserts and thought it was fabulous :>) Coach Jeff was wonderful! Brendan was not exactly the most skilled player out there, but Jeff had a goal that every player would score at least once. Brendan was the last one to accomplish that, but he had a great coach who worked hard to get him there!

We had some really good friends on our team, and made some new ones too!

Jackson, Brendan, Maggie, Alexis, Dax, Davis

This is my favorite picture from the whole season (thanks Niki for sharing all your photos!). This was right after Brendan scored his goal (the one that went in OUR goal ha ha!). He was SOOO excited! I felt so happy for him. I am also glad that I was wearing sunglasses, because it is possible that I MIGHT have teared up just a little (when did I turn into such an emotional person? I don't know).

We missed picture day when we were out of town, so everyone was nice enough to take another team picture for us

Brendan and his buddy Jack

Brendan loved doing the tunnel at the end of the game (mainly because after it was over they got treats ha ha!)

Overall it was a fun season. Brendan learned a lot, and had a good time. We were ready for it to be over though :>) The last few weeks, everytime it was time to go to a practice or a game Brendan informed me he didn't want to do soccer or baseball, he just wanted to do karate. Guess we might have to give that a try sometime :>)

Santa

2011-11-30T22:37:00.000-08:00

Monday night for FHE we took the kids down to the ~~Bass Pro Shop~~ North Pole to see Santa. The boys were SO EXCITED. I waited in line with the girls while Rich took the boys on the carousel. Brendan loved it..

and Carson was a little more cautious :>)

My babies are not fans of Santa ha ha :>)

Afterwards, we explored for awhile. That place is enormous! The boys had fun with the stuffed animals and the fish (and the guns, and the boats, and and and...)

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-30T22:30:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family! We had Thanksgiving dinner at Frank and Amy's house. The kids made turkey cookies with Grandma Gray while we were waiting for dinner.

Charlotte and Eliza are always a big help with the kids :>)

all the Gray cousins (minus Jill's family....BOO! We missed you guys!). All the boxes are in the background because they are moving soon. They have been in that house since before I knew them and it will be strange to see them somewhere else!

Charlotte, Sabrina, Eliza, Whitney, Aly, Zane, Carson, Brendan, Noah, Wyatt

The next day, Grandma and Grandpa Gray came to our house with Eliza, Charlotte, and Zane. The kids had a sleepover in the front room. My boys were exhausted and I figured they would conk out early, but I was wrong! This picture was after 11 pm. They were loving life when the girls woke up the next morning at 6:30 :>)

Saturday morning was the annual girls' cookie party, and I had some busy bees helping me put up the Christmas decorations (why Brendan insists on wearing mismatched p.j.s that don't fit is beyond me!).

It was my first time hosting the cookie party, and overall I think things went well. It was pretty easy for me....basically I was in charge of lunch, and my mother-in-law handled the rest. Love that woman :>)

Here are all the attendees...

Charlotte, Judy, me, Sabrina, Amy, Candace, Krista (with baby Bennett), Becky, Aunt Kathy, Merry, Aly, Mary, Whitney, Eliza, Abby

the Gray side...

and me and my girlies! My mother-in-law Mary bought these cute little outfits (and made the hair clips) for all the little girls. LOVE THEM!!!

Sunday the boys decorated gingerbread cookies with Grandma (because the million cookies we had from the cookie party weren't enough ha ha!). They had a blast.

My kids love their grandparents!!!!

Bowling

2011-11-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

I got a Living Social deal on bowling awhile back for 6 people that was an awesome deal. We got it with the intent of doing a date night, but somehow time slipped away from us. It was about to expire so we took the kids (2 less bowlers, but still a good deal!) and were sad to find out the ENTIRE BOWLING ALLEY (all 40+ lanes) were being used ALL NIGHT by bowling leagues. Really? On Friday night? The kids were really bummed, but fortunately they said they would honor it through the end of the month so we got to come back and try again! The boys love bowling. They are not very good, and the balls go many places they are not supposed to, but it is an adventure :>)

It is a challenge to take one year old twins to a bowling alley. Everytime I turned around it seemed Sabrina was walking down someone's lane, or Whitney was trying to pull a bowling ball onto her head, etc. etc. Finally we just strapped them in the stroller and kept the snacks coming :>)

Despite the chaos, it was a fun night with our family!

Balboa Beach

2011-11-23T22:34:00.000-08:00

My friend Shelley was in town visiting for a couple weeks, and we were able to join them for a beach day. I thought it would be freezing, but it turned out to be a beautiful day! We started off by going to Cafe Rio. Somehow I was lame and went to the wrong one at first, but we caught up with everyone eventually and had a great time :>)

The kids played on the playground for a bit first. I just love watching these girls in the swing. They giggle and smile and are just adorable!!!

We haven't been to the beach in a few months, and I am glad to say they are past the phase of eating sand the whole time!

It has been a long time since Brendan played with Londyn, but they were little buddies the whole time and had a blast together.

The girls had fun playing with Crew

Melissa brought this crazy kite her husband had just brought home from China. I had never seen one like it, before, and my kids thought it was AMAZING!

Carson and Lyric...these two are going to be TROUBLE I think, but they sure are cute :>)

A Little Bit of Hair...

2011-11-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

There is not a whole lot of hair on my girls' heads. I keep hoping it will start to grow faster, but so far no such luck. Sabrina definitely has more than Whitney, and last week I was thinking she might have enough to put in a small pigtail. Still haven't figured out if she looked cute or just a little goofy :>)

I decided to give it a go with my very bald little Whitterbug, and the results just made me laugh!

Neither of them were particularly thrilled :>)

Getting both girls to sit still and LOOK at the camera...somewhat impossible at this point!

The boys decided they needed in on the photo action as well!

One Year Photos

2011-11-09T21:03:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late, but finally getting these up here! THANKS AGAIN to my wonderful cousin Heather at Heather Keil Photography for doing such a fantastic job!!! And for hanging out with us and having a great day :>)

Whitney

1 year stats: 29 inches (40th percentile)

19 lbs 8 oz (20th percentile)

Sabrina

1 year stats: 30 1/2 inches (85th percentile)

20 lbs 10 oz (38th percentile)

Is it bad that this is one of my favorites? She spends a lot of time like this :>)

Trying to get a good shot of both these little ladies can be a challenge :>)

Halloween

2011-11-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

Halloween was fun! The morning started off with a Halloween parade at Brendan's school. Mondays are my full day at work so I missed it (boo), but he had lots of fun (and apparently had a popular costume!)

My mom was able to come down for a few days, and the kids were loving every minute of it! My sister Janine was able to come for awhile too which was twice the fun :>)

We went trick or treating with our friends the Nielsens, and the kids had a blast. This has been my favorite year trick or treating with them so far. The boys were SO excited and ran full speed for about 45 minutes until they all crashed :>) The twins only lasted for about 5 houses, so my mom was kind enough to take them home and pass out candy while we stayed out!

My mom's birthday was Wednesday, and it was fun to have her here for that. Thanks Mom and Janine for coming to join us!

Pumpkins

2011-10-30T22:09:00.000-07:00

We carved pumpkins with our family, and the boys were really excited for it this year!

Carson was content to just draw on his :>)

Brendan got to pick a little pumpkin when he went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch with his class. He loved it!

Carson had fun with the pumpkin guts too

The girls just made a mess...

and looked cute!

Here are the boys with the finished products. There was a third pumpkin...Rich said he wanted to make a Darth Vader pumpkin, so I went online to try and find a template. When I brought it out to him, he said he was too tired (he worked the night before, and had been up for well over 24 hours by this point). So, I decided I would try it. It was a BIT beyond my skill level, and after 1 1/2 hours of work it totally collapsed. I was a little annoyed :>)

Fall Festival

2011-10-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

After Brendan's soccer game, we stopped by the Fall Festival for a bit. The HOA pust this on every year, and the kids always have a good time. The swings are always their favorite!

They were excited for the cars as well, but Brendan is getting a little big for them I think :>)

They also had fun on the giant slide

I didn't realize what time it ended, so sadly the boys missed out on face painting and the rock wall, but they still had a lot of fun!

Trunk or Treat

2011-10-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

The trunk or treat was a lot of fun this year. The girls made cute little monkeys...

Brendan was Optimus Prime...

and Carson was Bumblebee (who was not too thrilled about posing for pictures)

there was not much of a family theme going on, but everyone matched with one other person :>)

Brendan had fun hanging out with his buddy Luke.

The boys had a blast during the trunk or treat part, and came home with ridiculous amounts of candy. Next year I will hold onto their buckets during the ride home (I was amazed at the amount of empty wrappers in there when we got back...I think they spent the whole drive shoveling it in as fast as they could. No wonder it was such a quiet ride ha ha).

Howdy!

2011-10-21T23:30:00.000-07:00

I knew we had a Halloween party coming up, and I knew Rich was NOT looking forward to dressing up, but a couple weeks ago I made a list of couples costumes I thought would be fairly easy to put together and not too embarassing for him to wear :>) I handed Rich the list, and he picked Woody and Jessie (which of course was the most complicated thing on there ha ha!). In my head, I thought the costumes would come together pretty quickly, BUT every step took a lot longer than I planned. I was happy with the results though! And our boys thought we were really cool :>)

We had a great night with great friends (thanks Heather and Janitsy!). Wish I would have gotten my camera out while we were there, but glad Heather posted these for me to steal!

Big Snakes

2011-10-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

There was a reptile show at the outlet mall, so I went down with Carson and the girls. He was REALLY excited to see lizards. Everytime they brought a reptile out, a few kids were invited to come up and hold them. Carson wanted nothing to do with the frogs, cornsnakes, tarantulas, baby alligators, etc, he only wanted to hold a lizard. I knew we weren't going to be able to stay for the whole time since we had to pick Brendan up from kindergarten, so I told Carson if he wanted to hold a reptile, he would have to do it with whatever came next. I was hoping they would bring out the lizard he had his eye on, BUT it was a gigantic snake. I thought he would be too scared, but to my surprise he went right up! He really doesn't look too excited here ha ha.

I was proud of him for going up (his mama wouldn't be caught DEAD touching one of those slimy disgusting creatures!), and the rest of the weekend he proudly told anyone who would listen that he held a big snake :>)

Witch Party

2011-10-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

My friend Kyra had a witch party. When I first heard about it I had to laugh, because she is the only person I know who would ever think to have a "witch party." It is good to have a friend with fun and crazy ideas :>) We all dressed up like witches, and had a fun night! Even Kim with her broken leg made it out in her wheelchair.

Janitsy, Tiffany, Carly, Melissa G., Marcie, me, Niki, Meagan, Melissa N,. Susie, Heather, Vanessa, Jessica, Kim

There was good food, witch games...

witch crafts...

and a great night with great friends! Thanks Kyra :>)

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday was just a good day. After Brendan's soccer game in the morning, the kids and I drove out to my cousin Heather's so she could take the girls' one year pictures. This was our 4th attempt (things kept coming up....sick kids, rain, etc) and we were glad to finally make it! While she was working with the girls, I was playing with the boys. Some lucky kid was having a Star Wars party, and my boys were thrilled to sit and watch for awhile!

After the park, we went to a nearby pumpkin patch. It was a fun place!

Everyone was happy except for Sabrina :>)

There was a giant field of sunflowers with a LOT of scarecrows (which had all been made by local organizations). They were a lot of fun!

The kids really enjoyed seeing all the pumpkins...

except for Sabrina :>)

Afterwards, we went back to her place, and my Aunt Debi made us some amazing potato cheese soup. It was fun to spend time with family! Thanks Heather for having us, and sharing all these pictures with me. Can't wait to see the rest of them!

Making me Laugh!

2011-10-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

Brendan has said some funny things lately, and I want to remember them!

-at a bbq, we told him multiple times no more food after he had consumed as much as any grown man there! I saw him loading up a cracker with dip soon after, and walked up behind him and said, "Brendan!" He jumped and turned around, looked super guilty, then handed the cracker to me and said, "Here Mom, I got this for you!"

-when we were at the hospital for his ear surgery, one of the nurses asked him what his daddy did. He responded, "My daddy is Rich."

-Saying his prayer one night, he said, "Thank you for the strippers." We talked to him for a minute and realized he meant SCRIPTURES. Still having some difficulties with the "s" blends :>)

-after a speaker at church one day, he said (very loudly), "Mom, that was a LONG TALK!"

-we were at the grocery store, and there was a guy (who was probably in his 60s?) looking at the bread next to us. Brendan nodded at him and said, "Hey old man." I was so embarrassed :>)

-we were on a walk the other day and saw a cat. He said, "Mom, can we please get a cat? I would really love that." I explained that Daddy doesn't like cats, so we can't get one. He thought for a minute, then said, "Well, maybe when Daddy dies we can get one."

First Goal

2011-10-09T15:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, in the fifth game of the season, Brendan scored his first goal. Too bad it was for the wrong team :>) He is having fun though!

Love me some Pinterest!

2011-10-05T22:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I am officially addicted to Pinterest. I'll admit it. I have very little creativity myself, so I am happy to "borrow" from others. I have made lots of yummy recipes, and have a LONG list of projects that I plan to do someday (hopefully sooner than later!). I am also finding many useful tips on how to organize the chaos that I exist in. On of my favorite finds was how to clean stove burners. I have scrubbed and scrubbed these before, and never really seemed to get anywhere. Finally I just gave up, and resigned myself to having nasty disgusting burners. Then I saw (on Pinterest!) a tip to place it in a ziploc bag with 1/2 cup ammonia, and after 12 hours the fumes loosen all the gunk and it wipes right off. AMAZING! Can't believe I am posting this before picture so everyone on the world wide web can see how gross my kitchen was, but I could not believe the difference.

The bag will probably leak, so the site advised that you put it on a pan to catch drips. Just be smart enough to NOT place it on your nice, good quality non stick pan or you might end up with something like this (not that I would be that dumb...I'm just saying).

I found a recipe on there for homemade laundry soap. We have only used it for one load, but it seemed to work well...the clothes looked and smelled clean, and it costs us about one cent per load. Plus it makes me feel super domestic :>) Next on my list is homemade dishwasher detergent!

Thise are just a couple of my recent finds...I also have a lot of friends who are addicts as well, and I am happy to "borrow" their pins too! Like my friend Melissa (who has the same house model as me) who put a tension rod over her washing machine to hold all her spray bottles. Clearing these out from under the various sinks throughout the house has given me a lot more space (I can actually SHUT the doors under the sink now!), and I can find things. Plus I discovered that we have 5 bottles of Shout, which is probably a little bit of overkill :>)

Another great pin from my other friend Melissa (thanks girls!) to put up hooks to hold all the kids' junk. Backpacks, diaper bags, church bags, umbrellas, library books, etc. were usually all piled on top of the washer/dryer. Now they are out of the way. Just simple "Why didn't I think of that?" moments that make me happy!

Who knows, if this keeps up one day I might actually be organized :>)

General Conference

2011-10-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

I love conference weekends. There is something to be said for having a couple days where you can stay in your p.j.s, not have to go anywhere, spend time with your family, AND hear the words of the prophet all at the same time. Who knows, maybe in a few years we will even be able to sleep in a bit :>) Sunday we had a nice breakfast of strawberry crepes with whipped cream, then got the boys settled in their "Reverence tent." In Primary the week before, the kids were each given a conference pack, including a story about King Benjamin and how everyone sat in their tent with the open door facing the prophet, so that's what we did (in our case, they faced the tv). They were really excited, and happy to play their conference bingo, but by the time the first speaker was over all their M&M markers had suspiciosuly disappeared and they were on to other things. We tried :>)

Back to the Rat Race

2011-09-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

When I found out I was having twins initially, I spoke with my boss, and he was wonderful enough to agree to let me stay home with them for a year (I didn't see how I could POSSIBLY go back with 4 kids age 4 and under). I started contracting at 27 weeks (over 4th of July weekend last year), and my OB took me off work at that point. It felt like I had FOREVER before I would be going back. And, in many aspects, it does feel like forever since I have worked. However, my one year mark had been looming over my head the whole time, and last Monday was my first day back!
I was nervous about going back. After more than 15 months, I knew a lot of things would be different. I got there, and couldn't clock in because our regular time clock was replaced by some space-age hand scanner thingamajig. I couldn't get on the computer because they changed the computer system and I didn't have a password. I couldn't use the phone because they got a new phone system, and I wasn't in it. We had new doctors, new office staff, and a long list of patients whom I knew nothing about. Not to mention that my brain lately reminds me a lot of swiss cheese (I know people tell me things, but I just don't seem to retain information as well as I used to!). The first patient I saw almost made me cry (infertility is SUCH an emotional field, and I need to get back to the place where I can detach myself emotionally from the patients to an extent). BUT, I feel like I am getting back in the swing of things. My schedule right now is actually pretty great. I am working one full day and one half day, and it is all time when Rich is home and can watch the kids. I don't feel like I am missing too much of their lives, my husband is appreciating me more, and I have an excuse to wear real adult clothes that aren't covered in baby snot and slobber. And we can start putting money back into savings instead of taking it out every month :>) Here's to reality!

My babies are ONE!!!

2011-09-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

September 11th. With this year marking the 10 year anniversary since the twin towers fell, it was a somber day for much of the country. Our little girls' birthday put a big bright spot in it for us though! A year ago, these two little ladies came into our life.

and WHAT a year it has been. Twins are not easy. Twins with a 2 and a 4 year old at home are REALLY not easy. Along with all the other stuff that happens in life, I have had some of the lowest lows of my life this year. BUT, I have also had some of the highest highs. I feel so blessed to have these two BEAUTIFUL girls here with us! They bring us so much joy, and make me smile all the time.

They are getting bigger and doing new things all the time. Sabrina is getting close to walking, and has taken up to 4 steps at a time. Whitney doesn't seem to care much about it, and I think she may hold out for another couple months. With RARE exception, at least one of them still usually wakes up every morning around 4-5 (although since I finished nursing this week, I am hoping that the end of the middle-of-the-night chow time will change that!). They are super fast crawlers, get into EVERYTHING, put anything they can find in their mouth, love to give big sloppy kisses, are great eaters (Whitney in particular can pound down the food), and are ADORABLE!!!! As crazy as this year has been, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Happy Birthday Whitney and Sabrina, WE LOVE YOU!!!!

A Very Hungry Caterpillar Party

2011-09-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

Today we had a birthday party for the twins. There were lots of hungry caterpillars to be found! Decorations...

cake pops...

cake...

and more cake (they needed their own!)

These were my two favorite little caterpillars though :>)

My favorite part of a one year old's party is always when they eat cake for the first time. These girls did not disappoint! Sabrina wasn't quite sure what to think about it. She kind of picked at the cake, and took a nibble here and there.

Whitney, however, dug in with both fists :>)

The cake was totally destroyed by the time she was done, then she tried to eat the plate :>)

This is how they usually eat....Whitney inhales her food, and Sabrina just takes her time. By the time they were through with cake, Sabrina was ready to get cleaned up :>)

Thanks to all the family who could come celebrate with us it was a GREAT day!!!

The Mermaids and the Sharks

2011-09-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

That is the name of Brendan's soccer team (that's what you get when you let a bunch of 5-6 year old boys and girls pick their team name ha ha!). We started Brendan playing soccer this year, and he loves it. We've only had a few practices so far, and most of them we didn't do much (because it was always really HOT), so he basically had very little concept of the game so far. He has fun though :>) Of the 6 kids on the team, 4 of them are friends from our ward and preschool, so basically it just gives him an excuse to run around with his buddies.

Today was his first game, and his first time being on a field and using goals. He was really excited to put on his new uniform, and gave it a good effort! Grandma Sobeck and Aunt Janine were able to be there, and we were all entertained :>)

He never really got close to scoring a goal (although his coach sure tried to set him up for one!), but he was always happy for his friends when they scored (even when they were on the other team!)

I love that he loves to play. He may not be the fastest, or the best kicker, or even touch the ball much, but he just had a big grin on his face the whole time he was out there. Love this kid!

Grandparent's Dinner

2011-09-09T22:05:00.000-07:00

We got the flier about the Grandparent's Dinner from Brendan's school a few weeks ago, and I initially threw it away. His closest grandparent is over 300 miles away, and I didn't think there was any way he would be able to go. It just so happened to be the day before the girls' birthday party though, and my mom decided to come down for the weekend. He was really excited! They went over to the school, and ate chili and cornbread and had a great time. Thanks Mom for coming with him!

First Day of Preschool

2011-09-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Carson had his first day of preschool today! He has been looking forward to this day for months. He is going to Miss Melissa's class, where Brendan has gone the last two years, and he has lots of friends in there. He woke up super excited, and couldn't wait to go!

Brendan got a new backpack for kindergarten, and Carson wanted to use his old Lighning McQueen backpack. It was still in decent shape, so that worked for me :>)

We walked up to his class, and when we got there he got really shy and kind of whiny. They tried to get him to take a picture, and he wanted nothing to do with it. We could barely get him to stand up there with the rest of his class!

Then they moved in the class, and he started to warm up a little. After we left he was just fine and had a great time!

On the way home he told us all about his day, and can't wait to go back!

My Sister is Off!

2011-09-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

My baby sister officially reported to the MTC on Wednesday. I am so excited for her, and know that she will do an amazing job!!! I was eleven when she was born, and the fact that she is old enough to be going on a mission makes me feel a little ancient, but what can you do :>) Last week, she and my mom were able to come down for a few days. The day after they left, we drove up to my mom's house to spend a few more days and be there for her farewell. A lot of family was able to come as well, which was fun! My cousin was able to take some updated family pictures for my mom, and I just stole all of these from her...thanks Heather :>)

it was a hundred degrees outside, but the girls still looked cute!

here is the family that was able to come up for her farewell (which was beautiful by the way...Kristi and my mom gave good talks!)

and mine and Heather's boys. These kids always have fun together!

Memorable moments from this week:

- watching weird hilarious videos on YouTube with my sisters (literal version of Total Eclipse of the Heart....still laugh every time I think about it)

-going to the movies with my sisters...Larry Crowne was kind of lame, but we were the only ones there and ran and danced around the theater like crazy people

-driving almost 5 hours round trip to eat lunch with my Grandma

-eating. A lot.

-stopping an hour away from my mom's because we thought Whitney had a poopy diaper. When I opened the door, saw poop all over her arms, hands, clothes, carseat, EVERYWHERE. Used what felt like a whole pack of wipes trying to clean her up so I culd put her back in a nasty carseat (I tried to line it with paoer towels but she just wanted to eat them). Gross.

-shopping at Ross

-Pinkberry

Good luck Kristi you will do great and WE LOVE YOU!!!

Lunch with Grandma

2011-09-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

When my mom and sisters were in town last week, we drove out to Camarillo to have lunch with my grandma. We don't see her very often and it was nice to catch up! Rich stayed home so he could pick Brendan up from school, but Carson and the twins and I went and we had a great time.

and THIS is why I don't bother with hairbands much these days...they usually end up in each others' mouths :>)

Little Buddies

2011-08-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

When Brendan was at school the other day, Carson's little friend Lyric came over to play for a bit. These kids crack me up! One minute they are fighting over something, and the next thing I know they are hugging each other and saying "You are my best friend!" They were pretending to take naps...one of them would make a loud snoring noise, then they would both dissolve into hysterical giggles.

They asked me to take some pictures of them, and I was happy to oblige!

Funny little kids!

11 Months

2011-08-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

Time is going a little too fast, and before I know it the girls will be a year old :<( They are growing and doing new things every day. Both of them are crawling around REALLY fast, and get into EVERYTHING. They are both great eaters, and will usually eat anything you put in front of them. They have been getting a couple bottles a day the last few weeks, and take them great. I am still up usually once a night to feed them (won't miss that....they slept all the way through until 7:15 ONE TIME this week, so I know they are capable of it!). They are getting pretty attached to their mama, which is making church a lot more fun :>) So many people are willing to help out with them, but lately after a couple minutes the girls look at me, reach their arms out and cry. What can you do? I'm just glad they like me I guess ha ha :>) Both seem to be happiest when I am sitting on the floor and they are clambering all over me!

Sabrina

Still the more laid back one (at least in my opinion...today Rich said he thought Whitney was getting to be the easier one. I don't see it.). Has 6 teeth, loves to cuddle when she gets tired, smiles whenever she sees ANYONE, takes a step here and there but not really close to walking I don't think (but pretty sure she will be the first one)

Whitney

Loves to take whatever Sabrina is playing with/eating (she will literally spit out her pacifier and take Sabrina's instead, which does not always go over well!). Has 5 teeth, cruises around furniture really well, is better at putting herself to sleep, has these deep belly laughs that make me crack up :>)

These two can often be found getting into trouble together. Their favorite places seem to be the dishwasher...

the video cabinet...

the bathroom and the kitchen (no matter how many times I pick up the towels and magnets, within minutes the twin tornados will be back throwing them on the floor again!)

they love to eat!

and they are pretty darn cute in our opinion!!! Love these girls so much!!!

A Little Overboard...

2011-08-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

I took the girls to the Picture Place yesterday to get some updated pictures. I was armed with my coupons, and had a free sheet coming from my portrait club membership, and I had a PLAN. I was going to be out of there for under $20. BUT...the photographer was REALLY enthusiastic, and quite a salesperson, and somehow I ended up forking out the cash for the CD. I guess I will never regret having too many baby pictures??? They did turn out cute :>)

Sabrina

Not so fond of the sky backdrop...the girl was really excited about the blue backdrop with their blue eyes, but kind of wish she got more with the white!

Whitney

This little girl made the photographer work a lot harder :>)

and both of my little ladies! When I looked at this picture quickly it almost seemed like there was one baby sitting by a mirror :>)

Thanks again Terri for these ADORABLE dresses I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!!!

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

Oh, my baby is growing up. We always told him he could go to kindergarten when he was 5, and ever since his birthday (in April) he has been asking when he could go. They have been doing construction on the school all summer, and everytime we passed he would say (with GREAT excitement) "MOM! They are building a kindergarten FOR ME!!!" Ha ha ha. The first day rolled around all too quickly (isn't school supposed to start in September sometime?) and he was really excited.

He LOVES his backpack, which has (what else) Star Wars on it (as does his lunch box, which he insists on bringing even though he is home in time for lunch. Why not bring a big lunch box for your snack...a granola bar or banana takes up a lot of room, right?)

We took the very short walk to school (the whole 8 years we have lived here, we have dealt with a LOT of school traffic. Now that we have a kid who actually GOES to school, it is nice to only live 5 houses away!), and immediately ran into a few of his buddies. All these boys were in preschool together, and will be playing on the same soccer team this year as well. A familiar face can be so comforting!).

Then a couple more friends from church came. They are split up amongst the 2 morning classes pretty evenly.

Brendan could not get the grin off his face as he waited in line to go in his classroom!

After school he was still all smiles. We have made it through the first week now, and he can't wait to go back on Monday!

I felt a little sad as he was walking in his class. Everyone says that time just races past once they get into school, and I don't think I am ready for them to grow up just yet. For now, I am just enjoying the time when he will still let me hold his hand on the way to school!

Family Pictures

2011-08-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

I have been telling Rich for awhile that we needed to get updated family pictures. Our last ones were almost two years ago, and our family has changed just a bit since then :>) Rich likes taking pictures about as much as he likes getting teeth pulled, BUT I recently won a giveaway from my amazing friend Julie at picsbypresley (check her out!) and I twisted his arm a little! We met her down in Seal Beach, and while my hair and the beach don't mix so well, we had a great time!

Here are all 4 of our rugrats...

Rich and the twins...

and the boys

Me with the boys...

and the girls

Brendan

Carson

Whitney

I guess we forgot to get one of Sabrina (she was more interested in eating sand anyways). One downside of having twins in matching outfits is that sometimes it is easy to forget who is who :>) Here are the girls together though!

We decided to make an evening out of it, and ate at Ruby's on the pier (which the boys thought was awesome), then took the kids to see Kung Fu Panda 2. It was a great time with my family...thanks Julie!!!

Beach Day

2011-08-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

We had one last beach day with our church playgroup yesterday before school starts TOMORROW (seriously, WHERE did summer go?). The weather was a little cool and overcast when we got there, but it burned off and turned into a BEAUTIFUL day. I felt like I could have stayed all day (if traffic didn't get so sucky at rush hour, I would have been more tempted!). Rich stayed home with the girls, and the boys and I headed out for a day of fun.

The waves in Balboa were ENORMOUS, but fortunately the kids were pretty content to just go in to their knees for the most part :>)

It was a fun day with good friends...thanks Heather for being so GREAT at organizing playgroup!!!

Denise, Kyra, Melissa, Heather, me, Jessica, Carly, and all the kiddos

We carpooled with my friend Jessica (amazing how much more room you have in your car when you are down two kids!) and stopped for ice cream on the way home. It was a great end to a great day, and a good way to end out the summer. Now back to schedules :<(

A Bit of a Staycation...

2011-08-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

Rich's parents came into town at the end of our trip up to my Mom's, and we were able to spend quite a bit of time with them while they were here. On our drive home from Clovis we stopped off at my brother-in-law's house for a Gray family dinner. My boys' response was, "We get to see TWO grandmas today? We are so lucky!!!" Love it :>)Since Rich and his two brothers all live within an hour of each other, we took turns driving around SoCal to spend time with each other. We spent lots of time at the pool...

went to Sunset Beach one day (where it was FREEZING because of the wind but we still had fun!). My niece Eliza was out boogie boarding with Rich's brother Carlie, and some dolphins swam really close to them. My poor niece Charlotte was watching from the shore and thought they were sharks. The look on her face was priceless, and fortunately no one got eaten :>)

The boys went to the Angel's game one night, while the girls went out to dinner and to a street fair. We had a great time!

Going Home

2011-08-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I finally made the trek up to my Mom's house. I used to go every few months, but haven't been brave enough to try it since the twins were born (Whitney is NOT a huge fan of the car, and 300 miles with a screaming baby is not my idea of fun!). I enlisted my sister to come with me (she spent a WHOLE lot of time reaching back to pick up toys and binkies that the girls chucked all over), and off we went. We were able to stop off and have lunch with my aunt Debi, cousin Heather, and her two cute boys. Brendan and Carson LOVE these kids!

It was nice to spend a few days with my mom and sisters, mainly just relaxing and eating ridiculous quantities of food. Kristi is leaving for her mission in just a few weeks, and we will miss her!

My mom with her grandsons. The boys love both their grandmas (although they have told me that the drive to both their houses is "too long").

Doheny Beach

2011-08-03T22:09:00.000-07:00

Last week, we were able to go camping at Doheny Beach for a couple of days with some friends from church. We have been looking forward to this for a long time, and it did not disappoint! The weather was beautiful, the company was fantastic, and the sleep....well, we can't have everything I guess :>)

I am still amazed at the amount of sand and seaweed that my babies consumed. I was sure one of them would end up sick, but so far everyone seems ok! I did find Brendan's missing ear plug a couple days later in Sabrina's diaper though....that bright orange wax was hard to miss :>)

Brendan looks a little scrawny in some of these pictures...remarkable given the amount of food that kid pounds down!

Our attempt at a family picture!

Whitney....this little turkey refused to sleep, and took ONE fifteen minute nap the whole two days we were there (and only while Rich was holding her...as soon as he tried to put her down she was awake and ready to play again). Sabrina didn't nap much more. You would think they would be so exhausted they would sleep well at night, but two teething babies in a tent does not a good nights' sleep make. I don't think Rich or I slept more than a few hours for both nights combined, but everyone else said they didn't hear the girls much (as they woke up at least once an hour....either our friends are really good sleepers, or they are good liars ha ha!)

most of the moms before we took OUR turn in the water. We were probably only out there for 15-20 minutes, but it was nice to have a break from little people :>)

This is how we all felt by the end of the trip!

Camping is always more work than I think it is going to be, but all in all we had a great time with great friends! Rich and I were talking about how in five years or so, camping will be a lot EASIER. Kids will be older, they can do more to help, everyone will sleep better, no worrying about naps/diapers/kids who can't swim/etc., but I know I will miss this age! It was hilarious to hear the boys talk about their favorite parts on our way home, and they still get really excited when the topic comes up. Hopefully when they think back on their childhood, they will remember times like this and not the days when I am grumpy and impatient and yell all day (not like that would EVER happen around here...well maybe just once in awhile ha ha!).

Murder Mystery Dinner

2011-08-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we went to a murder mystery dinner. This is something that has been in the works for over a year I think, and it finally happened 2 weeks before our host was due to have her baby. She is a trooper :>) It was set in the 20s...Rich was Inspector Nutella, and I was Baroness Ravioli (a snooty, crazy old lady who always wore tiaras).

all the ladies (poor Meagan is probably still finding feathers at her house)....

and the gents!

and of course there was lots of MURDER!!!

It was a fun night where we got to be silly and act a little ridiculous!

We Love Spaghetti!

2011-07-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

These little ladies tried spaghetti for the first time yesterday, and were big fans!

Whitney

Sabrina

After dinner I wiped them down and put them in the tub. Amazed at all the pasta that was sticking to the walls of the tub when all was said and done :>)

10 Months

2011-07-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

Sabrina

figured out a regular crawl, and getting really fast at it

She will pull herself to a standing position on anything she can, and is starting to cruise around the furniture just a bit (between the 2 of them, these magnets get knocked off the fridge at least 20 times a day)

Cut her top fangs a couple weeks ago, but just had one of the middle teeth come in so now she doesn't look like a vampire anymore! Such a sweet, mellow baby who gives big sloppy kisses! At her appointment a couple weeks ago she was 17 lbs 15 oz and 28 3/4 inches (29% and 66%)

Whitney

Definitely still the more demanding one, zooms around with her army crawl, loves to pull up to a standing position, gives big slobbery kisses, was the first to clap and wave and looks so darn proud or herself everytime she does it!

She likes to get herself stuck in strange places....she likes it until she realizes she can't get out, then she screams :>)

At her appointment a couple weeks ago she was 17 lbs 8 oz and 27 1/4 inches (21% and 48%). They are so much smaller than my boys were I am not sure what to do with normal sized babies :>)

Here are just a few pictures of them together...

my "safe zones" are shrinking...

crawling around

Couldn't get them to cooperate for a picture, but my friend Heather made these outfits for them and I LOVE THEM!!!

Their favorite thing to do is use me as a human jungle gym....if they get cranky they will usually calm down if I sit on the floor and let them climb all over me/grab hair/etc :>)

Another non-cooperative picture (really, getting them to both look and smile is a CHORE!) of my favorite dresses from our friends the Moores! They look so stinkin cute in them!

These girls are really at a fun age. There are times I catch them having little conversations with each other, and laughing at what the other one "says." Everytime I try to get it on camera, they see me and stop. The LOVE their mama, and if they see me walk by while they are happily playing they will usually start to cry and reach up to be held. I was holding my friend's newborn last week (who was bigger at birth than my girls were, but feels so TINY to me!) and it made me a little sad. They are growing too fast!!!

Beach Day

2011-07-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

Last week, we went down to Coronado beach and spent the day with my sister. This was our first family beach day this summer, and it is a lot of work with these 4 kiddos! We had fun though.

Here is Aunt Janine with Brendan

The girls enjoyed taking in the sights...

Whitney

and eating LOTS of sand

Sabrina

they had fun sitting on the bodyboard...

until a wave came :>)

me and my girlies!

they loved the sand, and almost a week later I am still finding traces of it in their hair and diapers.

Whitney and Sabrina

Sabrina loved climbing on the chair (about 2 seconds after I took this she face planted into the sand....it didn't hurt her, but I have never seen so much sand stick to someone's face before. She wasn't quite sure what to think!)

Janine brought lots of snacks for the boys, which made her their best friend. Carson's hands were sandy, so he made her feed him his Fruit by the Foot (all 3 feet...she is a good sport!)

We had a great day with our family! Thanks Janine for coming to have fun with us (and being an extra set of arms!). I was reminded once again why it will be awhile before I am able to take my kids to the beach by myself :>)

4th of July

2011-07-12T21:53:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July, we went to a nearby park to barbecue with some friends and watch fireworks. I was expecting it to be ridiculously hot, but Heather found us a nice spot in the shade, and it was a lot cooler down by the lake. We had a great time! Here is Whitney with her boyfriend Mitch :>)

and Sabrina (they looked much cuter with their headbands on, but getting them to keep them on these days is a bit of a struggle. I lost one of my favorites at the park this night too which still makes me sad!).

Brendan with Tera and McKenzie. He loves these girls, but recently informed me that at his next birthday party (which is not for another 9 months or so) he is only inviting boys :>)

They played games like water balloon tosses and baseball

and here is our (kind of) happy family! Rich had to work super early the next morning, so he left with the girls when they started to melt down, and I stayed with the boys to watch fireworks. They didn't end up starting til almost 10, and by then my boys were done. Right when they fireworks started, Brendan started saying (over and over) that he wanted to go home and his ears hurt (he was just a few days post-op, and his Motrin had worn off, but he did get pretty whiny. Carson too, but that's nothing new ha ha). As much as they complained, ever since they have been talking excitedly how they saw fireworks on "America's birthday." We did have a wonderful day though, and are grateful for the country we live in and our freedom! Thanks Heather for organizing a fun night!

Gondola Ride

2011-07-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

I moved to Long Beach MANY years ago to go to school, and would often see people on gondola rides down at Naples Island. I thought it looked like a fun and romantic thing to do, but Rich and I never ended up going. I did tell him it was on my list of things I wanted to do before I died :>) Awhile back I saw a deal on the Living Social site for a half price ride for 6 people, and I was SUPER EXCITED. We rounded up some friends and set a date. Rich told me I was building it up too much in my head, and I was going to be disappointed, but I thought it was great! The weather was beautiful, the company was fantastic, and we got to do a lot of smooching (apparently it is customary to kiss every time you go under a bridge, and there were quite a few of them!). They gave us this super cool matted picture as a memento (and yes, it WAS a "romantic adventure!")

Rich and me

Matt, Rob, Meagan, and Kyra

After the ride, we got detoured on our way to SuperMex (a favorite of ours from our Long Beach days!) by Sweet Jill's bakery. Who says you can’t eat dessert first? Everything there was amazing.

After SuperMex, we toyed around with the idea of stopping at Krispy Kreme. We were pretty stuffed, and decided to skip it. By the time we made it back, I was regretting that decision (even more so the next morning!). Despite the lack of doughnuts it was a great date night, and even Rich admits that it was more fun than he thought it would be. Thanks to my wonderful sister for babysitting my kiddos, and to Kyra for the pictures!

Tubes

2011-07-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

Almost two years ago, I had Brendan evaluated for speech through the school district because it seemed like he was a little behind compared to the other kids his age. They saw there was a deficiency, put us through a 12 week class, then referred us to get screened by the speech pathologist at the local elementary school. Brendan scored in the 12th percentile, and she told me he was "normal" and you have to be in the 7th percentile or less to qualify for speech services. That seemed a little bogus to me, but there wasn't much I could do. The district reevaluated him after a year, and the lady doing the assessment had me talk to a speech pathologist there because she felt he wasn't where he needed to be. She said that our school probably wouldn't evaluate him for another year (they only screen every 2 years), but based on his history suggested we ask our pediatrician to get referred for a full audiology screening (he had tested low normal at the little hearing screen his pediatrician did). We got the referral (a little grudgingly on my pediatrician's end...I think he thought I was a little crazy for asking), and lo and behold we found that he had a significant amount of pressure built up behind his eardrums which was causing hearing loss. I did feel a little vindicated. The ENT recommended putting in tubes to equalize the pressure, and removing his adenoids since they were enlarged. So, yesterday Brendan and I woke up bright and early so we could be at the hospital at 6:30. He was a champ!

After I took a picture of him in his getup, he wanted to take some pictures. He got one of the pre-op area...

and a self-portrait (I was pretty impressed by this one...whenever I try to take pictures of myself I usually cut off half my head and look like I have three chins).

When I spoke to the surgery center a couple days prior to his procedure, I was under the impression that they would just give him a little gas to put him out, and he wouldn't even need an IV. When we talked to the anesthesiologist yesterday, however, he said since they were doing the adenoids as well he needed general anesthesia. I have to admit that freaked me out just a bit, but Brendan did great (aside from the fact that he DID NOT like the IV in recovery and somehow managed to pull it out. Good thing he didn't need it anymore!). His ears hurt him just a little, and his throat bothered him for awhile due to the intubation, but after a few hours he was running around like his normal crazy self. Maybe now some of the speech issues will start to resolve, and he can stop getting corrected on pronunciation by his three year old brother :>)

Our Big Boy

2011-07-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

The last couple weeks have been big for Carson. He finished his 2 week session of swim lessons, and while he is not COMPLETELY water safe he learned a lot and can swim a bit on his own now. We went to a new teacher this year, and she was wonderful (although we are really sad that Emily moved because she will always be our favorite!!!). I wasn't so sure after the first day (when all he did was cry), but from the second day on there were no tears and he was really excited. Here is is with his class and teachers.

he was kicking like a pro...

LOVED going off the slide...

and loved his teacher too!

In that same time period, he also FINALLY decided that he was ready to be potty trained. I had every intention of getting this done LAST summer (before the girls were born), but Carson is a STUBBORN STUBBORN kid and wanted nothing to do with it. We tried bribery, we talked all the time about how "cool" and "fun" it would be, but he would just say that we was a "baby" and wanted a "baby diaper." If you tried to force underwear on him, he would either scream or look at you while he peed on the floor. One day while I was out of the house, Rich convinced him to give it a try and he hasn't looked back since! A few #2 incidents here and there, but overall he is doing great, and even stays dry most nights. So glad to only have two in diapers now :>)

Just don't ask him to put his underwear on by himself or he might look something like this (if you haven't guessed, he REALLY likes superheroes right now!).

AMAZING DAY!!!

2011-06-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

Last week I got an email that 2 of my friends were celebrating their birthday by going to a local spa, and they wanted some people to join them. Normally I would think, "That sounds like fun" and go on with my day, BUT it just so happens that I won a pass to this spa at our little league dinner a couple weeks ago, AND it was a day that Rich was off. Destiny. I have never been to a spa before, and it was wonderful!

me, Heather, and the very pregnant birthday gals Vanessa and Meagan

after lounging around the pools for awhile (and eating an amazing lunch!) we went and covered ourself with mud. I know I did this for free many times when I was a kid, but it seemed much more exotic (and just as fun!) now!

I didn't do a massage or facial or any other treatments you had to pay for, but it was still a great day. I am lucky to have great friends who enjoy the value of a girls' day out (and let me tell you, I NEEDED a day out). Thanks to my WONDERFUL WONDERFUL husband who encouraged me to go and watched our crazy kids and even managed to get Carson to like swim lessons and basically potty train Carson (FINALLY) while I was gone. Maybe I should go away more often :>)

Father's Day

2011-06-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Father's Day was nice this year. Rich got out of work a little early, so he actually got to lay down for an hour or two before leaving for church which was a bonus for him! The boys and I made him breakfast in bed (cinnamon rolls), he opened his presents, and took a picture with our rugrats before leaving for meetings.

After church we just relaxed with our family and ate lots of steak and potatoes. Here he is with the girls...

and lounging in the hammock with the boys.

Rich really is the BEST HUSBAND and BEST FATHER I could ask for. You are amazing honey and we love you so much!!!!

We also were able to see my dad for a few hours the day before Father's Day. I haven't seen him in a long time, and I would be lying if I said things weren't a little strange, but it was a step in the right direction. The boys especially were really excited to see him, and probably completely wore him out. Happy Father's Day to you too Dad thanks for coming to visit!

Nine Months

2011-06-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe these little ladies are nine months old! Time is really starting to go by quickly with them. They are getting a lot faster at their army crawl, and get pretty much wherever they want. They both look like they are pretty close to a "real" crawl, but then they realize it is faster to just get on their stomach and scoot! They are big fans of shoes, trash, and toilet brushes (I have to admit I will be a little bit glad when they are past the "everything in your mouth" phase). They can both pull themself up to a standing position, although they like to do it on unstable items (like the bottom rack of the dishwasher). They have graduated to the big kid tub, and LOVE bathtime!

I have some really cute bare bottomed pictures, but I will leave those off the internet :>)

The look so stinkin cute in their swimsuits! AFter two boys, I am loving the little girl suits and hats.They are not big fans of going in the pool yet...hopefully that will change!

A favorite pasttime is sitting at the sliding door and staring at the dogs.

Sabrina

Whitney

LOVE LOVE LOVE these girls!

Police and Fire Games

2011-06-15T22:13:00.001-07:00

The Western States Police and Fire Games were last week. Rich has been practicing for months with some guys from work to play water polo, and they had a lot of fun in the tournament. I didn't get great pictures because I was chasing after our 4 kids on the pool deck, but the boys especially were really excited to see Daddy play!

After three days of games these guys were pretty beat, but I think they all had fun. My sweet mild mannered husband finished off the last game by getting into a fight (ask him if you want the details....the kids and I were not at the last game and I can't say I was sorry to miss that!) but aside from that he had some good times!

End of Baseball

2011-06-15T22:13:00.000-07:00

We survived another season of little league, and Rich will tell anyone who will listen that he has coached two undefeated seasons (easy to do when they don't keep score ha ha!). I will admit I was a little nervous about moving up to single A from t-ball this year. Brendan was probably the youngest single A player in the league, and there were definitely kinds who were WAY better (and also 2-3 years older), but he had a good time and kept up for the most part. He won't be winning any prizes for speed anytime soon, but more often than not he was able to hit the ball, and he really enjoyed the practices and games (games especially because he knew he would get a treat at the end!).

Closing ceremonies were 2 weekends ago, and he had fun with his little buddies

Last weekend we had our team party, and Brendan was SUPER EXCITED for his trophy (even though they put his name as Gray Brendan)

Here he is with his coach and best buddy!

Rich with the team

Rich and Brendan with the Nays and Nelsons. These three boys go to church together, and were in preschool together in the past. Rich says we will have to put this picture up at their Eagle court of honor one day :>)

Fun Weekend

2011-06-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I was able to go o the L.A. temple with my family while my baby sister went through for the first time. In just a few months she will be off on her mission, and it was so nice to spend some time together before she is gone! It was a beautiful night. Here is my mom, sisters and I in front of the temple.

My cousin Heather was able to come, and well as her husband Ben. My Uncle Phil and Aunt Debi were there too!

Heather, Janine, Kristi and me. Afterwards we went out to dinner at a chicken place that was really good. We briefly toyed with the idea of going to the restaurant that Fabio from Top Chef owns, but it was a little far...we will definitely have to go sometime though. I am all for meeting that charming Italian man!

The next day was a little crazy. Brendan and Rich went to Little League closing ceremonies in the morning. He looks so handsome in his little uniform!

At lunchtime we had a lot of family come over to celebrate Kristi's 21st birthday. I made Cafe Rio knockoff food which always makes me happy :>) It was fun!

That evening, my mom took my sisters and me to a dinner and show called "Battle of the Dance" to celebrate the big 21. It's a new place, and it was fun. We didn't get any pictures from that night, but here is my mom with her three girls!

Sunday was just relaxing. After church we just hung out in our p.j.s and ate a lot of food :>) Here is my mom with her grandkids...

Kristi with my kids...

and Janine. My boys are such goofballs when the camera comes out these days!

All in all it was a great weekend!

Preschool Graduation

2011-06-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

Last week, Brendan graduated from preschool. He is really excited to go to kindergarten in the fall (in fact, we told him he would go to kindergarten when he is 5 so ever since his birthday he thinks it is time to go), but he will miss going to Miss Melissa's class!

Courtney, Mat, Nathan, Kenzie, Jackson, Dax, Luke, Davis Brendan (Mia was missing)

Melissa has been his teacher for two years, and he LOVES her. She has done such an amazing job with the kids. She is not done with us yet though because Carson will be starting with her in the fall :>)

Here is our happy family...

and the proud graduate!

The kids did a really cute little program where they sang songs and shared some of what they learned this year. Afterwards, they were able to play at Pump it Up for awhile. The girls did a good job of sitting there and looking cute :>)

I am a little sad to see Brendan growing up, but we are excited to see what the future holds for him!

Community Fair

2011-05-29T20:05:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, we went to the community fair. We have gone a couple times in the past, and always have fun. It's free, the food costs 25 cents, and there is a lot for the kids to do. My kind of place :>) The weather was perfect too! The boys were excited to see trash trucks...

the sheriff's helicopter (I for one was amazed that the sheriffs let kids climb around in there...there must be a million buttons and knobs in there and I think kids were punching every one...I think how crazy my car is when my boys mess around in the front seat and can only IMAGINE what they would do to a helicopter!)

and a fire truck.

We ran into a lot of friends while we were there, which just made my kids have even more fun! Here is Luke and Brendan at the petting zoo. They are best buds! Love how the little boy in the background is totally smiling for the camera!

The boys got really cool face painting done...Brendan got a crocodile, and Carson got a dinosaur. They thought it was awesome :>)

There was a clown who made all the boys laser guns out of balloons...I don't think most of them made it home in one piece, but they had fun while they lasted!

at the end, we sat down for awhile and ate snow cones. The boys said that was their favorite part!

The girls just sat in their stroller and looked cute for the most part. I figured we would stay as long as they lasted (Rich wasn't able to make it so I didn't know how long I would be able to occupy all 4 by myself!), and surprisingly we stayed for just over 3 hours. They only really had one stretch where they got pretty cranky (thanks Melissa for being an extra set of arms!), but they enjoyed being out and seeing all kinds of new things! Whitney had a cute flower on her head too, but after Sabrina tried to eat it multiple times I gave up and put it away :>)

Father-Son Campout

2011-05-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Rich and the boys went on the annual Father-Son campout. The boys were REALLY excited, and it was all they could talk about the few days prior. Almost 80 guys from our ward went, so there was a good turnout. They drove up with the Gargalises, and that made it even more fun! They were really excited to sleep in a tent (not that you would guess it from Brendan's face here).

Hot dogs and soda and chips make for some happy boys!

They had a lot of fun by the campfire.

Carson always gets really shy around our friend John at church, but John loaded him up with chips and then they were best buddies!

Brendan wore himself out :>)

The next day they went hiking on some "super huge gigantic rocks" (at least that is how Brendan described them to me when he got home)

they came home tired anf filthy, but had a great time! I am so grateful for a fantastic hubby who LOVES to spend time with our boys!!!

YAYYY!!!!!!

2011-05-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

Last night we got to have a Skype date with my baby sister as she opened her mission call! The boys were really excited to see her on the computer....they seemed to think if their nose was touching the screen they would be able to see better lol :>)

and...she is going to Rome, Italy! Same mission my other sister went to. Apparently the Sobecks have some unfinished business in Italy! Congrats little sis you will be GREAT!

Photography Giveaway

2011-05-20T21:36:00.001-07:00

My super-talented friend Julie is starting her own photography business, and is having a little giveaway to kick things off! Check it out here. Julie is anot only a great photographer, she is also one of the most amazing moms I know! Her little guy has had so many health struggles, and is a hero to many. Love this family!

Spring Cleaning

2011-05-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

Our garage has been a little...how shall I say....OUT OF CONTROL for awhile now. We have meant to clear it out for a long time, but instead we just seem to keep throwing more junk out there. There is a path to walk from the driveway to the door, but it has been rapidly shrinking. We finally got motivated, and have been out there sorting through the mounds of STUFF we have accumulated during the nearly 8 years we have lived here. Some interesting finds:

-A stack of THESE. Rich said he made them for his graphic arts class in high school, and never gave any out, but I have my suspicions ha ha :>)

-cans of soup that expired in 2004 (ewww)

-an enormous stack of bank statements and paystubs from 2003-05
-pictures from newborn Rich at the hospital (I have never seen them)

-my ID cards from junior high and high school. Yes, I looked awesome.

-ALL my textbooks and notes from nursing school (did I really think I would ever use them again?)
-Thanksgiving tablecloths that I spent an hour looking for in the garage before the twins' blessing
-cute little purses I used to carry around (before I started having to carry half the contents of my house with me whenever I leave)
-an ENORMOUS box of odd random wedding presents (this box has not been opened since we moved here in '03. I guess we don't need any of it)
-Many pairs of old ugly shoes (including my nursing shoes that I haven't worn since I worked at a hospital in '05...nor would I wear them again if you paid me because they are GROSS!)
-a big box of every letter/note I ever received from 1988 on. Many of the people I don't even remember who they were. Some of these did make me laugh really long and hard :>)
-A used plastic Elmo tablecloth from Brendan's second birthday party
-toys we bought years ago with intentions of giving to our boys for Christmas/birthdays/etc. that they are now probably too old for.

The list goes on and on. We had the Salvation Army truck come to out house, and here is the pile they picked up:

Twenty bags and boxes, plus plenty of other random stuff. Hopefully someone will want it? A lot of it is not in the best shape. We probably threw away close to that amount as well. Now we can walk in our garage again. Heck, we could probably even park a car in there if we shoved all the strollers over (not guaranteeing that there would be room to open the car door once we got it in there, but hey). It feels good!

Eight Months

2011-05-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

The girls hit their 8 month mark this week, and they get bigger and cuter every day! They finally are stable sitters, and seem happier to be in a position where they can see the world a little better. They are both really good eaters, and will happily eat anything you put in their mouth (including the green veggies which just look and smell disgusting to me).

they have the cutest little laughs and giggles!

they like to climb on top of each other, and gnaw on various body parts (bottoms specifically)

they have perfected the army crawl, and can get places fast when they want to. They still spit up a lot (and then slide through it), so no matter how often I clean my floors they still look disgusting, and by the end of the day their shirts are black and gross. They especially love to eat paper and shoes (and each others' headbands, which is why I don't bother with them much these days!). There are times when they just follow each other around the house, and it makes me laugh!

Sabrina

She is such a sweet and happy baby! She just cut her bottom two teeth, and was a really easy teether (hopefully that will continue!)

she loves to play, and is generally ok to entertain herself for longer periods of time than her sister!

she has been rocking on all fours for awhile, and the past couple weeks she will push her bootie up in the air and stand on her tiptoes and hands.

Whitney

This girl is usually either super happy or crying (she doesn't have a lot of middle ground!). She just got her first tooth, the second looks like it will break through soon, and she is not too happy about it. She likes me to hold her a LOT, and if she sees me when she is happily playing she will often give me a very sad face and start to cry. She is cute though :>)

She is starting to climb on things, but a lot of times she gets stuck and that makes her really mad.

I just have to say again how much we LOVE LOVE LOVE these girls! They keep life crazy, but they are so much fun.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-10T20:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a great day. Rich was able to get off a little early, and even though he had been up all night he let me sleep in. Then he and the boys brought me breakfast in bed, and I got sweet cards and fun presents. Rich only had to leave an hour before church, so he was able to help get the kids ready and it was very relaxing for me! I even got to take a shower Sunday morning, which was

amazing!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to BE a mother. Life is crazy and chaotic most days, and I have moments where I want to just lock myself in my room and never come out, but I am fully aware of how BLESSED we are. I am also grateful for a wonderful mother, mother-in-law, and many friends who are such great examples of how to be a better mom! Thank you all of you!!!

This picture totally makes me laugh...Carson is grumpy, Whitney is spitting up everywhere, and Brendan is ignoring everything we are saying. Typical :>)

What?!?!?

2011-05-10T20:58:00.000-07:00

I put Carson down for a nap the other day. I heard him playing for awhile, and when it was quiet I went to check on him. It took me a minute to realize just WHAT it was that I was seeing. He had stripped his bedding off, then tore a hole in the mattress protector (which was obviously already in STELLAR condition as evidenced by the mounds of duct tape holding it together), and climbed on in. I didn't know whether to laugh or be horrified. I quickly pulled him out, and he was conked out and covered in sweat. I don't think he was ever in danger of suffocating since there are a million holes in that thing (you can see a big one right by his head), but basically he decided to take a nap in a plastic bag. Crazy kid! Guess it's time to but a new (and probably better quality) mattress cover!

CHOCOLATE MILK!!!

2011-05-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

Last week, we were able to go to a local farm for a preschool/playgroup fieldtrip. We have been there a few times before, and my boys love it. The second I told Brendan we were going, he asked about chocolate milk and cookies (they give you some at the end of the tour, and it is AMAZING!).

We got to see a baby cow drink from a bottle...

and feed hay to the cows.

Carson thought it was pretty funny :>)

We got to see the room where they milk the cows...

and the kids got to play with the milking apparatus (whatever it is called?)

THEN we got to eat the milk and cookies. YUM YUM YUM!!!

We bought some to take home too and got to enjoy it all week :>)

Easter

2011-05-03T21:04:00.001-07:00

Somehow, the Easter bunny managed to track us down to Utah, and the boys were really excited to find their Easter baskets on Sunday morning!

This picture is about as good as it gets these days when I try to get all 4 of them at the same time...Carson was like this in every picture (let me tell you, after a week of no naps he was a JOY to be around ha ha).

After church, we had a yummy dinner with ham and cheese potatoes and lots and lots of deviled eggs (YUM!). Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Gray for letting us come visit you for the week!

The Bean Museum

2011-05-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

We were able to go to the Carl Bloch exhibit while we were in Utah. It was pretty amazing and I loved the painitngs (not so wild about trying to keep my kids in line at the exhibit however.... *sigh*). We headed up to Provo a little early, and went to the Bean museum before the exhibit. I have never heard of this place before, but my boys LOVED it. Just about any animal you could think of was stuffed somewhere in there.

Chloe, Kristin, Brendan, Emily, Sabrina, Ashley, Whitney, Kelly, Quinn, Carson

Emily and Kristin being silly!

Grandma Gray and Whitney

Sabrina and Whitney with Grandpa Gray

Temples

2011-04-28T22:34:00.002-07:00

On Wednesday, we drove up to Provo to meet with my sister (who was finishing finals at BYU), my mom (who was there to pick her up), and my Aunt Donna (who lives there). We went to Cafe Rio (YUM!)and had a good visit. One of Rich's old mission companions was able to meet us for dinner as well which was fun. While I neglected to get my camera out during dinner, we did try to get a family shot at the Provo temple beforehand.

Trying to get everyone looking at once is a bit of a challenge!

The Gray girls (Whitney was mainly interested in yanking Sabrina's headband off so she could eat it)

and my boys!

Thursday morning, Rich's mom bravely offered to watch all 4 of our munchkins so we could go to the Salt Lake temple. Neither one of us have done a live session before, and it was a neat experience. It was also REALLY NICE to have some one on one time with my sweet husband! That was the longest we have ever left the girls with anyone, and I never worried once (it helped that some of my nieces went over to my mother-in-law's house to be extra hands. When both girls get crabby, it can be a lot, and I want my mother-in-law to still like us. Thanks Mary!).

Discovery Gateway Museum

2011-04-28T22:34:00.001-07:00

Last week we went up to Utah to visit with Rich's parents and sister. I was MORE than a little nervous about the drive up there with all 4 kids (the girls are NOT big fans of driving for long periods), but we broke it up into 2 days and it went fairly well for the most part. We had such a good time while we were there! Tuesday we went to the Discovery Gateway museum in Salt Lake with my sister-in-law Jill and her 6 kids. They have a 15 passenger van, so we all got to ride together and had a great time! My nieces continually fought over whose turn it was to sit next to the twins, and my babies were happy to receive lots of extra attention throughout the week :>)

One thing I have noticed about Utah is that we blend right in with all our kids. Whenever I go anywhere here with my 4 kids, I feel like everyone stares (and people ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS tell me that I have my hand full). In Utah, even when we were at the food court with our combined 10 kids no one even gave us a second glance. The twins thing isn't so novel either...in the few minutes it took to walk out of the museum I spotted FOUR other sets.

Brendan, Carson, and Ashley thought the helicopter was really cool.

Emily, Brendan, Kristen, and Quinn playing with the magnetic blocks

Ashley and Whitney. This girl LOVES babies and could always be found holding one of mine! I was glad for the extra hands :>)

Carson was not a big fan of the horse.

Brendan however thought it was great. He pretended he was Woody and yelled, "Ride like the wind, Bullseye!"

He also loved the fireman costume, and wore it for a LONG time.

Carson's favorite part was the pretend grocery store. He was in there forever, and may have found his calling in life as a grocery clerk :>)

Carson, Chloe, and Jill playing in the kid house.

Ashley and Emily with my girlies!

My kids with their Jorgensen cousins: Kristen, Quinn, Chloe, Brendan, Whitney, Sabrina, Emily, Kelly, Ashley, Carson

It was a great day!

More Brendan's Birthday...

2011-04-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots of Brendan opening his gifts when we celebrated with our family...he was REALLY EXCITED for presents this year :>)

These boys make me laugh!

Carson was really excited too and totally thinks all these presents belong to him as well (although if Brendan tries to play with anything Carson got for HIS birthday, we here "NO IT'S MINE!!!" We are still working on the whole sharing thing!)

Beverly Hills

2011-04-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

My friend Shelley was in town, and a bunch of us gals went to Beverly Hills for a MUCH NEEDED girls' trip! We started out by going to Joan's on Third for dinner, which was featured on the show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." It was good...not the BEST thing I ever ate but we all enjoyed it!

They gave away our room at the hotel, and ended up upgrading us to a suite. It was big and BEAUTIFUL and we had lots of fun!

Me, Jessica, Niki, Kyra, Kim, Melissa, Shelley

Saturday, we went to the fashion district in L.A. and spent a few hours shopping. I got my favorite purse EVER, and a few other things.

Mostly, it was just nice to get away for a night (WITHOUT babies to wake me up!) and have some fun wth friends. Rich is AMAZING for encouraging me to go, and watching all 4 kids by himself (he finally had to get up in the middle of the night with the twins ha ha!). I did feel really bad that I missed most of Brendan's birthday on Saturday, BUT we had fun at his birthday party earlier in the week and I made sure to make it up to him! Fortunately he is still too young to really care :>) Memorable moments from the trip:

-Pumping. Niki, Melissa, and I all got our pumps out every 3-4 hours and made lots of milk. All of us in the car were a sight to see!

-Going down to the pool/hot tub at the hotel and being goofy

-taking silly pictures while jumping on the hotel bed

-having a WONDERFUL time with amazing friends!!!

Happy Birthday Brendan!

2011-04-17T15:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Brendan turned 5. That sounds really old to me, but with 4 kids I am ready for someone to be 5 :>) Brendan is a good kid. He can be completely crazy at times, tends to overreact about a lot of stuff, can be very sensitive (this can be good AND bad depending on the situation), and definitely knows how to push my buttons. He can also be very sweet, loves his baby sisters, can sit at the table drawing for hours, loves to shake his bootie, and still likes to snuggle up with his mommy on the couch (I hope he doesn't outgrow that too soon!). Rich and I have been married for just over 9 years, and realized the other day that we have spent more of our married life as parents than not. That is crazy to me! I still VERY CLEARLY remember the day Brendan was born, and he has brought so much joy into our life.

Brendan has been saying for MONTHS that he wanted a light sabre cake, and since he is obsessed with Start Wars we had a Start Wars party for him. We ended up with his preschool class and a few other friends from church, and things got a little crazy, but I think everyone had fun (Brendan did at least, and I guess he is the one that counts!). Since preschool is just a 5 minute walk away, Rich walked up there in his Darth Vader costume (I knew those Halloween costumes from a couple years back would come into play again!), and picked the kids up. They came back to our house, whee they hunted for asteroids (candy wrapped in foil)...

popped bubbles with their light sabres...

played "Red Sword, Green Sword"

run by Darth

played "Frozen in Carbonite" (danced to Star Wars music then had to freeze with a silly face when we turned it off...those kids have some MOVES!)...

and ate pizza, grape swords, and light sabre cake.

the cake did turn out a little crooked, but Brendan was happy enough with it (except for when he noticed a small part that wasn't frosted completely and yelled that it wasn't done. Too bad, bucko).

They also took turns showing off their Jedi moves on the trampoline.

Davis, Matt, Kenzie, Hunter, Michael, Courtney, Dax, Brielle, Carson, Rachel, Luke, Darth Vader, Sabrina, Emma, Princess Leia, Whitney, Brendan, Nathan, and Jackson (Macie and Mia left early)

My wonderful friend Tara was kind enough to take over camera duty, and got a ton of great shots (glad she did, cause I was occupied with other stuff!). Thanks to everyone who could come, and happy birthday to my big guy!

Seven Months

2011-04-13T22:17:00.001-07:00

Another month has gone by, and these girls are getting so much bigger! They are sitting, but I still can't leave them unattended because the second they get distratced they fall over. They are getting pretty good at scooting around though. They do an army crawl, and can move across the room pretty easily. Today I found Sabrina trying to pull the plug out of a light socket, so we will have to be a little more diligent with childproofing from now on :>) They love to babble, and Sabrina says "mama" a lot (most of the time I think it is just babble, but there have been a couple instances where I think it may have been directed at me?). They have many times where they are happily playing, and the second they see me they start to cry. That means I still spend a large portion of each day sitting in the recliner and holding babies! Naps still pretty much stink at our house (most days they will take 2 naps which range from 20-40 minutes), but every once in awhile they will sleep for a couple of hours and give me hope! The upside is that they generally are in bed by 6:30 or 7, and will usually only wake up once to eat. I am glad to be getting a little more sleep these days :>) They are doing good with solids, and eat pretty much anything you put in front of them. They still spit up quite a bit (Whitney in particular), but now it is usually bright orange or green (so we are going through a lot of Shout). They will put anything and everything in their mouth. Here are a few pictures of them last week!

Sabrina

Oh, this baby is so sweet! She is chunking out more every day, and loves to be held.

Whitney

This girl has tons of personality. Her favorite thing to do is rip Sabrina's headbands off her head (seriously, if she sees one on her she will not stop til she gets it off. She hasn't seemed to notice them on her own head yet)

Storm Game

2011-04-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday night Brendan's little league team was able to have a parade around the local minor league team's field before the game. I didn't get a ticket this year (the game started at 7, and the girls are usually in bed by then, and having both of them there would have been a little miserable I think!), but Rich took the boys. There wasn't a huge turnout from our team, but they had fun!

Here are some of the Tigers hamming it up before the game

They were able to go with our friends Emily and Todd. Emily is due to have their first baby any day, but she was a trooper and let Brendan hang all over her and steal their food all night (she told me a story about how Brendan couldn't find his Sprite, so he walked down the aisle and grabbed the next person's Sprite. We need to work on that!).

Love my boys!

My kiddos

2011-03-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

I went to my cosuin Heather's house a couple weeks ago so she could get some updated pictures of my kids. As I was hauling all my kids and our stuff from my car to her door, the trash truck was driving by. The lady driving stopped her truck and got out to ask me if I had twins, then told me I had my hands full. Yes, I do thank you :>) I feel like we cause a spectacle whenever we go anywhere.

I was impressed that Heather managed to get a shot with all 4 kids looking and no one crying. I know this will get easier as they get older, but at this point in time it is really quite a chore! I bought these outfits for ridiculously cheap during the Easter clearance last year (I think I paid $18 total for both dresses and both sweatervests)...it was the first thing I bought after I found out we were having two girls (and it WASN'T pink....I didn't think I wanted a lot of pink but it has sure grown on me!)

These boys have kind of a love/hate relationship...they love to play together, and you will usually either hear giggles or screams coming from them. Not much middle ground :>)

These girls were not super cooperative posing together, but they sure looked cute in their enormous cloud of tulle!

holding hands...

Sabrina looks just a bit annoyed by her sister's crying here :>)

Heather sent me almost 150 pictures, and I always have a hard time choosing my favorites, so I will just post a whole lot of them! Thanks Heather!

Brendan

2011-03-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

This kid is growing too fast! He will be 5 next month and is getting excited to start "big kid school" in the fall. At his kindergarten appt., he weighed 49 lbs and was 46 inches (91st and 96%).

Carson

2011-03-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

Carson, is spunky and STUBBORN, and quite a ham! At the doctor's last week he was 33 lbs and 38 inches (60th and 56%).

Showing off his Spiderman web-slinging skills!

Sabrina

2011-03-23T22:32:00.001-07:00

We made these little tutus at a Super Saturday when the girls were brand new, and I have been wanting to get some pictures in them because they look SO DARN CUTE!!! At her 6 months appt., Sabrina weighed 16 lbs 2 oz and was 27 3/4 inches (44th and 95%).

Notice the large amounts of drool...kind of wonder if these girls will be getting some teeth soon?

Whitney

2011-03-23T22:32:00.000-07:00

At her 6 month appt. this week, this little girl weighed in at 15 lbs 11 oz and 27 inches (36th and 82%). Both girls seemed to be a lot lower on weight than height (which surprises me given the rolls on their thighs!), but they are growing well and have more than doubled their birth weight. Strange to think that 6 months ago, both of them together weighed less than one of them now!

Hiking

2011-03-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went on a little family hike with some friends (well, MOST of our family was there...Rich stayed up late to coach Brendan's little league game, and was working that night so needed to go home and get some sleep), so the kids and I braved it alone. I was worried my kids would be a little crazy, but they actually did pretty good (and I have GREAT friends who helped me out too!). Here are some of the kids running ahead (Brendan is in the purple sweatshirt).

Tree stumps are very entertaining!

Us, the Nelsons, Hannons, and Thompsons (towards the end of our hike, I was walking in the back with my friend Kim and our kids. Her daughter Kenzie (in the blue dress) came over to tell us a "secret"...she and Brendan decided they are getting married. Kenzie is a funny funny girl, and I have my doubts that Brendan would be able to keep up with her, but I thought it was hilarious!).

Me and my kiddos!

It was a fun little hike (I guess you can normally walk on a trail out to the water behind us, but it was blocked off with signs that said "UNSAFE AND UNSTABLE." Apparently there are large quantities of watersnakes that reside there, so I wasn't too sad to miss it!

Six Months

2011-03-17T22:06:00.001-07:00

The girls turned 6 months on Friday, and we have officially survived half a year (and given the way they are manhandled by their brothers, that is quite an accomplishment!). They are really getting to be a lot of fun. We started them on solids a couple weeks ago, and they are starting to get the hang of it a bit...Whitney will eat whatever we put near her mouth, but Sabrina makes us work a little more. Both seem to end up wearing more than they ingest :>)

Whitney is fascinated by her feet, and loves to eat them too! She also loves to blow raspberries and makes me laugh everytime she does. Not quite sitting yet...everytime I try she leans one way or another to try and grab something, and hasn't quite figured out how to balance yet. She rolls everywhere though, and when you leave the room for a minute or two she will generally be at least 5 feet from where you left her. She is ticklish, and has the funniest belly laughs. Still definitely the crankier of the two! She still spits up quite a bit, but it seems to be slowing down.

I am realizing that I didn't take many pictures this month...fortunately, my cousin Heather took some shots of them last week and I am looking forward to getting my CD and posting a whole lot more :>) Sabrina is getting close to sitting...she can stay up for a couple seconds here and there, but doesn't last long! She rolls around too, but generally stays near where we left her. She is super smiley (except when Heather was trying to take her pictures ha!) and is a sweet baby.

The past six months have been LONG and exhausting, but these girls make me smile everytime I see them and bring so much happiness to our family!!!

A Little Stealing...

2011-03-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures that I just snaked off my sister-in-law's blog...she took some while they were down at our house a couple weeks ago, and I am glad she did because I was lame and didn't get around to it! My nieces Emily and Kristin are so darn cute, and it was fun to hang out with them, their mom, and my in-laws. Here is Emily pushing the girls in the stroller...

the cousins before church...

and Emily and Kristin holding the twins. I really did marry into an amazing family!

Mustache March

2011-03-09T22:18:00.000-08:00

Rich informed me that he was going to grow a mustache this March. To be honest, I wasn't that thrilled. I think they are scratchy and kind of ugly. He was so excited though so I just smiled and rolled my eyes. He got several of his friends from work and church on board with him, and the mustache growing began. Then we received a call to meet with the stake presidency on Thursday the 3rd. We speculated on possible callings, but I have to admit I was floored when they called him to be the second couselor in the bishopric.I always feel like bishopric families are so perfect, and we are so NOT. Rich called his parents that night to let them know, and Friday morning my sweet mother-in-law called to tell me they were leaving that afternoon to make the 10 hour drive from Utah to be here when they set him apart (along with Rich's sister and 2 of our nieces). They got in close to midnight on Friday night, and were able to be here on Saturday for Rich's birthday and Brendan's first little league game. They left right after he was set apart on Sunday, which means that I think they spent more time driving than they did waking hours at our house (I really do have the best in-laws EVER!). Both of Rich's brothers ended up coming to our ward for sacrament as well, and while it was very brief and impromptu, it was nice to have the whole family together for a bit (love you guys!). Earlier in the week I made a comment on how it was going to be a quiet weekend, and it ended up being anything but, but we had a wonderful time with family. Now we just need to figure out what the heck we are doing with this calling. Rich is an amazing man though, and I know he will do GREAT!

This all means, however, that Mustache March came to a premature end. Sunday morning before church, after only 6 days, it was shaved (can't say I was too sad about that one!).