Blueberry Picking

For those of you in the Pacific Northwest, this is probably so run-of-the-mill.... :)

We went to Underwood Family farms again--- But this time, we went to their OTHER location to pick blueberries!!! Had a blast... (I have a new found respect for professional blueberry pickers) And found out that Tori loves blueberries, just like her big sister!

Memorial Day Weekend-- Lexy's 3rd Birthday....IN MAY!!!!

"I have a baby in my tummy"

Lest you think I am with child, those words were and are uttered by darling LEXY.... ALL. THE. TIME.

We seem to live in a world of pregnant people... We're always around someone who has a baby in their tummy, and Lexy seems to be taking notes

It's now her excuse for anything she doesn't want to do.

Minutes ago, this was our exchange:

Me: OK, Lex, go run downstairs so we can put your panties on.

Lexy: Noooo! I can't run downstairs, I have a baby in my tummy!

Pretty good, eh? Already knows how to protect her unborn child by not foolishly running down stairs!

Ah! But let me assure you.... There are other usages that are completely incorrect. As in the times yesterday when she told me that she couldn't:

• Take a nap because she had a baby in her tummy (I assured her that she most definitely could take a nap, and probably WANTED to take a nap because babies in your tummy make you REALLY tired)

• Eat more dinner because she had a baby in her tummy (Again, assured her that she would, in fact, need to eat more than the two bites she had consumed because you have to eat more when there is a baby in your tummy)

• Go potty because she had a baby in her tummy (I just laughed this time)

Thank goodness my baby does NOT have a baby in her tummy. :)

Three

Could it be possible that my baby is three?

How the years fly by....

Lexy Lou, I love you.
I love the way you greet each day with enthusiasm and joy by announcing, "Hey Mommy! Sun's up!" I love your desire/need for structure, and the way you remind me when we have deviated from it. I love your zest for life, always up for the next adventure. I love the way you mimic everything you hear your dad and me saying. "You've gotta be kidding me, Jennifer!" still ranks high on the list of my favorites, although "Whatever, dude" is gaining fast. I love the way you encourage your sister-- you are her #1 cheerleader, and it absolutely melts my heart. "Good job, Tori! You can do it!" I also love how you are so conscientious about including your sister.... "Hey Mommy, I think Tori wants to come, too" when I tell you we're going somewhere. You love to make sure everyone feels included, be it your sister, or the littlest child at library story time. I love how you hold your cupped hand up to your lips, covering your mouth, when you "whisper". I love your fiercely independent streak, and the joy you get from doing it all by yourself. I love your tender heart, pouring out compassion (and offering a band-aid) whenever anyone gets hurt, saying,"wah happened, you got an owie?" I love when you come apologize to me out of the blue for a transgression committed long before. Your sincere repentance brings me to tears. I love to see you comforting the crying child in the nursery saying, "It's okay... Mommy will be here soon..." I love your imagination, and the many pretend meals you make for me in your kitchen. I love that you love vegetables (and pray you always will!). I love your courage, taking on tasks that would make most 3-yr-olds melt into a pool of tears. I love that when you pray, you thank God for everything you've done and everyone you've encountered that day. I love your helpful spirit, always wanting to be Mommy's Big Helper (even when you get into trouble for trying to do more than you should). I love how you love your daddy... he holds a special place in your heart and you in his. I love when you sing "Jesus Loves Me" at the top of your lungs OVER and OVER again.
Yes He does.
And so do I.

Happy Birthday, Lexy.

Pomp and Circumstance

My heart is swelling with pride.
We celebrated quite an accomplishment this evening (all week, really...).
Bill earned his second (2!) Masters degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the Michael D. Eisner School of Education at C.S.U.N.
That's just a fancy of way of saying that he earned his Administrative Credential, and the Masters degree that goes along with it. :)Monday night, we endured the 96 degree heat to watch him be decorated with an Honors medal at the Honors Convocation.

Having the medal placed around his neck....

Praise the Lord for the MUCH cooler weather we enjoyed tonight for his graduation, er...COMMENCEMENT ceremony. (I'm still wondering why everything is "commencement" now. Make sure you grab your COMMENCEMENT program before you take your COMMENCEMENT seat. ) The girls and I were so excited to see Daddy walk in his "pretty dress" and "golden medal", as Lexy put it.

The jubilant family....
Not the best picture, but hey... we do the best we can, right?

The President of the University made a point to recognize the graduates who held a full time job while working towards their degree, which seemed to apply to about half of the graduates. I had always known that this was a huge undertaking (obviously... I was living through it), but for some reason, it all clicked tonight. WHAT A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT to work all day long and then still carve out time in his busy schedule to go to class, write papers, perform fieldwork, etc. Bill has worked SO HARD to earn this degree, and I know I am often selfish in celebrating the fact that our chaotic life will finally return to normal (whatever that means). But tonight, as the president spoke, I realized that me celebrating the end of it all was belittling the huge amount of work that he put into it. I am so proud of him.

Bill went through the whole process with his buddy Rich, and it was fun to see them finish together. And it was nice to share the crazy night in the audience with Chrissy, Rich's wife, and their 3 kids.
We were also blessed beyond words to have our dear friends Nate & Debra Perkins (and Annabelle and Ava) come to cheer Bill on. Wow-- Can't believe you WANTED to come to a graduation... ahem, Commencement! We CHERISH your friendship and feel so touched that you wanted to celebrate this milestone with us.

And I couldn't publish this without at least one picture of the girls....
So here's a peek into the future at the graduating class of.... 2023???

Check out the half eaten waffle sitting on the couch.... Lovely.

And a token Tori shot that has absolutely nothing to do with graduation!

My Future's so Bright....

I gotta wear shades!

Random Thoughts....

• We've turned a corner in the ear infection guessing game..... Lexy woke up Wednesday morning and said, "Mom, my ear hurts." Two hours later, the doctor confirms it... she has an ear infection. I was so excited-- seriously-- because I'll never again have to wonder with her. She can now TELL ME. What a concept.

• I had a revelation this week.... I have groupies. No, I'm not a rock star or anything, but I do have two little people that follow me EVERYWHERE I go. Need to use the restroom? Hope the bathroom floor is clean, as there will be little bodies crawling/playing around on it momentarily. Time for a shower? Hope I don't mind an audience. Who knew I'd need to find ways to entertain people WHILE I'm showering. Talking on the phone? Count on them following me into whatever room I've tried to escape to. Looking on the bright side.... rarely do I have to wonder where they are. :)
  

• Tonight we went to the West Ranch High School "Last Chance Dance"-- they really call it that. This school is SUPER family friendly and always incorporates a staff BBQ/family fun night whenever they have a dance. Lexy loves going because there are always multiple bounce houses, slides, etc. It's like a kid's version of heaven, I think. But the real selling point for Lexy is the dancing. We arrived at around 6pm. She was on the dance floor by 6:02pm. By herself. (And she actually has rhythm!) She has embraced the "dance like no one is watching" mantra wholeheartedly. It's so cute and innocent. There she is, dancing her little heart out, mesmerized by the flashing lights, lost in the music, oblivious to the eyes watching her.
  

Evolution of a Smile

early November 2007


November 2007


Christmas Day, 2007


February 2008


March 2008


April 2008


mid-April 2008


May 2008 (making sure all those teeth show!)

Hume Laker in training

We are so proud.
She has already begun a tough training regime for the Hume Lake Summer Camp game of Bump, Bump.

Sisters

Singing (and clapping) together after bath time



Sitting together in Lexy's bed



My morning glories, first thing yesterday morning when Lexy woke up.



This afternoon, Lexy pushing Tori around in her baby stroller.

The only REAL animal in this zoo

It occurs to me that I have never written about our beloved Doggie.
(She told me she's feeling neglected.)
She's a cute and cuddly beast.
My father-in-law calls her "Killer." HA.
She's anything but.

And, I know... it seems like a really boring dog name.
Well, here's the history:

I clearly remember driving down the 101 freeway with Bill back in 2001 when we first starting dating, probably listening to the local R&B station when the following exchange occurred:

J: If we ever have a dog, we should name it after a rap star, just to mix things up.

B: Yeah, like "Notorious D.O.G." We could call it "Doggie Smalls" for short.

J: And then our next dog could be Tupac, or Snoop.

So, the backstory comes to light-- Doggie is actually "Notorious D.O.G.", but only about 11% of the circle of our friends and family even get it. Which makes it even funnier to us. We're just weird like that, I guess.


This is her tough gangsta look that says "What you lookin' at, fo?"

Doggie loves to run. And since we live in southern California (i.e. NO BACKYARD), she sometimes gets creative about making room to run. She is pretty much a master escape artist. She has made her way through our wooden fence (granted, it's pretty rotten at the base) too many times to count. And I have become acquainted with FAR TOO MANY neighbors upon receiving the "Um, I think I have your dog..." phone call at various hours of the day.

running at the dog park

Alas, we have now resorted to keeping her on a leash in the backyard. I know, cruel and unusual punishment. It's a long leash. Which you would think would make it better, but in actuality, it just allows her to get wrapped around every shrub, bush, tree, patio cover post, etc. that exists in the backyard.

She chases and/or barks at every animal that traipses through the backyard. And we have A LOT of squirrels. Entire extended families of squirrels.

So this morning, I let her out for her daily morning jaunt. Things got crazy with feeding children, changing diapers, etc.-- typical life stuff-- and I kind of forgot about her in the backyard. No biggie. She's on a leash, right?

I hear this yelping/barking that is typical of Doggie when she's discovered some sort of animal intruder (i.e. squirrel). Very high pitched, super annoying. I was caught of up doing other things and kind of tunned it out. After about ten minutes, I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

She had gotten herself all tangled up around a tree (shocking!) and was positioned right between two sprinklers, which had been pelting her from both sides. She was soaking wet, cold, MUDDY, and stuck. Poor thing. But kind of funny. :)

She wanted nothing more than to bolt into the house and shake. Not on your life, kid.
I untangled her and banished her to the sunny patio until she dried.

She seems no worse for the wear. And I think this was the easiest bath I've ever given her.

Hello World

It's me, Jenn. I used to blog on this site.
Apparently, I had a little blogging vacation.
Wish I could say I went to some exotic location with no internet access.
No such luck.

Life has been crazy, but....really.... when is it not, right?
Since it's been so long since I've written anything of substance, I'm feeling a bit of the "where in the world should I start..." So here goes:

• Lexy and I are having more and more legitimate conversations, these days. So fun. And at the same time, absolutely astonishing that this little being that used to be soooo dependent on you for her every need is starting to be her own independent person. Emphasis on the independent (or so she thinks).
• Tori is now crawling all over the place, and pulling up and "cruising" on everything at her eye level. She has actually stood up on her own without holding on to anything a few times as well. MY BABY IS GROWING UP!
  
• Lexy is being such a good sister. One morning during Tori's nap, I got down all the little push-toys that helped Lexy learn to walk. I explained to Lexy that these are TORI'S toys because she is learning to walk. As soon as Tori woke up, Lexy led her straight to the toys, helped her stand up holding the push handle and says, "Walk, Tori! Walk! Good Job, Tori! Good Job! Mommy, she's walking!" Not exactly. More like leaning as the cart rolls forward. I guess Lexy doesn't realize that learning to walk is a process, not an after-nap time activity.
• Tori now has 6 teeth. (Pictures to follow in another post.) And she's still huge. :)
• Tori had the flu this week... Nothing leaves you feeling more helpless than watching your 10-month old throw up. :( She kept looking up at me like, "What in the world is going on?!? Make it stop!"
  
• Lexy is quite a swimmer. Now that we have warm weather, she and Bill have been going to the pool 3-4 times a week. She is almost totally pool-safe now as she has learned how to reach up and grab the side of the pool. She can swim underwater for about 7-10 feet all on her own. And she loves running and jumping in. I think she was a fish in a previous life.

Funnies....

Yesterday afternoon, I put Lexy down for a nap and as I was walking out of her room, I saw out of the corner of the eye that I had left some new pajama sets hanging on the end of her bed. I thought, "oh, maybe I should take those off her bed..." but then rationalized that she was too tired to actually play with them, so I left them and kept walking out of her room. Back track: When she was still in a crib, I would REGULARLY go in after a nap and find her in LAYERS UPON LAYERS of her dirty clothes because she could reach her hamper. She has been putting on her own clothes since she was about 18 months old. Not always the way they are supposed to fit, mind you. We occasionally see an arm coming out a leg of pants, or legs in the arms. :) So back to yesterday.... I could hear her singing to herself in her room, so I knew she wasn't asleep yet, but I never expected this. I hear "Help me! Help me, Mommy!" and go running in to find her standing up in her bed looking like a marshmallow man. She had put on EVERY pair of pants and EVERY pair of shorts... OVER her denim capri pants that she was wearing. I tried to keep a straight face as I pulled off LAYER after LAYER of the pajamas, but I lost it and started laughing. It was funny. I think she had about 6 pairs of pants and 4 shorts on. I honestly don't know how she got the last 2-3 layers on because they were so skin tight, they were hard for ME to pull them off.


That's about all for now. I'm working on a few more blog posts in my head, so hopefully May will be a more prolific month than April was. :)