One potato, two potato, three potato, four,

Jericho you are so grounded.

2012-01-27T23:55:00.000-08:00

I am going to have a sh!t load of new gray hairs tomorrow, and Grandma is probably never going to babysit for us again.

Jericho was running a symptomless fever of 102 (under arm) all day and night yesterday. We called the Doctor and they said to just watch him, and call back if it gets over 104 or if he still had the fever but still no symptoms after 24 hours. So around 3pm today we called them back to let them know he still had a fever, 103 today, but no other symptoms. They said to go ahead and give him some Tylenol and bring him in tomorrow.

Jason and I were on our way to see a friend who was having a memorial service for her Dad. Jason's mom was home with all the kiddos. We called Grandma and told her we would be picking up some meds for him on the way home, we didn't have any infants Tylenol in the house.

An hour and a half or so later Grandma calls us to say Jericho is not acting like himself and she took his temp and it was 103.3, we told her we were 5min from home. As we were pulling onto our street she calls back to say Jericho is shaking and then she said she thinks he just passed out. We were literally pulling into our driveway right then. I jumped out of the car and ran to her as she was standing with him in the doorway. I was not prepared. I took him from her and even though his eyes were open he was as limp as a wet noodle and totally unresponsive. I have never ever held a baby like that, and I never want to again.

As soon as I grabbed him his head was flopping every which way, he had zero control, he just bobbled and was utterly limp. I damn near screamed oh my god and don't do this over and over while pacing back in forth in my living room. I actually thought he was dying, I thought I was holding my baby in my arms while he died. Jason was outside trying to call 911, they were busy. I took Jericho outside for fear that I was going to freak out the triplets...they didn't seem to notice what was going on. Jason was still trying to get 911 but they were still busy. The only fvcking time I need 911, I am standing there with an unresponsive baby and 911 is busy. I couldn't wait any more I told Jason we are driving there. Carseat crazy peeps close your eyes. I jumped in the front seat holding Jericho and Jason drove us the 5 min to the nearest hospital. There was no way I was putting him in his carseat he was still totally limp and not responding, I had to keep my hands and eyes on him to make sure he was breathing. Did I say the hospital was just 5 min away, why did it feel like forever??? I talked to Jericho the whole time, his eyes were open but it was like he wasn't seeing anything, he started to grunt over and over and over. I just kept telling him his Momma was here and that he was going to be just fine.

To his credit Jason drove very safely and normally, even though I was next to him telling him to pass cars and run lights. Thanks babe, thanks for always being the cool level head when I need it.

We pull up to the ER and I jump out and run in with Jericho while Jason parks. I run up to the window where they want to start talking to you about why you are here and I hold out my arms and just said please help him, I almost start to lose it right there because of course Jericho is still not moving or doing anything and they rush out to get us in the back.

They ask a few questions as they get his weight and get him set up with a pulse ox to get his stats. He started to cry and kind of come back to us, which was the best thing ever. When we got there his O2 was down around 91 so they pulled out a little oxygen for him. Then they got some Tylenol on board, took some blood, cath'd him for a urine sample and got a bag of IV fluids rolling. After about an hour they came in to take us down to x-ray, they wanted to check his lungs. He was such a brave little man.

After an hour or so the fever was down to 100 and the tests that had come back were nomal, still waiting on a couple others. The chest x-ray did show a little something that may or may not mean pneumonia could be coming. Seems the seizure was a febrile, they still don't know why he has the fever but the fever is why he had the seizure. They felt he was going to be fine and let us go home. We have a follow up appt. tomorrow, for now we are on Tylenol and Advil around the clock to keep his temp. down. He is sleeping, but this Momma can not relax...I hope I NEVER have to go through that again. When he was so limp and unresponsive I really thought he was dying...I kept it together pretty well, well I didn't start crying at least. I feel like I need to cry now though :(

Starting to feel better, he even took a little nap.

His x-ray...he did not appreciate all the poking and prodding nor this funky contraption...but I am so thankful for the wonderful Doctors and Nurses. I also want to thank all our friends for the thoughts and prayers, you guys rock! Funny, tomorrow is the 1 yr anniversary of me going to this very same ER and having my appendix removed. In fact the Doc. who is giving Jericho this x-ray is the same one who did my cat scan.

Now to try and get some sleep...and not have any nightmares. What a night.

I think we just started 'Helper of the day'!

2012-01-27T00:13:00.000-08:00

The big kids are really wanting to help and be more involved with what Jason and I are doing, especially Hayden. Today we were talking about what I should make them for lunch and Hayden told me she wanted to help. Usually the kitchen is off limits unless we are seated at the table eating, so when I said OK to her request she was super excited. She walked right next to me heading for the kitchen and kept saying over and over "It's you and me together" LOL.

Today she helped me make peanut butter, honey and banana roll ups...way to go Haddie! :)

I told Lily she could help tomorrow, we shall see if she shows as much interest. She strikes me as one who down deep is just fine with being served and not having to help Hahaha.

This can not become a habit.

2012-01-25T23:51:00.000-08:00

Another school day today, drop off and pick up are totally smooth these days...not a tear in the house when we leave. Miss Hayden is not a morning person though, gee I wonder where she got that from (says the person who used to stay in bed until the very last second while making her little sister pick out her clothes for school that day LOL...sorry Al.) This was the look we got this morning when we made her get out of bed...such a cute little sour puss.

After we dropped the trio off Jason and I went on a 2 mile walk around the near by golf course. It was chilly but thankfully it didn't rain on us, and by the first 1/4 mile I was no longer cold. Jericho had every person who walked by smiling or laughing or talking to him :)

After school the kiddos didn't want to go home, neither did I honestly, so we headed to the little pizza joint with an indoor play area. Last week it was Chuck E. Cheese after school this week here...we can not let this become a habit. Everyone had a good time, even though some other kids came and with no parental supervision, kinda put a damper on the fun.

Jericho was a beast! He was climbing up on everything he possibly could and running all over the place :)

Such a big boy already!

We are so good now, we try mounting the horses while they are moving. Thank goodness they move slow enough that the kids won't get hurt. Add that to trying every death defying stunt the 7 and 8 year olds that were there kept daring each other to do and this Momma is getting more nervous about her future with boys. Silly boys!

Hi up there Lily!

See what I mean...my boys are trying to give me a heart attack LOL.

Thank goodness their sisters seem to try and keep an eye out for them <3

Jason, just one of the kids!

And we thought Xander was trouble.*

2012-01-22T23:19:00.000-08:00

Jericho is so crazy, little dude has no fear and a real need for adventure and excitement :) A 12 month old should not be doing this...right?!?!? LOL You get him down and he goes right back for more. We ended up just letting him go, there was no stopping him.

2 weeks in on my 30 day Body Rock wok out...only 1 lb down and I don't really see a difference, but I think my form is getting better and I feel better so it must be doing something. Pay no attention to the stretch marks and extra skin, that is what having triplets will do to ya. I hope to get a tummy tuck within the next 5 years!

25 Rules.

2012-01-21T23:21:00.000-08:00

A while back I posted a lovely piece I came by called 50 Rules for Dads of Daughters.

I came by this one the other day, it is awesome.

25 Rules for Mothers of Sons

Inspired by a Pin I've recently seen about "rules for dads with daughters," I went searching for a similar list for moms with sons. This search was mostly fruitless, so I was inspired to write my own Rules for Moms with Sons. Granted, my list will not be conclusive and may not be entirely uncontroversial. So agree, or disagree, or take with a grain of salt - but I hope to inspire other moms who are loving, and struggling, and tired, and proud, and eager to support the boys in their lives. You are the most important woman in his life, his first teacher, and the one he will look to for permission for the rest of his life. From "Can I go play with them?" to "Should I ask her to marry me?" Its a big job, but as the mumma, we're up for it.

25 Rules for Moms with Sons

Source: pre-schoolplay.blogspot.com via Tabitha on Pinterest

1. Teach him the words for how he feels.
Your son will scream out of frustration and hide out of embarrassment. He'll cry from fear and bite out of excitement. Let his body move by the emotion, but also explain to him what the emotion is and the appropriate response to that emotion for future reference. Point out other people who are feeling the same thing and compare how they are showing that emotion. Talk him through your emotions so that someday when he is grown, he will know the difference between angry and embarrassed; between disappointment and grief.

2. Be a cheerleader for his life
There is no doubt that you are the loudest person in the stands at his t-ball games. There is no doubt that he will tell you to "stop, mom" when you sing along to his garage band's lyrics. There is no doubt that he will get red-faced when you show his prom date his pictures from boy scouts. There is no doubt that he is not telling his prom date about your blog where you've been bragging about his life from his first time on the potty to the citizenship award he won in ninth grade. He will tell you to stop. He will say he's embarrassed. But he will know that there is at least one person that is always rooting for him.

3. Teach him how to do laundry
..and load the dishwasher, and iron a shirt. He may not always choose to do it. He may not ever have to do it. But someday his wife will thank you.

Source: offbeatmama.com via offbeatmama on Pinterest

4. Read to him and read with him.
Emilie Buchwald said, "Children become readers on the laps of their parents." Offer your son the opportunity to learn new things, believe in pretend places, and imagine bigger possibilities through books. Let him see you reading...reading the paper, reading novels, reading magazine articles. Help him understand that writing words down is a way to be present forever. Writers are the transcribers of history and memories. They keep a record of how we lived at that time; what we thought was interesting; how we spoke to each other; what was important. And Readers help preserve and pass along those memories.

5. Encourage him to dance.
Dance, rhythm, and music are cultural universals. No matter where you go, no matter who you meet - they have some form of the three. It doesn't have to be good. Just encourage your son that when he feels it, it's perfectly fine to go ahead and bust a move.

6. Make sure he has examples of good men who are powerful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity.
The examples of men with big muscles and a uniform (like Batman and LaMarr Woodley) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he also knows about men who kick a$s because of their brains (Albert Einstein), and their pen (Mark Twain), and their words (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), and their determination (Team Hoyt), and their ideas (The Wright Brothers), and their integrity (Officer Frank Shankwitz), and fearlessness (Neil Armstrong), and their ability to keep their mouths closed when everyone else is screaming (Jackie Robinson).

7. Make sure he has examples of women who are beautiful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity
The examples of traditionally beautiful women (like Daphne Blake, Princess Jasmine, and Britney Spears) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he knows about women who are beautiful from the inside out because of their brains (Madame Marie Curie), and their pen (Harper Lee), and their words (Eleanor Roosevelt), and their determination (Anne Sullivan), and their ideas (Oprah Winfrey), and their integrity (Miep Gies), and fearlessness (Ameila Earhart), and their ability to open their mouths and take a stand when everyone else is silent (Aung San Suu Kyi).

8. Be an example of a beautiful woman with brains, determination, and integrity.
You already are all of those things. If you ever fear that you are somehow incapable of doing anything - remember this: If you have done any of the following: a) grew life b) impossibly and inconceivably got it out of your body c) taken care of a newborn d) made a pain go away with a kiss e) taught someone to read f) taught a toddler to eat with a utensil g) cleaned up diarrhea without gagging h) loved a child enough to be willing to give your life for them (regardless if they are your own) or i) found a way to be strong when that child is suffering...you are a superhero. do not doubt yourself for one second. Seriously.

Source: simplymontessori.blogspot.com via Terry-Anne on Pinterest

9. Teach him to have manners
because its nice. and it will make the world a little better of a place.

Source: swagbucks.com via Adriana on Pinterest

10. Give him something to believe in
Because someday he will be afraid, or nervous, or heartbroken, or lost, or just need you, and you won't be able to be there. Give him something to turn to when it feels like he is alone, so that he knows that he will never be alone; never, never, never.

Source: theberry.com via Chris on Pinterest

11. Teach him that there are times when you need to be gentle
like with babies, and flowers, and animals, and other people's feelings.

Source: heatherbeadles.com via Heather on Pinterest

12. Let him ruin his clothes
Resolve to be cool about dirty and ruined clothes. You'll be fighting a losing battle if you get upset every time he ruins another piece of clothing. Don't waste your energy being angry about something inevitable. Boys tend to learn by destroying, jumping, spilling, falling, and making impossible messes. Dirty, ruined clothes are just par for the course.

13. Learn how to throw a football
or how to use a hockey stick, or read music, or draw panda bears (or in my case alpacas), or the names of different train engines, or learn to speak Elvish, or recognize the difference between Gryffindor and Slytherin, or the lyrics to his favorite song. Be in his life, not as an observer but as an active participant.

Source: shanna-kaye.com via Shanna-Kaye on Pinterest

14. Go outside with him
turn off the television, unplug the video games, put your cellphone on the charger, even put your camera away. Just go outside and follow him around. Watch his face, explore his world, and let him ask questions. It's like magic.

15. Let him lose
Losing sucks. Everybody isn't always a winner. Even if you want to say, "You're a winner because you tried," don't. He doesn't feel like a winner, he feels sad and crappy and disappointed. And that's a good thing, because sometimes life also sucks, no matter how hard (as moms) we try to make it not suck for our kids. This practice will do him good later when he loses again (and again, and again, and again, and again.....) Instead make sure he understands that - sometimes you win - sometimes you lose. But that doesn't mean you ever give up.

Source: None via Emma on Pinterest

16. Give him opportunities to help others
There is a big difference in giving someone the opportunity to help and forcing someone to help. Giving the opportunity lights a flame in the heart and once the help is done the flame shines brighter and asks for more opportunities. Be an example of helping others in your own actions and the way your family helps each other and helps others together.

Source: data.whicdn.com via Meagan on Pinterest

17. Remind him that practice makes perfect.
This doesn't just apply to performance-based activities (like sports and music) but also applies to everything in life. You become a better writer by writing. You become a better listener by listening. You become better speaker by speaking. Show your son this when he is just young enough to understand (that means from birth, folks - they are making sense of the world as soon as they arrive), practice trick-or-treating at your own front door before the real thing. Practice how you will walk through airport security before a trip. Practice how you order your own food from the fast food cashier. Practice, practice, practice.

18. Answer him when he asks, "Why?"
Answer him, or search for the answer together. Show him the places to look for the answers (like his dad, or grandparents, or his aunts/uncles, or his books, or valid internet searches). Pose the question to him so he can begin thinking about answers himself. Someday, when he needs to ask questions he's too embarrassed to ask you - he'll know where to go to find the right answers.

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Maegan on Pinterest

19. Always carry band-aids and wipes on you.
especially the wipes.

Source: babyhold.com via Katie on Pinterest

20. Let his dad teach him how to do things
...without interrupting about how to do it the 'right way.' If you let his dad show and teach and discover with your son while he is growing up, some day down the road (after a short period of your son believing his dad knows nothing), he will come to the realization that his dad knows everything. You will always be his mother, but in his grown-up man heart and mind, his dad will know the answers. And this will be how, when your son is too busy with life to call and chat with his mom, you will stay connected to what is happening in his life. Because he will call his dad for answers, and his dad will secretly come and ask you.

Source: familyfun.go.com via Kate on Pinterest

21. Give him something to release his energy
drums, a pen, a punching bag, wide open space, water, a dog. Give him something to go crazy with - or he will use your stuff. and then you'll be sorry.

Source: bleubirdvintage.typepad.com via Marybess on Pinterest

22. Build him forts
Forts have the ability to make everyday normal stuff into magic. Throw the couch cushions, a couple blankets, and some clothespins and you can transform your living room into the cave of wonders. For the rest of his life, he'll be grateful to know that everyday normal stuff has the potential to be magical.

Source: None via Tabitha on Pinterest

23. Take him to new places
Because it will make his brain and his heart open up wider, and the ideas and questions and memories will rush in.

Source: None via Anne on Pinterest

24. Kiss him
Any mother of sons will tell you that little boys are so loving and sweet. They can be harsh and wild and destructive during most of the day. But there are these moments when they are so kind and sensitive and tender. So much so that it can cause you to look around at the inward, reserved grown men in your life and think, 'what happens in between that made you lose that?' Let's try to stop the cycle by kissing them when they're loving and kissing them even more when they're wild. Kissing them when they're 2 months and kissing them when they're 16 years old. You're the mom - you can go ahead and kiss him no matter how big he gets - and make sure he knows it. p.s. (this one is just as important for dad's too).

Source: smallesthings.blogspot.com via Sherry on Pinterest

25. Be home base
You are home to him. When he learns to walk, he will wobble a few feet away from you and then come back, then wobble away a little farther and then come back. When he tries something new, he will look for your proud smile. When he learns to read, he will repeat the same book to you twenty times in a row, because you're the only one who will listen that many times. When he plays his sport, he will search for your face in the stands. When he is sick, he will call you. When he really messes up, he will call you. When he is grown and strong and tough and big and he feels like crying, he will come to you; because a man can cry in front of his mother without feeling self-conscious. Even when he grows up and has a new woman in his life and gets a new home, you are still his mother; home base, the ever constant, like the sun. Know that in your heart and everything else will fall into place.

http://studerteam.blogspot.com/2011/11/25-rules-for-mothers-of-sons.html?m=1

My two boys, I hope I can keep all this great advice in mind as we make our way through the years.

Dinner company.

2012-01-18T23:24:00.001-08:00

Poor Uncle Skunk has been sick since Christmas, he is finally just stepping back from death's door so we had a little dinner get together at our house tonight. The kids were so happy to see them, it is wild how loud my house gets when the kids are excited LOL.

My husband, AKA kitchen master, made an amazing fish and vegetable dish.

The dinner...
1 lb halibut fillets (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick) ...we could not find any fresh halibut so we made cod instead.
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
3 medium zucchini or summer squash, cut into 2x1-inch strips
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

We pretty much doubled the rec. to feed everyone.

1.Cut four 18x12-inch pieces of heavy-duty foil; spray with cooking spray. Cut fish into 4 serving pieces if necessary. Place 1 fish piece on each foil piece. Sprinkle fish with 1 teaspoon of the basil, 1/2 teaspoon of the lemon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of the seasoned salt.

2.Arrange zucchini and bell pepper over fish. Sprinkle with remaining basil, lemon pepper and seasoned salt. Drizzle with oil. Fold foil over fish and vegetables so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again. Allow space on sides for circulation and expansion.

3.Cover and cook packets at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until fish flakes with fork and vegetables are tender.

It was so delish, I was almost done before I even thought to take a picture! You will just have to trust me and try it!

I was in charge of the dessert!

•1 package (18-1/4 ounces) chocolate cake mix
•1 quart fresh whole strawberries
•Chocolate pudding (I just used 6-8 of the little snack packs)
•2 cartons (12 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
•Mini chocolate chips

•Prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

•Set aside five strawberries for garnish. Slice remaining strawberries. Cut cake into 1-in. cubes. Place half of the cubes in a 6-qt. glass punch bowl. Top with half of the sliced strawberries; add half of the pudding. Spread with 3-1/2 cups whipped topping.

•Repeat layers of cake, berries, pudding and whipped topping. Top with remaining whipped topping. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Garnish with mini chocolate chips and reserved strawberries.

We made a black berry one too, didn't want to finish poor Uncle Skunk off with an allergy attack.

Hard to see my middle layer of whipped cream but it's in there...and it was so yummy!

Once we were all stuffed to the rim, it was time to play!

Awww <3

They were having an 'I want it out, no I want it in' fight over the basket.

My boys were rocking the matching shirts they got for Christmas :)

Tickle fun with Auntie Amber.

We had our first 'no school due to snow' day today, and I was so happy. Today I would have had to take them all in by myself...saved by the snow!

I am so lucky my hubby is a cook!

2012-01-17T23:21:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post today to share a yummy concoction we had for dinner tonight. We got a recipie from Grandma for a Quesadillia Pie and twisted it with a Pinterest find...yummo!

2 lb chicken meat (cooked...we got one of those rotisserie chickens)
4 cups cooked brown rice
3/4 cup frozen corn
15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups chucky salsa, divided
1 cup low fat sour cream
4 1/2 flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend
2 cups raw spinach

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Combine chicken, rice, beans, corn, sour cream and half the salsa in large bowl. Spread 1/2 cup salsa on bottom of 9 X 13 oven safe dish.
3. Press 1 tortilla into dish, top with half the chicken mixture. Sprinkle with an even layer of cheese and half the spinach. Repeat that layer, reserving about 1/4 cup cheese. Top with final tortilla, spread with remaining 1/2 cup salsa and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
4. Cover with foil, bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes longer, or untill cheese melts.
5. To serve, cut like a lasagna.

That is one sorry snowman.

2012-01-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

We did not get to play in enough snow yesterday. So today we loaded everyone up and went to play on Larch Mountain.

This was the first time even the triplets saw this much snow. It was only ankle deep in most areas, but they managed to find some spots that they sunk in up to their waist. They had a blast! Of course they were totally decked out in two layers of clothes then, bibs, coats, snow boots, hats that all but Haddie actually left on, and some crappy gloves. Baby brother did not have as much fun. He doesn't have all the snow gear so he got to check it out for just a min then Daddy kept him warm in the Moby under is coat.

Me on the other hand frooze my ass off. I don't have all the snow gear anymore, and actually forgot my gloves at home, duh. My old snowboarding pants that I wore 10 years ago (and size 'S' no less) actually fit...color me surprised and happy LOL, but just not comfortably enough yet to wear and chase 4 little munchkins around. So I will need some warmer stuff before we go do that again...but it was a lot of fun none the less :)

The kids were quick to cast snowballs at the innocent.

And the unexpecting.

Jericho was still not sure about the snow.

Xander was loving it.

The girls fell behind a little.

Jericho was much happier, and warmer, snuggled close with Dad :)

We tried to make a snowman, but without my gloves it actually hurt to touch the snow. I grew up in Iowa and Ohio and have never touched snow that was so fricking cold and painful to touch. It was really kind of weird.

We ended up with a very pathetic lump of a snowman that we stuck two sticks in the side of for arms LOL. We will do better next time!

It was just beautiful up there! And the Escalade drove like a dream!

After a bit us wimps without the proper gear headed to the car to stay warm while the big kids...including Jason, kept playing. Woohoo for heated seats LOL.

We needed a yummy hot dinner when we got home. Thanks to Pinterest, and The Pioneer Woman we had some BBQ Meatballs!
1 1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 cup oats
1 cup milk
3 tbsp finely chopped onion
Plenty of black pepper
We added 7 oz of pureed veggies...gotta get it into the kids somehow, we used green beens.

Stir until it is all combined.

Roll the mixture into small meat balls, and place on a cookie sheet.
Place them in the freezer for 5min.

After 5min remove the meatballs from the freezer and roll each one in flour.

Next heat 3 tablespoons canola oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and brown them quickly on both sides; don’t want them to cook all the way. Once all are browned place them in a glass baking dish.

Then make the sauce...or you can make the sauce while the balls cool it in the freezer for those 5min.

Sauce:
In a bowl add
1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp white vinegar
4 to 6 tbsp of that chopped onion
A dash or two of tabasco
And two tablespoons Worcestershire sauce. Mix it together well.

Pour sauce evenly over meatballs.
Cook at 350 for 45 min.

They were delish!

Snow!

2012-01-15T22:23:00.000-08:00

There was talk that this winter was going to be a bad one, snow and weather wise. Talk is cheap...at least in our neck of the woods, so far there has been no bad weather or any of the white stuff. Which I am not exactly complaining about, but every once in a while a little snow to play in is fun!

Today we got a little dusting a few times, and while is was hardley worth putting all the warm winter getup on the kids, they were so excited to go play in it that we did....twice.

My dear son throwing a snow ball at me.

A slick snow covered slide is so much fun!

Sakari was loving it. Gangster refused to go outside Hahaha.

The kids were throwing snowballs at her then brushing her off.

Jericho's first time seeing the snow!

He was not so sure of the white stuff, but boy can he fake a big happy smile anyway LOL!

They loved the snow trampoline fun.

They enjoyed some yummy hot chocolate when I was finally able to get them to come inside.

Date night.

2012-01-14T21:38:00.000-08:00

Jason and I got together with a couple friends and spent the evening at a club tonight. It was so much fun, but I can not believe we used to do this a couple times a week pre kids. I am going to be so tired tomorrow I will be lucky if I get out of my PJ's LOL.

Grandma came over to hang out with the kiddos after dinner...which was spaghetti, and Jericho was a big fan hahaha!

The trio had some fun making sticker faces :)

We have a free seat in the car!

2012-01-13T22:43:00.001-08:00

When the triplets were little bitty's in their infant seats we were able to get all 3 in one row in the car. Good thing, since our car at the time was a Mitsubishi Outlander, which doesn't have a 3rd row. We were for sure not planning on triplets when we bought the car a year or two before. When we needed to move up to the convertible car seats, we also had to move up in cars, since almost all convertible carseats are too big to fit 3 to a row. So we got the Odyssey, and have had 2 kids in the 3rd row and 1, now 2, in the 2nd row ever since. It has always been a pain to load and unload everyone. We finally bit the bullet and got the triplets new seats that will squeeze 3 in a row!

Jericho thought the girls old seats were a fun toy, that or since his last booboo's are healed and he thought he needed a new one LOL.

The new seats are pretty awesome. The Sunshine Kids Radian 80SL's are 5pt harness rear facing 5-45lb and forward facing until 80 lbs! Xander picked out his own, they had another model with a pattern of different colored circles all over it, but he liked this one. We asked him 4 times, we actually liked the look of the other seat, but he was very adamant. When they got here Jason and I both told Xander he made the right choice, I think the circles would have been too much LOL.

Jericho has moved up to Xander's Recaro, he digs it :)

The Three Amigos!

They loved holding hands.

Awww <3 Now when will the "he's touching me" "stop touching me" "she's looking at me" crap will start LOL.

I think we need to get them some of those neck pillows, poor Xan, that does not look like a comfortable way to sleep.

A little flashback...so tiny :)

The kiddos were all excited to go for a ride in their new seats, so we drove to a near by park for an hour or so. It is still cold so we didn't stay too long.

Me, Jericho and Xander had to go to the car to warm up for about 20 min.

So excited to be up front, he buckled his own seatbelt LOL.

Mr. Jericho's eyes are changing I think. They are not staying blue blue like the triplets. Right now they look more like mine, with a little green in the blue.

You don't have your license son.

Back out in the cold.

Jericho's 1st year montage and the triplet's 3rd year!

2012-01-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

OK the montages are ready! Not too bad on Jericho's, but about 6 months late on the trio's LOL.

Yes they are long, so grab a beverage and enjoy some great songs, in my opinion, and watch four little people get another year older. I really do try to narrow them down, it is just so hard when my kids are so amazingly cute and such fun and wonderful moments take place each and every day :)

I don't know exactly why I am such a photo freak. Probably because there are not a lot of pictures of me as a child. Or because we do so many fun things with the kids that I never got to do. Quite possibly because I want them to be able to look back and see how hard we tried to offer them all we could...and to have even more evidence of just how much we love them.
At any rate, if you have the time please watch, they are pretty fun :)

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Jericho's one year check up...shots for everyone YAY!

2012-01-12T22:25:00.000-08:00

Jericho had his one year appt. today, the trio came along since they were due for another shot. Everything went really well, Jericho is doing great. He is a bit of a string bean, but I am glad he has gotten taller than I thought he was.
He measured out at 20 1/2 lbs and 30 3/4" with a grape that measured 46.2cm. His head is in the 50th %, and his height puts him at the 75th %. His weight is only in the 10th-25th % though. We have not had such a skinny mini before, the trio were 23-24 lbs at their 1 yr appt...though Jericho is taller that all three were. The Doc isn't too worried, since he is eating well and taking into account how active he is, walking like a pro and doing all he can to keep up with his big brother and sisters she thinks it is totally normal.
We went ahead and started his shots, with a Dtap today. We had waited with the trio until they were two, but they stayed in much more then than we do now, and they didn't have older siblings bringing home the cooties :) He took it like a champ, didn't even cry.
Xander, Hayden and Lily got their first IPV shot today, their 5th vax so far. Xan and Bug did great, no real crying from them either. Miss Haddie was a whole nother story. We had her go last because we knew she would take it the hardest. We went Jericho, Lily and then Xander, even though none of them cried Hayden was screaming and crying at the top of her lungs as soon as Lily got up on the table for her shot. She continued screaming for a good 10 min after the shots were done, right up until we were leaving. At which point she threw in a limp which she milked for the rest of the evening LOL.

Having fun in the waiting room.

Checking out the fake fish tank.

Every waiting room should have an empty stroller in it. Jericho had fun pushing this one around, thankfully we were called back before the owner came out and took it away.

My silly 1 year old boy :)

Dig the one cheek wedge :)

Just look at that skinny boy hehehe.

My roly poly triplets at their 1 yr appt. Their rolls had rolls LMAO! They also had a lot more hair :) I wonder how much being formula fed vs. breast fed contributes to the weight difference?

I am so glad Jason has the next 4 days off. Hayden's Daddy-itis is making goodbyes when it is time for him to leave for work horrendous. She screams and cries for a good 10 min, and is just so pitiful :(

Frogeeeee!

2012-01-09T22:48:00.000-08:00

The triplets are "reading" a new book at school, and the coordinating crafts have started coming home! When Jason asked them what these little frog puppets are he was corrected, "Dad it's frogeeeeeeee" LOL!

Frog paper bag puppets...so cute!

Xan flips.

Grumpy pants was too hungry to show us her frogeee.

So even with my little personal suction system, AKA Jericho, I seem to have hit a weight loss wall. Go figure, I am still eating whatever I want and not working out, Jericho can only do so much LOL. So I joined a group of fellow Momma's of multiples, and a ton of other people around the world, and started Bodyrock today. It is a 30 day, 20 min and under, 5 days a week kick your ass workout program. Jason and I have also sworn off fast food, other than Subway...hey it worked for Jared, for the month also.
So since I am hoping to get totally ripped, I will share my before picture. Here I am Monday Jan. 9th at 139 lbs and ready to rock!

Speaking of my little suction system :) He is way too smart for his own good. A couple days ago I was sweeping with a broom, every time I leaned it against a wall Jericho was all over it. I set it on the other side of the kitchen baby gate. He tried a few different times to reach his little arm through the gate and pull the broom through the bars. Of course that didn't work, and wow does he scream and pitch a fit when things don't go his way. After his last failed attempt to pull the broom through the bars, he stood there for about 3 seconds looking at the object of his affection. Then the little turd knocked the broom over, reached under the gate and pulled the broom out. I was speechless LOL. He also will walk down the hall to the second bedroom door, where we change diapers, when we tell him we need to change his diaper. Such a smart little lad :)

Meet Haddie!

2012-01-08T22:59:00.000-08:00

I am trying to get a jump start on Valentine's Day. I have even already got Jason a card and a little gift...go me! We got a start on our Valentine's crafts today too, fun fun fun! The trio colored paper that I cut into strips and made into a wreath.

Funny enough, washable markers are not as washable as the washable paint.

Silly boy.

Next we did some pom pom and tissue paper hearts. All the empty diaper boxes do come in handy.

Finished products!

Awww!

Jericho insists on climbing up on the couch and jumping...he is trying to give me a heart attack.

This is the start of my boys wresting, I think this will go on for many many many years!

It is actually always the little one that starts it LOL!

OK everyone meet Haddie :)
Jason and I are not huge on nicknames, but every now and then it's nice to have little term of endearment names.

Lily has 'Lily Bug' , 'Bug' , 'Lil'. Xander has 'Xan' , 'Xan-Man' , 'X'. Even Jericho, while we do not like Jerry and will never call him that, I can see us using 'J' every now and then.

Hayden has never really had one, so I racked my brain and came up with 'Haddie'. I looked it up and it is a dim. for Hadden, which is really close to Hayden, and the meaning is "Home ruler" which totally fits our little bossy pants. So Hayden now has a fitting "nickname," though she is not too sure about it..she keeps telling me she is Hayden LOL. It also makes me happy to give her an "out" of the "'den" trend.
We did not really research the names we picked for popularity, or over use, or if they were super trendy or even unliked. Now that our kids are already named I know that all the 'den names...Jayden, Ayden, Kaden, Brayden etc. are really over used and somewhat, OK flat out, disliked by many. So now our little Haddie has options :)

Jason has had some help with his leg workouts lately.

I don't like that big mouse.

2012-01-04T22:56:00.001-08:00

A year ago we took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese for the very first time. They had fun but since Jericho was all of 7 days old we thought it was time to go again. So after school we stopped there for some lunch and fun. Oh and YAY! no crying at drop off today, I was worried we would be back to square one after the long break, but the trio were happy and excited for school today.

The giant rodent was still not a hit with anyone, except Jericho...he was too young to remember the last run in with 5 foot mouse. Hayden kept telling us how she didn't like that big mouse, and to make him go away. Eh maybe next year.
The triplets had so much fun, they actually got the coins in = tickets out. They came away 400 tickets and each went home with a little prize :)

Carousel for 3, sorry little man, you gotta wait.

Xander loved this "ride" even though in the middle of the ride, when it is alsmot standing upright, he started getting worried and asked to get out. He still put a coin in it like 5 times LOL.

Barney took a bite of my baby :)

Jericho was all over the place, he can just about run these days. We had a few people ask how old he is, I think the bald and slender frame throws people off when they see him walk so well.

I love it when he just walks up and hugs me :)

They went over to the prize case to check things out. Even so, picking out their prizes before we left took for.ever.!

Xander got Lily up in the truck with him...woo hoo go Lily Bug!

We tried to get a group picture, Miss Hayden would not go near them and sat at the table.

Jericho thought Chuck was too cool.

Hello up there little man!

Xander picked a little Spiderman toy as his prize, Lily a rainbow slinky and Hayden her first pink and sparkly lipgloss. Oh boy.

After a fun and busy day the kiddos were very tired. Xander passed out first then Hayden went and snuggled with him awww <3

So cute!

Now that we are 99% 'paraben' free in this house we have had to try some new products. I have heard great things about the Yes To... products. I got some of the Yes To Cucumbers and Yes To Blueberries stuff...I am liking it so far!

A little entertainment while you shop.*

2012-01-03T23:50:00.000-08:00

We had some Christmas exchanges to make, so everyone loaded up and we headed out. Here is a 1min clip of Hayden and Lily dancing in the isles...we could end up on that 'People Of Walmart' site LMAO! I think we need to look into this robot toy for them for their birthday :)

Back home we put their new Zhu Zhu pet crap together. They really love these little critters. Unfortunately, so does Jericho, he grabs the hamsters, breaks the tracks and just causes a bunch of fighting. Poor lil buddy, the big kids are none too happy with him right now.

I love when they play nice together.

Then the balloon play started up again.

After a few min of chasing my screaming kids around I look into the kitchen and see Sakari doing this HAHAHA! She was just laying there covering her ears, I told her that I feel her pain :)

Jericho's 1 year appt. is in a week, I got curious and wanted to see what the home scale had to say. Of course the trio wanted to weigh in too. Xander is 41 lbs, Hayden is 40 lbs and Lily is 37 lbs.

Little man is 21 lbs...little pumpkin :)

Jumping on the anti-Paraben wagon.

2012-01-02T23:31:00.001-08:00

A friend, and fellow mom of multiples, is currently fighting cancer...and totally kicking its ass! She is inspiring me to try and rid our lives of some not so good for you things. Slow little baby steps...but I did go through all our soaps, hair care products, lotions and make up supplies and ditched anything with 'Paraben' it the ingredients.
Buh Bye...

Some info that my friend brought to my attention.
A post on the 'Breast Cancer Sisterhood' blog offered up some info on 'Paraben's'.

A snipit:Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of your shampoo bottle, your jar of moisturizer or the hand lotion you use? Chances are most of those ingredients you can't even pronounce. More importantly, most of them are chemicals you don't want in your blood stream. Regardless of whether you’re male or female, or if you’ve had breast cancer, you might consider avoiding a class of chemical ingredients called parabens.

Methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben and butylparabens are commonly used as preservatives in most of our personal care products. Manufacturers use parabens because they allow everything from toothpaste, to makeup base, to stay on store shelves longer. As informed consumers, however, we should be aware that parabens are known to cause breast cancer cells to grow and proliferate in laboratory environments. Because parabens can mimic estrogen, a hormone known to play a key role in some breast cancers, women who’ve had estrogen positive breast cancer should avoid all forms of estrogen in an effort to lessen risk of recurrence. Many say that should include parabens.

Just as “we are what we eat,” we are also a receptacle for the chemicals we put on our body. According to Mercola.com, the body can absorb as much as five pounds of cosmetic chemicals every year. Parabens are absorbed through the skin and into our gastrointestinal tract and our blood stream. The January-February 2004 issue of the Journal of Applied Toxicology reported measurable amounts of six different parabens from biopsy samples of breast cancer tumors. Because of their estrogenic properties, parabens can also affect male reproductive glands. The January 2009 issue of Reproductive Toxicology reported a probable link between parabens and the possible decrease in sperm production in males.

Studies are beginning to show that a lifelong exposure to estrogen may increase our risk for breast cancer. Many scientists are wondering if the cumulative effects of estrogenic parabens in our personal care products may explain why more girls are reaching puberty younger and younger, some as early as eight, and why more girls are being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Thanks for the great idea Angela...one of these days I might jump on the juicing wagon too :)

Hello 2012!

2012-01-01T23:41:00.000-08:00

Woohoo 2012! Wishing you all a fabulous New Year! Lets hope all the doom and gloom predictions are wrong, because things are just getting good :) But just in case....time to get your "bug out bags" ready!

I MUST finish the triplets latest montage, I am only 5 months behind. I also have to do Jericho's 1st year montage. At least we have no more parties, or anything else planned for a while LOL. Now to just stop procrastinating and get it done.

Today was a lazy chill at home day. The kids all played with their new stuff and then we had some fun with empty wrapping paper rolls. I have to add some pics of the fun and the story...just in case my kids ask their teacher or Doctor to hit them LOL. They were playing with the party balloons, I grabbed an empty wrapper roll and started hitting the balloons like baseballs. Well after a fun bop, or two, on the head or butt, the triplets start running around telling me to chase them and "hit us again." So I go chasing them around pretending to "get them" tapping them on the butt as they ran from me. They love these games...like the TV remote fun from before. They actually had a meltdown when I told them we had to stop and calm down for bed. So yeah, if they ever say "my mom hits us" this is what they are talking about, don't call CPS LOL.

Silly kids, and of course Jericho is right in the mix :)

Saw this on Facebook...oh so true LOL!

Happy 1st Birthday Jericho Miles!

2011-12-31T23:57:00.000-08:00

One year ago we welcomed another baby boy into our family and hearts. He is totally a part of this team, he moved right in like he has always been here. He is SO his brothers brother (does that work LOL,) I have a feeling we are going to be hearing, and saying, all kinds of tales that begin with "Xander and Jericho" hehehe. His two sisters adore him, when he is not being a pesticle, and already cluck after him in an older sister/Mommy's side seat driver kind of way. Jason loves another rough and rowdy boy to play and wrestle with. As for me, I am still not sleeping through the night...nor do I have my body back to myself, but I wouldn't trade this sweet boy with his huge beaming smiles and infectious laughs for anything. We love you so much Jericho, we couldn't imagine life without you and wouldn't want to! Happy 1st Birthday!!!

The party went pretty well! We had a few guests have to cancel, and since we were having the party at our house we kept the guest list small to begin, with so it ended up being very small. I think holidays, crappy weather and colds going around are going to play heck with poor Jericho's parties for a long time.
We still had about 10 people over, so there was lots of fun and entertainment going on :)

Jericho got me up extra early...actually in time for his exact birth time, so today was a long one. Not to mention we didn't have everything ready on time and were running late...as usual. I was a little stressed out, but all's well that ends well right?!

Our outside decoration so people didn't miss our house hahaha.

This was the first birthday we have done where we did not do a whole meal, it was a nice change. Our snacks and decorations came together super cute :0

I didn't follow the book exactly, but everyone caught the gist. The kids fingerprint caterpillars were perfect!

The cocoon's were a fave...who doesn't like Rice Krispie treats :)

Jericho's cupcake cake was yummy, thank goodness the head was his smash cake, it needed to be smashed...didn't turn out as good looking as I had hoped it would.

We had caterpillars coming out of our ears...fun game, how many caterpillars do you count in this picture LOL.

The big kids had fun, even though they hated not getting to eat all the fruit and cupcakes that they wanted to.

The birthday boy spent the first hour of his party passed out hehehe.

We had plenty of entertainment :)

When he woke up he got special birthday kisses from his sisters <3

There is my handsome and funny little man!

Gift time, he did pretty good...but got some help from his 3 older siblings.

Then came the moment we have all been waiting for. Smash cake fun!!!

Make a wish baby boy!

Started out so clean.

Didn't last long HA!

Lily decided to help him eat, she was giving him a bite and then one for herself. I am surprised he didn't bite her, the cake must have been enough :)

Such a cute mess.

Oh I can never get enough of that sweet smile!

Such a goober...but seriously he smiles ALL.THE.TIME, it is glorious!

Clean up.

After everyone left we pulled out a few last minute Christmas gifts for the kids.

Xander got a Mater bubble blowing truck thing.

Miss Lily Bug got a Cinderella toy with a coach and a couple horses and mice. She was in love before all the wrapping paper was off LOL.

Hayden was introduced to the Zhu Zhu craze :)

Such a great day...now I just hope all the fireworks that people are setting off don't wake up the kids or freak out the dogs. This Momma is tired and ready for bed. Happy New Year to all, 2011 was amazing to us...hopefully next year will be too!

Tomorrow my "baby" will be one!

2011-12-30T23:40:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to believe a year ago tonight I had thrown in the towel on getting a VBAC, after 12 hours of Pitocin and starvation, and was bracing myself for a Csection bright and early the next morning. I took one last belly pic, and tried to commit to memory the feel of my belly and the sweet baby in it. As much as I wanted to meet him, I wanted to hold on to him too. I remember, all too well, having the same feeling with the triplets, it almost felt like I was mourning being pregnant as equally as I was celebrating the new one joining our lives on the outside. So strange, and so bittersweet. There are still things I miss and will always cherish about being pregnant, but nothing at all compares to these little munchkins being here in our world.

1 year ago tonight...

We got most of the party details taken care of today, still some last minute stuff to do tomorrow before the party, isn't there always?!

Loved getting the big kids help on the decorations and goodie bags :)

The nice thing about a 1 year olds party? You can put the decorations up a bit in advance and not spoil the surprise LOL.

Off to bed...got a full day tomorrow!

Time to get cracking!

2011-12-28T23:52:00.000-08:00

It feels like the last month plus has been crazy busy. Thanksgiving, my sister coming to town, Christmas, and now Jericho's 1st birthday party. Whew, I need January to get here so I can rest LOL.

Jason let me sleep in this morning, Jericho is the middle of a growth spurt I think...eating all night long is not great for Momma's sleep. Daddy got the kiddos up, dressed and fed. Then they did a little reading, Jason got the below pic of Xander and Hayden sitting and reading together. So nice to see they can be sweet to each other sometimes.

After story time, they put on their new boots and went to play outside for a bit.

Jericho's party is in 2 days...eeekkk! The triplets helped us make some fun crafty caterpillar decorations today :)

One of their Christmas gifts came in handy today. I thought the tissue paper butterfly on the package would be perfect.

Then found out it for some reason was not in the box. We drew our own on some cardboard, worked out OK I think.

While all our crafts were drying, the kids went to work on making a big ol mess. They decided EVERY toy needed to be taken to their bedroom. They were having way too much fun to put a stop to it, but what a mess.

They cleaned us out. After the first toy run to the bedroom the girls stayed in the room and kept sending Xander out for more. It was so funny, he would come to the door, knock on it and say "it's Xander, I have more toys, let me in" LOL.

Almost makes me want to just keep everythig in their room, how I miss my living room as it was pre-toy store.

A full day of playing and crafts, Miss Bug is a tired girl :)

My little goober boy. He has been sporting these little sock shoes all day, he digs them!

Just about 1 year old, sweet baby boy <3

The days work! They should go great with the banner we made a month ago.

Thin wire and pom pom caterpillers, saw these cuties on Pinterest.

Egg carton and fingerprint caterpillars too!

The tissue paper butterfly, not too bad.

Feeling a little nostalgic, since Jericho is almost 1. Here he is 1 year ago.

Merry Christmas everyone!

2011-12-25T23:30:00.000-08:00

A little twist on our tradition of chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast on Christmas. Cute huh??? The kids loved them :)

They turned out really huge, nobody ate the whole thing LOL.

Jason had to work until 3pm, so after breakfast the kids played with what they got yesterday and waited for Daddy to open their last couple of things and get their stockings.

A few pics of their new stuff.

My awesome Huggie, and Jason's new Tshirt LOL.

Prized Ponies and little pails, check out the joker in the back. We have been calling him crash all day, since getting his newest lump on his forehead LOL.

Lily loves those Ponies.

They love their new flash cards too.

Crash kicking back too :)

Daddy got home and the kids finished up their Christmas gift fun. Including the stockings from Santa.

The trio got their first watches, which I am sure will last about 3 days before they are broke. We shall see.

So I didn't feel left out, Jason gave me my gift from him. Love it, thanks Babe!

I returned the favor :)

Your powers combined...LOL.

Christmas Eve 2011!

2011-12-24T23:23:00.000-08:00

Our first time hosting the Christmas Eve family party went great! We had an awesome pot luck spread of ham, tri tip, cheesey potatoes, a crock pot vegetable medley, a yummy spinach, almond and orange salad, rolls...and of course I made some fun little desserts.

No pie or cake this year, just some snowman cupcakes, snowball cookies and Santa hat brownies!

I also made a cute little Christmas tree veggie platter. Thanks Pinterest for these ideas!

Lily loved her new dress, didn't seem to miss the polka dot one at all. She was sooo very excited for the party. We heard her awake and talking to herself about the party and Christmas around 2am LOL.

Such a Princess :)

Xander looked quite handsome <3

Hayden was a little crabby, but looked super cute anyway.

What a HUGE change since their 1st Christmas!

Our first guest to arrive was Evan, in his full "robot" gear according to Xander who tried it all on for a second or two.

Daddy and little man Jericho, looking spiffy too.

Jericho had such a great 1st Christmas...hard to believe this time last year I was very pregnant with him.

Jericho and his Great Uncle Steve...they share a birthday :)

It was a full house, such great company :)

Almost grub time!

Uncle Rick and Jericho :)

The kids were the life of the party, once Hayden decided to come join the party...such a shy girl sometimes.

They could not wait to open gifts. Xander, in true pesticle fashion, helped open a few gifts that weren't his.

Jericho didn't seem to have any trouble opening his first gifts :)

Jason played Elf this year, such a thankless job :)

We had calendars made for my brothers and sister, Jason's mom, Dad and Grandpa, and his brother and sister too...they were a big hit :)

Jericho got his very own fabric book made by Grandma, like the ones the trio got on their 1st Christmas.

Uncle's Rick and Scott got some gun stuff too, always a good gift.

Grandma loved the salt dough handprint snowmen we made for her!

Jericho got a cute ornament from Great Aunt Julie, it matches ones she got for the triplets last year!

Auntie Amber hanging with the munchkin.

The kids wanted to play with so many new toys, the house got seriously trashed LOL.

Beer in a growler, right up there with gun stuff in the cool gift column hehehe.

First chance he gets, trying to wreck the tree :)

Even after getting changed for bed, this 'Little Elf' has trouble on his mind <3

Merry 1st Christmas Jericho, and a very Merry Christmas to all! Thank you so much everyone :)

Tree up...very late this year.

2011-12-23T23:43:00.000-08:00

We didn't put a tree up last year, we didn't think the triplets would leave it alone and we would have a repeat of the year before. So not wanting to go there again, what a PITA. This year though we have to brave doing the tree again, being that it is Jericho's 1st Christmas and we are hosting the annual Christmas Eve family party. We planned to wait until the very last minute, and we did hahaha.

The kids and I decorated their stockings with glitter today. I don't think these will be their forever stockings, they didn't really turn out all that great. Guess that is what I get for not looking up better ideas on Pinterest first LOL. But we had some fun none the less.

We got the tree up after the trio went to bed. Yeah shitty of us not to let them help...next year we will, promise.

Jericho was up for a little while as we tried to decorate. At first it seemed he couldn't care less about the tree. Gave it a little time and his true pesticle nature came out. This is a term my husband introduced me to, he often refers to our boys this way. As much as we love them, no matter what, it really does fit LMAO. We put him to bed and we kept at it. Jericho has been getting better about going down sleepy and not passed out. He is still in the pack-n-play in our room...and he still wakes up 2-3 times a night, but it's a start. For the first time, we walked in to go to bed and found that he had got himself out of the pack-n-play and was laying in our bed. Yeah, pesticle so fits hehehe. I think we had the pack-n-play pushed to close to the bed and he is somehow using that to help him get out, strong little bugger :)

It is starting to look a lot like Christmas :)

Next year we will walk it.

2011-12-22T23:40:00.000-08:00

Jason got all the outside lights up tonight, he wanted to do all clear this year. I think that put a little Christmas cheer into him. When he came back in he said lets go drive Peacock Lane, a street notorious for Christmas lights. Who cares that it was like 7pm, or that we had plenty to do for our Christmas Eve party. We asked the kids if they would like to go look at Christmas lights on Peacock Lane, they all got super super excited and lined up at the door.

In the car we realized they thought we were going to see actual Peacocks. Xander especially corrected us that we were going to see "keecocks" when we tried to explain to him that that was the name of a street and we were going to see Christmas decorations. I think he actually would have been very upset to not see any birds on our outting, so lucky for us, he passed out cold before we got there.

It was so packed, oh the craziness that is Peacock Lane...no wonder we haven't attempted it over the last few years. It was crazy, and took forever. Driving it was not nearly as fun as walking it, if we decide to try it again next year I think we will walk it.

Must have a Reindeer up my butt today LOL.

2011-12-21T23:07:00.001-08:00

We were at our festive and crafty best today. I decided to do some salt dough projects, and then threw in some fun Christmas balls too.

So excited to be working with the salt dough.

Handprints.

I found this recipe on giftideacenter.com

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
5tsp cinnamon
1 cup water

Directions:1. Mix salt and flour.
2. Add in half the water, then gradually add the remaining water.
3. Knead until the dough is smooth, this can take up to 10 minutes.
4. For flat dough ornaments roll out the dough on baking paper
Or be creative and make odd shapes and wreaths (takes longer to bake)

Create:
Use cookie cutters, cut-out templates, or just use your hands.
Dust dough with flour and begin to add details to the ornaments with a toothpick, popsicle stick, and knife.

Don't Forget:
Use a straw to make a hole so you can hang the ornament.

Baking: Time varies based on thickness of ornament
Temperature: 325 degrees
Time: 1 1/2 hours - or until dry

Decorate: Let cool before you begin
Paint with acrylic paints
Glue on beads, buttons, or any fun accessory

Preservation: Making them last a long time
Coat with acrylic varnish when everything is dry

While the dough was cooking we moved on to doing another craft. We did snowman handprints on these orniment balls. Yet another Pinterest gem :)

Once the dough was cooked and cooled it was time to paint.

All done just need them to dry so we can varnish them.

We have some silly kids. Xander grabbed these stockings and said he was Santa :)

All our projects dry and varnished...they turned out pretty great!

If all of the above wasn't enough...I added baking some yummy banana nut bread to my list. I got this recipe, where else...starts with a 'P', anyone, anyone??? It turned out fantastic!
Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread
***Makes 2 loaves***

3/4 c. butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1 cup roughly chopped pecans, toasted ...we used macadamia's instead.
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanillla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8x4 inch loafpans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary. (I found that after one hour, my banana bread wasn't completely cooked through. I ended up baking it for an extra 10-15 minutes.) Cool bread in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.
http://sugarandspice-celeste.blogspot.com/2010/10/cream-cheese-banana-nut-bread-southern.html

Pillow fight!

2011-12-20T23:53:00.000-08:00

We had a chill stay at home and do nothing kind of day, since our out of town guests left for home yesterday. After dinner the kids and Jason got in a pillow (and stuffed animal) fight. When it was clear that Xander was on his Dads side I had to join in and have my girls backs :) It was all fun and games, as they say, until someone...looking at you Xander, threw a not soft object and hit Hayden.

The trio had the lights turned off most of the time, thank goodness for my flash.

Pillow airborne.

I think I said something about my husbands crappy aim, so a teddy bear my way came :)

I returned fire, you can kind of see Free Willy flying into enemy territory.

Even little Jericho was trying to join in.

Lily was ruthless.

She kept saying "it's OK Momma I'll take care of them"

I tried to explain to both sides that Jericho was "France" and to let him be. Lily however saw him as a boy, so he must be on the boy team...and should there for be throttled.

We started to bring in some Christmas decorations after the kids went to bed. We didn't add Jericho's name to our giant family stocking last Christmas, since he wasn't here yet and we didn't want to jinx anything. He was officially added tonight :)

Now to find safe spots to display this stuff....yeah good luck with that.

A little sight seeing.

2011-12-18T23:30:00.000-08:00

Since Trent has never been to Oregon before Allie wanted us all to go see a couple of the sights that were pretty near by. Today Grandma came over to watch all the kids while the adults got out for a few hours. It was chilly and foggy out, but it was nice to get away for a little bit.

A quick stop at Multnomah Falls.

Thought this was a funny shirt it the gift shop.

Back home, everyone hung out some more. My kids got their first taste of the ipad games.

Cousin Hailee joined us for the evening, what a great bunch!

Some more early Christmas gift opening.

Party down!

2011-12-17T23:06:00.000-08:00

We had a full day of party fun today! The kids joined their friend Mallory at a bounce house joint for her 3rd birthday party. So much fun for everyone...even Dad :)

Jericho didn't do any jumping, but he did love walking around with these big balls :)

Xander was a beast, he was all over the place doing everything all by himself.

Jason had a lot of fun jumping and boxing...boys.

Some slide fun.

Yummy cupcakes!

After the party my brothers and sister, all the kids and us got together at our house for dinner and family time!

Of course a few drinks were had :)

Auntie and Rowan...isn't she a doll?!?! Such a big change since the first time we met :)

We had a bit of an early Christmas for the kids, since Allie and Rowan will not be here for Christmas.

Jericho loves his Pooh Bear from Auntie Tia and Uncle Rick.

A fun bowling game!

Add another party to the day. Trent's birthday was yesterday so we had some cake and a little song for him today.

The dogs got in on the love too.