Making Memories of Us

The Christmas Season (a little late)

2012-01-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

Classroom Parties, Christmas Plays, Choir Concerts, School Programs, Baking, Eating, and Baking some more.

Family, Singing, Christmas Light Viewing, Movies, Cookie Decorating, Wrapping, Opening, and Wrapping some more.

Christmas has been wonderful and fun and memory making. We celebrated with family near and far, finishing up our celebrations in Austin at Mimi and Pop's. The trip included a 24 hour stomach bug for EJ (that did not make for a fun plane ride) and a trip to the emergency room for Beck. Hope, Brandon and I stayed healthy and we really enjoyed seeing everyone. We finally got to meet baby Phillipa (and hang out with cousin Ethan), as Jessi and Charlie made the trip to Austin too. We're counting our blessings as we begin 2012!

EJ's preschool Pajama Party and Program

RIght after they sang "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", guess who showed up!

Hope's school party

Choir Concert #2

Hope and Averi after one of their "Babes in Toyland" performances.

Baking Day #1

Sisters on Christmas Eve!

Our attempt at a family picture

Annual reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Santa Came!

Beck's 1st Plane Ride

EJ in between "pukes" on the plane. Poor girl. :(

Beck in the ER

Hope with Mimi and Pop

EJ and Phillipa

Hope ready for a motorcycle ride with Pop!

Hope and Ethan tree climbing

Perfection

2011-12-11T20:37:00.001-07:00

We finally got our Christmas Tree today! After going to visit Santa at the mall, we came home, got the lights strung and hung all of the ornaments. The sequins, glitter, popsicle sticks, and painted puzzle pieces making up the many homemade ornamets may make our tree seem a little "unsophisticated" to some, but to me it's perfect! All the way to the star at the tippy top, which Hope made in preschool out of construction paper and a toilet paper roll.

Size Wise

2011-11-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

EJ: "Mom, in our family Beck is the littlest. I am the medium. Hope is the medium-est. You are the medium medium-est and Daddy is the biggest!:

She was so very proud of her revelation!

Halloween Festivities!!

2011-11-03T10:10:00.002-06:00

2011 Halloween included pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving (Hope did her own from beginning to end this year!), a carnival at Hope's school (somehow I ended up pictureless at that one), a program and costume parade at EJ's school, and of course, Trick-or-Treating!

PUMPKIN PICKING:

PUMPKIN CARVING:

TRICK-OR-TREATING

I could NOT get a good picture of everyone together. :0(

EJ's PROGRAM AND PARADE:

Oh yeah, we also had some dirt eating. YUMMY!

What a Difference...

2011-10-27T10:02:00.000-06:00

Monday:

High of 80 degrees

Wednesday:

High of 30 degrees

Junior

2011-10-10T15:10:00.002-06:00

Hope "bridged" to Junior Girl Scouts a couple of weeks ago. This will be her 5th year as a Girl Scout and she has grown so much since she was just a little Kindergarten "Daisy"!

Not the best picture- but just a little 5 year-old on a Daisy field trip

Last time being a "Brownie"

Crossing the Bridge from Brownie to Junior

Junior Girl Scout!

Let Him Eat Cake

2011-09-28T10:25:00.002-06:00

Beck really liked his birthday cake! His party had a "ball" theme and he wasted no time digging in. He wasn't quite as excited as I thought he would be about a huge ball of sugar sitting in front of him. He kind of just started eating it like it's something he gets every day. He did enjoy it though, and kept asking for "mo", even when he still had huge gobs of chocolate in his hands.

one

2011-09-25T15:46:00.000-06:00

Wow. That happened fast. Way too fast. I blinked and the small little bundle that we brought home from the hospital turned into a walking, talking, smiling, giggling, ball-loving, noise-making, open-mouthed kissing, blanket cuddling little boy.

It's bittersweet, really. The growing, the changing, the birthdays - it means all is well. It means he's healthy and developing how he's supposed to. So, no matter how many times I plead with him to stay my little baby forever, of course, I wouldn't change a thing.

Sometimes I just wish time would pass a little more slowly...

September 12th, 2010
7 pounds 1 ounce
21 inches

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

1 year old!!!

22 pounds 7ounces (50th percentile)

33 1/4 inches (90th percentile)

Caught Up!

2011-09-11T21:16:00.000-06:00

I think I may now be officially caught up on blog posts. I was going to make a promise that I will never get so far behind again, but I'd hate to break a promise and that's just too much pressure. I'm going to try, however, to get back on track... Sometimes life just gets in the way!

Preschool

2011-09-11T21:12:00.000-06:00

Mixed emotions (for Mommy) on EJ's 1st day of preschool. I'm going to miss my girl on Monday and Wednesday mornings. :( She LOVED it, though, and it is going to be so great for her! She is going to the same preschool Hope went to and, although most of the teachers that were there with Hope have retired, our beloved Mrs. Gordon is still there! And a good friend of ours is one of the other teachers.

EJ went right in on the first day, excited as can be. She has 7 kids in her class - six girls and one boy! Poor guy!

Some 1st Day Pics:

Labor Day 2011

2011-09-11T20:58:00.001-06:00

Another fun-filled Louisville Labor Day parade followed by an always delicious lunch at 3 Margaritas!

Breakfast in Bed!

2011-09-11T20:54:00.001-06:00

4th Grade!

2011-09-11T20:52:00.002-06:00

Hope started at a new school this year since we moved. There were a lot of nerves and a few tears, but she's doing great! Just last week she got voted to be one of 2 Student Council reps in her classroom. She was one of 13 in her class to run for the position!

Here are some 1st Day Pics:

We're very proud of our girl!

Messy Man!

2011-09-11T20:35:00.001-06:00

Beck is, quite possibly, one of the messiest eaters on the face of the planet.

However, in my (completely unbiased) opinion, he is also one of the cutest!

L5 S1

2011-09-10T23:40:00.003-06:00

Shortly after moving into our new house, Brandon had surgery for a herniated disk. It included a day and night in the hospital; followed by 6 weeks of lifting, twisting, and bending restrictions. He's really ready for the 6 weeks to be over so he can stop wearing his back brace and get back to more normal activity. The kids and I are also ready for the 6 weeks to be over because he is not allowed to lift anything over 10 pounds, which means he can't pick them up, which means I cannot leave him at home alone with the kids unless Beck is asleep and is definitely going to stay asleep until I get home. My mom has been over a lot to "babysit" everyone, so she will probably also be glad when the 6 weeks is over. Hope has also been a huge help and if she is going to be home she can handle Beck and I can get out if I need to. Big Pappy, I'm sure, is also ready for the 6 weeks to be over because he's been mowing our lawn every Wednesday. This is a very kind gesture, as he hasn't even mowed his own lawn for the past 20 years!

Here are a few pics of the hospital stay. Brandon's going to love me for this! :)

Pre-Op

1st time up after surgery

Testing out the stairs

"Will you stop taking pictures already?"

(or something not quite that nice)

Snow Mountain Ranch

2011-09-10T15:26:00.001-06:00

Cabin, Horseback Riding, Swimming, Hiking, Scavenger Hunt, Trike Games, Mini-Golf, Alpine Slide

All squeezed in to one fun filled weekend in July!

Happy Birthday America!

2011-09-10T14:59:00.000-06:00

Our 4th of July started with a bike parade with Big Pappy, GT and the boys, continued with a BBQ with jumpy castles and cornhole, and ended with fireworks at home with Grandmom. A great day!

Hope was loving doing our own fireworks. EJ was a little nervous at first, but then got into it. Beck LOVED the city firework show. Daddy was a little worn out by the end of the day!

Colorado Springs

2011-09-09T21:50:00.001-06:00

I had posted about Brandon's "Rookie of the Year" award, but never included pics of the rest of our trip. Here they are:

Hope and "the other Hope" in the pool!

EJ and her hippo

Cutie!

The hotel robes are the greatest!

THe Cheyenne Mountain Zoo brough animals into the lobby one day - here's a turtle!

Hope and Hope relaxing

Daddy and Beck relaxing

Awards Night

Paddle Boating!

Beck slept for the paddleboat ride

Fun trip! :)

My Girls!

2011-09-09T20:42:00.001-06:00

These days when I talk about "my girls", I'm usually referring to Hope and EJ. Back in college and in my "pre-kid" days, it was these two:

Me, Amee, and Brandi

I got to see my girls again in June when Amee came out from Kansas and Brandi came from Korea. It has been SO LONG since the 3 of us have been together, but it was like no time had passed at all. The visit was way too short, and since Brandi should be moving back to the states next year, we are (once again) planning yearly trips to get together. Miss you girls!

The Carni

2011-09-09T20:32:00.003-06:00

Ever since reading a Dora book about a Carnival, EJ had been requesting to go to one. Luckily, in June, a carnival came to an outdoor mall near us. We met some friends there and everyone had a great time!

EJ and Paige

Beck liked watching the big kids on the rides!

Daddy and Hope off to find a "big ride"!

Roller Coaster!

Trying to win a fish!

Spinny elephants!

Sisters!

The mall play area was almost as much fun as the carnival.

Peek-A-Boo!

MOVING!

2011-08-04T09:35:00.000-06:00

That is my excuse for not blogging in well over a month. I will be back soon. I am not promising to update on everything I've missed, but I will pick up at some point with pictures of our new home! And I will catch up on others' blogs. There's just not enough time in the day!!

Rookie of the Year!

2011-06-30T17:58:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we were in Colorado Springs for the Summer Regional meeting for Brandon's work. Edward Jones is such a family oriented company and they do a great job of including all of us and making us feel, not only important, but critical to the financial advisor's success. We had a wonderful weekend at a wonderful resort. We had plans to go to some of the tourist attractions around the Springs, but the hotel amenities were so great that we hung out there the whole time - swimming, eating, paddleboating and relaxing!

One of the highlights of the trip was the awards dinner on our last night there. We had a delicious dinner (the kids got their own pizza party in another part of the hotel), yummy drinks, and great company. At last year's awards dinner, Brandon made it a goal to earn the Rookie of the Year award, which he wasn't eligible for until this year. He came home with lots of awards, but was most excited about the boxing gloves:

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR!!!

We're so proud of you!!

Crawling Along

2011-06-09T09:21:00.001-06:00

This video was taken about 3 weeks ago when Little Man started crawling. He's only gotten faster and is now cruising around furniture and trying to climb stairs. You would think that by the 3rd kid I would have learned to baby proof before they become mobile! He's SO BIG!

Birthday Weekend!

2011-05-23T20:46:00.000-06:00

Busy, busy, (but fun) weekend! It started off with my birthday on Friday. Brandon took the afternoon off so I could enjoy a little "me" time with a massage, pedicure, and a little shopping. Since softball and soccer practices were cancelled due to rain, we got to go out for a birthday dinner. 3 Margaritas! Yum!

The real excitement started on Saturday - Hope's birthday. Can she really be 9 already? My little girl is definitely growning up! We had a super fun roller skating party with a bunch of her friends at Skate City. Next, she chose Sweet Tomatoes for her birthday lunch. Then that evening she, Brandon, and cousin Averi went to Bandimere Speedway for "Night of Fire and Thunder". She's won tickets to it every year through school for reading a certain amount of minutes. This year, it just happened to fall on her birthday! Averi stayed for a sleepover and they played the next morning, we went to church and then to a park. After Averi went home, Hope and I went to the Rapids game with her soccer team. The team got to walk on the field before the game and hold the big Rapids banner. We had a great time!

Whew! Here are some pics!

New soccer bag!

Getting fitted for her new roller skates.

In the center of the rink with the other kid having a birthday at the same time. He was also turning 9 - notice the height difference. :)

Some of the girls.

Beck and Daddy enjoying the party.

Cake and Ice Cream!

Swinigng at the park.

Hope, Averi, EJ

Waiting to go on the field.

Waving the Banner!

Moving Backward

2011-05-17T09:21:00.000-06:00

Almost a year ago we started to transition EJ to a toddler bed, knowing that we would need the crib for Beck. It was a pretty easy transition and she's been sleeping there ever since. Until last week. One night we went in to check on her before we went to bed and, to our surprise, found her in the crib. Every night since then, she has slept in the crib, with all of her many "things". I know we should probably try to break this habit, but she's been sleeping until 8:00 or 8:30 every morning and I don't want to mess up a good thing!

How does Beck fit in there, you ask? No need to worry. He's still sleeping in the pack and play in our room. Yes, he's 8 months old. No further comment.

Better Late Than Never?

2011-05-17T09:07:00.000-06:00

With the craziness that is our lives, I never posted to say Happy Birthday to my amazing husband. We celebrated with a date night with friends - dinner at Outback (Brandon's favorite) and then a comedy club. He knew we were getting to go to dinner sans kiddos, but I stealthily set up having T.Jay and Tennyson meet us there and then the plan for the comedy club where KB and Angi joined us. He was very surprised - mission accomplished! :)

The pictures are from our celebration at home with the kids. His only birthday request was chocolate cake with white frosting. It wasn't fancy, but it was yummy!

So, Happy Birthday (a little late) to the best thing that has ever happened to me! I love you, Brandon!

So this is what people were talking about . . .

2011-05-10T14:00:00.002-06:00

The only reason I've ever spent any real time in a hospital was to have my 3 beautiful babies - all wonderful experiences with great nurses and doctors, great food, and great reasons to be there. So, I never really understood why so many people dislike hospitals SO much. Until Saturday. . .

Sometimes (often times) people go to hospitals for reasons that are not nearly as joyful as childbirth.

On Saturday afternoon, Brandon began to feel a little dizzy and the vision in his left eye seemed a little "off". After he ate some lunch, he started feeling better, and just complained of a headache. A little while later the two outside fingers on his left hand went numb, then the numbness moved to his next two fingers. Shortly, the numbness in his fingers was gone, but the left side of his tongue became numb. Soon after, his left foot became very tingly - that is the only sensation that lasted for a significant time. Against his wishes, we met my mom to pass off the kids and headed to the ER. By 9:00 pm, he was admitted to ICU. This was scary! His symptoms were gone, but the doctors were still very concerned about what caused this "episode".

After a myriad of tests (MRI, EKG, CT scan, echocardiogram, angiogram, MRA), they were able to rule out MS, a stroke, heart problems, and artery dissection in his neck. This was all VERY fortunate. The unfortunate thing is that we still don't know what caused the numbness. They are hoping it was just an "atypical migraine". We were able to leave the hospital late Sunday afternoon (though it felt like we had been there for MUCH more than a day). My mom and sister were definitely glad to give our kids back to us. :0) We are so grateful for their help!

Let me just tell you - ICU is whole different ballgame than the Birthing Center! Instead of a private bath, there's a toilet in the middle of the room. Instead of a big door to give privacy, there's a sliding glass door with a small curtain.Instead of a couch for the "guest", there's a chair. Not to mention, the feeling of sadness around, with all of these patients so critically ill. The doctors and nurses kept joking about how Brandon was the healthiest looking person in ICU. And they thought it was pretty funny that we both slept in the little hospital bed together!

We hope to find out more from the neurologist at an appoinment tomorrow. For now, we are glad that everyone is home, feeling healthy, and that he didn't have to stay at the hospital any longer than he did. Experiences like this really make you stop and thank God for all that you have, and remind you not to take anything for granted!

The Voice

2011-05-02T20:32:00.000-06:00

A couple of months ago Hope auditioned to film a piece for the Space Science Institute in Boulder. It was for a interactive travelling museum exhibition about space and asteroids. She was one of 3 kids to be chosen to film the piece and they filmed in just about an hour the next day. She loved the experience.

Well, last week she got called back by the same people to do some voiceover work for the same exhibit. She was so excited when she heard it was going to be done in a recording studio - "Am I going to be in one room with a big window that looks into the other room with all the people in it and they can talk to me through the speakers?!?!?" I wasn't sure how it was going to be set-up, but it turns out it was just like that, and she had so much fun. The sounds engineer was so complimentary of her patience and direction-taking. He said she did better than most adults do. She had to do some of the sections several times because she just couldn't get the word "comet" right. At first she kept saying "comment" and then she could only say it like she was from the east coast, for some reason. But that provided some comic relief! Here are some pics in the studio:

Going over the script

Ready to work!

Easter 2011

2011-05-02T08:50:00.000-06:00

eggs, bunny, candy, hunting, dyeing eggs, pretty dresses, pillow pets, confetti, family, food, fun, church, 1st Easter, cousins, baskets, more eggs

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Butterfly Pavilion

2011-04-22T13:02:00.001-06:00

Some pics from our recent visit to the Butterfly Pavilion:

Too Windy!

Hope holding "Rosie" the Tarantula

EJ holding Rosie

Beck checking out the butterflies

In the spiderweb!

Beck was not crazy about this picture!

On the zipline!

And the Oscar goes to . . .

2011-04-22T12:42:00.000-06:00

Hope!

Hope won the "Peanut Butter Players Academy Award" for Most Valuable Newcomer. She was very excited and we were very proud of her!

Congratulations Hope!

Sorry Buddy!

2011-04-11T14:13:00.001-06:00

So, my last post was about Beck finally sitting up. Well, last night I had to pull out the video camera because he was trying to pull himself up on the ottoman. See video for my "Not So Great Mommy Moment":

Dear Beck - Please slow down! You are getting big WAY too fast! Love, Mommy

Disclaimer: No child was harmed in the filming of this video. Though you can hear his poor little head make a "thud" sound on the ground, just moments later he was smiling and returned to the same activity. I promise. And, I blame the dog.

We have a sitter!

2011-04-06T21:55:00.000-06:00

About 2 weeks ago, Beck finally started sitting on his own. This seemed a little late to me, but at his 6 month appointment (when he was not able to sit up on his own), the doctor assured me that there's a big range of "normal". He also said he would definitely be sitting on his own in the next couple of months. Sure enough, 2 weeks later, he was doing it.

While I'm at it, his 6 month stats were:

Height- 28" (95th %ile)
Weight - 16 lbs. 6oz. (35th %ile)
Head - 17 3/8 in. (60th %ile)

He's a growing boy! He's such a sweet little snuggler. It's hard for us to put him down, so he's definitely getting spoiled! It's hard not to spoil him, knowing he is the last baby we'll have in our family! He is really loving to eat baby food now - he loves fruit and likes his veggies and cereal. With all of the running around we do, he hasn't had the chance to get on a really great schedule. He usually eats at the same times every day now, but his naps kind of just happen when they happen - in the crib, in the pack & play, or in the car - sometimes they're long, sometimes they're short, usually they're interupted. As someone that is a strong believer in schedules and sleep, this has been tough for me to take, but that's just life as the 3rd kid, I guess. His sisters adore him and entertain him ~ he still gets a huge smile anytime one of them walks into the room. I am really cherishing the time I get to watch him grow up. It's so fun to see him grow and change, yet it feels like it's happening way too fast!

Tiny Dancer

2011-03-22T16:36:00.000-06:00

EJ started her very first dance class last Wednesday. There are only 4 kids in her class - the teacher's son who just turned 2, a 2 and a half year-old that is much more interested in playing with all of the other things in the room than dancing, a 3 year-old that was not going to let her mom leave her side, and EJ. The first thing that she told me when we got in the car was, "I was a very good listener. No one else was a very good listener like me. I stayed on my blue dot and did what the teacher told me to do!" Ha! She was proud of herself!

Annie

2011-03-21T09:22:00.000-06:00

Hope had her last performance this weekend as her debut as Annie came to a close. She has done such a fantastic job and it has been so fun to see her on stage. Even from the first show to the last, she has grown so much as an actress and a singer. She has a wonderful stage presence and amazing confidence. It is great for her to have a place where her exuberance and loud voice are such an asset. We are very proud of our little girl! Here are a couple video clips that Nana took at one of her shows last weekend, it wouldn't let me load some of them. . .

A Catch-Up in Pictures

2011-03-08T16:15:00.000-07:00

With my lack of blogging, there have been a lot of things I should have posted on, but never got around to. I will attempt to play catch-up, once again, with some pictures. All unrelated parties may close this window now without having to feel any guilt.

We've played in the snow.

We've had a little time to just "hang out".

Hope got her hair "whacked" (as she put it).

And then wore some of her hair as a "beard".

Beck has decided he LOVES to eat his toes . . .

. . . or anything else he can get his hands on.

Hope has been performing in Annie. Her last performances will be next weekend. I'll do an Annie post with video when she finishes up!

She also performed in Jr. Poetry Jamm at school.

She performed a poem "Bad Hair Day" with her friend Kaylee and one that she wrote herself called "Flip Flops"

Mimi came to visit from Austin. Unfortunately EJ got pneumonia and Beck got bronchiolitis and an ear infection while she was here, so this is really the only picture we got. It was very nice to have an extra set of hands with such sick kiddos!

These two are so stinkin' cute together!

The shirt says it all!

"3" has proven to be a very ornery age around here!

I went to the Arvada Arts Center with Hope's class to see The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley

Beck has started eating solids - so far he's had rice cereal, peas, and carrots. Despite the picture, he really isn't a fan of the whole experience. He's usually pretty mad the whole time except when the spoon is in his mouth.

Hope had her first soccer tournament of the year.

It was very cold!

That's Spring soccer for you!

Luckily Beck had his Bear suit to keep him warm!

Beck FINALLY went swimming for the first time. He kind of liked it. :)

I <3 these kiddos!

Sleeping Beauty

2011-02-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

EJ takes forever to fall asleep at night. But once she does, it appears she can sleep in any position. Here are a few we have found her in lately.

Not too comfortable, but not too abnormal

At some point after we tucked her in, she climbed into Beck's crib to sleep.

Just kickin' back!

Where's EJ?
(If you click on it to make it bigger, you can see her little face in the middle)

This is the one that inspired this post, taken last night.

Best Sound Ever

2011-01-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

Most of the best sounds I have ever heard have come from my kids - that very first newborn cry, a toddler just starting to string words together, enthusiastic details about a school day, overheard "conversations" with toys, singing in the shower, rhythmic breathing as they sleep. But, there is no better sound than the throaty, nasally joy of a baby giggle.

I'll refrain from listing all of the kid sounds that I don't like so much Lord knows there are plenty of those! The good ones, like the baby giggle, make the not so good ones all worthwhile!

Party of Five

2011-01-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

Beck is not eating any food yet, but he's big enough for his high chair so he can join us at meals!

Obviouly, I am taking the picture, so not ALL 5 of us are in it. That comes with being the Mom!

High Chairs are great! :)

Stats

2011-01-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

Since this blog is my virtual baby book, I need to go ahead and post the kiddo's heights and weights. Last week EJ had her 3 year check-up and Beck had hid 4 month check-up.

Beck:

*14 lbs. 11 oz. - 50th %ile. He was down from a little over 15 pounds after his bout with influenza! After several nights of reverting back to middle of the night feedings, I'm certain he's gained it all back!

*27 inches - 97th%ile

EJ:
*30 pounds - 30th %ile
*38 1/2 inches - 80th%ile

Hope doesn't have a check-up until May, but by our measurements, she's 4'9" and 70 lbs. I don't know where that puts her on the chart, but just looking at her, she's definitely tall and skinny! She's still the tallest kid in her class.

Happy Birthday EJ!

2011-01-18T17:07:00.002-07:00

Ellis turned 3 years old a couple of weeks ago. Three. Years. Old. That happened way too fast. Turning 3, she leaves behind the pudgy, wobbly toddler years and enters the big girl, preschool years. Just typing that brings a tear to my eye.

We celebrated on her birthday with a lunch at 3 Margaritas and a dinner at home with just the 5 of us. We had her "Dora Party" just this past weekend to wrap up the festivities.

At 3, EJ . . .

*is kind.

-she is genuinely concerned with how others are feeling and always provides a hug and an "aww, are you

okay?" anytime she thinks someone is upset. That is, unless she caused the upset, by pushing or pulling or taking. :)

* loves to help.
   - she always wants to get things for people. She's almost always willing to head to the kitchen, up the
      stairs, or wherever something is that somebody needs. She's also getting really good at helping set the
       table and taking her dishes to the sink.
* knows what she wants! or doesn't want.
   - Her signature phrase(s) these days - "I don't WANT to talk" or "I don't WANT you to talk" or "I don't
    want ANYBODY to talk". If things are not going her way, all should be silent!
* loves to snuggle on the couch and sit on mommy's or daddy's lap when she's eating breakfast or a snack.
   At bedtime, however, she wants no snuggling. She wants us to "lay with her", but that means she is in her
   bed and we are on the floor. Mainly, there's just no room for us with all of the babies and animals she must
   have with her.
* is smart.
   - she knows all of her letters and sounds (she still doesn't have all of the lowercase letters) and counts past
     20 (though she often skips13 or 14) and backwards from 10. She's learning to write her name - she has
     the "E" and "L"s mastered, but doesn't really put them beside each other yet. She knows all her shapes
     and colors. She likes to show what she knows, but usually only when it's her idea. She's not always big
     into answering questions.
*loves to talk and sing and color and draw.
- she sings songs all. the. time. Many of them are "EJ originals" and many of them are songs from Hope's

shows. She also sings lots of kids songs too, She still loves Dora, so she sings lots of her songs too.

One of my favorites to hear her sing is "A, you're Adorable".
-her coloring is still mostly all of over the page, but I've seen more attempts at trying to color specific parts

of pictures. Her "drawings" are lots of squiggles and lines and she loves when they end up looking like

something!
*STILL loves balls, babies, and books
-The only thing she wanted for Christmas was a ball. She takes after her daddy! She loves being a mama to all of her babies and taking them grocery shopping and putting them to bed. Many times stuffed animals are her "babies" too. She loves to look at books and have books read to her.

*is a WONDERFUL big sister.

- I was a little worried about how she would handle not being the baby anymore when Beck came along.

She has shown such patience and kindness and I just love watching her with Beck. She loves him so

much and he loves her too! and I know they are going to be great buddies.

*is hilarious!

-she makes us laugh all the time with the things she says. Her smile and laugh are contagious.

I can't wait for all the years to come with this amazing little girl!

"Birth"day

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

Yes, I do realize I have yet to post about Christmas. I will play "catch up" soon!

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night

2010-12-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

When Hope was 4 years old, Brandon decided to start the tradition of reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to her on Christmas Eve. Our family has grown and the tradition has continued. This year marks the fifth.

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

2010-12-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

To update, Hope decided to audition for the Lunch Bunch show, Annie, figuring she could still do basketball if she didn't get a part. She did get a part - she was chosen to be Annie! She is very excited, but a little anxious about all she has to learn. She can now call herself a "professional", as she will get paid a whole $5 for every show! : ) We're proud of her and know that she'll do great!

Zoo Lights and Santa

2010-12-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

We go to the zoo a lot throughout the year, but it's a whole new experience every December when they put on Zoo Lights. It's always a cold, but fun time!

This year we hadn't seen Santa before Zoo Lights, so we waited in line there to talk to him. EJ was very excited to see Santa until it was actually our turn. At that point, she wouldn't go near him, and only peeked around the tree to watch Hope and Beck visiting with him. Hope asked for a touch screen MP3 player. We told him Beck wanted a new monitor. The only thing on EJ's Christmas list is a ball. She had Hope pass along to Santa that she wanted a blue bouncy one. Hopefully Santa's elves can make one, otherwise he may have to spend a lot of quarters trying to get the right color out of a vending machine!

Mr. Smily

2010-12-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a short video of our little guy. Please excuse my pig noises.

Hope as Susan

2010-12-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

Hope's debut as Susan in Miracle on 34th Street was Saturday. She did wonderfully well! We're so proud of her! She's considering auditioning for "Lunch Bunch" at the same theater. It's like a dinner theater for kids. They do the show, but they also learn to greet, seat, and serve lunch to the audience. She has to decide by Friday if she wants to audition. If she were to become a part of the group, she would have to skip out on basketball this year. We'll see what she decides!

I have video clips of a few scenes from Saturday. I wasn't at a great angle, but you can get the idea.

Susan and Doris

Susan and Kris Kringle

And the part that always gets me teary . . . the bow.

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

2010-12-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

Cookies and Hot Chocolate - only Thunder can peel his

eyes away from The Grinch

Still Kickin'!

2010-11-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

No blog entry for awhile, but we're still here! Here are some pictures to prove it:

Hope finished up Fall Soccer on a beautiful, 76 degree, sunny November day (our first snowfall didn't come until this last week - 3 weeks later than average). They had a great season, with a 4-2-2 record and two tournament championships. She has now started indoor soccer which, thank goodness, is only 1 game a week - no practices! She also got a lead role (Susan) in "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas", the musical version of Miracle on 34th St. She'll be putting in a lot of time at rehearsals over the next few weeks, but she loves it! As always, she's doing awesome in school, and keeping us on our toes at home!

Ellis is obsessed with babies. Pictured are some of the many babies and stuffed animals she must have in bed with her every night. Many nights we find her asleep on top of a pile of babies, because there is no room in the bed for her. We try to sneak some of them away from time to time, but she knows if one is missing. She hit a "big girl" milestone this past week when the Twiddlebugs finally ate the last of her pacifiers. We had some tragic days at the beginning, but she's seem to adjusted to life without them. It's nice that we don't have to sift through the pile of babies in the middle of the night to find a pacifier anymore! Ellis, also, keeps us on our toes. Just today, she locked my mom in the back yard. I think EJ thought it was much funnier than my mom did.

Is that not the cutest smile in the world?!?!?! Beck turned 2 months yesterday. He weighs 12 pounds 13 ounces - 75%ile - and is 2 feet tall! That sounds a lot bigger than 24 inches, but either way, it puts him in the 90th %ile for height. He is a smiley little guy and he loves to be snuggled. He is trying hard to make his mommy very happy - he has slept through the night the past 3 nights! The mere fact that he cannot yet talkback or run away from us makes him a pretty easy kiddo!

First Haircut

2010-11-04T21:03:00.008-06:00

Since her hair didn't really even start growing until she turned one, we didn't have to worry much about getting EJ's haircut. Now, at almost three, we figured it was time for at least a trim. She went a few days ago and just got a couple of inches taken off. She got to sit in a fire truck, watch Dora, and eat a sucker. All was good! Once I got to the cash register and found out how much it cost, things were not so good! At least they included a little certificate and a lock of her hair. I guess the cute "First Haircut" pictures made it all worth it.

"Before"

"After"

Fun in the Fire Truck!

"Cheese!"

Next time, I may be doing the cutting. We have a fire truck and Dora at home for a lot less money!!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-02T13:59:00.000-06:00

As in years past, we stretched Halloween over several days. We've been to the pumpkin patch, Fall Fest at church, parties at school, and, of course, trick-or-treating - at mom's with all of the cousins, and at home!

Pumpkin Picking

with Grandad and Gammie and Cousins

Fall Fest

School Parties

Trick-or-Treating

Happy Halloween!

EJ as Dora, Hope as a hippie, and Beck as a sweet pea (as always)

Wow!

2010-10-29T16:43:00.002-06:00

Has it really been more than 3 weeks since I last posted? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Most days I can't even find the time to do a load of laundry from start to finish. By the time ~~Brandon gets~~ I get the clothes folded and put away it's been "fluffed" so many times everything is 2 shades lighter than when it went into the washer.

Why am I blogging right now instead of, say, putting laundry away? Because Beck is eating. And when Beck eats, I have one free hand to type with. Unless I'm using it too cook dinner or wipe off counters or wipe EJ's #%%, because she's finally decided she needs to poop at the exact same moment that Beck starts eating even though I've asked her if she needs to poop 26 times in the last 30 minutes. But right now I'm using my free hand to type. Hold on, I need to switch hands. EJ is ~~locked~~ in her room "napping" aka taking every doll, animal, and book she owns and throwing it on the floor while singing loudly. And Hope is playing "spa" in the basement with a friend. I'm trying to just push the thought out of mind about what the basement might look like right now.

So to update, Beck is still growing way too fast. He was 10 lbs. at his one month appointment and some days I feel like I can see him get bigger between sun-up and sun-down. He is smiling and cooing, but still sleeps a lot and cries a lot.

The girls both had their Halloween parties at "school" today. I'll add pictures to this post later. Hope dressed as a hippie and EJ as Dora. Beck just wore his pumpkin shirt. Hope's still a soccer machine and has auditions for a Christmas play next week. I'm hoping rehearsals won't be too many days a week. Fall soccer will be over, but she'll start indoor soccer immediately. EJ, advanced as always, is already embarking on the "terrible threes". Though she has the tendency to be the sweetest, snuggliest little girl on the planet, the lack of a nap really starts to show right about 3:00 every. single. day. Even the days she's actually napped.

So, life with 3 kids is crazy and yes I know there are people that have more than 3. I don't know how they do it and at this point in time it just seems asinine, but, as the saying goes, I wouldn't trade it for the world. We are crazy busy and the house is a mess until Brandon comes home from work and picks up but this time in our lives is already flying by and I know one day I'll miss it. That's what I keep telling myself - one day I'll miss this, one day I'll miss this, one day I'll miss this, one day I'll miss this, one day I'll miss this, one day I'll miss this, one day I'll miss this . . .

Champions!

2010-10-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

Hope's soccer team took first place in their division of the Colorado Youth Soccer Cup last weekend. After losing their first game, they went on to win the next 3 to make it into the finals. They played a great team and it was tied 1-1 at the end of the game. The score remained the same through overtime and they ended up winning in a 5-4 shootout. It was about as exciting as 8 year-old soccer can get! The girls were so pumped and us "soccer parents" were too! We were so proud of the girls for coming back after that first game.

Hope's become quite the defender!

5 soccer games in 2 days is a lot for a 3 week old!

Go United!

Light The Night

2010-10-05T13:53:00.000-06:00

A couple of weekends ago Brandon and Hope participated in a Light the Night walk in Boulder. They walked for Team Addison in honor of our friend, 6 year-old Addison Kleinhans, who was diagnosed with leukemia in April. Hope is good friends with Addison's older sister, Madelene. Addison is such a fighter and he is beating this disease. He's now in the most intense chemo phase and will complete his treatment program in 2013 when he's 9 years old.

Light the Night is a walk put on by the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society to help raise money for blood cancer research. Thanks to generous donations by our family and friends, Brandon and Hope raised over $500 for their team! The walk was such a great experience for such a great cause!

2 Week Stats

2010-10-04T14:31:00.000-06:00

Now that Beck is 3 weeks old, I'm finally finding the time to post about his 2 week appointment. Here are the stats!

Weight: 8 pounds 2 ounces - up over a pound from his birth weight (50th %tile)
Length: 21 1/2 inches - 1/2 inch longer than at birth (75th %tile) - although I think this measurement is fairly arbitrary - they try to stretch them out and put a mark on the table at the head and at the heel and then measure. Not real accurate, and I think I've even had kids "shrink" from one appointment to the next.
Head: 14 1/4in. (25th %ile) - he has a little peanut head! :)

Beck's wardrobe is further proof that he's growing - he is now in that "in between" stage of clothes sizes. The newborn stuff is really too short for him and he still kind of swims in the 0-3 month stuff. I also just bought size 1 diapers for the first time today. They still seem too big for him, but the newborn ones just seemed a little snug. I can sympathize, I'm kind of in that "in between" stage as well!

We go back to the doctor next week for his 1 month check and his first shots. :(

Love at First Sight

2010-09-22T15:53:00.000-06:00

This little guy has stolen my heart. As he grew inside of me, so did a strong bond of protection and affection. But the moment he entered this world and I saw his glossy blue eyes and his pouty lips, I fell in love.

Beck Robinson Harper arrived on his own schedule, at 1:17 am on September 12th. We had our plan - a scheduled induction on the 14th. This allowed us to prepare the girls and prepare ourselves for what would be a Tuesday through Thursday stay in the hospital. Beck had his own plan. On Saturday evening I started having some mild contrctions. Around 10:00 they started to get a little stronger. I called mom and told her - "Don't lose any sleep, but I'm having some contractions. Probably nothing - just wanted to let you know." About 20 minutes later I called her back to tell her I was calling the doctor to let them know we were coming to the hospital. Things seemed to be moving fast and furious. We waited for mom to come over to stay with the girls (she ended up being relieved by Connie so she could make it up to the hospital).

On the way to the hospital, a car in front of us was making Brandon crazy, driving too slow. He thought about passing him but I asked him or maybe told him not to. The car eventually turned off and Brandon sped down the road. "Just don't get pulled over" were my exact words. Followed seconds later by, "There's a cop". Brandon immediately pulled over as the blue and red lights came on. It seemed like it took the police officer forever to walk up to our car. Brandon eventually stuck his arm out to wave her up. As she was walking over to us Brandon told her he was just trying to get me to the hospital and as soon as she shined the flashlight into the car she said, "Labor, GO!". She did not, to my dismay, escort us there. Luckily we weren't too far away.

We arrived a little after 11:00 and Beck was born just about 2 hours later. He came quickly and, as far as labor goes, fairly easily.

I have been through this process three times now, and I still know nothing more amazing. This person that has grown inside of me, who I have felt move everyday, whose heartbeat I have anxiously awaited to hear each week, is now in my arms. He's breathing and eating and crying. He always has his hands right up by his face, and I can see, now, why I always felt little punches way down low in my belly. I can touch his adorable little baby feet that were always sticking way out on my right side. This little being created by us, created by God, has completed our little family. I couldn't feel any more blessed.

His sisters think he's pretty great too. . .

Daddy will make sur he's a Cowboys Fan

I've made him promise to stay this size forever - there's nothing better than a sleeping baby all snuggled up on your chest:

He's not listening - at 10 days old he's starting to get too long for his "newborn" clothes :(

First Day of "School"

2010-09-04T21:27:00.001-06:00

EJ had her first "Mom's Day Out" on Friday. She was so excited! She had been talking about it for weeks and couldn't wait to go. Everytime we would drive by the church where it is held, she would point and say "There's my school!" She talked about what she would do and who else would be there.

Then reality hit. Mom was actually going to leave! We had talked about this and, in theory, she was fine with it. Once it came down to it, however, she was NOT happy. One of the teachers actually had to pry her off of me as she screamed, "I don't want to stay at school!" With reassurance that they would call if she didn't calm down in just a few minutes, I reluctantly walked to my car. Hope happened to have the day off of school and so she got to come with me to take EJ. She kept wanting to go back and "spy" on her to see if she was better.

2 hours later it was time to pick her up. Hope and I got there a little early and sat in the parking lot to spy as EJ played on the playground. She was having a blast! When we finally got out of the car and she saw us, she just smiled and kept on playing. She didn't want to leave.

First day of "school" - SUCCESS!! Hopefully next Friday's drop-off won't be so dramatic.

1st Day pictures of my big girl:

All ready to go!

Heading in!

Look what I made!

In Baby News: We're just waiting on the little man to let us know he's ready. After a scare a couple of weeks ago, when we didn't feel at ALL ready for him to be here, we figured we better get prepared. We came home from the hospital and our bags have been packed ever since. Now that we are ready, he is as content as can be in there! I am 37 weeks 4 days, so hopefully he'll be here in the next couple of weeks. We're excited to meet him! Here's a pic from the night we thought he was going to make his entrance:

If the current frequency of my posts continues, maybe the next one will include pics of the last little member of our family!

Her world is about to be rocked. . .

2010-08-24T12:55:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago as we were driving past the hospital:

Me: That's the hospital, where you'll get to meet your baby brother!

EJ: I will meet him and give him a kiss.

Me: That's so nice - he'll really like your kisses!

EJ: And then when we take him back we will go there get a baby sister!

3rd Grade!

2010-08-23T21:08:00.000-06:00

Hope started 3rd grade today! Her "first day of school nerves" were in full force last night as she was going to sleep, asking question after question - the main one being "What if I don't like 3rd grade?"

So far, so good. She said her first day was "amawesome" (a mix between amazing and awesome) and "supertastic". Her teacher, Mrs. Lauce, said she could tell Hope was nervous at the very beginning of the day, but had a great time once she settled in.

My beautiful 3rd grader:

Living Life

2010-08-22T21:14:00.000-06:00

We're still around and have been busy. I just haven't taken the time to blog for quite awhile!

Since my last post, we took a trip to Oklahoma to see Grandad and Gammie:

Hope had a soccer tournament (they took 2nd place!):

And a Girl Scout outing to Cold Stone Creamery:

We had a little "mishap" with a jar of spaghetti sauce:

And Hope topped the summer off with her first overnight Girl Scout Camp:

Tomorrow: The First Day of 3rd Grade!!!!

Mini Babymoon

2010-08-04T14:45:00.001-06:00

We're not going to get a chance to go on a vacation before the baby's born, but Brandon and I wanted a little time away - just the two of us - before life gets even more hectic. Really? Is that possible? Ahh! We settled for one night, just down the road, in Denver. We stayed at a great little hotel called The Magnolia.

We bypassed the free "cocktail hour" to go to a great dinner at Maggiano's. But we took full advantage of the "cookie and milk buffet"! Is it obvious that I'm pregnant? I wish I had taken a picture of this thing! The cookies were AMAZING! Unfortunately we were so full from dinner that we weren't able to eat as many as we normally would have!

It goes without saying - we adore our girls and cherish our roles as Mommy and Daddy. But sometimes it's nice to just be a couple. Thanks, Mom!

Fun at the Bay

2010-08-04T14:38:00.001-06:00

Last week was the first time we made it to The Bay this summer. Our neighborhood pool provides us with plenty of free entertainment, so it's easy to bypass a place we have to pay to get into. The Bay provides things our pool does not, however - water playgrounds, slides, and most importanatly a concession stand! The girls had a great time! Hopefully we'll make it back with Daddy before the summer is over!

EJ LOVES CORN ON THE COB!

2010-08-04T14:19:00.001-06:00

This girl just can't get enough . . .

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-04T14:18:00.000-06:00

Elitch's

2010-07-21T22:50:00.001-06:00

Grandad and Gammie took us to Elitch's on Tuesday. It wasn't too hot and everyone had a blast. An amusement park doesn't hold quite the usual thrill and excitement when you're pregnant, but I loved watching all the kids have such a great time.

Hope was, as always, adventuresome, and loved all the rides. Rob and Leah took her and Jared on the "Mind Eraser", the roller coaster where your legs just hang. Hope was just tall enough this year to ride it and officially declared it to be "awesome". EJ was up for lots of rides too. She's tall for her age, so she was able to do a lot of things that probably aren't really meant for two year olds, but she loved it!

Before bed EJ told me, "Mommy, when you get older you can ride the ferris wheel and the ride that gets you all wet too." I guess she thought I was sitting out the rides because I just wasn't "big enough". Truth is, I was TOO big for most of them!

Cracking up the Cashier

2010-07-12T14:25:00.001-06:00

Today when we were paying at Sprouts:

Hope is putting the bags into the cart and EJ, being ornery, reaches back from the front seat of the cart and tries to hit her. She misses Hope, but hits her own arm on the cart and starts crying because she hurt herself. Hope looks at her and says, "That's called Karma!"

The cashier, the bagger, as well as the lady in line behind us couldn't stop laughing.

My reaction was more of a cringe as I heard my own voice being projected from my 8 year-old!

A New Camera and Reasons to Use It

2010-07-11T23:02:00.000-06:00

I FINALLY got my new camera. I've had birthday money set aside for a new camera for almost two months and yesterday I finally made the purchase. I had the opportunity to really test it out today at Hope's Girl Scout Horseback Ride and our church's Field Day. It was a long day, but lots of fun!

Getting on "Babe"

Made it!

The troop coming back up the trail.

Feeding the horses on the Hayride

Driving the Tractor

The Girls

Hope and Madelene on the slide at "Field Day"- EJ wanted NOTHING to do with it.

Driving the train

Climbing after snowcones (can you tell hers was blue?)

Face Painting

Face Painting done - Rainbows and butterflies and Mickey Mouse

EJ decided to try the slide with Hope - she loved it and did it over and over and over!

Finished the night with pizza in the back of the car!

I LOVE my new camera and LOVE my adorable subjects!!!

Bieber Fever

2010-07-09T16:55:00.000-06:00

We have some great friends that asked Hope and I to join them in their suite at the Justin Bieber concert. Hope and I knew exactly ONE Justin Bieber song that had been sung by someone at her school talent show. But when you have a chance to spend a night with great friends in a suite, you just can't pass it up! Well, Hope had a GREAT time at her first concert and only got a little upset that I wouldn't buy her a $40 Bieber shirt. Sorry - i don't even spend that much on my shirts. I loved watching her dance and sing along!

Nonnie, Hope and Bailey with "Justin"

Hope and Chantelle

The countdown is on!

Can you tell I was tired!!

OMG!!! It's Justin!!

The song that we knew:

4th of July

2010-07-07T13:54:00.000-06:00

We had a great 4th of July in Albuquerque. We went swimming with Big Pappy, Ben, and Bryce, had a great BBQ courtesy of Big Pappy and then went over to some of their friends' house to watch and shoot off TONS of fireworks. All of this and I got almost NO pictures. These terrible shots from my cell phone are all I got from the whole weekend!!!

GT did, however, get some good baby pictures!

Baby Boy Harper ~28 weeks

Keystone

2010-07-01T15:13:00.000-06:00

Brandon's company had their Summer Regional Meeting in Keystone last weekend. Luckily, for us, his company includes the family in the fun! Brandon had some meetings to go to and I had a couple to attend as well, but the rest of the time was for fun, fun, fun! They put us up at a great hotel, fed us great food, and even had wonderful, fun child care for our children so we could have dinner and go to a wine and cheese party just a cheese party for me, darn it! without kids!

We had great lunches, a "hoe down" dinner, an awards dinner with DELICIOUS food, shopping, paddle boating, feeding ducks and fish, swimming, arcade games - besides lack of sleep, a good time was had by all!

Checking Out the Ducks

"Chicken Dancing" at the hoe down!

TIRED, but did not want to stop dancing!

H and B swimming (Taking the pic from our room while EJ slept)

Ready to Paddleboat

Feeding Ducks and Geese - EJ kept holding food out for the geese and everytime she'd yell "That geese bited my finger!!!", like it was a big shock to her each time. :)

On the lake

Ready to go!

Thanks, Edward Jones, for a great weekend!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-23T15:56:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow

2010-06-23T15:04:00.006-06:00

Hope was in an "Annie" acting camp last week with about 50 other kids. There were 5 or 6 girls that played Annie throughout their final "show" for parents. Hope was Annie in Scene 2 and got to sing a "Tomorrow" duet with the apple seller. I didn't have a great seat for video so the quality is not great and you'll probably have to turn it all the way up to hear anything - sorry!

In case you can't tell - Hope's the one in the big red wig. :)

Cheese!

2010-06-20T20:28:00.003-06:00

Father's Day at the Rockies:

Party Time!

2010-06-11T15:27:00.000-06:00

We finally had Hope's birthday party last week. Since the end of the school year is always so crazy, we decided to wait until after school was out. She invited a few friends for a trip to the mall for some shopping and dinner and then a sleepover and swimming the next day! I somehow forgot to take swimming pictures. :(

First and Last

2010-06-03T15:11:00.007-06:00

Yesterday was Hope's LAST day of 2nd Grade and FIRST softball game.

She had a great last day of school. The kids got to sign yearbooks and her teacher, Mrs. Wardlow, had a sweet little presentation at the end. She wrote a poem about their last two years together (she looped up from 1st grade with the class)and read it through tears. She also wrote an acrostic poem for each of the kids using their names. Hope's was:

Helpful
Optimistic

Performer
Enthusiastic

I think all of these words provide a great description of Hope!

A few "last day" pics:

Hope with one of her best friends, Taylor

Hope and her Buddy, Cam

Getting her principal's "autograph"

With Mrs. Wardlow - We're going to miss her!

She also had her first softball game. She is playing "Coach Pitch" this year which is a VERY welcome change from the last 3 years of T-Ball. She had 4 great hits and did awesome at each of the positions she played - 1st base, 3rd base, and left field. Brandon is one of the coaches so they're really enjoying their time together!

Hitting the ball:

Getting the out:

Go United!

2010-05-31T17:30:00.001-06:00

Hope's soccer team wrapped up the season with a tournament this weekend. They all played really great and ended up 4-0!!! Way to go United!

8 years-old!

2010-05-23T20:12:00.000-06:00

Wow! I have an 8 year-old. Hope celebrated her birthday on Friday and it really is hard for me to believe how fast the last 8 years have gone. Am I REALLY old enough to have an 8 year-old? In some ways, it seems such a short time ago that I held her as a newborn - an 8 pound, black-haired little bundle of joy. Although we've been through days that have felt more like weeks and I'm sure there are more of those to come as we get closer to the teenage years, I wouldn't trade a single second I've had with my little girl. Okay, maybe there are a few seconds I would trade, but most have been wonderful and those that haven't been have only made us stronger!

Hope has such personality and constantly keeps us on our toes. She is forever singing very loudly, loves to read, enjoys playing soccer, softball and basketball as much for the social aspect as anything, loves acting and performing. She is very much a teenager in an 8 year-old body - she thinks it's totally dumb that we won't let her have her own cell phone and laptop. I'm not about to let her grow up that fast!

Happy Birthday Little Girl!

May 2002

May 2010

Rockies Win!

2010-05-13T14:48:00.000-06:00

Yesterday it was raining and snowing. It was cold. It was a school day. Hope's school called at 9:00 am because she had thrown up in class. Doesn't all of that make you think "Today would be a great day for a baseball game!"? Yeah, me neither. But, turns out, it was!

The Phillies were in town for only 3 games. They were all during the week, and only one was a day game. We knew we wanted for all of us to be able to get to a game for a chance to see Ross play so we had planned a long time ago to go the day game so Hope wouldn't be up too late on a school night. Well, for a few hours, we weren't sure we'd be able to make it.

But lo and behold. . . the sky stopped spitting, Hope's "illness" was just caused by taking antibiotics on an empty stomach, and we still had access to our winter clothes! So, we headed out to Coor's Field with Jill and her boys, and Rob and Wil. It was definitely VERY cold, but nothing a little hot chocolate couldn't take care of!

Mother's Day

2010-05-13T14:28:00.001-06:00

The weather around here hasn't been great lately, but Mother Nature was kind to her fellow mothers on Mother's Day. We had a nice picnic in the park with Mom and Doc, Rob, Leah, Wil and Anna, Jill, Joel, Jared and Justin. The kids played baseball and played on the playground. We celebrated Doc's birthday with cupcakes, and ate yummy food! Happy Mother's Day!

Mimi

2010-05-13T14:14:00.000-06:00

The weekend after Brandon's birthday, Mimi came to visit from Austin. It was great to see her! She took lots of good pictures and shared them all with me.

We went to Hope's Soccer Game:

We played and posed:

Mimi took Hope to school one day and they stopped at McDonald's with Brandon for breakfast. Hope thought this was great!

We also took a trip to the zoo!

Thanks for the fun visit Mimi!

Happy Happy Birthday!

2010-05-10T09:53:00.003-06:00

I'm way behind on blogging, so I'll catch up slowly, a post at a time no pressure. First, Brandon's birthday was on the 29th. We had biscuits and gravy for breakfast and a steak dinner on his actual birthday, but the night before we were at Chuck E. Cheese, so he got to celebrate with Chuck E. the mouse too! :) The pictures are kind of dark and fuzzy. I'm still using Hope's camera since mine is broken - but my birthday is coming up!!

Take Your Child to Work and Science Fair

2010-04-30T15:24:00.007-06:00

Last Thursday was "Take Your Child to Work Day". Hope had been SO excited about this and had been asking Brandon about it since she saw it on the calendar. After a McDonald's breakfast they were off to Brandon's office. She said she had fun, but by 10:00 she was ready to get to school. The picture is kind of fuzzy, but better than nothing!

Hope participated in the Science Fair at her school on Tuesday. We've been really bad at procrastination around here lately - I'm blaming my hormones - so luckily Hope had Monday off of school. We were able to get her "Shadow" project started and finished and she came home with a second place ribbon:

Singin'

2010-04-22T14:38:00.002-06:00

Hope loves to sing and walks around doing it ALL the time. EJ could be following in her footsteps.

Sesame Street LIVE

2010-04-18T19:47:00.003-06:00

Last week I took EJ to see Sesame Street Live with her best friend, Raegan, and Raegan's mom and brother, Angie and Racyn. All morning long EJ kept saying, "I want to go see Elmo now". Both girls really loved the show. They stared in awe, they danced, and they clapped. About 10 minutes before the show ended EJ decided she had seen enough. She said, "I am done seeing Elmo now".

Ready to go in

STILL ready to go in, but Mommy keeps taking pictures!

Couldn't get them to look!

Yay!!!

Really?!?!?!?

2010-04-14T08:39:00.000-06:00

So we made the easy drive down to Albuquerque over the weekend to visit Keith, Terry and the boys. And to get a peek at the little peanut growing inside of me, hoping that he would give us a glimpse of what we should expect in September. Yes, I did say he. He was more than happy to let us know that he is a little boy. That is the first shot that Terry got when she put the little ultrasound thingamajig on my belly. There he was, in all his glory, flashing us on the big tv screen not that I would have had any clue, had she not pointed it out to me. I was completely and totally expecting a girl, so it was definitely a shock to me. I think when all you've ever grown is girls, it's hard to picture growing anything else!
It was a really fun experience to find out with family. Hope and EJ got to see too, although, EJ did not pay much attention. She's been telling us from the beginning that it was a boy, so I guess she didn't need an ultrasound to confirm. Terry gave us a BUNCH of pictures, but here a few of my favorites!

Full profile shot

Close Up Profile

Buttering up his biggest sis

3-D/4-D shot - Hes's got his hands up behind his head. This one's crazy to me!

Spring Break

2010-04-06T15:40:00.001-06:00

I hate when I fall behind on my blog and I have to try to play "catch up" in one post. The further I fall behind, the more I dread logging on to complete that marathon post. But, I don't want to leave much out because I want to make sure I have all the memories recorded in my blog book once I finally get around to making a blog book. So, in a nutshell, here is how we spent Hope's Spring Break:

We spent some time at the park.

Hope did some "Backyard Biology"

We went to the library and got LOTS of books so we could spend some time reading.

We ate outside even when it was too cold.

We went swimming.

We went to the American Girl store.

EJ was done with the American Girl Store by the time we left.

We visited the Easter Bunny.

We dyed eggs.

By the weekend, it was time for soccer which I really need to take pictures of and Easter. On Easter we hunted for eggs, went to church, hunted for more eggs at Grandmom's, ate and ate and ate.

Great family picture, huh? None of us were quite ready!

For more on Easter, check out Grandmom's Easter post.

Spring Break got cut one day short because we had to make up a snow day that we had the week before:

There. I'm caught up.

In baby news:

We plan on making a trip to ABQ this weekend that should determine whether or not we should hold on to all of our little pink things. So, I should have a new post by this time next week!

A little scare, but all is good!

2010-03-28T21:15:00.005-06:00

We had a little bit of a scare with the baby on Saturday morning when I noticed a little bit of bleeding. I called my OB's office and luckily my doctor was the one on call. She had us come in to check that everything was okay. We found the bleeding was due to a small infection, but all is well with the baby. And, it turned out to be all worth it because we got to have an ultrasound. It is such a crazy thing to me to get to see the baby move around inside. He/She "waved" at us, moving it's arms all around, and seeing the little heartbeat is just so amazing. Hopefully at the next one we'll be able to find out whether we should hold on to all of our pink things! Here's a picture of our little "alien":

"Not Come Up Here Mommy!"

2010-03-18T14:30:00.003-06:00

Ellis has not yet learned the art of being sneaky. She went upstairs to get a Dora book from her room and a few minutes later she yells, "Not come up here, Mommy!" That's my cue to find her as quick as I can. Hiding

As soon as she heard me coming she squatted down to hide her face because then I can't see her. I'm glad she gave me fair warning - another couple of minutes and I'm sure there would have been toothpaste and mouthwash all over the bathroom!

And he's off!

2010-03-12T16:13:00.002-07:00

Thunder has taken to jumping the fence. We don't have a tall fence, probably only 4 feet tall or so. But Thunder is a chihuahua mix for crying out loud! That fence is at least 4 or 5 times taller than he is.

It happened earlier this week as a woman was walking by with her dog. She had no idea where Thunder had come from and she really freaked out when he was barking like crazy at her dog I really don't blame her. But it really scared Hope, who happened to be playing outside, when she jumped over the fence to get him and the lady was screaming "What's wrong with your dog?!?!?"

Today, it happened when Ellis was just finishing using "the restroom" not #1. I heard through the screen door "Your dog jumped over the fence!" Luckily this lady didn't freak out. I yelled back, "I'll be right there" as I was trying to get EJ "cleaned up". She stood there with the dogs, and kept Thunder from running off. I ran out the door when I could and apologized I actually said, "Sorry - my 2 year-old was pooping!" and I was able to jump over the fence and grab him. I carried him back in as Ellis was walking outside with her tights and and panties around her ankle.

Bottom line - I don't know what to do to keep him from jumping over the fence!!! Help me!!!!

In other news - I'm a little over 12 weeks pregnant and look like I did at about 20 weeks with the girls at least that's how I feel. If I hadn't seen the ultrasound myself, I would swear there was more than one in there. I think by the third time, the body just "assumes position" as soon as you pee on a stick. We had an appointment on Wednesday and got to hear the heartbeat just one. All is going well!

Not in the plans, but exciting!

2010-03-01T16:03:00.003-07:00

God's best gifts are usually unexpected. We're embracing our latest blessing, due to make an appearance in September!

Ob.sessed

2010-02-26T16:34:00.006-07:00

It couldn't have been a month ago when I was wishing that EJ would enjoy the television a little more. She's always loved the characters - Elmo, Cookie Monster, Mickey Mouse, Dora, Spongebob, and others - but she would never spend more than 46 seconds actually watching them on TV. I know, that's a good thing, right? Kids are becoming screen-obsessed - tv, video games, computers, ipods - and its leading to laziness and obesity. I. know. But all I was wanting was 20 minutes without having to worry about what my child was getting into. 20 minutes to make dinner or dry my hair, or clean the bathroom, or check my email, or blog, or mess around on facebook.

Have you ever heard the saying, "be careful what you wish for"? I'm telling you - be careful what you wish for! Within the last two weeks, Ellis has become DORA OBSESSED! I'm pretty sure she would sit and watch it the. entire. day. if I let her. She asks to watch it first thing when she wakes up in the morning, first thing after nap, when we're in the car, when we're at the store. You get the idea. And everytime I turn it off, she CRIES and CRIES.

Case in point: I know that 2 minutes is really too long for a video on a blog post, but I think she's cute, so I couldn't cut any out. I want her to see all of this one day! :)

I guess there could be worse things for her to be obsessed with. She's learning some new concepts and working on her spanish she's actually yelling "arriba" as I type. I'm sure it will wear off at some point and one day I'll be longing for the days that DORA was the thing she was obsessed with.

On a side note, EJ is only wearing diapers at night now, big girl panties all day! She went through a phase several months ago where she was really into the potty training thing, but I was SO not ready. She got over a it and we were peacefully in diapers full time. When she started showing interest again a week or so ago, I figured I better jump on it. So, she's had a few accidents here and there, but never away from home, besides once at Aunt Jill's house, but that's basically home. I do put a diaper on her at naptime still, although she stays dry during nap now. I'm not going to risk cutting a nap short due to wet pants. I NEED that time!!

Camera Slacker

2010-02-20T15:40:00.004-07:00

You wouldn’t know it, since I’ve failed to take a camera with me, but Hope has been playing indoor soccer and basketball since January. I finally remembered to take my camera to basketball today. I’ll work on soccer next week.

This is Hope’s first time playing basketball. We weren’t sure this was going to be her sport, based on what we’d seen when she’d just mess around with her cousins. She really wanted to play, though, so we let her give it a shot. She ended up playing great! She’s a pretty good little shooter and defender and she’s definitely got a height advantage. After her first game she was a little frustrated because she thought it was “confusing”, there were too many new rules. By the fourth game now, she’s starting to get the game figured out and is doing really well!

Here are some pics of our little hoopster:

Oral Interpretation 2010

2010-02-12T20:06:00.004-07:00

It's been a busy week: doctor's appointments, girl scout cookies, PTA dinner nights, and Valentines parties. But one of the highlights was Oral Interpretation. This is one of Hope's favorite events at school. The kids that choose to participate pick a poem to memorize and recite. They have an assembly for the school and then a performance for parents at night. Our little performer chose to participate in not only one, but three poems. One with her friend Bailey:

One by herself:

And one with her 2nd Grade class:

Hope is the "Regular Teacher" at the end!

She's already talking about what poem she'll do next year!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-03T13:50:00.002-07:00

Testing, testing . . .

2010-02-01T13:36:00.002-07:00

Well, I really don’t have anything exciting to blog about, but I really wanted to try out this Windows Live Writer. So, I figured, what the heck, I’ve got cute kids, I’ll just post some pictures of them. :)

Hope and Thunder

EJ and her Golf Ball

So that was easy. I still have lots to learn, but that was definitely better than trying to insert pictures on Blogger!

Creative Arts Fair

2010-01-30T13:30:00.003-07:00

Hope’s school hosted their Creative Arts Fair last week. The kids got to do things like make instruments and paint with fish rubber, of course. They also did a little dance called “Hip Hop Rodeo":

Hope told me the night before that she "needed" cowboy boots and a bandana. Luckily Justin had some old cowboy boots that he had outgrown and I pulled a bandana from the dress-up bin. Obviously, they weren't as much of a "requirement" as Hope thought.

On a side note,
I tried to do this post in the Windows Live Writer that Lindsey blogged about. I think, in general it's going to be great I'll have to post again soon to really try it out but I couldn't get a video to upload on it without uploading it to YouTube first. So, I went back to the "old editor" on Blogger, because I still don't know how to upload video on the new one. My next post will feature Live Writer - stay tuned!

2010-01-25T12:48:00.001-07:00

Sleep comes pretty easily at my house. Hope started sleeping through the night at 12 days old. Ellis took quite a bit longer than that, but always had good, 5 to 6 hour stretches from fairly early on. Ellis will still fuss on and off in her sleep occasionally, but never anything that really interrupts MY sleep. So, while I know many parents deal with sleepless nights, I'm NOT used to it. So, last night was no fun for me!
Ellis was fussing on and off throughout the night. Not the fussing she usually does, that lasts only a few seconds. I was actually having to GET OUT OF BED to check on her and calm her down. I would rub her back and, as soon as I thought she was asleep, I'd slip out of her room. Right as I would lie back down in my bed, she would start up again. Finally, at about 3:15, I nudged Brandon and asked him what I thought we should do. I wanted to bring her into our bed - if she must have my hand on her back, she can have it there while lying next to me, so I can GET SOME SLEEP! "We don't want to start that", was Brandon's reaction. While I totally agreed, I still wanted to sleep. Both of us were beyond tired at this point, so we finally decided to bring her in. Here's how the next hour played out:

EJ: Is Hopie sleepin' in her bed?
Me: IGNORE
EJ: Daddy's sleepin' too. Thunder sleepin' in Hopie's bed. Hopie sleepin' in Hopie's bed too.
Me: IGNORE
EJ: Daddy sleepin', Mama. I'm pettin' Daddy as she's rubbing his arm. Mama's sleepin' in her bed too. Is Hopie sleepin' in her bed?
Me: (No longer able to ignore) Yes, EJ, everybody is sleeping and you need to go to sleep too.
EJ: I'm pettin' Daddy. Mama, I'm singin' you a song - "Happy Birthday to you . . ."

Yes, this went on for AN HOUR! Different versions of the exact same thing. Brandon's alarm was going to go off at 4:30, so right before that, when she started saying. "Do Dah! Do Dah!" Camptown Races, I guess? I told her that I was going to put her in her bad and she needed to go to sleep. I told her she didn't need to cry anymore. She responded with " Not yet, in a minute", but I took her anyway. I layed her down, walked out of the room, and she went to sleep. She slept soundly, until I had to wake her up at 7:20 to take Hope to school.

Hopefully last night was an anomaly and we didn't start any "bad habits" after only one night. I must say, I feel for people that go through this all the time. I think God only gives us what we can handle. He knows I can't handle kids that don't sleep!