Daddy's Little Princess

My blog is pathetic. Let's be honest. People clean out their garages more often than I post entries. I am not even gonna bother promising that I will do better. We all know it's just a bunch of hot air. For what it is worth, I decided to post something today.

Brielle and Dylan visited the doctors today and both had to get shots. Dylan only needed to get one, but poor Brielle had 3. Keith came with me, since trying to comfort two kiddos after getting shots was not a challenge I was particularly up to. It conveniently worked out that Keith got to man the "shot station" while I was on comfort patrol. I think I got the better end of the deal. I felt a little guilty though when it was Brielles turn. See, Brielle is Keith's princess. Having to watch her get 3 shots and see how much she hurt I think tugged at his heart strings just a tad bit more than it does the boys. She is such a good baby and really doesn't cry very much. So when she does get hurt or upset, we pay much more attention. I couldn't help but laugh the other day when we were in the car and the boys were being especially loud. It had definitely reached the "annoying level" and Keith and I were begging for them to calm down. Then Brielle started to cry. A "you guys are hurting my ears and scaring me" kind of cry. Keith lost it. His exact words were, " You just made Brielle cry. Now I am REALLY mad!" It was so funny and sweet and such a double standard all at the same time, that all I could do was laugh. She has got him wrapped around her finger. Not that I blame him, she is adorable. Her personality makes it all that much better. She is smiling and laughing from sun up to sun down. She goes with the flow, and even when things aren't going so smooth or she hasn't gotten too much attention she is still there waiting with a smile. I just hope she is like this as a teenager… (hey a girl can dream right?)

Some pics of Daddy and his princess (kind of bummed that I have been replaced, but I like to think of it as me getting an upgrade to Queen…)

Keeping up with Kaiden

Since it has been so long since I have actually updated this blog, I thought I would give a little overview of what the kiddos have been up to, starting with Kaiden.

Oh where do I start? Kaiden is a fireball. He is hilarious. He is way too smart for his own good. Right now he is 4 years old, and is in his last year of preschool. While he is learning quite a bit, what he seems to get more out of preschool is girl drama. Last year a little girl proposed to him, and then tried to kiss him. This year, that same girl and 2 others have daily battles over who gets to sit next to him and play with him ( at least according to the way he tells the story!) This was also the year that he had his very first crush. Which is way freakin cute by the way! The way his face lights up in a combination of shy and obvious adoration has me both laughing and melts my heart! It also has me a little worried, but what do you do? They have to grow up.

Aside from the girl drama, Kaiden has learned so much. He does very well on his homework, and is excited to do it. He is able to write his name without using a reference, and while he still gets some letters backwards, is able to write all the letters in the alphabet and numbers. He also has mastered coloring in the lines (hey I know people who still can't do that!)

He still loves cars. One of his favorite past times still and has been since was 18 months is to name all of the car brands in a parking lot or as it drives by. Yes, he can tell makes of cars. He also loves to pretend I am racing when I am driving, and gets annoyed frequently when I don't pass up cars or when I stay too long in a lane. He tells me often to just go in another lane, or "Mommy, can you please just pass them already?" One of my favorite moments was when I over heard him giving our car a pep talk. I look back in the rear view mirror to see him stroking the side of the car where he sits and whispering…" Okay Herby (what he has nicknamed our car) …You can do this. You can pass them."

Kaiden is also a master at puzzles. He loves puzzles. He can finish rather complex puzzles for a four year old in a short amount of time. His newest passion is also GeoTrax. A brand of trains. Him and Dylan build "cities" with their tracks with hills and tunnels, twists and bends…etc. It's a new one every day.

This was also the year that Kaiden learned to snowboard. While he is no Shaun White, he is pretty good. I might have fibbed a bit and got him in snowboarding school for a day in February before he turned 4 (the minimum age) but I knew he could handle it, and he had been asking to try it ever since he came across an x games on tv. He absolutley loved it, and went down the entire training slope without falling on the first time. The smallest and youngest of his group, and was the only one to do that. His only problem was stopping. And it wasn't that he couldn't do it- he didn't WANT to. He would get mad when someone at the bottom would stop him before the training slope merged into another advanced slope. He kept saying how he wanted to go fast. There were more than a couple of times where a kind passer by would chase him down and swoop him up to stop him. He can't wait to get up there this season, and I am hoping that we can get him to learn to turn so that we don't have to worry about him crashing into things!

Speaking of fast, Kaiden has also taught himself to drift. On his big wheel. He gets going as fast as he can (sometimes coming down a steep hill) and just when you think he is going to crash head on into something, he will pull a fast drift and stop within inches. It's pretty amazing and terrifying to watch all at the same time!

He continued to play and enjoy soccer. He does pretty well, and gets very excited when he scores. The funniest game was when it was on his 4 birthday. Everyone came to the game after the birthday party and he was so excited and distracted at the same time of everyone cheering for him that half the time he didn't even know where the ball was! There was even a time when he was dribbling the ball close to where everyone was sitting on the sidelines and lost the ball because he was smiling and waving to everyone has he ran past. He didn't score once that game, which is unusual, but if you ask me that was the best game ever! Hilarious!

I continue to be amazed by him daily. And while I could go on forever about all the crazy/amazing/hilarious/frustrating/ smart/adorable/loving things Kaiden does on a daily basis, I will have to save those for another time. All in all, he is an amazing kid. A wonderful son, and even better brother. While he is usually the source of Dylan's screams, he is also Dylan's biggest cheerleader. He is his protector and comforter. He is also his helper and I just know that they are going to be and are best friends. He also is such a big help for me with both Dylan and Brielle, and I know I will never have to worry about Brielle when she gets older with him around! He absolutley loves her and is so proud of her. Can't wait to see what else this year holds with him, and looking forward to next year and when he turns 5!

Getting down with Dylan

Dylan is a stud. A stinker. But a stud. He defintley tries to see how far he can go with things. He knows he is cute, and banks on it to get away with it. I can't tell you how many times he will do something and then just look at you with the " You can't get mad at me because I am too cute" smile. And while I still will probably make him stop whatever he is doing, I am anything but mad. I am usually smiling and shaking my head. Partly because he is so cute, and partly because I think I am secretly in disbelief that this kid can me melt so easily.

On the flip side, there has never been a kid that can push me to my limit so easily. Not because of his behavior really, but because of his lungs. That's right, this kid can scream. And scream he does. Not a manly scream. Not a auggh scream. An ear piercing, blood curddling scream. And he does it often. It's his go to move because he can't talk. Everything that is in least bit frustrating or angering gets a loud, shrill overdramatic scream.

This has been a bit of a challenge for me and Keith I am not going to lie. Kaiden talked so early and so well that this is a bit frustrating for us. There are times when I seriously wish I was deaf rather than listen to one more scream. We have tried everything to get him to stop. Literally everything. Nothing has worked. I have resorted to just dealing with it, and hope that once he can talk it will stop. He has learned a few signs, which have helped a little. At least he has stopped screaming when he wants us to get him something to eat or drink. He can sign that. He also has mastered the word "help" which he yells frequently. But I would rather have that than scream when he wants help any day! He does say a few words, most not very audible but Keith, Kaiden and I know what he means, so I guess that's all that matters.

Dylan has inherited Kaiden's love for cars, and also trains. I think he loves trains even more than Kaiden. He also get's very excited for planes which ironically was new for us. He loves to try anything Kaiden is doing, and because of that is also covered in bruises and scrapes often. He likes to sing and dance and LOVES to pile up couch pillows and runs and jumps into them. That was where his first sentence came into play. A few months ago I caught him doing this, and before he would run he would say " Set…Go!"

He and Kaiden both love to play and chase the neighborhood dogs, as well as ride bikes. And he loves to play wrestle with both Keith and Kaiden. He is still not sure what to do with Brielle and while he has gotten much better, there are plenty of times that he will think twice about hanging out with me if I am holding her. Although I did catch him once when he thought I was looking trying to hold her hand and give her a hug.

Dylan is our eater. This kid is a champ. There isn't much he won't eat, and there isn't much he won't do if you offer or distract him with food. On the contrast, there isn't much you will get him to do if you have said no to giving him food. He has had full on protests in front of the pantry before. All that was missing was handcuffing himself to the door.

While he has been getting better, Dylan has also been the reason our health insurance stays in business. From surgery at 4 weeks old, to his milk allergy and acid reflux he also continued to get frequent ear infections and battled bronchilitis a couple of times. We have been to the hospital with Dylan more times in his short almost 2 years of life than I have ever been in my life total. Luckily, his milk allergy and acid reflux have ended since he turned about 14 months, and his ear infections have been less frequent these last couple of months. His last infection his ear drum ruptured so maybe that has helped keeping future infections at bay.

He has been more difficult than our other 2 (haha so funny that I can say that! Still getting used to the idea that we have 3!) but he is still absolutley adorable. He has got such a wonderful sense of humor and when he is being a cuddle bug, sometimes I wish time could stand still. I can't wait for him to start talking more so I can get to know him even more, and know what's going on in that cute little head of his! We are so lucky to have him in our family, and I love watching his personality evolve as he grows and learns more things!

Baby Brielle

What can I say about Miss Brielle? 3rd times the charm. She is a wonderful baby. That and I think I have learned how to just go with the flow. She is already sleeping through the night…let me tell you, sleep makes a huge difference on how you cope with things! While she still of course fusses on occasion as do all babies, she really is pretty easy. She is only fussing when she needs to eat or diaper change. And most recently has been having more frequent gas problems which make her understandably unhappy. Nothing a little "colic calm" or a good burp won't take care of. She has been the easiest in everything so far. Easiest pregnancy, labor, delivery and so far our easiest first month home! Let's hope she keeps up with this trend!

I got to say, it has been a blast playing dress up! And while she doesn't do much right now, we have already caught her smiling and reacting quite a bit already. I can't wait to see what she will be like as she grows. She is incredibly tolerant of her crazy brothers and life on the go. Unfortunatley she has already learned that with 2 older brothers there just isn't enough time for her all the time. While she loves to be held and cuddled, she has been pretty good about being patient. Sometimes when she just can't take it anymore to wait she will let out a wail or two. I wish she liked being carried in a sling. Then I could carry her and get things done at the same time. Dylan loved being in his, and it really does help.

I am looking forward to "girl time" and finally getting some Barbies around here! Of course that won't be for awhile, but we got to get something in this house to even out the score! I already am just waiting for her fingers to get big enough to paint! And while I am holding back quite a bit on crazy shopping sprees, I am thrilled to finally be able to buy all of the cute outfits and accessories I have been drooling over for the last few years! So grateful to have this wonderful, beautiful and healthy addition to our family.

Giving Thanks

This year we have so much to be thankful for. Of course we are most thankful for our newest little turkey Brielle. She has been a wonderful blessing, and such a good baby. I am STILL grateful for our boys (although some days I must admit I forget) We also are so grateful to have been able to get a new home this year. We have wonderful neighbors, and are excited to raise our family here. It's times like this when I realize how much I really take for granted. I have the most amazing husband (who has been quite busy with some projects that I will post soon) seriously awesome kids. I mean seriously…I know everyone thinks their kids are the greatest…but have you met my kids?! :) The win that contest! (haha I know) My boys keep me on my toes, and are pretty freakin hilarious. And while Brielle is pretty much only eating, sleeping and pooping, I am having fun dressing her up and grateful that she isn't doing more than eating, sleeping and pooping. She is a perfectly healthy and happy baby. Who could seriously ask for more?

We have amazing family and friends that surround and support us. Sometimes I just sit and wonder what the heck I ever did to deserve the life that I have. Seriously. This is the part where I bow down and repeat "I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy" (betcha haven't heard a Wayne's World reference in awhile) Either way, worthy or not, we are so grateful for all of the incredible blessings that we have received both as a family and individually. So thanks to all you wonderful people in our lives that just add to our life!

She's Here!

Well, I am going to have change the name of this blog. A lot has changed since my last sorry attempt at a blog entry. (Over a year ago!) Our family is no longer the Fab Four, but rather the Fab Five! On November 15 we welcomed Brielle Faith into our family. She weighed in at 6 pounds and 8 oz. Just a couple of ounces smaller than Dylan, but a whole 2 pounds lighter than Kaiden. She is beautiful (if I do say so myself)

It was a bit of a roller coaster with the move and all. We barely got her room done in time, which is SOO unlike me. Technically it wasn't (and still) isn't done, but it's good enough. We have had projects gallore and things had to get done before we could move the boxes of toys out of what would be Brielles room and get her situated. Keith and I slaved- and I even painted half to get it done ( I wore a mask and kept the window open) but it's pretty cute. So nice to have something girly in the house! We finished just in time too. My doctor was going out of town and decided to induce me 4 days earlier than scheduled. It might not sound like a lot, but when you have nothing ready for a baby, 4 days can make a huge difference! It was also the day that my brother would be having his farewell for his mission. So, Nov 14, we packed our car up with 3 days worth of stuff for the boys, my hospital bag and surreal feeling and headed out to Palmdale to see my brother for what was going to be last time for 2 years. Then we headed to drop the boys off at Keiths parents and checked into the hospital to have baby #3.

Even sitting in the hospital I couldn't quite believe we were about to have 3 children. I just kept praying it was actually a girl and they didn't get the ultrasound wrong! After a night in the hospital with minor contractions they started the induction at 5 am. Both our boys were born right around 10:30 am, and we were joking that to keep tradition she would have to also. Well when I was only 5cm around 10 am we figured that was out of the question. While I was waiting for my failed epidural to get fixed ( I say waiting, but really it was more like annoying the nurse every 5 minutes and silently crying for the anesthesiologist…) Brielle decided she was gonna kick things into high gear. I refused to have her without the epidural, and held out. The Dr. came into fix the ephidural and 10 minutes later Brielle was born, painlessly at…10:42 am! Just like her brothers. They were all born in order 10 minutes apart.

She was a gross beautiful little miracle! She was great in the hospital and continues to be. The boys love her (well Kaiden does, Dylan is not so sure about her) and so do we. Can't wait to see how this little girl turns out! We are so blessed and so grateful to have 3 healthy and down right adorable kids. And of course we are grateful she is a GIRL!!

Monster Waves and Monster Trucks...

So, maybe vigilant wasn't exactly the word I should have used. But I guess once a week isn't too bad... Anyway- In August we were staying in Newport for the second time of the summer. Only it didn't feel much like summer. It was that week that every one in the Inland Empire loved, and those of us on vacation at the beach could have done with out. Weeks prior it had been in the high 90's and low 100's. Perfect 80's at the beaches. The week we went, was when it cooled down for a perfect mid 80's in the Inland Empire, and you guessed it- high 60's and low 70's at the beaches. It was cloudy and windy and cold almost the entire week. Not to mention that I got sick the first 2 days we were there. Needless to say, I didn't get a tan that week. We all spent most of the time in our condo. One of the last days that we were there, we decided to head down to Huntington Pier. We walked around, got some great deals on sidewalk sales and watched physco huge waves hit the pier underneath us. We then headed over to Color Me Mine. I really wanted something to do indoors- it was freezing! So Keith and Kaiden had some daddy - son time, and painted a monster truck. Green of course. Kaiden's favorite color, and 1st choice anytime color picking is involved. Keith tried to tape things off in the beginning, hoping to make the truck as close to perfection as a toddler can get it. He gave up pretty soon. No point. I think that they got it pretty close without the tape anyway.



The finished product!

I think they did pretty dang good!