Lexi Lou

I just have to post these cute pics of Lexi. She's such a little ham. She loves to get ready for dance class and feels like a princess in her outfits. We love Lexi's independent, silly and strong-willed spirit. It's really been fun, as our kids keep growing, to see what attributes each person adds to our family's 'personality'. When the kids are babies, you do a lot of wondering about what they'll be like. Now that Jordyn's 4 and Lexi is 2 1/2, we're really getting to see them unfold rapidly and it certainly makes for no dull moments around here!

Great Grandma Sealy's Blankets

Tucker's Grandma Sealy has started the greatest tradition. She makes all her great-grandchildren these special silky blankets when they're born. Jordyn has a purple one and Lexi has a pink one...and for both my girls these are their favorite-sleep-with-them-every-night blankets. So today I got a package at my door from the mailman and inside was a beautiful yellow silky blanket for this next baby! I was so excited - I've actually been covering up w/it all day! Not only are they soft and comfy, but very meaningful too. Thanks a million Grandma Sealy!

Our Easter

We had a nice Easter Sunday yesterday, spent with my family. My fam is big into BBQ, so we had steaks with all the works. Unfortunately we weren't great picture takers (no pics in their cute dresses) but I'll post a few we did get!

Coloring eggs at our house

These two pics (above and below) are of our 2nd Annual Easter Egg Smashing Contest (an idea we stole from the Maxfield side!). It's done tournament style. Two people at a time smash the ends of their boiled egg together...one side will always break, but there is no rhyme or reason as to which one. So in the end, there is one person with a non-cracked side (after LOTS of smashing) and they are the winner. It's fun! Congrats to Lindy for a big win!

Jordyn didn't quite get the concept...she would cry when her egg DIDN'T crack! :-)

Sick of Being Sick

Can I just complain for a minute? I'm just SO tired of being sick! ALL day EVERY day. It's like having the worst stomach flu, but still having to choke food down every two hours. Yuck. In NO way do I wish I WASN'T pregnant and this baby is very wanted, but I just don't know how much longer I can endure this constant nausea. I hesitate to post about it because I can't even begin to put it into words...saying "I feel nauseaus" does not even begin to describe it! Because my other two pregnancies were this same way, I KNEW it would be hard. But even though I expected it, it still didn't prepare me. Then on top of it, my kids have tag-teamed having fevers and tummy aches for the past three days. It should not be allowed to have kids get sick when the mommy is sick!!!

Tucker's Grandma Sealy emailed me a few weeks ago and said this: "I'm sure Heavenly Father will bless you as much as He can and still allow you to learn what you need to" (refering to my nausea). For some reason this impacted me. I have often prayed and wondered why He hasn't taken this from me, sort of forgetting that He is allowing me to learn something from this trial. In fact, if I don't, then it was pointless for me to endure.

I've had so many thoughts about this. I tell myself "this shouldn't be THAT hard, because you know eventually it will end AND you will have such a miracle from it". But for some reason, knowing that doesn't necessarily make each minute of each long day easier. And I can't just push it aside and "live with it" the way I did with my arthritis. That was painful and annoying, but I just learned to live around it. THIS, on the other hand, is impossible to "live around it" because it has stopped any "normalcy" my life may have previously had.

Whew, ok. So there's my vent. I think hitting the 6 week mark of nausea is causing me to get a little impatient. Thanks for listening! :-)

Jordyn's Party

We officially celebrated Jordyn's birthday last night. She had a few friends over and lots of family. It was all she dreamed it would be! Lots of playing, presents, pizza and blowing out candles on her beautiful Cinderella cake (thanks a million to Aunt Lindy for devoting lots of time to making the doll cake!). It was lots of fun for her. Here are some pics of the festivities.

Parenthood Equals Sleeplessness

So here is a typical night for us:

Crawl in bed around 11:00. Without fail, around 3:00 am one child will start crying about SOME sort of issue: thirsty, nightmares, need to go potty, sick, etc. With my 'mom ears', I hear the crying within .05 seconds and wait to see if it will stop. Nope. In my pregnant/nauseausness I can't hardly move w/o puking, so I nudge Tucker (he's been a saint). He deliriously gets up to address the problem while I lay there listening and yelling out little tips (which medicine to give, what drink to give, etc). He finally solves the issue and crawls back in bed...asleep within a minute. I lay there for at least an hour trying to ignore the nausea and get back to sleep. Without fail, BEFORE I fall back asleep, the other child will start to cry. Another issue. I nudge Tucker again, he jumps up again. This cycle usually happens at least a third time before morning. So by the time all is calm and we are sleeping again, it's just in time for the sun to start peaking into the room and the birds to start chirping, the dogs in the neighborhood start to bark and POOF! It's time to start another day!

The other night after this ridiculous cycle, I asked Tucker how we'll survive with a baby waking every two hours on TOP of this? We're crazy, right?

Lexi has MAYBE slept 20 nights straight through in her whole life and she is 2 1/2. She's lucky she's so dang cute! ;-) Jordyn has been getting up every night because she's scared. She's lucky I
had the same problem for like 10 years, so I'm empathetic!

My point? I just wish I would have understood before I had kids how good it really felt to sleep a solid night through. But you can't know the sweet without the bitter right? And as exhausting as it can be (and frustrating) to get up multiple times per night...it's amazing what you will put up with when you love someone so much. I mean, even in the middle of the night when I'm dead tired and hear Lexi cry, it can make me laugh to open her door and hear a chipper voice say "Is it morning yet Mommy?? Is it morning?".

Swingset!

Yesterday was a beautiful day - with a break from our massive amounts of rain lately...it worked out perfect for us because it was the day we'd planned on putting up a swingset in the backyard. We've been wanting to put one up, and Jordyn's birthday was a perfect motivation to do so. Tucker, my Dad, Ryan and Mike (Lindy's hubbie) put it up, with the help of Jordyn and Lexi of course. It's amazing how tedious and lengthy a project like this can be! But the girl's excitement makes it all worth it. They are so excited and want to spend every waking moment out back! I think this completes our backyard...we've packed in about as much as our tiny backyard can handle!

Ultrasound!

(*Note: This isn't our baby's photo, just a photo that shows the baby's stage*)

Tucker went with me to the Dr today and we got to see the baby on an ultrasound! It was so cute and so reassuring. It's just so incredible that at only 10 weeks pregnant, the little fetus actually looks like a little baby swimming around in there! The heart beat was clear and the baby was moving and kicking. It's a good reminder that it IS real, there IS a baby there and it IS worth it. There are some days that are hard to remember that lately w/the severe nausea. So it was a good appointment! Now the BIG question is...boy or girl? We won't know for another 10 weeks!

Jordyn is 4 Today!

How in the world is my baby already 4? It's amazing and although I love her age...it's also a little sad how fast it goes by! It's hard to believe that four years ago today was the most frightening day of my life...I was laying in the hospital only 26 weeks pregnant PRAYING that she WOULDN'T come yet. But she just couldn't wait to join us and the tiny little thing was a fighter from the beginning! After 11 long weeks in the hospital fighting for her life, Jordyn came home so healthy that we've hardly looked back since! I still look at her as a little miracle and such a blessing in our family. She was so excited this morning when I told her she is now "4" and just keeps beaming with smiles about that new fact!

We're not celebrating her bday for a few days because she wants her cousin Alyson to come from Huntington Beach to be here with her....AND I'm not much good for any party planning w/my horrible pregnancy nausea. Getting them breakfast is about all I can handle these days! Anyway, Happy Birthday Jordyn!

Announcing...

Check out yet another cute little video!

Make sure to have your speakers on.

Hangin' Out in the Backyard

My kids love to play outside and don't seem to care if they're half-naked and it's cold outside! Believe me, I try to bundle them up...but sometimes it's an uphill battle (granted, cold for us is 50's to 60's). Anyway, tonight my mom dad and sister Lindy stopped by for a bit. It's fun to live close to family for those "pop ins". We all live about a mile apart, so it's easy to have frequent little visits. The kids played out back while wearing...what else? but dance clothes, of course!

Monterey

This is Tucker doing his first post. This weekend we went to Monterey, courtesy of Sysco food service. Last year Take Ten won a trip for a two night stay at the Monterey Plaza, right on the beach. The trip also included tickets to the aquarium. Monterey is about 3 hours away from Kingsburg. We went with Mike, Lindy & Lyric. The highlight was the aquarium, as soon as we got in the girls asked “Where’s Nemo?” It took us about one hour – but we finally found him. They loved seeing all the different fish. We also ate at a restaurant over the ocean – Awesome clam chowder!!!

What a Way to Wake Up!

So this morning at 7:00 am, there was suddenly blood-curdling screaming coming from Jordyn in her room. Tucker walks in to see her covered in blood. It scared her to death and made us both panick a bit! He quickly realized she had a bloody nose that had bled EVERYwhere (thought I'd spare you the picture...I'm sure the one in your head is good enough!). She of course was hysterical and it took a few minutes to stop the bleeding, calm her down and then get her in the tub & her sheets in the washer. My mind immediately started thinking all sorts of horrible reasons this could have happened, because she's never had anything like this happen before. But after doing some internet research and observing her (she's had a couple other small instances of blood today), I think it boils down to a little too much nose-digging! At least that's what I've concluded for now. Gross huh? (She takes after her dad, ha ha)

It's Always Fun When Grandpa Comes!

My girls just love their Grandpa. And they aren't phased by his calm demeanor...they don't let up for even a minute. It's "grandpa do this" and "grandpa do that!" with their endless energy. So tonight when my Dad stopped by for a bit, they quickly had him take them on a walk, watch Wizard of Oz with them and play 'ring around the rosies' and 'london bridges falling down'. It's cute to see their lively spirits force us adults to play like kids again!

How Could You Stay Mad at Something This Cute?

Ugh, the cat. What can I say about the cat?!? He has been the source of a lot of stress over the past few months for me. BUT - there is light at the end of the tunnel. He is about 8 months old now, neutered and MUCH calmer. No more carpet tearing - and overall he is just a lot more tolerable. I am actually starting to like him quite a bit. And c'mon, how could you stay mad at something this cute?

My Little Lexi

I'm always thankful when I get one-on-one time with my kids. Today, Jordyn was playing at Lindy's house so I had some time with only Lexi. She is so fun to observe and interact with without the dynamic of her big sister in the mix. She has such an imagination and loves to role play with her dolls. You can see in this picture she was lining up her barbies - but doing so with such care and dialogue for each barbie. Lexi is a very independent and strong little girl. But she can make my heart melt so quickly when she just randomly walks up to me and wants a big cuddle. It makes it all so worth it!

Piano!

We're so excited! Our piano was delivered tonight. It's new for us, but actually not new at all. It belonged to my uncle Rob (who passed away about 6 weeks ago). I was the lucky one to inherit it. I found a piano mover to bring it to our house from San Diego for a fairly good price. When he picked it up he called me and said it was in pretty bad condition and he knew a good refinisher in LA. Soooo, long story short, we decided to go for it. Come to find out it was built in 1925, a Kurtzmann brand upright piano. It's still got the original ivory keys on it. It is now beautifully restored and working great. We're excited not only to have a piano but also that it was so special to my Uncle Rob. Now Tucker and I really both want to re-take piano lessons!!

Hail

The other night we kept hearing this really loud, annoying noise outside. Sounded like thunder, but it was very rhythmic. After an hour, Tucker called the police to ask what it was. I really thought maybe someone was goofing off or something...but instead we learned something new. We had storm warnings that threatened hail, so the agricultural crops nearby were launching their hail inhibitor cannon to try to protect from hail damage. I'd never heard of such a thing! I found the following info to describe it a little more. I found this fascinating! (by the way, the hail never came).

"Hail also does a great deal of damage to crops, even small hailstones, slicing plants to pieces in just a few minutes. In previous centuries, people attempted to stop hail from falling by ringing church bells and firing cannons. Scientists are still experimenting with cloud "seeding" as a way of reducing hail size. Ther is a cannon that sends sonic waves up to 50,000 feet in the air every 5.5 seconds in an effort to keep hailstones from forming. This loud thunderous noise can be heard from 5 miles away."

I'm Such Blog-Slacker!

When my friends don't blog for a few days, I get anxious for an update...so you would think I would try to be a better blogger since I know how it feels! Anyway, here's my attempt to redeem myself....


Grey's Anatomy
For those of you who have not caught on to this new craze...you should! Sunday nights 10 pm (for us). Tucker and I have watched this show since the first pilot episode, and are now completely addicted to it! Love it.


Steve & Greg
If you have kids, grandkids or are around kids...you should know about Greg & Steve (that is, if you don't already). They've been producing kids albums for over 20 years now. My kids LOVE them. In dance class, one of their favorite is "Listen and Move". So I sought out the CD a while back and ordered it for them. Come to find out, this is the same CD (or record back then) that my bi-lingual Kindergarten teacher taught us SO many songs from. Very nostalgic for me, and still very loved by kids today. They're actually coming in concert next week, so we'll try to take the girls.


McDonald's Playland

When we have bad weather outside (I know, those of you who have snow are thinking 'you don't know what bad weather is!'...but it really does get cold sometimes), the girls love to play at the McDonald's playland. If I can just get over the germs, they really have a lot of fun!

Venture Scouts

Tucker was recently asked to be over the 14-15 year old Boy Scouts as the Venture Scout Leader (which also includes my brother). He is so excited, to say the least. He is perfect for this! Tucker had a TON of scouting experience growing up AND he has the patience to deal with this age group. This also means that he is gone a little more than usual...like on Wednesday nights. So, I just got the kids bathed, in bed and I'm settling in for a little American Idol (and peace & quiet). Never hurts to have a little solitude, huh? :-)

Stylist

I just thought I would announce some great news about my sister Carly. She has been living down in Huntington Beach for about four years now, during which time she has been working as an assistant to different hair stylists (at high-end salons). She's been putting in a LOT of hard work and learned SO much from these different stylist along the way. Well, she's now officially a stylist at Images salon (where she's been assisting for over two years) now building her very own clientele. Very big step and very exciting for her. She's doing great work and I just wanted to say another "congratulations" to her. She's really earned this.

"Girls Behaving Badly"

OK, so for those of you who have not seen this show "Girls Behaving Badly"...don't get the wrong idea (the name may seem a bit questionable)! We are getting ready to watch this show tonight, so I thought I'd blog about it really quick. Let me first say that I am not the kind of person that can laugh out loud at the TV or a movie easily - at all. But this show never fails to make me bust out in laughter at least a couple times. This is one of those "prank" shows and we have loved it for years! Soooooo funny. It is regularly scheduled on the Oxygen channel, but if you don't have it (like us) you may be able to find it rebroadcasted on a different channel. Worth it if you want a good laugh!

Play Day

Don't you remember how fun it was to have a friend over when you were little? As my kids get older, it's fun to see them develop friendships with other children. Today we have my close friend Beth's kids over to play (also so she can run errands kid-less!). Lindsay is Jordyn's friend and Jacob is Lexi's friend. Makes for a bit of a crazy house, but the kids are very entertained and they love it!

Shots

I went with Lindy today to get Lyric's 1 year immunization shots. Always a sad day when shots are due! She did a really good job and calmed down pretty quickly. Lexi was with us and she watched VERY closely as I talked her through what was happening. Afterwards (while Lyric was still crying) I said, "OK, Lexi, do you want a turn??". She very quickly and passionately said "NO!". And made me hold her on the way out...just to be sure.

Strawberry

I just thought I'd put out my vote for the new Strawberry Delight Frosted Mini-Wheats. I really like 'em! They are more sweet than the original (I'm into sugar though) and the strawberry flavor reminds me of strawberry milk or the smell of Strawberry Shortcake (the doll) when I was little. You should try them! I've found them at Albertson's, but if they're not on sale you pay a small fortune for them, and at Target usually for $2.50. Give it a try!