The Growing Halgrens

Another Update (No Pics)

2012-01-31T22:13:00.001-08:00

I know the updates with pictures are way more exciting but I am writing this while I am removing a virus from our normal computer, which is where the pictures are. Anyway, here are some updates...

Raleigh - He is still doing really well in school and still loves it. He has been working really hard at his writing and is now doing addition in his head and can tell time (sometimes). He is still an awesome reader and I think he still behaves in class. He has started to get really involved in his Star Wars video game and sometimes it seems like that is all he thinks about! I have to ask him to talk about something else because I get tired of it! He is a really good brother most of the time and is really good at being patient with the girls. Him and Audrey have been really bonding and they like to play Sharkboy and Lava Girl or pretend they are on a plane.

Audrey - She is still our little princess and she likes to boss Trevor around. He has had to give her a few reality checks. She loves school now and is always extremely excited when she gets to go, especially to music class. She is starting to mellow out and spends a lot of time keeping Heidi entertained by dressing her up and brushing her hair. She has started following me around more and likes to be in the kitchen with me when I am cooking. She loves to help me and I find her cleaning up the dishes and putting things away without me even asking. I love it! She is a very smart girl and she knows all of her colors, most of her shapes, and can count to 15!

Heidi - We think Heidi has hit her terrible 2's because she is SO mischievous and is always up to something. We frequently catch her pouring her milk on the ground or taking her diaper off just because. And she wants to do EVERYTHING herself! She will wear her pants with both of her legs in one pants leg just because she did it herself. All we hear all day is "I do" or "mine." She is especially loveable though and it is always a treat to be the one to grab her out of her crib because she just melts on you. Her favorite thing now is to fill up bags and purses with gazillions of little toys and take them everywhere. Today she took 5 purses in the car when I was taking Raleigh and Audrey to school. We were in too much of a rush for me to fight her about it. And her favorite pair of shoes are some dirty old hand-me-down princess shoes that she always wants to wear. She loves the animals (just like Audrey) and loves to have a stuffed puppy with her (usually in one of her many purses).

Barrett - Is still growing and moving like crazy. We are still stumped on a middle name but I know it will come to us. Raleigh and Audrey have both felt him move and they still love to kiss and talk to him.

Other than that it is the same 'ol same 'ol here. :)

It's A Boy!!!

2011-12-22T22:34:00.000-08:00

That's right! Our new little baby is a BOY!!!! Raleigh was so excited when we found out that he just couldn't hold it in. He kept pulling his arm in and say, "yes, yeah, I knew it, a brother, yes!" And he wouldn't stop talking after he found out. He even talked to the ultrasound tech and the nurses!

Audrey was excited too. She had said she wanted a girl, but when we found out it was a boy, she said, "I really wanted a boy." And she told her new little brother, "Don't worry brother, we'll get you out of the tv soon." So cute!

Heidi had no idea what was going on and was just enjoying some teddy grahams. I point to my belly and say baby and she laughs and says "bellybutton."

On other updates...

Heidi has now moved completely into Audrey's room into her toddler bed (the crib turns into a toddler bed). She is doing better than I thought she would. She gets out for about the first 30 minutes or so and then eventually gives in and goes to bed. And Audrey is really good at staying quiet and going to sleep even when Heidi is awake. Heidi is still teething and I can't wait for these final teeth to come in. They are moving so slow! It seems like she has been teething forever! She has learned a ton of words and is Audrey's little shadow now.

Audrey is still our dramatic girl, but she adjusts to changes surprisingly well! She has asked every day if it is Christmas and luckily Raleigh knows so he answers her. She is super loving now and likes to yell "I love you I love you I love you" randomly. She had her heart set on going to CA and she finally won since we are going at the end of the month! YAY!!! At bedtime today she told me sadly, "Mom, I'm not a star." I was confused so I asked if she meant like a movie star or a star in the sky, and she said a movie star. Then we got into a whole conversation about it and she asked me if we could go to Hollywood so she could try to be a star. She will always be my little star...and no, we are not going to Hollywood this trip. :) Maybe next time!

Raleigh has become such a big boy. He is so independent and has started avoiding us girls. If we are upstairs he usually goes downstairs to play Legos or video games. If we are downstairs then he goes upstairs to read books or do whatever he does in his room. It makes me kind of sad, although sometimes we just need a break from each other. He is as strong willed as I am. He is doing amazing at school and came home with a sparkling report card. He is also a very caring and thoughtful kid. This morning he woke up and threw up twice on his bed, and waited until we woke up to tell us. He said he just climbed on the floor and read books because he didn't want to wake us up. We felt like horrible parents but that just shows how considerate he can be.

Trevor has been home for a while now. Work has been slow...probably because of Christmas. It has been nice but I think he is done and ready to work again. He had the worst day ever yesterday and I was shocked that he didn't complain about it once last night. In the morning (early), the cat pooped in our bathroom and he had to clean it up. Then, after breakfast Raleigh had a BAD accident. He peed in the girl's room (a full pee) and had a diarrhea accident in his boxers (I think this was all related to his little flu he had). And Trevor was the man on duty who had to clean that up. Then, we had the ultrasound which pushed the kid's naps really late, so we had to change our normal plan. I had Audrey sleeping in my bed and when I had gotten her to sleep I heard Heidi playing with the door on her room. So, I texted (yep I texted) Trevor to come up and get her back to bed. When he came up he was in for a big surprise. He went to push the door and it was stuck. He thought Heidi was pushing against it, so he pushed a little harder. It opened and he walked over to Heidi and found her laying naked completely covered in poop! So he ran in our room to grab the wipes and as he walked through the girl's door he stepped in the poop that Heidi left in front of the door...which was what had pushed against the door when he opened it. It was smeared everywhere. So, stud dad cleaned up the baby, himself, the room and didn't even come to get me to help! I would have yanked him out of the bed and started yelling at everyone if that was me! What a good dad!!! And then this morning he came in and helped me clean up Raleigh's barf. He is a better man than I am! :)

As for me, I am just plugging along doing the mom things, working and baby growing. My muscles in my back and stomach are stretching so much right now that it feels like someone is giving me a wedgie with my muscles. It hurts so bad. But seeing the baby yesterday made it all worth it. I can't wait to meet the little guy and watch him as he becomes "just one of the kids." As for work, I still work at night and it is exhausting but it has definitely saved us...especially on slow months like this!

Pictures should be up soon!!! With Christmas a couple of days away I feel like all we are doing is just waiting for it, so maybe tomorrow I will convince myself to post some pics. :)

A New Post...

2011-11-15T23:35:00.000-08:00

I had to get some pics up of the little ones, although I have SO many pics on my camera that I am anxious to put up here. The top one is of the new baby at 12 weeks. I am 13 1/2 weeks now. :) And the bottom one is of my Little Red Riding Hood, Barbie and Captain Jack Sparrow who brought in bucketloads of candy that I wish I could have eaten! My nausea is depriving me!

Speaking of the pregnancy, the morning sickness has been pretty bad and I am actually taking an anti-nausea medicine for it. It definitely takes the edge off, although I still feel nauseous all day. This should be over soon though. I am anxious to see another picture of the baby or hear the heartbeat...or something. I was standing in the doorway and Audrey said, "Mom, you really look like a mom with your belly so far out now." I was kind of glad I didn't look like a "mom" to her before, but am still wondering what exactly she meant by that, haha. She always tells me like it is! They all love the baby though and the big kids love to talk to it. Heidi gets a mischievous smile when I point to my belly and say baby. I think she might think we are kidding.

Raleigh is excelling in school. I don't know if I already wrote this but he is reading at the 1st grade level and is in a special reading group with one other kid. He has been working really hard at writing and as some of you will see soon, he is getting really good at it. He has lots of friends at school and has a crush on a little girl who is a twin (not sure how he picked since they are identical). He loves to play at recess and him and his friends chase the girls. I hate hearing about it already. He is still my sweet little boy who is oblivious to girls other than his sisters. And he is now the official Lego Master of the Halgren House. He is constantly building Legos and has amazing patience for it! I plan on posting pics soon. He told me all he wants for Christmas is every Lego in the Lego aisle at Target. It makes me wish some of them weren't so expensive! Oh well, mom and dad always have to buy lame gifts like clothes, so I think we will stick to that. We know our place!

Audrey has finally accepted going to preschool and she is loving it now. She doesn't cry and is happy when I pick her up. And she plays with the other kids at recess now too. She has been working so hard on learning her letters, sounds and reading. She wants to be able to do what Raleigh does and she is very impatient trying to catch up. She has a book of "first words" that she can read and she knows her princess stories by heart so she loves to read them to Heidi. Audrey and I fight every morning over clothes now that it is cold and she can't just wear her skirts and cute shirts. Usually we compromise and she wears tights and has to 'take" her jacket. Not wear it, but take it in case she gets cold. It gives her some power so it makes her happy. And I don't look like a terrible mom sending my daughter to school with no jacket on a 30 degree day!

Heidi is our family clown. She is always trying to do something to make the big kids laugh and drive us crazy. She is very smart, just like the others, so she knows how to manipulate us. She is almost 19 months old and has a huge vocabulary. Her favorite thing to say is "I want ______." And she says it a hundred times in a row. She is not mean, just excited. So when she says, "I want drink" or "I want try" then it is hard to get mad at her even though I am pretty sure my brain starts smoking! Trevor was playing a game with her today and she told him, "I'm gonna eat you." She wouldn't repeat it for me but he swears she said it.

Trevor has been SO busy...SOOO busy! It is very good for us but we are both exhausted to the bone. I don't want it to end but I would love to have him for more than a couple hours at night. He finally got a full day off on Sunday. It has been well over a month. And it was SO nice to have someone else there to talk to! I am sure he just wanted to sit and watch the football games but I don't get to talk about my stuff when it's just me and the kids. :)

And we sold our truck and bought a new car. It was SO sad to sell our truck. We have had it for 7 years and it felt like we were giving away a part of ourselves (I know, so superficial but it's true). But we bought a new to us Sequoia and it has been so nice to have to space to separate the kids out. Trevor and I love it but we are both so paranoid that something will happen that we aren't enjoying it as much as the kids. They want to show it off to everyone and I want to make sure it is going to last before I brag about it. :)

I hope everyone is doing well. It's the holidays!!!!!! Time for craziness and fun! Raleigh is already talking about Santa and has taught Heidi all about him using a stuffed Santa my Aunt Kim gave him. :) She loves to say Santa and Ho Ho Ho now. We'll see how happy she is when she is face to face with the real thing, haha. Audrey is already backing out of a Santa pic. So it may just be Raleigh.

So Far Behind!

2011-10-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I had committed myself to keeping the blog updated but life has been coming at us SO fast!!!

First of all, we have a new baby on the way...that makes 4! The baby is due sometime in May and I am about 8 weeks along. My morning sickness has calmed down quite a bit so I am actually doing well this time! I have an appt at the end of this week and I am SO anxious. I hope the Dr does a sneak peek!

Raleigh has started Kindergarten and he LOVES it. He is learning so fast that I can't even keep up! We have parent-teacher conferences at the end of this month and I am eager to hear how my used to be shy guy is now doing. He took a month of Tae Kwon Do and did awesome. He knocked the blocker over when he kicked the bag thing. He is such a powerhouse! His new kick is being healthy. For some reason he has become really passionate about eating healthy...which has been tougher with my nausea. So I have to reassure him at each meal that I put thought into it and I have to tell him what is healthy. I feel like I am on Biggest Loser or some hardcore weight loss show!

Audrey has started preschool and after a rough start she is starting to come around. She has become more clingy to me at home but I think this is just a phase. She is SO excited that I am pregnant. We talk about it ALL day...I am loving the attention! And she is always rubbing my belly. She even makes sure I am eating healthy for the baby. I had a cream soda and she told me that the baby can't drink that. Oops! She can count easily to 10 and sometimes past that. Today she did some addition (she told me, "1 eagle plus 1 eagle is 2 eagles"). She hears Raleigh say "equal" and thinks it's eagle. It is so cute! She wants to learn to read SO bad and I keep explaining to her that Raleigh is older and that is why he can read, but she insists that I show her what every word is on book covers and signs. She is a girl on a mission! She loves to sound out words and practices spelling letters, although I haven't been very good at sitting down and helping her. It is my goal to make time to teach her while Raleigh is doing his homework...while Heidi is not climbing on the table interrupting everyone.

Heidi is still a little crackup. We started training her to go into her own crib without being rocked and without nursing (I am weaning her). Last night she fell asleep standing up for 4 1/2 hours!!!! She REFUSED to lie down. Finally her legs were shaking so bad that it was making her jaw bang against the rail of the crib, so I decided to trick her into laying down. She slept for 5 hours after that. A record! In her whole 17 months of living I think she has done that once before! Tonight we had more progress. She started out falling alseep standing up, so I told her to hold my hand and sit down and I would sing to her. After some coaxing she did and started to fall asleep sitting up. Eventually I reached both of my arms in through the ridiculously skinny slats and got her to lie down but not before my hands and arms were completely asleep and in pain. She is still asleep though, so it was worth it. I think she will get the hang of it, she is just really strong willed. I love my strong willed kids because I know no one will push them around. :)

Trevor has been working with another contractor and they have been trying to keep each other busy. It has worked really well so far, so let's hope that Fall and Winter stay busy and we can make our trek down to CA!

I have been completely thrown head first into this whole school thing. Of course I would be lying if I said I didn't love it, but it takes all of my time and my days are packed full. It was almost impossible for me to make a Dr's appt! But I have loved being so involved and I think it has brought me and the kids even that much closer. We have SO much to talk about now!

I hope everyone is doing well and I am SO excited to announce that Trevor's little sister, Alisha, is going to be a mommy about the same time our little one is coming out. It is going to be so much fun to watch her become a mom because I know she will be AMAZING! And my cousin, Dyana, is getting married!!!!!!! She has an amazing fiance and I am SO happy that they found each other. They truly are a match made in heaven. I can't wait for the wedding and to watch them celebrate many happy years together! Oh, and my best friend is pregnant with her second little boy too! Sam is due in December so I can't wait! She is such a wonderful mom and Eddie is such a wonderful dad! And I know Noah will be an amazing big brother to Noah! SO MUCH BIG NEWS! And now starts the holidays! We are all ready for Halloween and we are SO excited! Even Heidi has been practicing Trick or Treating!

We are SO busy but I feel truly blessed to have such wonderful kids and such an amazing and supportive husband. We truly our living out our dream (although our budget is tighter than we dreamed). :)

A Repost from A While Ago

2011-09-10T23:47:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is going through the same thing I went through with medical school. I posted this email a long time ago but when I went to look for it I couldn't find it (although I had a ton of fun searching through all of the old pics). So, I am reposting it for all of the stay at home moms I know who are SO much more than stay at home moms. :)

Invisible Mothers…Building Cathedrals

A dear friend sent this to me today. I wish I knew who wrote it so I could credit the author. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. (Emphasis added is mine.)

Invisible Mother…

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, ‘Can’t you see I’m on the phone?’ Obviously not; no one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I’m invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this ? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to ask, ‘What time is it?’ I’m a satellite guide to answer, What number is the Disney Channel?’ I’m a car to order, ‘Right around 5:30, please.’

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude – but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She’s going, she’s going, she’s gone!?

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was
feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, ‘I brought you this.’ It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription:
‘To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are
building when no one sees.’

In the days ahead I would read – no, devour – the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals – we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building
was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, ‘Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And
the workman replied, ‘Because God sees.’

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, ‘I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to
sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, ‘My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.’ That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his
friend, to add, ‘You’re gonna love it there.’

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

What we've been up to!

2011-06-24T23:44:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks have been super busy! Heidi has had tummy issues so we have been spending every spare moment at the Dr's and Walgreens. Luckily I think Heidi's tummy is on it's way back to normal. And we met with the urologist who told us that he is not prescribing her antibiotics unless she gets another urinary tract infection, and we can also wait 2 years to do another VCUG (the catheter/x-ray test thing). Phew! And. Audrey had her 1st dance recital. She did awesome! She got up on stage and was beautiful! It was weird not being the one on stage though. Now I am the audience! My mom and sister both flew up for a visit and got to go too!

And, our quiet, shy son was quite the heckler in the audience! As soon as Audrey was on stage he started yelling her name. And he sang the song and did the dance moves. He was so funny!
The pic above was on Raleigh's last day of school. He was so excited but really misses school. He said that he wished it wasn't over!

And this is a pic of Raleigh riding around with his doll on his bike, and typical Audrey with her goofing off face!

Superdad!

2011-06-09T01:02:00.000-07:00

As we get closer to Father's Day, I am reminded how great of a dad Trevor is! Here he is filming Raleigh's Preschool Performance while holding Heidi and trying to get Audrey to sit still. What a man!

First Bday Present Part I

2011-05-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

Audrey got her 1st Birthday Present in the mail and we wasted no time in opening it! When the kids got the mailing paper off, they saw the chip box and screamed with excitement thinking they got chips, haha! And then when they opened it, they could barely contain themselves! Audrey even went to sleep that night in her Rapunzel dress and has hardly taken it off since! See the next post for the rest of the video...my camera is dying a slow death and it randomly decides to shut off. I am not ready to buy a new one!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

First Bday Present Part II

2011-05-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

This is the rest of the video :) The kids were SO excited! And THANK YOU Great Grandma, Great Aunt Kim, and Great Uncle Paul! All 3 kids have thoroughly enjoyed EVERYTHING!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Grandma Lovin'

2011-04-23T01:10:00.000-07:00

We had not seen family in SO long that we were long overdue! We loved having my mom and sister up and we were all so sad to see them go! Here are some pics of the Grandma Love!

Uh Oh!

2011-04-23T01:07:00.000-07:00

Heidi has a new hobby...she LOVES pulling everything out of this drawer! And as soon as she starts, Raleigh and Audrey are usually right beside her! It keeps her contained for a while though!

Easter Eggs!

2011-04-23T00:55:00.000-07:00

The kids dyed their Eggs and I think they turned out beautiful! Audrey was a little hesitant at first to do it because she didn't want to wear Trevor's shirt over her skirt (we have a fight every day because she ALWAYS wants to wear a skirt but she only has a couple so they are always in the wash) but once she saw Raleigh doing it she couldn't resist!

And on a side note, I have no idea why part of my typing is "linking" itself. I can't figure out how to fix it either! :) So I'm sorry!

She LOVES it!

2011-04-23T00:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official...our sweet little baby has turned 1!!!! And the day after her birthday she cut her 3rd tooth! She also got 4 shots and has not felt good since! BUT, she has LOVED being the center of attention and I cannot think of a present that she did not love-maybe the sand toys Trevor and I got her, haha. And as you can tell above, Heidi is a HUGE fan of Yo Gabba Gabba and is in love with her new Foofa Doll. My Aunt Kim and Uncle Paul got her this so she would stop fighting with our other resident Yo Gabba Gabba Fan (Audrey) over her Foofa, but somehow Audrey keeps ending up with both Foofas. I have to keep correcting her when she says "my Foofa Doll." When I correct her, she laughs and says, "Oh right, Heidi's." So Happy Birthday Sweet Heidi! You sweet, funny personality has added another dynamic to our family that was not complete without! We love you SO much!!!

Heidi's Cake

2011-04-19T00:30:00.000-07:00

Heidi was a little hesitant at first about her Birthday Cake but eventually she came around and dug right in!

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-19T00:27:00.000-07:00

My mom, sister, Trevor and I took the kids over for the Easter Egg Hunt for Hope. The kids loved it and we all came home with tons of eggs and covered in mud!

Shopping!

2011-04-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

The kids loved shopping with Grandma and Aunt Cris!

Cutie Pies!

2011-04-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of our cuties!

Wedding Practice

2011-04-13T00:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of the kids practicing for Alisha's wedding. They crack me up! They are so excited to be a part of her wedding! There is not a day that goes by that they don't bring it up somehow! And now that Heidi is almost 1 (aaaagggghhh), I am trying to re-commit myself to the blog. We have been so busy and crazy but I am anxious to document these times before they are gone! Plus we have lots of fun plans coming up so I want to make sure I get those pics on too. I have been posting a few pics from Trevor's phone onto Facebook, but this should be updated more regularly now. :)

Short Update

2011-03-22T01:02:00.000-07:00

In the past week and a half, Heidi cut her first tooth (her top left), her second tooth (her bottom left), and has one more on its way (top right). She has been in pain but not as bad as I remember with the other kids. Maybe its because she already doesn't sleep at night so I haven't noticed.

The little princess (yep, she already acts like one) can now say kitty (kihhhhh) and dog (dahhhh) and LOVES to sing and dance. She plays alongside the big kids now and almost keeps up with them.

Audrey is still madly in love with our cats and dog and takes really good care of them. Heidi has started loving on all of the animals too, but she is not gentle...AT ALL! She gets bit by the cats all of the time. It drives me crazy!

Audrey is having MAJOR separation anxiety and obsesses over me. She has to be with me all of the time or else she freaks out. If I leave the room, within a minute she yells, "Mom, where are you?" And if I don't answer she will search frantically for me. If she thinks I have gone downstairs while she is upstairs, she stands at the gate and yells, "MAMA, WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE ME?" Like I have EVER left her. I only lost her once! And SHE left ME!

Heidi has become very helpful and loves to pick things up and put them away, hand me things, and just watch what I do to try to learn. She is very observant!

Raleigh is still reading like a champ and LOVES to read all of the time. He will grab a book and follow me around reading it to me. I love it! And he is doing awesome at Karate! He can do a front roll, back roll, side roll, punch (flat handed of course), kick and block. He even tried to break a piece of wood last class. So cute! He gets really nervous and freaks himself out, but I remember being that way too, so I am pretty good at talking him out of those moments. Bribing helps too.

Raleigh has two friends at school who have become his best buddies. I am sad because they will be going to a different elementary school, but I think they are good "practice" for him. He plays Star Wars with them all of the time. And on Friday, his teacher came up to us before they were out of their music class and told us that Raleigh had really come out of his shell that day. He took his hood off and was running around giggling and having a great time. All of the louder kids in the class were gone, so he may have felt more comfortable.

We have been preparing for Trevor's little sister's wedding and we are SO excited. The kids are in it, and Raleigh and Audrey practice pretty much every day. They can't wait! We can't either...although I still can't stop thinking of her as 13 years old.

Trevor's business has been SLOW! But we have a feeling that it will pick up soon. We are hanging by a thread! We have become pros at all of the free marketing on the internet. We even pulled together and created an "official" website! And it looks pretty dang good!

All of the kids are asleep right now and I feel like I am pushing my luck, so I am going to go and try to post pics tomorrow. Maybe I will get a little sleep tonight!

Look What We Found in Storage!!!

2011-02-17T00:43:00.000-08:00

I think we'll keep them in the house from now on :)

Update Update Update

2011-02-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

Well, Heidi has started walking! She can take 5 steps before she falls down! She is so proud of herself that she smiles and giggles when she walks. She loves to clap and wave now too. It is so cute! Her sleeping got better and then last night it sucked! She didn't go to sleep until 7:30am!!!! Yes, I said AM!!!!! I wanted to scream! And I did at 3:30am when I begged Trevor to come in and help. I wasn't so nice to him...I am shocked he still helped! He had to get up and work in our wintery weather though, so I only made him rock her once. I think he was fearing for her life. Hopefully she gets back to normal. She has a cough so it keeps waking her up. It's a croupy cough too. Yuck!

Raleigh can now READ!!! He has been trying for a while and then my friend Sam got him a Bugsby (by V Tech) for Christmas and he can read almost anything! It is so fun to sit and listen to him read books. He is so cute! He has had a terrible testosterone surge this past week or so. He has been randomly going into rages and has a re-found interest in his "little Raleigh." He goes around hitting things and making AARRGGHH screaming sounds. It is like living with a gorilla! I can't wait for this phase to end. Ugh! He now talks about playing with his friends at school though and it reassures me that he is not sitting in the corner alone. We are setting up a playdate with one of his buddies, Talan, and they have already planned what they want to play with. It is so cute! It reminds me of being a kid!

Audrey has done a complete 180 and is doing really well at controlling her emotions. She still has meltdowns but they are easier to handle and she works to try to stop them. She LOVES helping me in the kitchen and is always "cooking" something in their pretend kitchen. Today I found her laying in my bed, talking on the phone to "her mom." I am proud to be her inspiration, haha! It is a nice compliment! She is still mischievous and trys to do everything herself but she is also learning so much! She can get herself almost completely dressed all by herself! And she is doing SO well with Heidi now. They are buddies. Audrey shares toys with her, teaches her how to do things and gives her lots of love!

Trevor's business has hit a usualy "February Funk" because everyone seems to be waiting on taxes. He is working but it is slow. He has been out bidding though, and hopefully things will pick up soon.

I have been busy occupying myself with work, paperwork and Ebay. I have been selling some things on Ebay since we cleaned out our storage and we had some things that were Ebay worthy! We got ourselves out of foreclosure (thanks to very supportive parents), and now we are waiting for the Wells Fargo lady to finish her investigation into our account so we can get our $ back! I am not holding my breath but it would be nice to get it taken care of the easy way! Okay, Heidi woke up and now it is really late, so...adios.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-27T00:33:00.000-08:00

Here are the little monkeys on Christmas Eve after they set out their goodies for Santa and his reindeer. Well, Audrey ran out of the picture screaming. I think she was testing Santa. He must not have notice her because she got presents anyway. There she is! She was pooped and ready to rest for the next morning!

And here they are all in their pj's.

Firetruck Ride!

2011-01-27T00:23:00.000-08:00

Every year our firemen give fire truck rides, and this year we did it. Raleigh wants to be a fireman, so this was especially exciting. He even asked the fireman a question while we were driving...but my sleep deprived brain forgot what it was! Raleigh's girl-friend at school even bought him a set of firetrucks for Christmas. We had SO much fun and we can't wait to do it again next year! Thanks Sherwood Firemen!

Here's me and Heidi getting ready to go!

Here is Audrey and Raleigh who were excited and nervous. They thought it was awesome though. The kids even made the firemen cookies and brought them as a thank you.Here is Daddy waiting with the kids. It was about an hour wait...Trev looks thrilled! It was totally worth it in the end though!And I was sitting next to a helmet so I had to try it on. it was heavy! I don't know how they wear all of that stuff!

Sweet Serenade

2011-01-27T00:17:00.000-08:00

Heidi loves music so here she is doing a duet with Daddy. She likes to sing and dance to music too. When she hears Raleigh turn on his CD's, she makes a beeline for his room.

Jokester

2011-01-27T00:14:00.000-08:00

Raleigh is always doing practical jokes now...I am just thankful these were french fries!

Re-Motivated

2011-01-26T23:22:00.000-08:00

I have been in a funk lately and have been completely overwhelmed with life. BUT, I recently had a wake up call. A friend of mine was just diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer. She is only 29. My heart fell apart. We were pregnant with our first kids together and we constantly wrote back and forth about the pregnancy, deliveries, babies and nursing. As the kids got bigger we stopped writing and let our lives take over. I hate that it is something like this that made me realize that I would regret not keeping this blog up if something ever happened! This blog makes my sad days happy and makes me feel like I am a pretty decent mom. So, while I am waiting for the pics to load onto the computer, here is an update...

Raleigh - Is getting SO smart! He knows all sorts of words and reads me them. He can color perfectly in the lines. He wakes up every morning and turns on his CD's (sometimes WAY too loud), puts on his guitar and rocks out. He is still an awesome helper and has a HUGE heart. He is slowly breaking out of his shell...slowly. He had his 5 year check up and is healthy. He has started getting into video games but since I can't ever figure them out without Trevor's help, he is self-limiting on them, phew! And I can finally say RALEIGH IS POTTY TRAINED! He has not had an accident in a LONG time! YAY!!!! He still wears a pull up at night, but I think that will work itself out. Oh, and Raleigh and Trevor are peas in a pod. Trevor will say a joke and Raleigh will crack up...while the rest of us are left wondering why it was so funny.

Audrey - What can I say about my little firecracker? We are slowly working on her tantrums. When we were in CA she was especially wild and we have had to reign her back in. She was overtired and overwhelmed. But, we did have fun! She is going through what Raleigh went through at 2...she is mean to Trevor. I don't know why they both have done it, but it is really frustrating. He has been working a lot too, so I think that has thrown her off. She always has to know where I am and is always trying to be a part of what I am doing. I took a bath the other day and she was outside of the door crying for me. She is growing up so fast though. She is so smart and is very observant. She loves cooking with me and that is how I get her to eat everything. Every day she dresses up like a princess. She also likes to act like a baby or a cat. She is a crack up though. She is very quick witted and craves attention. And, she made me call Poison Control for the first time! She opened and drank a bottle of infant's ibuprofen. Luckily it was the infant's kind and she was fine. But now she knows how to open the childproof bottles!

Heidi - She is another firecracker! She is an EXTREMELY happy baby, but she is also ridiculously busy! She has been getting the dog's water bowl and completely pouring it out lately and it is driving us nuts. She loves opeing things, closing things, pouring things, and basically keeping me on my toes. She eats EVERYTHING she comes across and Trevor just told me that she was choking on a temporary tattoo, and when she threw it up another one came out too...along with rice cereal and broccoli...eew! I also have found beads and stickers in her poo. It's like a treasure chest! Heidi has learned to high five and clap her hands. And she cracks herself up. She will do something and then bust up laughing. She's a cutie! She can stand for a few seconds without help and is walking all along the furniture. She is determined to get those chunky legs mobile! She is a daddy's girl, and she cries if he doesn't hold her as soon as he gets home. When she is tired she is a mommy's girl though, but she still struggles to sleep. She doesn't like quiet and sleeps best during the day when the kids are playing downstairs. That is always around 10am or 11am which is when we have things to do though. I get about 2 hour stretches, except one night she slept for 4 hours straight and I thought I would pass out! I couldn't fall asleep though! I kept thinking she was going to wake up! Dang it! She had a double ear infection which I think is gone...I hope it's gone! It was tough though.

Okay, now to pics....

An update...no pics :(

2010-12-22T23:27:00.000-08:00

I thought I would put up a little update before Heidi wakes up! Heidi and I have been fighting off a stomach bug for almost a week now, so things are a little crazy now!

Heidi - She has been pulling herself up on everything and standing. She walks (more like stumbles) along the furniture and whatever she can get herself up on. She can push the little baby stroller and she walks like Frankenstein behind it. When she stands she gets so excited and squeals and giggles. She always cracks us up. She is VERY excitable and her whole body goes wild when she is excited. She can say hi, mama and dada. She LOVES food and does pretty well drinking from a sippy cup. She is now 8 months old! HOLY CRAP! She still isn't a very good sleeper but she is slowly getting better. I am still completely sleep deprived and cranky. She LOVES Raleigh and Audrey and LOVES being around them.

Audrey - She is doing a thousand times better at taking care of Heidi and being patient with Heidi. She has learned to say, "Mom, can you please get Heidi" instead of just pushing her over. She rarely bites, pinches, scratches, etc. BUT, there is still a ton of pushing between her and Raleigh. I'm not sure I will ever defeat that. She is WAY excited for Christmas, but I think it is overwhelming her. When Raleigh leaves her alone, she is an extremely happy, funny kid, but Raleigh likes to follow her around and boss her around which causes her to cry and scream so loud that I feel like my brain is shaking. She LOVES helping me cook and clean. And she likes being a "grandma" to her babies. Even she knows it is more fun to be Grandma! She can count to 10 easily and 15 sometimes and she knows most of her ABCs. She loves showing me how much she loves me and she is always up for cuddling on my lap.

Raleigh - Is such a smart kid! He is SO quick! Trevor will make a joke and Raleigh will get it! They are peas in a pod. He is obsessed with Taylor Swift. And he got his first kiss on his cheek from a little girl in his preschool class. He was so shy that he just stared off to the side and didn't say anything though. And he won't talk about it now. He knows how to play a song on the piano from a piece of sheet music he got a school. I can't wait to hear it! I think it may be the season, but he has turned into a bossy little guy and he hounds Audrey. He is always telling her what to do. It drives me crazy! He is AMAZING with Heidi though. He is so thoughtful, gentle, concerned and caring. He praises both girls for the things they do. He is a proud big bro.

I am very lucky to have 3 sweet kiddos and I am grateful to have such a wonderful husband to navigate our crazy life with. Trevor has been working really hard keeping us somewhat above water during this winter. It has been the busiest yet! Go Halgren Construction!

GO DUCKS!!!!

2010-12-02T00:07:00.000-08:00

The Ducks are going to the BCS National Championship Game! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's been a while!

2010-12-01T23:48:00.000-08:00

I have very little time at night now, so my blogging is suffering. It is my outlet, so I am a bit more crazy when I don't get to do it! Here are some updates:

Raleigh - Had a blast at Thanksgiving until he realized we weren't going Trick or Treating after. Is still really shy around other people but is a non stop talker/singer at home. He loves to make up his own stories and songs. He falls, trips, crashes into things at least 20 times/day. Is extremely thoughtful and smart. He is very logical and I don't get much by him. He has inherited my dad's ability to guess presents without feeling them...it is driving me crazy!

Audrey - Just shocked me today by making it through a whole counting book and then showed me she can count all the way up to 14. Also shocked me the past few days by sharing with Heidi! Gwyn accidentally scratched Heidi and while Heidi was crying, Audrey brought over her blanket and Foofa toy to comfort Heidi. Those are her sacred things. She doesn't survive a day without having those by her side. I melted when she gave them to Heidi! We are making progress! She also tells me she loves me constantly and told me next Thanksgiving she wants to say she is thankful for mommy. BUT, on the other hand she has been a bit crazy the past couple of days. She was in timeout 5 times today! 2 days ago she emptied out my bathroom drawer...including dumping the whole box of Q-tips, and today she got my permanent markers and colored on our hallway wall.

Heidi - Is growing by leaps and bounds! She crawls, tries to pull herself up on things and LOVES to stand. My arms are exhausted from helping her stand! She can say Mama and Dada and talks constantly. She still only sleeps a max of 2 hours a night so I am still completely sleep deprived. But she is a happy baby. She eats ANYTHING, even the creepy mashed meat goo! She loves playing with the big kids. Her favorite game is Pat-A-Cake which made Audrey say "I don't like Pancake Game." Raleigh and I started calling Audrey an alien because only aliens don't like Pat-A-Cake, so she came back around and likes it again.

And that is the summary :)

Heidi's Crawling!!!

2010-11-05T00:58:00.000-07:00

Yep, we have officially called it! Heidi is crawling! She can finally go forward and now we are in for it! She still prefers to roll everywhere but she definitely crawls when she wants to! It gives me a little (and I mean a little) more free time because she likes to practice her new skills, so I am happy! And her sleeping is slowly (and I mean slowly) improving. She is still my little bed buddy but I can get small breaks and leave the room without her freaking out.

We had her 6 month check up and she is a big one! She is in the 75th percentile for height and 90th percentile for weight. She wears her rolls well though.

She can wave and says what sounds like Hi. She pretty much only does it to Trevor when he walks in though. Speaking of when he walks in, as soon as he comes in the door her arms and legs start wiggling uncontrollably and she giggles like crazy. She loves her daddy! If she wakes up at night and looks at him she starts smiling and giggling.

And she can ride in a shopping cart and sit in a high chair like a big girl! She has been extremely giggly and happy, and she even got used to my mom and sister really fast. I think she was surprised that they were gone! Maybe we will get over this separation anxiety fast!

Shopping Center Trick or Treating

2010-11-05T00:51:00.000-07:00

We did our usual Trick or Treating at the shopping center which is always fun. It is amazing how much candy the kids get!!! And we get coupons!

Lee Farms

2010-11-05T00:44:00.000-07:00

I had to take my mom and sister to get some Pumpkin Donuts and Apple Cider at Lee Farms...YUM! And we checked out lots of the animals.

Old Town Trick or Treating

2010-11-05T00:35:00.000-07:00

We went to the Old Town Sherwood Trick or Treating on Friday night, and even though we missed most of it, we still had fun! And the kids got lots of candy anyway! Moooooo!

Here's the crew! We met up with our buddies, Kyle, Kane and Erin.

Cris let us borrow her angel wings so we could get in the spirit. She held the camera and dressed up as a TMZ Paparazzi reporter. :)

Grandma Angel!

Preschool Halloween Party

2010-11-05T00:04:00.000-07:00

Raleigh had a Halloween Party at his school and me and the girls tagged along.

Here they are eating donuts off of strings... And here they were doing circle time...

Here's the whole gang! They were short 1 boy.

Here are my cute little Halloweenies!

The mom's got recruited to work. My hands were full so I took pictures. Here they are digging for eyeballs in the spaghetti...

This is what Audrey did. She played, which is what she tries to do every morning when we drop Raleigh off. She finally got her chance!

Here they are making ghosts out of shaving cream and glue.

Here is Ben 10 sharing a snack with Scooby

Raleigh wasn't messing around. He chased his donut around in circles until he finally got it!

Spunkmeister

2010-11-04T23:57:00.000-07:00

Audrey can be a little Spunkmeister, especially when Raleigh is at preschool. Here are some of her faces after we dropped Raleigh off at PJ day for school...

Pumpkins #1

2010-11-04T23:53:00.000-07:00

Here are the 1st pumpkins that the kids did. These are the sticker ones. Raleigh did a pirate and Audrey did a princess. They were OBSESSED with these and it kept them entertained every time I had to load Heidi up in the car.

The kids also carved pumpkins but I don't have any pics of them! Raleigh did a spider and Audrey and Heidi did Jack-o-Lanterns. They were really cute!

Kooky Glasses

2010-11-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

The kids got glasses from Sonic and they loved them, so I had to take a pic! Raleigh was being Mr. Cool and Audrey's were upside down. Crazy kids!

Preschool Field Trip

2010-10-28T00:09:00.000-07:00

We went to Lee Farms for Raleigh's Preschool Field Trip again and the kids loved it!

Here they are anxiously waiting to start our tour and get our pumpkins...

All the kids were climbing on the pumpkin displays so Raleigh had to join in!

Here they are looking at the bunnies... And here's my sweet cow and piggy!

Audrey actually picked up the corn and tried to feed the goat. Raleigh was still freaked out, so we stood back and watched.

Here are the kids getting ready to watch the pumpkin demonstration.

Here is Hannah, Savannah, Raleigh and Audrey watching how Apple Cider used to be made.

This little one is why my back, legs and arms ached for 2 days after the field trip. She did really well and didn't fuss the whole 2 hours she was stuck in this thing!

Audrey's 1st Boyfriend

2010-10-28T00:04:00.000-07:00

Uh Oh! Audrey got caught... Holding hands with Raleigh's best friend! While Raleigh's away, Audrey will play!

Serenade

2010-10-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here is Trevor serenading Heidi. She loved it!

Batbaby

2010-10-27T23:57:00.000-07:00

Here is Batbaby and her trusty dog to the rescue!

The Haps

2010-09-27T23:29:00.000-07:00

Well, Heidi is 5 months old and sometimes I feel like it has flown by while other times it seems like she should be older! I think because we have so many long nights together that it has lengthened these 5 months. I am grateful for the bonding time but ready for her to sleep through the night on her own!

She can pretty much sit on her own, but she falls over when she tries to reach something or look at something. She loves toys and grabbing things. She is even trying to help me type right now! She is very excitable and her whole body shakes. She likes to pat her hands up and down and kick her legs. We stll go through TONS of diapers, but at least I know she's healthy! She likes to do rasberries and she makes tons of gurgling sounds. Raleigh and Heidi will go back and forth all day making gurgling sounds!

Both Raleigh and Audrey love holding and playing with Heidi. They are so good with her! Since she sits so well now, they can sit her on their laps easily. And Raleigh can carry her, although I limit that because I am so paranoid!

Audrey is still a little character. Every day she is someone new. Yesterday she was Tinkerbell and today she was Barbie. You have to call her by that too. She has a sort of "catch phrase." She always says, "Yeah Bubu" or "Hey Bubu!" She loves the cats and dog. She pretends to take care of them, puts lipstick on them, and talks to them. They are her babies. Right before bed Trigger had put his paw on her hand and she was so amazed. She is ready for preschool already and when we drop Raleigh off she says, "miss you Raw-wee!" She is so supportive of Raleigh and is his little cheerleader. She even shares like a pro with him. Her bed is full of snugglies that she kisses every night and on top of her normal nighttime songs, I always have to sing her Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Raleigh is loving school and he is such a smartie! He can do some addition, spelling, phonics and he tries to read everything. He is full of questions! His imagination is now his reality. When he pretends to be a superhero, he really is that superhero! He still has been having regular poo accidents, so we started a new deal where he gets superpowers if he can keep his undies clean all day. It has been working better than anything else we've tried. He still loves to cook and helped me make some homemade applesauce today.

Trevor's been busy and we are hoping it lasts into the cold seasons. He now has his lead paint certification and he was way into the class. He came home sharing all sorts of info! We still are flying by the seats of our pants and sometimes we realize we are in over our heads but we recover. We are like ducks...calm on the surface but kicking like crazy to stay afloat.

Just Some Pics

2010-09-27T23:20:00.000-07:00

Here we are trying to take a pic of ourselves! Finally, Trevor took the picture but Heidi still wasn't amused!

Cute little bugs...

Video of Heidi's 1st Solid Food

2010-09-27T23:19:00.001-07:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Lovin' On Heidi

2010-09-27T23:15:00.001-07:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Bottle Time

2010-09-26T00:17:00.000-07:00

We were practicing giving Heidi a bottle...but this is the only time she ever took one!

This is How We Roll!

2010-09-26T00:15:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's my posse!

Just Hangin' Out

2010-09-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

This is how Heidi used to like to sit in her Exersaucer. Now she is big enough to reach all of the toys so she stands in it.

Slip N Slide

2010-09-26T00:07:00.000-07:00

Sarah and Niloo bought me a Slip N Slide for my birthday and it was a hit!!!!!!

Crazy Dish Day Reinvented

2010-09-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

Yep, we brought back Crazy Dish Day! Heidi got a Play Doh bowl. :) And our enchiladas tasted even better out of our wierd dishes!

Sisters!

2010-09-25T23:49:00.000-07:00

Raleigh was at summer school so the sisters had some bonding time!

Grandma's Tickleberry Pie

2010-09-25T23:35:00.000-07:00

Grandma Pam came out and we had SO much fun! The kids are always asking for bellybutton candies now! And here they are making Grandma's Tickleberry Pie! The rest of the pics were taken by Raleigh and I think he did an awesome job!

Rice Cereal!!!

2010-09-25T23:28:00.000-07:00

Heidi turned 4 months old while we were in CA, so we started her on rice cereal. Now she is an avid solid eater! Raleigh trying it...

The audience...

The Grumpa Bed

2010-09-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for my dad! Heidi would sleep on him for hours and he would let her...unless he had to pee! When Trevor and I were at Bryson's wedding, this is what saved the day! He held her almost the whole time we were gone!!!

Messy Girl!

2010-09-25T23:21:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows Audrey knows that she is the messiest person in the world! Here my mom had to give her a mini bath in the sink!

Silly Kids

2010-09-25T23:13:00.000-07:00

Here is Heidi rollimg over. I have been bad at recording milestones but we still celebrate and get excited about them! She started rolling over at about 3 months old. Here is exhausted Audrey! We had a big day playing with my cousin's kids at my Grandma's house! My cousin Jill even brought crafts for them to do!!!

Raleigh looks way studly in this pic:

Sweet little Heidi!

Awwwwwww!!!

2010-09-25T23:10:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's Trevor and his Grandma busting a move! SOOOO CUTE!

Daredevils!

2010-09-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

I came outside and found this! Raleigh pulled it all the way up the stairs. All I can say is thank goodness for the safety net!

Birthday Presents

2010-09-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

We made Trevor cards for his Birthday and Raleigh did his all by himself! Raleigh is even better now and today he came up to me with PRK written down and asked if that's how you spell park. The kids got Trevor a toilet coffee mug! Mmmmm!

Beach Trip!

2010-09-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

For Trevor's Birthday, we packed up and headed to the coast. We had a blast exploring Newport. And we lucked out and had really good weather! Here is everyone at the beach...

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

2010-09-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

We visited the lighthouse in Newport and the kids are still talking about it! There were about a million flies when we got there and Audrey was a poo, but we pushed through and made a good memory for the kiddos!

Here's the boys...
And Audrey with her blankie (gangkie). When she has that you know she's having a rough time. It works like magic at calming her down though! We had to lug that thing up and down the millions of stairs to get to the tide pools, but it was worth it.

Me smiling in between yelling at Trevor about the flies, haha! Oops!

We couldn't go inside this time because the kids were too little, but they got coloring books as consolation prizes.

Raleigh trying to be a good sport and flex his muscles but he hated the flies as much as I did!

Phew, we survived!

Ral's 1st Day of Preschool

2010-09-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

I am a little behind, but Raleigh had his 1st day of preschool a while ago and he is LOVING it! Audrey keeps talking about when she gets to start preschool too. He goes from 11am-2pm which is a pain in the butt, but he comes home happy and excited so it is worth it!

Random Pics

2010-09-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pics of the funny kids...

4 Months Old!!!

2010-08-31T22:35:00.000-07:00

Heidi is 4 months old, and we had a whopper of a doctor's visit! Heidi did great...until Audrey started melting down. We have had a cold/flu kind of thing going on for about a week now and it has knocked everyone for a loop. Audrey made it about halfway through the doctor's visit when Raleigh stole her chair and then she lost it. She bit his shoe (because she knew she couldn't bite him), and I had to put her in timeout. She SCREAMED! Towards the end of her timeout, Dr Smart came in and I told her that Auds was in timeout (luckily we are good friends so I actually was not embarassed by their actions). I let Audrey out of timeout and we started to checkout Heidi. Audrey got jealous and wanted me to hold her and her whines escalated into cries which in turn made Heidi cry. So, Dr. Smart and I decided that since Audrey was already mad that we would give the kids flu shots. Audrey was screaming by the time the nurse came in with the shots, which bothered the nurse more than me. I could have cared less! We set Heidi in her car seat and I held her with one hand and I wrangled Audrey with the other. She screamed and then kicked as the nurse tried to get the Band-Aid on. After the shot, I set her down and she slowly calmed down while we got Heidi hers and Raleigh his.

Raleigh was way excited to get a shot. It seems strange, but I think he looks forward to showing off how easy it is. He sat by himself, rolled up his sleeve, watched the nurse give him the shot without even flinching, and then anxiously awaited the Band-Aid. At first, since Raleigh wasn't scared, the nurse wanted to make sure he knew what she was doing. She told him, "I am going to give you a shot and you might feel a poke." He said, "I know." What a stud!

As for Heidi, she is 75th percentile for Height and Weight and 50th percentile for head size. She is growing right along the curve. She has chronic congestion which doesn't mean much, except that we just have to wait for her to outgrow it. She is now eating rice cereal like a champ and is always trying to get at our food. Gotta go, she's crying!

So Much in So Little Time

2010-08-31T22:27:00.000-07:00

We have had SO much going on the last couple months that I have barely had time to even comprehend it! Here is a condensed list...

-Bryson came out to help Trevor work and ended up keeping the kids entertained beyond my wildest dreams! He celebrated 4th of July with us and we celebrated his Birthday (a day early).

-Trevor and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary!

-My friends Niloo and Sarah came over to spoil me and give me the best Birthday ever!!!

-Trevor's mom came for a week visit and spoiled the kids. Trevor had time off so we were able to do TONS of fun things and get extra bonding time with her.

-We took a 2 week visit down to California so we could visit, Trevor could work, and we ended it off with Bryson and Shannon's wedding.

I know I am leaving some things out, but everyone in the house have been sick and I still have unpacked things from our trip, so my brain is not fully functioning!

Appreciation...

2010-06-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

The kids have been CRAZY today, so I decided to try to remember the cute things they do so I don't go crazy as well...

Raleigh -
Raleigh has been spelling like a crazy man. He can read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See," and he sounds out all sorts of words. He has made me realize how ridiculous the English Language is. I try to teach him the rules, but they are ALWAYS broken! He is still a good helper with Heidi, and when we took Heidi for her check-up, the doctor was amazed by how good he was with her. He stood there holding her hand and rubbing her head the whole time. With preschool over, Raleigh has been bored out of his mind. I have tried to keep him entertained but it is hard to keep up with him, especially when I am nursing or rocking Heidi all of the time!

Audrey -
We took her to her 2 year check up and she is about the 50th percentile for height and weight and 90th percentile for head size. Yep, she's got some brains up there, and sometimes it is hard to get shirts on her! She got 2 shots and didn't cry until the second one. She even let the doctor pick her up to put her on the table. I was shocked! She is still obsessed with Yo Gabba Gabba and talks about her birthday nonstop! She is definitely going through the terrible twos, with full on tantrums even in public. Her new things she says all of the time are "Scary" and "Know That?" She is a funny little girl though. She is always doing something crazy. And she is getting back on track with her potty training. She gets almost all of her pees and poos in the potty and she has even started to tell me when she has to go. Yay!

Heidi -
We had her checkup and she was in the 50th percentile for height, weight and 70th for head size. She has started sleeping on her own more (phew)! But her nose still gets really stuffy and wakes her up. She has to take her naps, because if she misses on she is a screamer. And she is learning to yell louder than Audrey when she is tired. Her and Audrey try to one up each other with the screaming. When Heidi is awake she is constantly smiling and talking. She loves watching Raleigh and Audrey. Her favorite place is in Raleigh and Audrey's room, and I can usually get half an hour of peace when I set her on the floor in there (unless she gets stepped on). She gets a burst of energy at night still and doesn't start to officially settle down until about 11pm, so I can't wait for that to end!

We took the kids to the zoo on Father's Day and they had a blast. We had help from Trevor's stepbrother, Bryson, who is out helping Trevor. Thank goodness for Bryson! He is a hands on Uncle and we are SO grateful for him. He pushed the double stroller, and picked the kids up to see the animals. We made it through almost every exhibit...during naptime! YAY for Bryson!

And I did terrible on Father's Day so we won't go into that. I slept in, took a long nap and didn't do any cooking for anyone...oops. I thought it was Mother's Day! Sorry Trev!

Another Tip!

2010-06-19T00:52:00.000-07:00

We had hard water spots on our windows for 5 years that I never could get rid of and they just kept getting worse and worse! I finally decided I was done with them and searched the internet for a magical answer...and I found it!!!!

I scrubbed the windows with a Brillo Pad and Glass Stovetop Cleaner and they look AMAZING!!! They look brand new! Now to try it on the shower...

And we had a Birthday Party for Audrey this past Saturday and I will post pics from it soon. She is still talking about her special day!

Our Football Team

2010-06-14T12:27:00.001-07:00

Well it looks like we have a quarterback and a running back! Raleigh throws better than me! GOOOO Raleigh and Audrey (Audrey is the running back)!
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Presents!

2010-06-01T14:51:00.003-07:00

Here is Audrey opening presents from us. She was more excited about the cake, but Raleigh was thrilled with her presents. What a bunch of cuties!
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Foofa Cake

2010-06-01T14:51:00.001-07:00

Here is the cake that Audrey had been waiting for! I am no cake maker, but it did the trick! The kids LOVED it!!! And now I can add another thing to my resume!
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Heidi's Smile

2010-06-01T14:50:00.001-07:00

Heidi smiles all of the time now, and I caught a smile on video. You have to wait for it, but her silly smile shows up towards the end.
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Audrey's 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-05-31T23:26:00.000-07:00

Our sweet and spicy little angel just turned 2!!! It seems like she was just a baby, but we are loving seeing her blossom into a spunky and loving little girl. She has a huge heart and is always there to give us a laugh. She has also made it her goal to drive Raleigh crazy, but they love each other so much. She is always helping take care of Heidi and she turns everything into a baby that she can take care of...even a balloon! She is obsessed with Yo Gabba Gabba, dogs, water, and pink. She is turning into quite the girly girl, although she is not beyond getting covered in dirt and playing superheros with Raleigh. Her favorite superheros are Batman and Superman. She knows all about Ben 10 and probably knows more superheroes than most girls! She loves to be a goof off and always seems to have her tongue out when I take her picture! She loves her gankie (blankie), and will carry it everywhere...even on the potty. She has reconnected with her Bunny Buns, which was her favorite snugglie as a baby. Now she always snuggles it when she goes to bed. She can count to 5 and sometimes to 10. She knows most of her colors...especially pink. And she can point out A, B,C and D. She is our sweet little angel and we are so proud of her! Happy Birthday Audrey!

Here is Audrey pretending to be Foofa (from Yo Gabba Gabba). She was wearing her Birthday Dress from Grandma Pam. And Grandma Pam gave her a blow up playhouse that she always runs to, hugs and says, "I wuv it!" The kids were waiting to open presents, which I only videotaped, so these are the only pics I have! Silly girl! This is what I got when I told her to smile! I love her attitude...most of the time!

Here is Raleigh, thrilled that Audrey got new toys! Now he is really good at sharing, as long as it is Audrey's stuff! Silly boy!

And here is Heidi, who was pooped after all of that excitement, and she still isn't quite sure what went on! But she was quite the trooper and sat in her Bumbo the whole time!

Haircuts!

2010-05-31T23:05:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to get professional haircuts. It was Audrey's first time and Raleigh had not been for a long time. Audrey came out with a certificate for her first haircut, and both kids got lollipops and balloons.

Don't they look happy in this picture?! Well, this was AFTER the lollipops and balloons! Audrey went second because I thought she would be less scared if she saw Raleigh go first. That wasn't the case. She didn't want ANY part of it. I had to sit her on my lap, and even Beauty and the Beast on the TV couldn't change her mind. Eventually I got her to calm down by talking about Yo Gabba Gabba and all of her party plans. But she wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. The hairdresser even sprayed sparkles in her hair and we didn't get smiles until the whole ordeal was over and we were outside!

Raleigh was his usual shy self. He did really well and watched Labyrinth while getting his new big boy look!

This is before the haircut. Raleigh was too shy to play with the toys.

Audrey played though and even played by herself while Raleigh got his hair cut!

The Kids!

2010-05-31T22:45:00.000-07:00

Raleigh still LOVES holding Heidi and he is getting really good at it. He can lift her and hold her, bounce her, and he always knows how to make her happy! On Raleigh's school days I usually go to McDonald's to get a Sweet Tea. I also usually split fries with everyone when I get my tea, but since they don't have fries in the morning, I got Audrey a Parfait this one time. I am glad we waited until we got home to eat it!

More Bumbo!

2010-05-31T22:38:00.000-07:00

Heidi spends more time in her Bumbo now, and there is always a big kid (or animal) ready to bug...I mean entertain, her!

I think Heidi was surprised by this double kiss! Audrey always sticks her tongue out when I take her picture now. What a goofball! These kids love each other!

Heidi's first experience on the floor with Gwyn. I think she realized Gwyn is much bigger when you are down on her level!

The Grandbabies

2010-05-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

Here is my mom with all of the grandbabies! We actually got them all to sit still long enough to get a pic! The awesome Curious George Game helped out too!

Wow!

2010-05-11T22:38:00.001-07:00

When it rains, it pours! We have been Hospital Halgren for about a week now and it feels as though we have lost control of everything. Here's the lowdown...

The first week of the month is my busiest working week and I am usually up until 2am every night. Heidi has not been going down until about 11pm because she has become very aware of me and is much harder to rock to sleep. When I rock her I like to look at her, and now she catches me and gets excited. Plus, she wakes up every 2 hours until about 5 or 6am and then she will do a 3-4 hour stretch. I have been typing one handed while I am nursing her back to sleep. Plus, she pees and poos like no baby I have ever seen! She still goes through about 20 diapers/day.

On top of that, our cat Trigger got a cut on his bottom eyelid that got infected. It was almost swollen shut. We made a vet appointment but the night before we put a cone around his head and the swelling went down tremendously. So we cancelled the vet. The next night I put the cone on and he was SO annoying. He kept trying to cuddle me and ended up pushing the stupid cone into me ALL NIGHT! As if I don't already have a sleep deprivation issue. The next morning, I woke up and the cone was gone. So, I went downstairs and saw the cone was lying next to Gwyn (our dog) on her bed. I think there was some teamwork going on. Thankfully, Trigger's eye is almost completely healed and I can check him off my list of worries.

Next, the worst thing happened. Trevor's knee got infected and became so painful and swollen that he couldn't even walk. He had a fever and chills, so we took him to Urgent Care. They gave him some antibiotics and pain meds, drew a pretty circle on his knee around the swelling, and told him to come back in a few days to get checked or go to the ER if it got worse. A few days later, we went back to Urgent Care and after 3 doctors looked at it, the guessed that it might be Bursitis with an infection. They are referring him to an orthopedist to find out what it really is. The gave him some prednisone which has helped somewhat with the swelling and thankfully he can walk again. He was my breakfast manager with the kids so I could sleep with Heidi. Once I lost that, I lost my sanity. I have never cried so much or so hard in my life. The kids seemed to spiral out of control and they have been having poo and pee accidents non stop. Plus, we had run our of groceries and I even had to put Audrey in Raleigh's nighttime pullups since we ran out of hers and I had NO energy to pack everyone up to get to the store.

Now, Audrey is sick with something that has been giving her really high fevers. I thought we were over it today, but at naptime it came back, and her temp was headed up again before she went to bed. She is really cranky and wants to be held all of the time. I have been really good at remembering not to get mad at her, and I think I have had the most patience with her.

Lastly, this morning I woke up achy and sick. My skin gives me a nauseous feeling. It is hard to explain but when I told my mom she totally knew what I was talking about. Her and my dad just went through it. But, I popped the ibuprofen, got a GIANT Sweet Tea from McDonald's and made it through Target to get some Diapers for Heidi.

Tomorrow we are going in for an ultrasound for Heidi to check her kidneys. She has a skin tag on her ear that could be from when she was developing in utero. I guess the ears develop next to the kidneys, so they are just checking to make sure everything looks okay. My sister has one too, so I am thinking this is more of a genetic thing. BUT, the ultrasound check-in is at 12:30pm which is right at naptime. I am afraid the kids may be a little much to handle...especially if Audrey is still sick. Oh well, at least it is at a Children's Hospital, so they are used to screaming.

On another note, my Mother's Day went well especially for the circumstances. The kids (and Trevor) had bought me some clothes, but my post pregnancy booty and boobs didn't fit in them. So, we took them back and I got a larger shirt and a purse. One size fits all on the purse, phew!

Raleigh made me a potholder with a watermelon painted on it and a card that said I Love My Mommy because she plays with me. Awwwww! And both kids made me cards at home that had reasons why they love me on it. Heidi slept in with me! Trevor actually made it up that morning to do breakfast. And, my mom and dad had groceries delivered to our house! I was SO excited! After all of this exhaustion, there was no way I was getting to the grocery store. And we were running out of food to throw together to make meals. You can only eat so many different kinds of burritos!

The end of Mother's Day was not as good, but we will just forget about that! Next year they can all make up for it!

Okay, this is all for now because I really want to get to bed tonight. Heidi is asleep for about another hour, and I have to check on my pediatric patient and make sure her roommate isn't waking her up!

Favorites!

2010-05-09T00:44:00.001-07:00

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Bobbling Baby Heidi

2010-05-09T00:43:00.001-07:00

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Bumbo!

2010-05-09T00:17:00.000-07:00

We tried Heidi in the Bumbo, but she didn't last very long before she slid down and flopped over. So, then the big kids had to do it. Here is Audrey....

And here is Raleigh....

This is Audrey "helping" Raleigh out of the Bumbo. Awww, sibling love!

After Raleigh told her he couldn't breathe, she figured out how to help him without turning him blue!

Raincoat!

2010-05-09T00:12:00.000-07:00

This raincoat was on sale for $5! SO, I couldn't pass it up. The only problem....Audrey loves it so much that she wants to wear it EVERYWHERE, along with her rainboots that are too big for her.

Hobbies

2010-04-25T22:18:00.000-07:00

The kids have come up with some hobbies and I just so happened to catch them doing them at the same time!

Raleigh collects all of our cans and bottles to recycle so he can get the moolah and buy more toys (specifically Ben 10 toys). My mom took Raleigh and Audrey on rock hunts to keep them entertained. I had promised Raleigh on the Friday before I went into labor that I would take him to our hiking spot so he could get some special rocks to color on. Well, since I was in the hospital on Saturday, my mom took him instead. These rocks keep the kids entertained for LONG periods. Isn't it amazing?!

The Bean

2010-04-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

Our little Heidi Bean! The kids LOVE watching her and talking to her. Raleigh is constantly at my side when I have Heidi and Audrey comes in and Ooohs and Aaaahs. Raleigh likes to hold Heidi's hand...even when I am nursing. He says that he has special tricks to make her happy, and he is usually right. Heidi loves looking at the kids faces. And Audrey loves to make Heidi look at things, like birds and dogs. She always says, "Wook Baby Heidi, Wook!"

Grandma!

2010-04-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

All the kids got lots of time with my parents and my sister, but my mom stayed a little longer to help get us ready to be a family of 5...alone! I have cried almost every day since she has left, but she left us with lots of meals and clean clothes, so I have been able to relax about the housework and just enjoy the kids. I have no idea where the pictures are of my Dad and Sister so whoever has them better send them on over!

Three of a Kind!

2010-04-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

Life with 3 has been a little...exhausting. Everything was okay, and then my mom left and reality set in. Both Raleigh and Audrey started fighting non-stop (I think out of boredom), and Heidi stopped sleeping at night. We have a very slow routine in our house now. The big kids are adjusting a little better now and hopefully Heidi will settle in to sleeping a little at night. But for now, we are all like walking zombies! Luckily they are all so cute!

Ding...Dinner's ready

2010-04-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

Or, I mean lasagna's ready...oops, I mean Heid's ready!!!!! Our sweet little girl arrived at 9:01am on Saturday, April 17th at an eensy 6lbs 12oz and 19" long.

After a week and a half of early labor contractions I finally went into active labor. 8 hours later Heidi came after 1 push!!!! She had her cord around her neck which was a little scary but since she was already out they easily cut it and everything was okay. I tried to tell her it wasn't a necklace, but I guess she didn't want to come out totally naked! I was a celebrity with my one push though. It made me feel like a champion!

We had a wonderful friend, Molly, come over and take care of the kids at 3:45 in the morning! THANK YOU MOLLY! My parents got in about 7:45am and headed to the hospital and made it just a few minutes after Heidi made her debut. They hung out with us for a while and then went to relieve Molly. The kids had a blast at the Chidester's house though!

When the kids got to the hospital they were reeling with excitement. Then, Audrey got into the room and froze up. I think the combination of the hospital and seeing me in the bed freaked her out a little. Raleigh was excited and couldn't wait to hold Heidi. Audrey was mesmerized by her little sis, and soon fell in love. Both kids have been beside themselves with wonder and excitement at squirmy little Heidi. They love watching her every move!

Okay, so now on with the pics...

Our Frozen Lasagna

2010-04-13T22:55:00.001-07:00

Raleigh made a comment the other day about how Heidi takes a long time to cook like lasagna! That little comment went a LONG way in my impatient world! I have learned that some of the best things in life you have to wait a little longer for...like lasagna!

BUT, I went to the doctor's today and my OB gave me a light at the end of the tunnel. I have been having early labor contractions for a week now! A WEEK! And I am at 3cm dilated, 80-90% effaced, and Heidi is down low and ready to go. So, she set me up for a week from tomorrow (Wed) to be induced since that is when she will be on call. I am sort of hoping that Heidi comes before then, but I also like the idea of my family being able to get up here, relax and then go in with me Wed morning. I guess I am never totally satisfied. Now I know what Trevor is always telling me!

Anyhow, I will keep everyone updated with little Heidi's progress when she makes her debut, and in the meantime I am going to try to get some recent pictures of our "big kids" up here. We have been trying to make some extra special time for them since I know how newborns can consume you.

Egg Hunt!

2010-04-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we took the kids to an Easter Egg Hunt. We couldn't find our Easter Tub, so we had to run and buy a couple of buckets beforehand. Both kids picked out robot ones. They were really cute! Here is Audrey showing me her Foofa doll. She is OBSESSED with Yo Gabba Gabba! In fact, she is watching it right now!

Raleigh did the big kid Egg Hunt, but he is too polite and only came out with 2 candies. So, we let him get some from the little kid Egg Hunt since most of the kids were clueless about candy. Audrey has a sweet tooth though, and got plenty of candy for me to share!

Here are the kids filling up with goodies!

Raleigh was so excited about the Easter Bunny. This is the first year he didn't cry! Audrey on the other hand was having no part of it!

So I stepped in and made her take a pic!

The kids had fun and it was worth it! We were going to go to the Aviation Museum to see the Bunny arrive by helicopter and do another egg hunt, but we changed our minds. I am too big and tired to do another one. Raleigh is doing an egg hunt at school right now, so I figure that covers it! And we are going to have breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the YMCA on Saturday with our storytime friends. Sometimes there is just too much to pick from!!!!

Crayons...OH NO!!!

2010-03-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

We had a major crayon mishap this past week...and it wasn't even from the kids! Trevor had left a red crayon thingy in his work pants and it melted in our dryer ALL OVER our clothes. Now, we are both to blame for this...him for leaving the crayon in his pocket (I didn't know contractors use crayons, but apparently they do), and me for not checking his pockets and throwing his work pants in with our normal clothes since I was in a rush. So, I forgave him, especially when I found this magic concoction that took they crayon out of almost everything...

- 2 max doses of liquid detergent
- 1/2 lid of liquid Oxyclean
- 1/4 cup of Borax
- 1/2 cup of liquid Shout
- 1/2 cup of Vinegar

You put all of the liquids where the detergent normally goes (we have a front loader), and I put the Borax in the drum since it was a powder. Then you wash on the Heavy Duty Cycle on Hot. After doing this 2 times...everything except the whites were back to normal. And we had REALLY bad crayon marks on everything. Raleigh said it looked like our clothes were bleeding.

To clean the dryer, I tried a Magic Eraser but it didn't work very well. So, we used WD-40 and it cleaned everything except the back part is permanently stained.

Whoevery concocted this is a genius because I didn't want to use the WD-40 on the clothes since it is so stinky. Oh, and if you clean the dryer with WD-40, put a wet towel with some dryer sheets and run it on high a few times (thanks mom!). This gets the smell out of the dryer.

I HAD to pass this one on!

Wow, what a week!

2010-03-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

This past week has been crazy! We have been to the Dr.'s 4 times and have made a trip practically every day to pick up medicine. Everyone has been sick. We have had ear infections, sinus infections, coughs, aches, and I lost my voice for 4 days! I am glad to say that the kids and I are pretty much better and Trevor is on his way to being better.

We are sick of being sick!

Raleigh also broke out in hives (picture below) which we think was from his antibiotic. He was SO itchy! It broke my heart!

But, on the other hand, Trevor's work has picked up and he has been busy! WOO HOO!

And, I had an OB appointment today. Heidi is doing well, but no dilation. Not that I should be expecting anything...but I was. I am just antsy!

Our Faces!

2010-03-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

I had the camera, Trevor was gone and we were bored. This is what happened!

And by the way, I DO wash my kids faces after they eat, so I don't know how they end up like this for every picture I take!

A Present for Heidi

2010-03-06T16:05:00.000-08:00

Raleigh has been saying he wanted to make a bear for Heidi, so both kids made this special bear for Heidi. They both kissed a heart and put it inside to make it extra special. They can't wait to give it to her at the hospital!

I'm a Big Girl Now!

2010-03-06T16:01:00.000-08:00

Audrey got herself dressed (at least halfway). She put her legs through the bottom part of her skirt, so that is why it flipped over inside out. I think she was just trying to make it look shorter! And she put her shoes on all by herself too! Who needs parents?!

Bath Time!

2010-03-06T15:59:00.000-08:00

I can't ever get these pics censored right, but this is about as good as it gets! :) Raleigh said he looks like Prince Charming here. I'm not sure what he means, but he will always be my little Prince Charming!

Makeover!

2010-03-06T15:53:00.000-08:00

Audrey thought Gwyn was looking a little plain, so she grabbed some stickers and spruced the old girl up!

Cookin' it up!

2010-02-28T21:53:00.000-08:00

We got back from Costco and it was such a nice day that we barbequed hamburgers! Well, Raleigh, Audrey and trevor BBQ'd. I just watched how cute they all were. It makes me excited about summer!

Baby Shower #3

2010-02-28T21:38:00.000-08:00

My Grandma and Aunt Lana generously put on a Baby Shower so Baby Heidi could be just as spoiled as the other kids were! Here are some pics from it! We came home with a boatload of baby goodies and Target Cards! We have been having fun getting the final things ready for Heidi!

Twinkle Twinkle

2010-02-26T22:22:00.001-08:00

Audrey busted out Twinkle Twinkle Little Star the other day while Ral was at school. She had the microphone and was dancing, so I tried to make her re-enact it later that night. She is so cute!
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ABC song

2010-02-26T22:21:00.001-08:00

Raleigh didn't want to be left out, so he got to perform the ABC song for the camera! He knows the WHOLE thing, and he can also count to 20 (with an eleven-teen thrown in there once in a while). What a smartie-pants!
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Sea World!

2010-02-26T21:51:00.000-08:00

I am such a great daughter that I let my mom and dad take US to Sea World for my mom's birthday! Don't worry mom, I promise to be rich someday and pay you back ten-fold!

Here is Raleigh meeting the Otter. He wasn't scared or anything (as long as Cris went up there with him)!

Here are the kids looking at the manatees (that is just a log on the bottom. The manatees were spinning around above).

They loved all of the fish and underwater stuff!

Then we saw the sharks. This is us coming out of the shark tunnel thing!

Aunt Cris was good at giving the kids a closer look!

Papa Mark was too!

Papa Mark even gave the Princess a proper carriage!

Here is Raleigh taking Aunt Cris for a ride. As soon as the ride started, Raleigh made theirs shoot straight up. I am not sure if Cris was ready but she hung on tight!

Audrey went with Grandma Judy and it took them a while to get off the ground! I guess you have to be 4 to figure these things out!

This is the crew on my left at the Shamu show! I am glad we went when we did! Raleigh has been seeing the whales on the news and asking why the Shamu Show is on TV.

Here is my right side! What handsome boys!

Audrey was POOPED by the end! She crashed...until we got in the car!

And Raleigh was eating the stroller handle for some reason! He is always up to something now!