Our Pit-Stop

My sister with Anna, the crabby one.

Me and Eva.

On the way home from Virginia, we had a brief pit-stop in Jersey at my sister's house. I got to see and hold the babies!!! I miss them so much. They have gotten so big!

Thanksgiving 2007

Eric eating his first s'more.
Cameron and Jenny eating their s'mores.

Eric passed out on the couch after being diagnosed with a double ear infection.

Eric attempting to fish on Thanksgiving.

Cameron looking a little like a young Forest Gump.

Jenny fishing.

Our infamous turducken a few hours before our feast.

Eric excited to have his cousin in his room with him and Cameron.

Cameron and Colton bonding over Spiderman.

Jenny with Oakleigh and Larkin.

November 15, my sister-in-law and family came up to stay with us for a few days. We had a funeral to attend. The kids had a great time together. Just two days after they left, we traveled to Virginia to visit them for Thanksgiving. Again, the kids had a wonderful time together. Scott and I got to take Eric out alone which he loved, while Cameron and Jenny played with Colton, Larkin, and Oakleigh. Thanksgiving Day we had turducken (so yummy), stuffing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn, and cranberry sauce. My sister-in-law did a great job making everything. I tried to help a little, but she pretty much did it all. The night before I had made pumpkin cookies and my nana's pumpkin pie. Oh, and I made mulled cider too. Everything was delicious. Two days after Thanksgiving I made my Thanksgiving paninis with the left overs. Kristina and I went shopping on Black Friday which was crazy and fun. We went to the Science Museum on Saturday where we uncovered Eric's obsession with trains and my dislike for some of the old men who build them. Sunday we went to church where I finally got to go to Relief Society for the first time in over a year. Monday, Scott took Eric to the walk-in after he kept us up all night with what turned out to be his second double ear infection in a month. Eric was soooooooo miserable, but he's feeling better now. Monday night we went to the Botanical Gardens for Family Home Evening. The kids had fun seeing all of the Christmas lights, roasting marshmallows for smores, and seeing more trains. Tuesday we hung out and got ready to leave Wednesday morning. We made pumpkin soup Tuesday night and watched the Dancing with the Stars finale. I'm so happy Helio won! Anyway, we're home now and establishing some form of normalcy. We're preparing for Christmas. Today, the kids helped me vacuum and clean and move the furniture so when Scott gets home later we can put up the tree. Eric is walking now more than he is crawling, so he kind of gets in the way, but he's so flippin cute! He just wants to be like his brother and sister. Enjoy the pics...

Cameron's 5th Birthday!

I cannot believe that Cameron is 5 years old. Saturday was his birthday and I think it was a fun day for him. He wanted pancakes for breakfast so Scott made him very cool pancakes- better than I ever could. He opened his presents and let his sister help. She was very jealous that day. He got a big Lego fire set, a Lego helicopter, a toolbelt, and a real hammer. He loved all of his gifts. While Jenny and I went to the store in the pouring rain, Cameron and Scott put together most of the fire house. We finished the rest later. Then we went to Trunk or Treat at church and had dinner and went from room to room trick or treating. The kids go a lot of candy. Since we got back late from that, we had a Carvel ice cream cake the next day after dinner. Cameron was so sweet. He knew his sister was jealous that it was his birthday (even though hers was just two weeks before), so he let her help him blow out the candle on his cake. As much as Cameron gets on my nerves with his boyish behavior sometimes, he has such a sweet soul. Cameron, always stay sweet. Someday you are going to make a great husband. I love you!

Pumpkin Picking!

Isn't this beautiful? It was a cloudy day, but we made it in time. We beat the rain by minutes.
Cameron and Eric are the goats and Jenny is the pig. How flippin cute is this?!

Eric is the bird, Cameron the pirate, and Jenny the tree.

Isn't this the best picture? Minus the binky ofcourse. We're thinking of using this picture as a Christmas card this year.

Build-A-Bear!

Nana T. took the kids to Build-A-Bear for their birthdays. Cameron picked out a black teddy bear and a Spiderman outfit. He wanted a black labrador like his cousin Matthew's, but they didn't have it there. He loves his "Spiderbear" though. Jenny picked out the pink fluffy bear and dressed her as Aurora aka Sleeping Beauty. "Fuzzy Bear Aurora" is missing her crown in this picture. Scott and I bought the Shrek "bear" for Eric with the appropiate clothing. Eric is in love with "Goo Goo Shrek." Each bear has been sleeping with the kids every night.

Halloween Costumes

Spiderman! When Cameron put on this costume, he was tranformed. He started jumping all over the place and pushing me and stuff. It was cute, funny, and disturbing all at the same time.

Cameron making a monster at the Music Makers Halloween party.

Jenny as Hannah Montana- wig and all.

Jenny makes a good Hannah Montana sans the wig. Everyone at church loved her.

My little Ogre! Eric's love of Shrek bought him this costume. He refuses to wear the headpiece though.

Eric was so pooped after Trunk or Treat at church. He stayed in this position for quite some time.

This year was really all the kids' first Halloween. It's kind of sad actually, but true. Last year, we were all sick so Eric missed his 1st Halloween and the kids don't remember anything cause, well, we didn't do anything. The year before we were totally unorganized and the kids were younger so they don't remember anything. And before that, they don't remember anything. So this year, we bought their costumes very early and got them all psyched up about the holiday. On Thursday, they got to try on their costumes just to make sure I didn't have to alter them at all. On Friday, we had the Music Makers Halloween party at church so they got to wear their costumes, make some crafts, and eat some yummy food. Oh, and hang out with their friends. And I got to socialize with the other moms and make some new friends as well. Today was Trunk or Treat (indoors) at church and they to dress up and go room to room for candy. It was lots of fun! We had chili (hot dogs for the kids) and I made some cornbread which I didn't even get to try because by the time I got to it it was gone! I guess everyone liked it. We also got to decorate the room we were in. We did ours with tombstones, cobwebs, spiders, and glow in the dark pumpkins. It was awesome! I should've taken a picture. And Halloween isn't over yet! They still get to wear their costumes one more time!

Cameron and Jennifer's Birthday Party

Cameron's Spiderman cake. I'm so impressed with my spiderwebs!

Jenny's Hannah Montana cake.

Blowing out the candles on their special birthday cakes.

Cameron holding one of his cousins- I can't remember if it was Anna or Eva. I know, I'm a bad aunt, but hey, I had a lot on my mind that day! Jenny is waiting patiently for her turn- kind of.

Eric enjoying himself with Aunt Roberta.

Cameron very excited about opening his presents!

Jenny in all her glory!

On October 20th, we had Cameron and Jennifer's birthday party. It was the perfect date because it fell right in between their birthdays. We all had a great time. My house was cleaned, the food was made the day before, and the cakes came out great. I think that this year was probably the best party we've had here. I planned everything out perfectly. However, I did not plan on Scott having a migraine the day before so he was very busy the day of the party doing things he planned on doing earlier. Everything worked out though. See for yourself.

Jenny's Birthday

So Saturday was our darling Jennifer's 4th birthday. I think she had a pretty good day. It started off with a special pancake breakfast made by Scott. I don't know what it is, but his pancakes always come out better than mine. Then we put the kids in our bedroom and set up her balloons and presents in the living room. She got three Hannah Montana balloons (one for each kid- Cameron managed to pop two of them by the end of the day), new Cinderella underwear (cause she's finally potty trained), a princess Aurora crown and jewelry set, and three dollhouse sets for her dollhouse- a kitchen, living room, and nursery. She'll get the rest for Christmas. We already bought them because they were buy one, get one free and I had a coupon. Nothing like starting Christmas shopping early. Anyway, Jenny played with her dollhouse all afternoon. Then we had pasta for dinner followed by a heart-shaped Carvel cake and a rendition of "Happy Birthday." I got some really good pictures.

This Saturday is the birthday party. I'm going crazy preparing for it, but I'm loving it! I love having parties here. We're always stressed and we always have a million things to do at the last minute, but it's all worth it. We all have a great time with our family. Then next Saturday is Cameron's birthday. We're kind of planning the same type of day for him that Jenny had. It'll be fun. Things will kind of settle down until Thanksgiving when we go down to Virginia. Hopefully, I will be blogging more so those of you who are reading this will know what is going on in my always crazy life. The title of my blog shouldn't be "Eternity"- it should be "Drama!"

Summertime, Reading, and Couponing, oh my!

Wow! Has it really been so long since I last blogged? I guess so. Well, we've been pretty busy this summer. Cameron is still going to preschool- I didn't want to take him out for the summer and screw him up and make him have to readjust in September. Jenny is still being potty trained. She is extremely stubborn and my biggest challenge right now. Eric is still very cute and is still not walking yet. However, I am confident that he will start soon. He can stand without assistance- he just doesn't want to try to move his legs. I've been putting off making his 18 month doctor's appointment because I want him to start walking so the doctor won't give me a hard time about it. On a positive note...Eric started nursery two weeks ago! He's doing great too. It seems like yesterday he was a tiny infant sleeping in my arms. How time flies.

So this week has been very challenging for me. Cameron was off from preschool this week because they were closed for vacation. It was so hot Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The kids were bored. I was cranky. Eric had a mysterious rash on his legs and diaper area. Scott has been working like a wild man. Jennifer has been difficult. Yesterday, the humidity went down so the kids spent the afternoon outside which both they and I enjoyed tremendously. Today it's raining, so outside will probably be out of the question. Wednesday I went to www.coloringcastle.com and printed out a whole bunch of summertime coloring pages (one for Cameron and one for Jenny). I had them color each page and then we took some colored construction paper and made a book. Cameron hasn't quite finished his book yet since he is very careful when coloring. Jenny's book is titled, "Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?" after the song. I'm rather proud of myself for coming up with the idea since I'm not that creative and although my dad says I'm artistic, I don't think I am. Anyway, the activity kept them quiet while Eric took his nap (the kids had woken him up on the two previous days). Maybe one of these days, we will finished the playroom downstairs that was damaged during the monsoon in April. That way I can ship the kids down there when Eric needs to sleep- or when I need some sanity.

I've been reading a lot this week too. I just don't read as much as I used to and I miss it so much. I miss the escape it creates and the attachment to the characters that I usually build. So last night I finally finished the fourth and last installment of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. It was really good- one of those books you can't put down. Scott had gotten it for me for my birthday back in January, but I kept putting off reading it. NO MORE! I shall expand my mind. I have a whole stack of books just waiting to be read. So I'll go through them today and decide in which order I will read them. There is also a book by the author of the Traveling Pants series that I am considering purchasing. I have a coupon for Borders plus some money on my Borders Rewards card. Which brings me to my next topic...

Couponing! It's such a high. If you haven't already, visit www.thegrocerygame.com. It's amazing. I went to Stop and Shop and Shoprite Wednesday evening and bought bags and bags of groceries (some for food storage and some for regular use) for only $60! Thirty bucks at each store. I didn't really realize how much I had gotten until I got home and started unloading. I'm amazed. And I can't wait to do it again next week. I've been doing this for a little over a month now. Some weeks are better than others ofcourse, but I'm really amazed at how much you can save by finding the lowest price. It might take more planning and more shopping trips to different stores, but to me it's totally worth it. And it makes my hubby happy knowing how much money we're saving. Try it.

That's it for now. I shall try to blog more frequently in the future.

Anna and Eva's Baptism

My parents' 9 grandchildren altogether for the

1st time! My sister Angela and I with the babies.

Baby Pictures!!!

Anna

Eva

Sleepy Time

We stuck Jenny in her room so she would clean it. She cried and whined the whole morning. After noticing it was strangely quiet, I went to check on her and found her passed out in her doorway. Her room was just as messy, if not more messy than when she first got up this morning. Note the sunglasses.

Eric was crabby all afternoon, but I didn't want to put him down for a nap because I wanted him to go to bed early. Well, he told me. "Mama, I don't think I'm gonna make it through dinner."

Don't worry Cameron- I'll get one of you too! I promise. Sleep with one eye open, sweetie!

Eric

Eric, this blog post is just for you. On Sunday, you will be 16 months old! How time flies! You are such an amazing little man. When I think about how the doctor is concerned about you developing slower than other kids your age, I can't help but think about what's going on in your little head. You are so intelligent and observant. You know exactly what's going on and how to get what you want. You take in all that is around you. You are starting to really look at books now. You love looking at pictures on the wall, especially those of Jesus, whose name you are starting to sound out. You recognize your grandparents in the pictures and even your grandfather who passed away before you were born. Sometimes Daddy and I think you remember him from your pre-existance. Yesterday, you pulled yourself up for the first time! Daddy and I were so proud of you. Today you did it again and walked two steps while holding on to the couch. I was so happy for you. Soon you will realize that you can get places a lot faster when you are walking or running. Crawling will be a thing of the past and your knees will get smooth again. I can't believe how rough they are from you crawling so much. They don't seem to bother you though so I'm not worried. Oh, and you do the funniest thing. When you and I are in a room together (like the bathroom or bedroom), you shut the door and kinda laugh. I think you like when it's just me and you together. I know you love playing with your brother and sister, but I know they get on your nerves sometimes too. Jenny's tantrums and Cameron's sirens. They would annoy anyone, believe me. Oh, and another thing you just starting doing recently- you give me your cup when you want more. It's so cute! I'm trying to teach you how to say "more" or "milk", but you will have none of that. You also are not interested in sign language which I have been trying to teach you, albeit not consistantly, since you were eight months old. I guess you just want to communicate your way. That's fine for now. It works for us. I love you so much little man. You bring so much joy into my life and into my days. When I am stressed out, you balance me. Your brother and sister can't say that. They drive me nuts. You are going to grow up to be an amazing person. You have so much spirit and fire in you. You are going to do wonderful things in your life. But for now, just continue being you. Stay young as long as you can and enjoy your innocence. Mommy and Daddy love you and will always be there for you. Keep brightening our days!

Potty Training Boot Camp- Day 5

Jenny is doing really well with her potty training. The only time she pees in her pullup is either during the night or when she first wakes up (I haven't determined that yet). She just having issues with the poopy thing. I'm sure it'll come with time. I was supposed to go visit my sister this weekend, but the kids are all sick so I'm going to stay home and make sure they are better by Monday so Cameron can go back to preschool. This will also give Scott and I a chance to get things done around the house. Our home is still in disarray from the flood. We really need to get Eric out of our bedroom. I think it'll be better for everyone. I'm bummed that I can't go to Jersey this weekend, but I'm hoping that I can go next weekend if I can find a substitute for my Sunbeams class. We shall see.

I had a really nice Mother's Day that I neglected to write about. Scott let me sleep in and brought me breakfast in bed. He also got the kids ready for church so I just had to worry about getting myself ready (we were still late). He made me a nice lunch of shrimp cocktail (my favorite) and antipasto salad. We all took a nap- Scott got up when the first child got up. I woke up with Cameron's arm around me which was really sweet. Scott took a picture, but I look really fat when I'm sleeping so I'm not going to post it. Then he made me a dinner of salad, bacon wrapped scallops, and rice. He got me my favorite Ben and Jerry's ice cream for dessert- Phish Food. And for gifts, I got the two things I asked for: the One Tree Hill soundtrack (that show is my new guilty pleasure, especially since Gilmore Girls is no more) and the Because I Said So DVD. I haven't watched it yet. Maybe this weekend.

I need to figure out what the kids and I should get Scott for Father's Day. We have to top what they did for me. Any ideas out there?

Potty Training Update- Day 3

Jenny is doing a fantastic job with her potty training! She went pee pee on the potty all day today-except for first thing in the morning. My only problem with her is the poopy. She has had problems with pooping for years now. She holds it in so we have to give her a prescription laxative. Now I haven't given her the laxative in almost two weeks and she's still leaking. So I find streaks of poop on things like my favorite fleece blanket and Scott's pillow. It's really irritating and frustrating and it's not her fault. I don't yell at her, but I know she knows I'm mad about it. So right now she has a pullup on and I'm trying to keep reminding her to go on the potty. Tomorrow will be the real test when we go out. And I'm going back to Jersey this weekend and I really hope Scott keeps up with it. Jenny and I can't afford to backtrack. I'm trying to keep cool during this potty training thing, but it's really hard and Scott isn't being very understanding. He's not home all day. He doesn't know what's going on here and he doesn't seem to care unless it affects him. I'm curious to see how he does this weekend. Apparently, I don't do anything all day, so I can't wait to see how he won't do anything all day. Last time I went to Jersey, he got called in to work all weekend so my mother-in-law watched the kids so nothing got done anyway. Let's see what gets done this weekend.

Potty Training Update

So after a somewhat frustrating day yesterday, Jenny is doing really well today. Cameron was sick yesterday and we finally brought him to the doctor last night (which kinda screwed up the potty training thing with Jenny). He was diagnosed with croup and was given steroids. We then took a trip to the store to get a humidifier and some cough medicine. He's still kind of blah, but he is feeling better. As for Jenny...this morning we left the diaper off and while I was in the shower, she went pee pee on her potty all by herself! Then she went poopy on it three times after that! Two poopies stuck to her butt, one was a good one and made it into the potty. She wanted to wear her underwear, so we put it on and within a few minutes she went over to the potty, pulled her underwear down, and went pee pee. It was really amazing. She then had an accident a short time later, but it's okay. She's doing really well. So as of now, we are keeping the diapers/pullups/underwear off. She's still not too happy about it, but she's handling it pretty well considering her personality. She's a tough one I tell ya. Wish me luck.

The New Babies!!!

What a cute family!

My sister, Angela, Pat, Anna and Eva

Potty Training Boot Camp

Today is Potty Training Boot Camp Day at our house. Cameron is home sick from preschool and I am not running errands today, so I figured this would be a perfect day for Jenny to seriously aquaint herself with the potty. She has sat on it before and went peepee and poopy in it, but never stuck with it. Today, however, is going to be different. Today, Jenny will not wear a diaper or a pull-up. She's going to go naked until she is able to listen to her body. That's what we did with Cameron a year ago and since they are a year apart, I figured that she's more than ready. She was a little upset about not wearing a diaper today telling me that her butt was going to be cold, so I gave her a towel to sit on or wrap herself in, but she was told not to pee or poop on it. Also, we hung her Care Bear underwear and My Little Pony underwear up above the TV so she could see what we're working towards. She also wants to go to preschool and gymnastics, but she can't go until she's potty trained so I'm hoping that those incentives will be enough to push her in the right direction. Jenny is a very headstrong little girl so I have to come up with creative ways to get through to her and motivate her. Oh, and we also have a sticker chart going too. When Cameron and Jennifer fill up their charts, they can get a toy. In addition to that, Jenny knows that once she is potty trained, she can go to the toy store and get anything she wants. Any one thing that is. Cameron wanted a crane in the worst way and when he was going pee pee consistantly, we got him one. A Tonka one from ebay because that's the only place I was able to find one. He still plays with it almost everyday. So anyway, we'll see how today goes. I'm really hoping it goes as well as Cameron's potty training went. I think there's something to be said about waiting until they are ready, or past ready for that matter. And waiting until I'm ready too. After all, I'm the coach right? Hopefully, she'll be in underwear by the end of the week. Dream big, I always say.

The Results Are In

So after two sets of x-rays, a bone scan, an MRI, and over two months of pain and frustration, the foot and ankle specialist finally gave me some answers today. The diagnosis: a stress fracture. DUH! The fracture is actually in one of my ankle bones and not my foot like the other doctor thought. So I can either wear the sexy boot or sneakers that are very supportive and I have to rest. It's going to take months to heal though. Fun. I guess this will be a summer of no flip-flops. Bummer.

Onto other things...Sunday was Fast and Testimony Sunday and I desperately wanted to bear my testimony, but I was in Jersey helping my sister. So for anyone reading this and for my children who may read this someday, I just want to say how grateful I am for the Holy Ghost. When I was teaching my Sunbeam class about the Holy Ghost, I explained to them that the Holy Ghost is also called the Comforter because Jesus wanted his disciples to be comforted after His crucifixion. When everything happened with my sister, I was so scared. I didn't know if she was going to die or if the babies were going to die or what was going on. But when I walked into her room and saw her, I felt the Spirit so strong and I knew that everything was going to be alright. I cried, but it was because I didn't want her to go through what she was going through. It wasn't because I was scared. Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father sent the Holy Ghost to comfort me and that is a feeling I cannot describe. I am so grateful for the knowledge and understanding that this Church has given me. And I am grateful to Heavenly Father for hearing my prayers and answering them in a way I can recognize. I know in my heart that this Church is true and that the Book of Mormon is true and I leave this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Oh the Drama!

There has been so much drama in my life lately. First, a few weeks ago during our monsoon, our basement flooded. Since our bedroom and the playroom were down there, we were frantic trying to prevent the water from traveling to the finished side of the basement. Well, there's not much you can do in the middle of the night except pray and start moving stuff upstairs. So that's what we did. Our house is still in disarray. All of the toys in the playroom are pushed up against the wall farthest from where the water was. We slept on the couch for a week until we got things settled upstairs. Now we are in the master bedroom upstairs (where Scott was replacing a window at the time of the flood so now there's a new window, but no drywall around it) with Eric and the kids are in the small middle room. The extra room is full of dressers that won't fit anywhere else right now. So hopefully in the next week or two Eric and Cameron will be together and Jenny will be in her own room and Scott and I will be alone for the first time in I don't know how long. You may be wondering what has been taking us so long. After all the flood was a few weeks ago....

I got a phone call at 1am on the 23rd from my mom telling me that my sister was having an emergency c-section and the babies were in distress. I was up all night waiting for updates until 4am when I decided to go down to Jersey with my mom. Angela had to be airlifted to a different hospital because of major complications. There was a hematoma on her liver that ruptured causing her to bleed internally. Had she not gotten to the hospital when she did, she would have died. The babies, Anna and Eva, were born without heartbeats. They were both resusitated and after a few days on respirators, they are now breathing on their own. They are doing wonderfully and the doctors and nurses are optimistic that there is no permanent brain damage (from the lack of oxygen). My sister came home from the hospital Monday and is also doing very well. She is in a lot of pain still and is missing her babies. Once everyone is home and settled, I will call it a miracle. I have never prayed so hard in my life. So I'm going down to Jersey again tonight for the weekend to take care of my sister. She needs a lot of help.

You want some more drama? My brother-in-law, Dave, not Angela's husband, had a heart attack the day after the babies were born. And my other brother-in-law's, Angela's husband Pat, brother and his wife were in a car accident on the way home from seeing Angela. Everyone is okay now, but man, what a freakin week we had. I'm still recovering.

Oh and I had an MRI yesterday on my foot. I've been to two doctors, had two sets of x-rays and a bone scan and no one seems to know what is wrong with my foot. It's a big mystery. So maybe next week I'll have some answers or I'll just keep limping around for the rest of my life.