A Quick Recap.....

So, a quick recap...had a baby, need sleep, dial-up internet at home. The End!!!!!!!!!!

Our life has been hectic to say the least! Ella arrived via c-section (on August 7th) much to mom's dismay. The little stinker was breech. But she came out screaming, and to think a week earlier they said her lucngs weren't developed enough yet!!! She weighed in at 7lbs 6 oz and was 20 inches. Our smallest baby by far. I knew right away she was smaller than the other girls, she looked so petite.

Since Ella's arrival, we have celebrated many birthdays. Olivia turned 2, Addison turned 4 and Tony turned 32. Addison also started preschool 3 days a week. So Ella just needed to be a go with the flow baby. And so far, so good!!

I will just give you a few pictures to see, since by now most of them are old. When I return to work you can expect more frequent updates!!

Crazy July Happenings

We have been super busy the last few weeks, trying to get lots done before we are home bound with a new baby (who hopefully will be here in less than 2 weeks). We have tried to get the girls outside to play, to visit friends, to the Omaha Childrens Museum, get Olivia her first haircut, and finally to sleep in the same room. We have been successful with most of them. I will let you guess where we are struggling.

Nah, I will just jump right in and tell you...sleeping in the same room. Man, whoever said this would be fun...you have no idea what the definition of fun really is. In my opinion and I think Tony would agree with me, this adventure has been less than fun or amusing. It has been a downright struggle for all involved and we are sleepy at our house. It all started about a week ago, I decided we just needed to go for it, the baby would be here soon and if it didn't work right away we still had time to adjust. The girls were super excited to share a room, share a bed and sleep together. The 1st night, Olivia came out of the room a few times, but eventually fell asleep in Addison's bed (their NEW bed together). Addison went to bed shortly afer Olivia was asleep. Addison proceeded to think she needed to read in her bed to her dolls, to Bob, and to Olivia. Yes, she woke Olivia up. They played for a little, Addison brought Olivia out to the living room, claiming, "Liv said she needed a hug and kiss from mommy". Pretty sure Olivia did not put that sentence together. They went back to bed. Played some more. Addison finally fell asleep, Olivia still awake is playing with the dolls, the blankets and Addison's head. Addison wakes up...it is now 11pm. We are ALL still awake. Enough is enough...Liv goes back to the crib. I am sure if you are reading this and you have been through it, you are chuckling...let me remind you...we have found NO humor in any of this!!!!!!!!!!!!! The next night, crying and coming out of the room for quite some time. Olivia finally falls asleep in the bed. Addison's turn to go to bed...oh no, she has other plans. She crys, big tears and loudly that she does NOT want Olivia sleeping in her bed. She wakes her up and it wasn't fun. We try anything we can think of to get her to go to bed, we bribe her with toys, we bribe her with books, we bribe her with anything...it is not going anywhere. We finally in desperation blow up the inflatable sleeping bag and she sleeps on the floor. Olivia wakes up numerous times throughout the night and wonders into the hall, stopping at our door to let us know she is up. Back to the crib she goes. I know you are thinking...why do you keep putting her back in the crib. Simple...I am 9 months pregnant and can't take the sleepless nights. The next solution is to do some research on the internet about siblings sharing rooms, sharing beds, ect. We break down and buy a toddler bed and a new crib mattress. Olivia will get her very OWN big girl bed. She doesn't have to share it with Addison. Tony goes to get it, and gets set right to work putting it together. Finally at 9:15pm, the girls go to bed, Tony is done, and the girls are exhausted. They went to bed great, we start to think..."wow, that was easy". Only to find the pitter patter of tiny little feet up ALL night long. We know we need to stop putting her back in the crib becasue we are not teaching her to sleep in her bed, but this momma needs her sleep. So Tuesday (the 22nd) night was the LAST night she slept in her crib. We are beyond tired, the girls are tired, more so Olivia because she thinks it is a game to see how many times she can be put back into her bed before finally falling asleep, and waking in the middle of the night and coming into our room must be fun! I think NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So there you have it, our saga of sharing a room. We are still working on it, Olivia occassionally wakes Addison up, Addison occasionally wakes Liv up, and Olivia always seems to want to wake up in the middle of te night for NO apparent reason. We can usually guarantee that she will be awake during one of those times for at least an hour. She is up other times during the night, but stays in her room after she is put back to bed. Tony has gone to sleep in their room twice in the middle of the night so we can all try to get some sleep.

Okay, want to hear what we have done that has been fun?!! We have been trying to get the girls out of the house to play as much as possible. A few weekends ago we spent time in Omaha and took the girls to Fun Plex with Grammy and Bubba. Tony and Lou went golfing and the girls went swimming and riding rides. We spent almost 5 1/2 hours there...the girls did gret and crashed the minute they were in the car. Addison got brave enough to go down the big slide with Bubba, not once but twice. She will of course NEVER do it again. The first ride was lots of fun, the 2nd ride, to fast, and Addison hit her head on the sides of the wall a few too many times and came off crying.

This was after the 1st slide, she loved it. She even went under, you can barely see their heads!

Asking to go again.

Bubba holding Addsion up. Notice the girl in front of them, she must have gone down much slower than Cassie and Addison.

Fun Plex also has rides that the girls enjoyed riding on. All in all that was a great time and nobody got badly sunburned for how long we were out there. We also managed to sneak in some play time at the Childrens Museum in Omaha while I was there for a doctor's appointment. The girls always enjoying going there, and it is hard for them to leave.

Olivia got her 1st haircut this past weekend. We had been looking at pictures of Addison when Olivia was born and thought how grown up Addison looked, and the how much Olivia still looks like a baby. They are the same age. So we opted to get her haircut in hopes that would help with making her "look" older. She did great in the chair, sat still and earned herself a sucker when she was all done! she doesn't necessarily look any older, but we at least attempted!

Where has the summer gone?

We have been slightly busy this summer. Sorry for the lack of updates. The girls have enjoyed staying home with a different babysitter a few days a week this summer. Addison got to go to camp, Olivia got some alone time. We have been swimming a few times. It seems we spend our weekends either on the road to York or Omaha or at home getting ready for baby. We are slowly getting there. We have been very hesitant to move Olivia to Addison's room. They will sleep together in Addison's bed. I think we just need to bite the bullet and do it. We fear what happens in the middle of the night when one is awake or when Olivia goes to bed early. Oh well, we will figure it all out...eventually!

We spent the 4th of July at home this year. Addison actually enjoyed the fireworks, and sat outside with mom and Grammy to watch them until after dark. She had told us a few weeks prior to the 4th, that she was not going to be afraid this year! Good, we could finally sleep during that week! The fireworks didn't even seem to phase Olivia.

We are about 3-4 weeks until baby arrives. I am feeling tired, hot and ready to meet this little gymnast in my belly. Addison is so excited to see the baby and to be "mommy's helper". Hope that she still feels like that in 2 months! Olivia is becoming a bit more aware that there is a baby in mommy's tummy. We still do not know the sex of the baby. Addison says girl, Olivia says both, Mamo says boy, Kevin and Jenny say boy...so guess we will soon see!!! We did decide to pull out some of the baby "stuff" to get the girls used to having it out. Olivia thinks it belongs to her!!

Ending with a cutie of the girls posing for daddy!!

Summer Vacation

We love vacations! We enjoyed a trip to Idaho to visit Kevin, Jenny and Leo this last week. We had a great time. Although the weather was less than cooperative, we had fun, and the girls did a great job traveling! We drove to Park City, Utah the 1st night and dropped Tony off for his class for work. We spent some time at the Olympic Park where the Winter 2002 Olympics we held. It was a lot of fun. Addison, Grammy and mommy decided to take achair lift ride to the top of the mountain. The kids had to be a least 3. We thought Addison would really enjoy doing this. Well, we stood in line to "hop" onto the chair, and I had to lift Addison up, no big deal. Thinking a bar would come down over us, I sat back and waited for it to come down...up the mountain we went with no bar holding my 3 1/2 year old in. Needless to say, I held onto to her for dear life...probably making her more scared. We got to the top, jumped off and ran away from the chair (the chairs don't stop moving). We observed the scencery for a little bit and then decided to head back down. This is the point where I literally say Addison's life flash before me. The chair lift was moving quick and I could not pull her as easily into the chair; she was hanging and i had to pull her up. She about fell and would have at least landed in a net, and not down the mountain. So, my advice for anyone who reads this...do NOT let your little child ride a chair lift...I was very scared and will NEVER let her do that again! I had many visions of her rolling down the mountain.

Kevin picked us up in Salt Lake City and we headed back to Pocatello for some rest, relaxation and fun with cousin Leo. Monday was probably the nicest day, and the kids wanted to be outside. We let them play with the water table, which turned into pouring water onto one another...so off came the clothes, and the bathing suits got put on. Now, there was a chill in the air, but the kids had fun plying and being in the pool. No one sat in the pool. There was more dumping, pouring and scooping of water.

A little video clip for you to see of them playing in the water! You will have to wait on this...it has taken 3 hours to upload and it still isn't done. I will try again tomorrow. Something must be wrong with the site, the video isn't that long.

We also had fun at the zoo, story time at the library, playing at the gym in the mall and just being with each other. Addison got to go to the pottery store and pick out some ceramic pieces to paint. She thought that was pretty fun, but the colors she painted her "Barbie Mariposa" were a little undesirable, but she picked it all herself! The car ride home was long and exhausting, but the girls once again did great and we are thankful Grammy was with us!

Got home to water in the basement. Apparently it rained a whole bunch in Grand Island while we were gone. The water is still being pumped out of the sump pump, but the carpet is drying. An expense we were not expecting and a headache we wish we didn't have to deal with!

This weekend for Father's Day, we are headed to York to spend time with Tony's family. Hopefully the weather will be nice and the girls can put on their swimsuits and play in Mamo's pool for a little. I am sure they will be spoiled, but will have fun with their cousins from Wichita, Londyn and Sydney!

Working Girls

The girls are spending the day with their Mamo and Bampo today (we have no daycare in GI today). They stayed up late, ate Oreo's and played tea party. I guess they have also been playing in the dirt...

Preschool Graduation

Yes, Addison graduated from preschool; only to earn herself probably 2 more years at preschool! She graduated from her current class, and was as happy as a cat on hot tin roof!! She was so giddy in the morning, very anxious for her graduation ceremony. We got to watch a video slideshow of pictures from throughout the school year and then her teacher gave each student a :diploma:, and they even wore graduation hats. Yes, they may have been made of paper, but she was still excited. She is such a big girl now!! Addison recieved a gift card for being the 2nd highest student reading books during the month of March and April for Book-It! During the school yar, Addison gained 2 pounds and grew 2 inches. However, looking at her starting school picture and ending school picture, she has grown up so much. She still looked like a baby when she started, and now, she is all grown up. Can't imagine what I will be thinking next year when I look at the pictures. She has learned to write her name; almost all by herself. Those darn "s" give her some trouble. She really enjoyed school this year and anxiously looked forward to going. Next year she will go 3 days a week. In February, we will talk with her teacher about what to do about kindergarten in the fall. Kinda weird to think about it now, we have lots of mixed feelings about it. We pray that God will make the answer clear as to what we should do.




Be sure to keep scrolling down as I have posted a few other updates and pictures today! Keep checking in over the summer, as we are gearing up for a fun summer of sliding, swimming and hanging out! Hoping for mom's sake it won't be too hot! Baby will be here in August.

Time to Shine 2008

Addison participates in gymnastics once a week, and loves it. While their is no recital or performance, they have what they call, Time to Shine. This is an opportunity for family and friends to come to the gym and see what they have been learning. There were about 30 kids, all Addisons age "performing" for their parents. It was fun to watch! We asked Addison if she wanted to take the summer off from gymnastics, and you would have thought I told her Bob (her monkey) was lost for good. She wants to continue, and is actually pretty good. We may be a bit biased as her parents. She is pretty athletic, and her calfs...man walking on yout tip-toes make your calfs strong. Yes, she still does peridocially walk on her tip-toes. With gentle reminders, she puts her feet down. Enjoy the pictures from Twisters Time to Shine 2008.

Happy Mother's Day

I have got to be the luckiest mom in the world! I have 2 amazing daughters with amazing spirits and love for one another. I could not of thought of a better way to spend Mother's Day this year. There was a time in my life that I was not even sure I would ever become a mom. In the spring of 2001, my faith was at a sinking low after my surgery. With only a 20% chance of ever becoming pregnant on my own; I was fairly certain having my own children was out of the question. If by some act of God, I was able to concieve, each pregnancy afterwards, the chance went down.

By the spring of 2003, we were ready to at least give it a try, we had nothing to lose and everything to gain, including a restored faith in God, and a new realization of miracles. The doctor had told us, we had 6 months to try and then I had to go back on the medicine to stop the endo from growing. After countless months of ovulation sticks, tears, more sticks, lots and los of tears, we went to the doctor. 6 months came and went, and we were not pregnant. Again, losing faith. We made an appointment with the doctor, and he said, try for 2 more months, be diligant (did he really think we weren't?) and come back in January. Imagine the surprise in his face when we came back in January, PREGNANT!!!! Imagine our surprise. Our faith was restore, we believed in miracles, but was cautiously optomistic. 9 long months later came Addison Claire.

Addison, thank you for making me a mommy, and allwoing me to put my trust back into God that He is indeed our Creator and miracles can and do happen. You have been such a blessing in my life and always keep me on my toes. I have so many dreams for you, fears for you and love for you. I love snuggling with you in the morning and before you go read your books at night. I love the way you always tell me you love me, and I even love your spunkiness. I love watching your spirit and the love you have for Jesus. Your questions amaze me, as does your maturity! I am anxious to see what the future holds for you, just promise me you won't grow up too fast!!

Back to trying for another, our faith got us through this one. We did it once, we can certainly do it again. Lots of tears again, but a continued sense of belief that He would provide for us. Almost exactly 2 years later came Olivia Grace.

Olivia, thank you for making me a mommy for the 2nd time. You have been such a fun little girl and I have loved every minute with you. With those flirtaous eyes, and endless smiles and giggles, you can ALWAYS bring a smile to my face, even when I am upset or sad. Watching you and Addison learn to play together, learn to love one another and learn about each other has been such a blessing in my life. I have so many dreams for you, fears for you and an endless amount of love for you! I am anxious to see what the future holds for you as well, promise you won't grow too fast; and promis to never stop smiling and laughing. I look forward to you being a middle child!!!!

And now, another on the way...who would have ver thought this would be possible? Definatly not Tony and I. We believe in miracles, we kiss them each morning and each night. We say prayers with them, soothe their fears, kiss their boo-boos and love on them every single day. Thank you Addison and Olivia for making me a mommy, and encouraging me to be the best mommy that I can be.

Thank you Tony for always loving me! Thank you for continuing along this journey with me; there is no one I would rather want with me! I love you with all my heart and soul!

I would have never had the chance to be a mommy if it were not for my own mommy. So thank you mom! Thank you for loving me, molding me and showing me how a mom treats her children, and how a mom loves God before herself and her children. I am a better mom because of you and the examples you have shown me. I love you!

A Birthday Gift

I just wanted to share with you all what Tony made me for my birthday! He loaded it onto my computer at work, so when I got here, it was there. I have to admit, the tears flowed as I watched it. I am a lucky person to have such a wonderful husband and am blessed with 2 wonderful little girls another miracle on the way!

Eric, I hear you had a hand in this...thank you so much!!!