Nothing better than anticipation

Here are a couple things my mother in-law gave us to help us count down the days till Christmas. She is beyond cute and creative. So each day you pull out a little drawer and inside is a lil sticky ornament to hang on the felt tree. How fun is that? And my adorable Cindi decorated the box tree for us late into the night. Money in-laws huh?

All I can say is the next 25 days will be an eternity for my kids, and even more so for Adam. He CAN'T WAIT to see the kids open their gifts. They're getting spoiled beyond belief!

New iPhone blogging

So here's a first attempt at blogging on my iPhone 4s. First off, yes I know it's ridiculous that I have the latest and greatest iPhone but my 3rd refurbished phone was thoroughly beaten, and basically incapable of doing much past the basic phone call. So I let my techy husband take the reigns and here I am driving home from Pocatello blogging about our delightful time with Adams family, on my OH SO COOL iPhone.

So, can I just say I have the most amazing in-laws! Others who have superb luck such as myself, may enjoy the same blissful association that I have with my in-laws. But as for a better in-law "dowry", I refuse to believe it exists.

Now having said that, you know that our thanksgiving vacation was beyond fun. Ephraim and Emeri got to play with 11 other cousins, who they haven't yet really played with. Not only did they have endless entertainment of friends but Ephraim's cousins from AZ showed up with 3 light sabers....and uncle Gordon already had 2. So it was all his dreams come true to have a Jedi playmate who wasn't constantly excusing herself to do dishes or change a diaper. And not to have to use a spatula or hair comb as a weapon. You'd think there would be no question what he's getting for Christmas but mom just isn't ready for the regulation yet. Rather wait a year and get one for Emeri too, so she can properly fend for herself.

So our week had amazing food, a mini turkey bowl in the back yard, lots of fun wii and movies, a piñata event for the kids, and of course LOTS of shopping!

My sister in-laws are super fashion savvy and I love presenting myself as their project. Well their project within my boundaries. :) especially since I'm the type to avoid any new fashion until its been around for 3+ yrs and then I only work it into my wardrobe if it fits me and my style. Adaptation to the Jessica... Never a "new me" cause 1. I like what I got going & 2. I find the cost of keeping pace with fashion utterly ridiculous and wasteful! Thus I chose to work in my first pair of skinny jeans and some Keds to avoid awk 90's flash backs of tapered jeans and bulky tennis shoes. pics still to come.

But Adam and I got out to do some Christmas shopping for the kids too. We avoided any of the headache early morning stuff, and still found some way good deals. It's all about getting the deals. Adam and I are sale shoppers through and through! We decided its also our favorite pastime. Some people watch movies, play games, or love eating out...us, we bargain shop. :)

Anyhow attached are a couple photos of the piñata event with all the lil' kiddies. Guess this app doesn't allow me to upload videos.

All in all it was a wonderful trip, beginning our holiday season with a bang! Only gets better as December rolls around.

Laugh it Up

So McKay is almost 4 months and is SOOOO stinkin adorable! He's really starting to chuckle and laugh more and more now. Well more and more with his DAD! Mommy still has yet to really make him laugh. Adam says its cause mommy's not funny lookin enough. But I think I just aint got the touch. Anyhow here's an adorable little clip of Mr. McKay (as I call him) laughing it up.

Oh and Emeri is starting to try potty training. Its all her too. Mama hasn't really tried to make it happen, I just can tell when its "time" for stinky, and we run to the potty and she's eager to be a big girl and get a M&M afterwards. So who knows maybe we'll strap down and go all gun ho, and she'll be out of diapers at 20 months or so. We'll see!

Fall is Upon Us

Whoa! Summer is gone. That happened all too fast! We made it through a soggy cold weekend only through the joy found in Ephraim turning the big 3....BYU/Utes game brought NO comfort. (Enough said)

So my darling little boy is 3!!! And he's at Joy school right now. SO FUN! Only three lil kids in our group but we made it happen....even all the way out here in Portland, OR. So seeing as I have 15 min till I pick him up I'm gonna SPEED type!

So Ephraim is absolutely adorable! He's rambunctious, defiant, and teases his sister. But overall he is too adorable for words. He is a mini parent around the home now... helping reiterate things to Emeri, and trying to enforce punishments as well. "Emeri, get off the table! One...Two...Three. K I pinch your bottom"...Its a good reminder of how I sound. Even when he gets upset he basically plays back a tape recorder of what I say when I'm tired and frustrated with his actions. "Uuurrrhhhh, I not happy!"

He loves to give kisses and hugs, something he's grown into since the first two years of his life he was squirming to get free and run wild! I think Emeri's cuddle tendencies have encouraged his cuddle desires to perk up. He MUST be the center of attention. If Emeri gets attention for doing something he will immediately copy it, even if it means talking like a baby.

Emeri on the other hand is a pretty content little girl. Her need for attention is definitely growing, but she's not a spotlight hog like her brother. She does ache to be like him in every way though. She always wants to wear his gym shorts....with or with out another pair of pants underneath. She's straight up adorable, and talking lots. She's probably at the level now that Ephraim was at 25-26 months, and she's just 19m. She loves, loves LOVES the song Do-Re-Mi from Sound of Music. She'll sing those lyrics ALL day long. Oh and she finally has something besides her front 8 teeth growing in! Hooray!!

McKay is just along for the ride. His older siblings LOVE to hold him, despite his obvious protests. And he's solid like his brother was at his age. In fact when we look at baby picture comparisons they look VERY much alike. In person I think McKay still has his own look going, but they no doubt will be easily identified as brothers.

Here are a few pictures from our birthday celebration, and previous happening events throughout the summer.

I made a lion cake with my first purchased decorating tips...it wasn't perfect, but I was pretty happy with the result.

Emeri won her lil' Cinderella doll in the "Pin the tail on Simba" game...she was pretty darn close.

Ephraim's first Fun-Dip ever...bought with tickets won at Chuck E. Cheese

Here's a video questionnaire of Ephraim that I am going to do for all my kids on their birthdays.

Below are my personal answers for him that I think fit best.

Real Best Friend: Emeri

Fav. Animal: Tiger/Lion

Wants to be: Buzz Lightyear

Fav. Movie: Toy Story, or The Restoration

Fav. Book: Beauty and the Beast

Happy: Finally receiving his incentive to be good. (sucker, jello, wii time, etc.)

Sad: Being put in the garage for disobeying

Fav. Food: Burritos

Fav. Song: Do-Re-Mi, or "I've got Joy" from Joy School

Fav. Game: Hide and Seek

Smiley lil' McKay

A Perfect Day at the Zoo

Ephraim burying his feet at the beach when Adam's family visited.

A FROZEN Emeri

Emeri sporting a jam smothered shirt, and her brother's shorts

She's my shoe queen!

Wadsworth Summer Fun

Here are a slue of different pics over the past couple of months. We've been a busy happy family. Thoroughly enjoying our summer. Took our first trip to the Oregon Coast. My kids saw the ocean roughly 17 years before I ever did. It was supposed to rain on us. But we were blessed instead with lovely 70 degree weather. Not swimming weather...but the kids love the sand the most anyhow. Included is a clip of Ephraim building his sand castle. If you can't tell what he says, the castle is for the "Beast" from Beauty and the Beast. He loves that book, and movie, and will yell "Kill the beast" while wacking weeds with a stick in the back yard all the time. :)

We got to go to the Aquarium in Newport and this is the touching pond.

The kids fought posing for any pictures the whole day, until they could climb on these stone animals.

"Crush" has his work cut out for him. Lots of "lil' squirts" bummin a ride.

Baby McKay all bright eyed and bushy tailed.

My two Jedi Knights love to tromp around the home in their bath towels humming some rendition of "Dun Dun" (The Imperial March)

Tired Mom = Happy Baby ???

Manning the controls at Seattle"s Aviation Museum. Had a blast spending time with Adam's brother Noel and his family for the 4th of July weekend. All until Mommy came down with an AWFUL sore throat, and we had to return home early to avoid an epidemic.

My little astronaut still growing into the role.

Did some strawberry picking out on Sauvie Island. Made out of this world strawberry ice cream. Wish we would have eaten it all before Ephraim turned the dial on the freezer setting, and melted everything. :(

He's been such a happy baby, always flashing a smile.

Paint time unleashed.

Once Emeri got her picture taken for slathering herself with paint, Ephraim figured he wanted his picture taken too.

Emeri LOVES holding her baby

Baby McKay

My three adorable "bedlamites" as Elder Holland calls them.

McKay Arthur

Brother Time

Emeri LOVIN Her new baby!

My kids found their hospital entertainment on the window ledge playing pic-a-boo behind the curtains

Adam baked shortcakes and brought them to the hospital for McKay's Birthday Cake

This boy was smirking big time within just a couple of days

We decided to take the opportunity to bless McKay while family was in town so the name became official on June 5th.

So for all you who care here's a quick run through of the labor. (Since I always like to know how things went for my friends) Sunday night started having contractions around 6:30. Worked on getting the kids to bed and called a friend for a heads up on coming over and sleeping on our couch while we visited the hospital. Contractions got more frequent and intense, but totally bearable. Until round 10 then I thought "Hmmm these are coming pretty constantly and are getting pretty uncomfortable...we better boogie." So we left at 10:20 for the hospital. Never a fun drive for Adam when his wife is complaining and wincing in pain...we'll have to work on our timing.

Checked in at 10:40....the place is DEAD. 3 nurses chillin at the main station. I'm thinking to myself "Good no excuses for them movin slow, cause this baby is comming fast." They said no one else was in labor that night, I was the only one. But of course when I tell the nurse hooking me up to the computer how fast my 2nd one went she replies with the comment how most time 3rd births are the weird ones, where they don't follow the pattern and take a little longer. I asked her how many kids she had....2. Yeah she just became an unathoratative figure on the matter. :) Sorry but when contractions are killing and people tell you the opposite of what you want to hear, they quickly get on your bad side.

Well the fun didn't stop there. The computer didn't boot up right so they spend 15 plus min trying to get it to work, before I'm finally checked and I'm 8cm dilated with a bulging bag of water. :) At that point they figure its better to just move me to another room where the computer will work. So lucky me I get to be wheeled through the hallway during a super intense contraction feeling like I'm in an E.R. drama series ready to pass out cause of pain. If that wasn't enough then two R.N.'s spend another 15 min trying to get an I.V. in me. (I've always been told I have SAWEET veins) These ladies are gonna get it! By the time the anesthesiologist arrives still no I.V. in, so he assists in the process and gets me with one simple stick. Total justification for his salary vs theirs. I still have a bruise to show for the futile efforts of the nurses.

Finally by 11:25 the epidural is in, but let me just say that before and during it I experienced more pain than I've ever known or hope to know again. Enough to put any thoughts or desires for delivering unmedicated FAR FAR from my mind. :) I didn't think the epidural would have time to catch up since I was already a 9 and within a few min my water broke. But this anesthesiologist gets a 10 on my scale for a job well done. That juice kicked in quick and worked miracles. So I delivered lil' McKay Arthur at 12:03 with only 6 min of pushing. :) And 100% happy and relaxed.

So life as a mother of 3 under the age of 3 begins....and all with a smile! I ADORE MY KIDS! :)

Emeri's walk-a-thon

So Emeri is a full fledged walker now. And it really all came together in a couple of weeks. Ephraim was totally in on the whole "Walk to me" participation and so we tried to catch a few of those moments on camera. But as you can imagine producing and directing the perfect scene with such young actors can be a challenge. By Take 3 both Ephraim and Emeri were done with it. :)