Thanksgiving 2011

This year we traveled to my grandparent's house just outside of  Yosemite for Thanksgiving.  We had such a wonderful time.  The kids (and dogs) absolutely loved exploring on their property.  They ran, hiked, played hide-and-seek, and spent hours on their swing.  Grandpa & Grandma Kackie treated us to delicious meals and dessert.  It was a very relaxing couple of days.  On Friday, the girls went to a nearby small town to shop some boutiques while Matt & Kevin took the kids to lunch and a movie.  Here are some pictures from our trip.

This picture cracks me up.  I told them to smile and they both did the same half smirk.

My sister's youngest, Camden

Quinn

Thanksgiving dinner

Camden's first Thanksgiving

I'm so bummed that I didn't take many more pictures than this.  I plan on updating with more pictures once I get some from my mom and sister's camera!! :)

I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving too!!!

Baby Update...28 Weeks

Today I am 28 weeks pregnant.  I can't believe that I'm 7 months pregnant.  This pregnancy has just flown by...it's hard to believe that in a few months we will have another baby girl in our arms.  I have still been feeling great.  I had my glucose test a couple of weeks ago and will find out the results on Thursday at my 28 week appointment.  After our long drive to Yosemite for Thanksgiving, I've been having some pains and aches in my legs.  After looking into it, I think it might be varicose veins in my legs.  I really don't have any poking through and raised, but I can see them under my skin.  I think that is what has been causing me trouble over the past couple of days.  I'm definitely talking about it to my doctor!!  I've never experienced them with my other pregnancies, so this is something new to me....and I'm NOT diggin' it!!!

Here is my comparison from month 6 to month 7.

I'm thinkin' my belly had a growth spurt this month,

What do you think?? 

The Countdown is On!

Last Friday, Victoria Gardens (our local outdoor mall) had their annual tree lighting ceremony.  It was awesome!  We didn't make it last year, but the year before we went and it was great then...but this year was spectacular!!  They started the evening with a laser light show.  It  looked as if a train was coming, smoke stacks and all.  There were familiar songs playing, traditional songs and music from the polar express.  There was an acrobat twirling in silks. 

 Then, the boys got a glimpse of a jolly man through the window of Santa's workshop.  They were so excited.

 Could it be him???

 YES!!!  Santa himself to do a count down to the tree lighting...

 After the tree was lit, the amazing firework show began

 The kids really enjoyed themselves.  The lights turned on and it started to snow!!  Well actually fake snow that was really foam, but the kids were as happy as can be!!

 We had an amazing time!!  Thank you to Derick & Monique for snagging up the perfect spot to watch the show!!

 On our way back to the car, we spotted the R.C. firetruck, the kids were so excited to see the engine up close!! 

Watching the magic of the season on our children's faces is truly the best.  I just love seeing things through their eyes!!  Bring on the holidays!!!

Kenzi-Girl

Last week, Mackenzi completed her rainbow words in Kindergarten.  Rainbow words are the 30 sight words that Kindergarteners need to memorize (read & write) by the end of the school year.  She was so proud of herself and we were too!!  There are only about a third of her class that have memorized all the words.  She received a certificate, a pack of skittles (to taste the rainbow), and the list of 1st grade sight words.  To celebrate we let her choose a place to go out to eat that night!!  Of course, she chose In-N-Out.  That's exactly where we went as soon as Daddy came home that night.  She got treated to a cheeseburger and chocolate shake!!  What a smart girl!!!

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On Thursday, her class had a small Thanksgiving performance.  They sang about five adorable songs and some children said what they were thankful for.  Mackenzi was thankful for her home.  Since the boys were at preschool that day, I was able to stay for the day and help out in the class.  After the performance, they had a feast including turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, corn bread, and pumpkin pie!!  The kids had so much fun!!

Wordless Wednesday

Figuring it out & Going with the Flow!

Matt and I worked on Baby Sister's room this weekend.  Well, technically Matt did mostly all the work.  But I kept him company and watched!!  We started talking about how our lives were going to change in just three short months.  We have a very scheduled routine at our house.  Bed times, wake times, meal times, school schedules, etc.  are all established.  How will nursing times, newborn nap times, and baby love mesh into our lives?? 

I told him about my apprehension about having another cesarean section.  How will it be different this time? Will my scar tissue from the first one effect it?  Will my age effect it (I'm 4 years older than with my last one)?  Will recovery be harder?  Will it be harder because we now live in a two story house??  Silly things that make me a bit nervous.

We came to the conclusion that we will "figure it out" as we go. 
That's how we roll.
When the boys were first born, people used to ask us all the time, "How do you do it??"  We had three children under 2 years old.  Our response was always, "We just do it!".  What other choice do you have?  Dwell on the chaos?  No way!  We have done pretty well "figuring it out", at least we think so.

So instead of worrying about how to adapt to our new life, schedules, the change that's happening in three short months...we are going to enjoy the last three months of my last pregnancy.  We are going to enjoy the sweet newness of a baby girl.   Embrace all the chaos that a newborn adds.   Figure out how to be parents to four children.  And most importantly, be grateful for the life that we have and the four blessings that are ours.

Family Movie Night

Last week Mackenzi's school had a fundraiser at her school.  It was a family dinner & a movie night.  It was so much fun.  We piled on our warm clothes, grabbed some chairs and blankets and headed to the playground to eat Chick.fil.a. and watch C.ars2.  We used glow sticks and had hot cocoa and popcorn.  It was the perfect way to start our long Veteran's Day weekend!!

{Please excuse the poor lighting/quality of these photos...any (if any)  photography skills I have were not workin' for me that night!!}

Well I'll be a Monkey's Uncle...

Luckily, my little monkeys have lots of uncles! 

7 to be exact. 

One of their favorite things is when we get unexpected visits from their uncles...

Uncle Trevie came home from UNLV for a few days last week and stopped by our house first.  The kids were squealing with joy when they saw who was at the door.  Uncle Trevie is always willing (and wanting) to get down on their level and play, wrestle, and cuddle with them.  Even our dog loves him.  They were even more excited when Uncle Trevie wanted to watch Cars.2 since he hadn't seen it yet!!  Thanks for visiting Uncle Trevie!!!  We love you!

Last Weekend...

Over the weekend, Matt left for a guy's trip to go out riding in the desert.  That left the kids and I to spend the rainy weekend by ourselves.  It was a cuddly, nothing planned, boring type of weekend that had it's ups and downs!!  Here are some highlights...

• Watching lots of movies while cuddling on the couch.
• candles lit, fireplace on.
• listening to rain
• unplanned visit to my parents where my mom bought a few goodies for our baby girl.
• trip to my parents ending in Bobs.Big.Boy--that makes this big girl happy
• letting the kids sleep in bed with me (something that only happens when Daddy is away)
• playing go-fish--Mackenzi wins
• A good friend bringing hand-me-down clothing (fleece lined jackets) at the perfect time

And here are some low-lights...

• kids sleeping in bed with me=Mommy not getting much sleep
• coughs, stuffy heads, and runny noses=everyone not getting much sleep
• hearing Mackenzi say, "I'm bored" a gazillion times
• wishing Matt was here to cuddle with a warm fire

I'm kind of excited that it's supposed to rain next weekend too.  I'm a fan of the rain (a little at a time).  We have a busy week planned and I'm hoping to start working on Baby Girl's room next weekend too!! 

Flashback Friday

Thanksgiving 2006

We spent Thanksgiving of 2006 at my grandparent's house just outside of Yosemite.  It was beautiful and so fall-like.  Mackenzi was 5 months old, Kelsea was 13 months old, and Braeden was 2.5 yrs. old (my niece & nephew).  They all look so little. 

We are bombarding my grandparents and spending this Thanksgiving at their house too.  We are all looking forward to it.  We have some things planned while we're there, but we are mostly looking forward to exploring on their 4 acres.  The boys are going to dig it! They've never been there before.  Only 19 more days until our trip!!

Even the Kids Agree...

Last night I tried out two new recipes. 

They were very, very yummy!! 

For dinner, I made this...

{via}

Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce & Bow tie Noodles

Mackenzi and Quinn had seconds.

Quinn thought the chicken was chicken nuggets, he grubbed.

Mackenzi said, "This is like Thanksgiving Dinner, but better".

No tears at dinner time is a huge success in our house!!

Try it out, it's super yummy.

I bought way too many apples for our Pumpkin Party (bobbing for apples).

So we had lots that weren't used. 

I didn't want them to go to waste, so we made homemade apple crisp last night too.

{via}

DOUBLE yum!

It was really good. 

Mine didn't turn out as wet as the picture above, but it was still delicious.

Mackenzi loved it.

We took some over to Dana and Kevin's house & they loved it too.

If you're looking for new recipes to try out,  give these a whirl.

They were delicious...

even the kids agree!!!

(Which is a huge deal at our house)

Click on the links under each picture for the recipe

Our Halloween Happenings...

On Saturday we had our 3rd annual pumpkin party.  We always have lots of fun.  This year was no exception.  There were lots of kids here playing pin-the-eye- on the purple people eater, bobbing for apples, playing hot potato pumpkin, giggling, running around, eating, and jumping in our jumper.  I was so busy with games, mingling, and eating that I didn't take any good pictures of our party.  So here's two of Mackenzi & Jace bobbing for apples!!!

 I told Matt his job is to pick up the camera and take some pictures once in awhile!! (he he he)

On Halloween morning, I made the kids a festive breakfast, pancakes & bacon.  They loved it.  Quinn even munched on it (he hates pancakes) because the face was made from chocolate chips!!

 That night, we got dressed up and trick or treated around our neighborhood.  The kids were so excited and polite.  We went with many of our friends, so that made our kids happy too!!  They got WAY too much candy. 

Jace the frog, Quinn the puppy, and Mackenzi the 50's girl!

 I didn't even tell Quinn & Jace to pose like that, they did it all by themselves...so cute!!!