A few pictures...

 My two sweet boys...

... and Camille...

The only picture I have to date of me and my munchkins... 

... and Grandma and Papa visiting for ten days last week...

... and our brand new six year old!

I don't know if we've had a break from coughs and colds since early December but we still have managed to do a few fun things (minus missing MOPS and Sundays at church:-( Elliott was born on the 17th and my parents came into town on the 27th. It was nice to have them here and to have the extra set of hands I wish I had on a daily basis. We went out for Russell's 6th birthday (the 31st) at a local restaurant (yeah- kids eat free night!) and then on February 4th, celebrated with family friends and school friends- bouncy house at the mall included.

I hope we don't limp along with colds and coughs until spring (seven weeks and counting!) but if the other children in Russell's K class are an indication, it could be a while yet before all of us go to church together... and we don't regret it by Tuesday (the traditional day when kids get sick from germs at church. Grr.).

Photo Op.

It's difficult to be the third child when Big Sister still loves to be the gal in the camera lens! (I'm trying to get infant pictures before Elliott turns into a six-month old! and hopefully a birth announcement... hopefully.)

Elliott's Birth Story

This morning I wrote out Elliott's birth story to the best of my memory (hazy for a woman in pain) and Dan's repeat play-by-play (poor man). I like to reread the stories of Russell and Camille and I know that Elliott's will fade as well as time marches on.

For obvious TMI reasons, I won't post it below but if you'd like to read what I wrote- details and all, just leave a comment below and I'll e-mail it to you. There is no use in putting too much online for others to read and remember.

Baby Elliott

We are excited to announce the birth of our second son, Elliott Paul, born on Tuesday, January 17th at 7:20am. Seven pounds 13oz and 19" long. He had the longest gestation so far (40w2d) but certainly, the quickest entry into the world!

We are thrilled to start this new chapter in our family's life together. Thank-you for your continued prayers for our continued strong health- especially with a newborn in the house. Now... onto the next eighteen years of this boy's life:-)

39w1d- still waiting!

By this gestation of my first two children, they were both born and swaddled. This little boy? Hanging out until the last few days. Can't really blame him... Russell and Camille get quite loud at times;-) I've sorted and washed the clothes I kept from Russell's infancy (frugal or a little over hopeful since it's been six years?) so we're ready as we'll ever be. I'm torn between enjoying the pregnancy and the anxiousness of the big and little details in the days to come. No wonder so many people like preplanned induction dates and repeat c/s dates. It takes the mystery (read: stress) out of the unknown.

Hopefully next time I get a chance to post, there will be pictures of our new little man instead of my belly!

Christmas in a local way

This year has been a lot of firsts for us- and a lot of change. Moving thirty miles south shouldn't seem like a semi-earthquake to our lives but in reality, it's definitely been a 7.0. Change is not easy and for some, it's just the hardest thing to endure. It's been a difficult year adjusting to the distance of longtime friends and the ending of potential friendships. So, to say that we get to stay home this year and just do nothing for Christmas is really quite fine:-) We'll celebrate in a local way, and as Dan says, make our own memories to savour upon in the coming years.

Tradition #1- Russell's school 'holiday' sing along (shame- no 'Christmas'... it's a public school...). He's near the front left in his black puffer coat. Do you see him? No worries, I didn't either until the end.

"Mom, I wanted you to come and be here... Not to take pictures..."

Ha. Guess who got a picture after all!

Then today, we hosted our 'first annual' cookie exchange with several of the moms/children from Russell's K class. Seven 5/6-year old boys + younger siblings= craziness and a wonderful time!

... and Little Sis, who just seems on some days to be older than she really is. I love these children.

Blessings to you and whether you spend time travelling or staying home, may it be a time of fellowship with those around you.

Party All Night Long! (well, at least 'til 8pm)

On Saturday night, we attended our first block Christmas party- complete with many appetizers, drinks, a full dinner, desserts, and some nice conversation... Our party on Sunday night was a little bit different. With eight adults and seven children (Russell being the oldest), we took it a little easier. The four couples (minus one couple who couldn't come) were our original Bible study/care group back B.C. (before children). Everyone seemed to have a great time and since it was pot-luck style, it was easy to host!!

**Russell was in his non-photographic mood**

The Awkward Stage:-)

Week 25 vs. Week 33 (now).

Besides the normal aches and pains of pregnancy, I'd say this is a 'good thing' that God thought up!

(PS- the neighbor beside us decided to cut back the trees on the fence line in preparation to sell the house... I LOVE the winter sunlight! Our bedroom is so bright now during the day.)

If You're Planning on Shopping this Christmas season...

... don't spend so much that you... 1) hate January because the credit card bills are too high, 2) spend what you don't have, and 3) regret purchases later, when the recipt is long gone and the season is over. (Where would we be in life without Dave Ramsey to set us straight?)

Dan and I are not thoughtful gift givers to be honest. In the 'old' days before children, we would spend our birthday/Christmas/anniversary money on weekends away to Palm Springs or Santa Barbara or such (when we used to live in San Diego). I still remember those trips fondly but to be honest, I can't remember what Dan bought me for Christmas last year- and visa versa. At least we can laugh over it together. This year, I think cans of paint would be great, though!

I'm an online shopper kinda girl. Amazon.com is my default go-to site but even then I Google my desired purchase before clicking 'submit' one last time.

If you want to get cash-back dollars, try sites like:

Ebates.com (American) or Ebates.com/canada

ShopAtHome.com

 

(These links use my referral codes.) I don't favor one over the other... just whatever one gives me more cash back per site. I get cash back from airfare, daily-deal sites (Groupon, Zulily), and Gap/Old Navy. They still don't have Gymboree but someday;-)

 

The other sites I check (American) are feed into my Facebook fed for B&M deals, online deals, and coupons (of course!)...

 

The Frugal Find

Money Saving Mom

Hip2Save

 

I really hope to all friends and family and others that come by this site, that this Christmas season really is a season of good food and gifts but moreso cherishing and celebrating those in our lives.

 

Middle of November

We're half way through November already. American Thanksgiving is next week... it still is strange to be celebrating so late in the year- and so close to Christmas. Although we could have made arrangements to drive up to Sacramento for a 'family' Thanksgiving with Dan's cousin and his family, we just don't have the 'umph' this year. Camille is not a road-trip kinda gal and turning a 2.5 hr trip into a 3-4 hr trip (due to stops) is ridiculous. Add traffic on top of that and we're happy to microwave some turkey leftovers and gobble down some pumpkin cheesecake in the warmth of our own home.

Christmas 2010

Christmas will be calm for us as well. I'll be 37 weeks (full term) pregnant on December 25th so I'm not putting too much effort into baking and decorating... the latter I can leave to Russell and Dan and the Christmas-light aisle at Home Depot. The boys both have two weeks off during the Christmas season so it will give them something to do;-) But- I LOVE reading and looking at the seasonal magazines. New ways to prepare side dishes, stuffing, and drinks... but mostly- desserts. I'm a sap for any recipe with cream cheese and/or chocolate. Call it a Christmas treat and it becomes a new favorite. I suppose the saving grace this season is the fact that I'm at the stage of pregnancy where my internal organs are jammed up into my lungs, making eating large portions a rather uncomfortable obstacle;-)

Next celebration? Birthday #32... no longer near 30 and onwards to 35. Gotta love these birthdays!

October Wrap-Up

Like a typical month, October's calendar started out quite empty and quiet, only to finish at full speed. We celebrated friends' children's birthdays early in the month, then celebrated our own little 2-yr-old on the 22nd...

 Red velvet cupcakes for the children and lemon-gingersnap cheesecake for the adults. Delicious as ever!!



 Yes, Camille was anxious to blow out her own two candles, and she succeeded!

 In her words, "Cake. Yummy. Good!"

 The teaset we bought for her. She's loved it ever since:-)



 The next day was Sunday, and once the children had rested in the afternoon, we drove over to Natural Bridges State Beach for some weekend sand time. The monarc butterflies are actually migrating through the area currently as well, but the kiddos didn't have the patience for walking amongst the milkweed. Perhaps next year.



Finally, Halloween! My Captain Hook (minus the eye patch and hook- I don't understand him sometimes!) at the school parade...

 ... and Tinker Bell...

So, another month has come and gone. It will be November tomorrow. Again, the calendar is calm and quiet and I'll just enjoy that for now. American Thanksgiving, here we come!!

100 days... but who's counting?

Summer came to a crashing halt this past week as the temperatures dropped from a balmy 90F to a wet and windy 58F... a few inches of rain included. It's a little early for rain but in true California form, next week should be sunny and back into the 70F's.

My parents were here in mid-September to visit. A week sped by quickly. With Russell in school, we weren't able to do many adventures but we did get a chance to go apple-picking on the coast. The weather was autumn-perfect and Russell and Camille had a blast...

Our family seems to have finally found a new routine surrounding Russell and his school hours. Camille's nap is a little sooner, Tuesday afternoons are swim lessons for Russell, homework is done after supper, learning-to-read lessons are done after breakfast, and play-dates with friends only on Fridays. A lot of my struggles could be made easier if we had chosen to home-school but when I see Russell interact so positively with his classmates and teacher, I'm assured that we are doing the best for him for now. He was just so bored at home over the summer and it drove both of us crazy.

October promises a handful of friends' children's birthday parties and that includes one for Camille- who personally believes she is really for kindergartan like Russell is. When she eyes the glue sticks, markers, papers and crafts in Russell's class each day, I have to fight her to put her back in the stroller. She is talking in singular words and a few short phrases- enough that for better or worse, we understand most of what she says;-) She loves drawing/coloring and finally has grasped the concept of 'only on paper' instead of my walls, furninture and the wood floors.

... And according to my ticker above, only 100 days left until Little Brother is due! My dry heartburn has shown up a lot sooner but I don't have the carpel tunnel (claw hands) this time like my other pregnancies. Hallelujah. My thyroid meds are being monitored a lot closer, and for this reason, the carpel tunnel has stayed away as of yet. Little Brother gives healthy kicks- mostly at night or when I'm resting, and the newness of it all still has not worn off. Although pregnancy is difficult on a woman's body, I am so overjoyed to experience it once again. With the autumn and winter weeks ahead (April's wedding in San Diego, Halloween, American Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas, and New Years), these 100 days will be gone in a blink!

Thanks for checking in despite the rare posts:-) I love reading all your updates!



Brothers!

 

I had my 20-week anatomy ultrasound today and both technicians confirmed independently that Baby #3 is indeed Boy #2!! For the simple fact that there have been no brothers (two or more boys) in either set of our family lineage for the last two generations, I am really excited for the coming years when Russell and Baby Boy will have that bond. They will be six years apart (to the month) so that friendship probably won't form until later in youth or beyond but nevertheless:-)

In typical boy fashion- for our family anyway, Little Brother had his hand and arm over his face so the technician couldn't take the proper pictures and measurements needed. My 45 minute appointment turned into a 90 minute appointment because the baby wouldn't turn or move to the right positions needed. Sigh. I've paid photographers to catch the simplest smile from Russell- and failed, and here it seems that Little Brother will follow in his footsteps.

It's all in the family!!

His first of "First Days of School"

The future grad class of 2024 started Kindergarten classes this past week... including Russell. He was most enthused at first and although we've had a few moments of near-tears, the week has gone quite well.

We're so proud of him and his new journey into this chapter of life. His babyhood is long gone and his boyhood is in full swing. Here's to new challenges and new accomplishments!

Fingerprint of God

I've been silent about our secret for a few months now but I am ready to tell you since we just told our families. We're pregnant again. I'm fifteen weeks today and the due date is January 15th, 2012.

This time around, I didn't call my OB for the initial bloodwork. He had prescribed me the two drugs I took during Camille's pregnancy and if these didn't work again, there was really nothing else he could do for me. I started taking the drugs in April and will continue the Lovenox for the duration of the pregnancy- my OB said it was up to me if I wanted to do so or not.

My first appointment was in early June. For those that have seen their child's heartbeat on an ultrasound machine, you might understand how I felt, but perhaps only those that have experience loss will understand the amazement of it. So often, I've only seen an empty sac or just nothing. On that day, I saw the fingerprint of God in that little heartbeat. Life. So fragile. So fleeting. So precious. I don't understand the miracle of cells forming to create a heart... and then start beating to create sustained life but God does- and for Him to be in control of that is greater than anything man could ever create or invent.

I know that pregnancy is a possibility and not a promise of things to come but each day is one day closer to having Baby #3 join our family.

And yes... we will be finding out the gender:-)

Never has there been and never again

Will there be another you

Fashioned by God's hand and perfectly planned

To be just who you are

And what He's been creating

Since the first beat of your heart

Is a living, breathing

Priceless work of art

-Steven Curtis Chapman

A sign of hope

The last few months of attempted gardening have ended, well... not so well. The tomato seeds I planted drowned in the rains of the spring and the strawberry plants had their green berries and leaves (!!) eaten by the neighbor's squirrel population. I did manage to get a net put up so we did get a few berries but what the squirrels didn't eat, mostly rotted in the soil- oops. My bad.

At the same time that I bought the strawberry plants, I also bought two small tomato plants. I planted them in my sunniest location and let them be with exception of random waterings (it was a wet spring). I actually took notice of them about a month ago when they suddenly seemed to kick into high gear and green tomatoes started to grow. Russell is holding our first, fully rippened fruit. We had it in our salad tonight and it was sweet and tangy. So long, Safeway tomatoes!

I think I'll plant more tomato plants next spring but one tomato doesn't prove I have a green thumb. The squirrels have eaten some of the tomato leaves but hopefully the net will discourage any other attempts. I'll try harder with the strawberries next spring but overall, I'll stick with hardy plants that can handle the summer heat and don't die- at least, too easily!

Weekend of Summer

To those celebrating the 144th Canada Day north of the 49th and those celebrating 235th Independence Day south of the 49th, I hope you have as much fun as our little dual-citizen will have! Remember those that have fought for our countries and those that continue to fight- especially in the Middle East and North Africa. We are so blessed to have the freedoms and peace that we do.

Last month...

 Dan's birthday was the 17th but we celebrated in the weekend... with eight adults and ten kids under the age of five. Roasted-garlic mashed potatoes, BBQ'd chicken, baked beans, and carrot cake for dessert. Yum!



 Memorial Day weekend (the 29/30th) we went up to Sacramento to visit Dan's cousins and their kids. Camille felt right at home with the 'big' girls (ages 4 & 2).

 My first strawberry that dared to try and rippen despite the cool weather... only to succomb to the neighbor's squirrels (he feeds the mangy animals.. grr). I now have netting covering the plants. The kids love to watch the plants grow and change.

 Morning snuggles on the couch. Russell sets up his 'bed' and Camille promptly crawls up and plops herself in the middle. She will really miss him when he's off to kindergartan in August:-(

Yummy, fresh strawberries from the local vendor (day laborer) who stops by every three weeks or so. The berries are local and haven't spent anytime under grow-lights or in store coolers. Just right to my door- and children's bellies. I love this!

Hopefully, I'll get some more pictures up for June as the month progresses. It's been quiet and somewhat lonely around here. The kids keep me busy but they don't fill the space of 'friendship' that I yearn for. I suppose I'm struggling with the fact of busyness in other's lives... Community is so difficult to grow and yet so easy to let die.

Russell and Dan have their first (of three) camping trips later this week. It will be me and Little Sis for 48hrs... just enough time for lots of book reading and playing with her on her level. Good times!!

Celebrating Spring

It's been a cool spring so far and not very inspiring to be outside for long periods of time unless in the late afternoon when it warms up. I bought a pair of hedge trimmers/shears and Russell loves when I take a few minutes to trim tree branches or the ivy on the back fence or any other rouge plant that dares cross the fence line. This past weekend, we finally attacked the front planter that runs along the front of the house. It was overgrown with dead fern bushes...
(picture from February when we re-roofed)

Before and After...

We even found a few ceramic critters buried in the dirt (minus the goose)... a frog, turtle, and coiled up snake...

Russell was such a help. The minute we cleared some foliage, he ran it to the street to add to our yard-clipping pile. The city actually has this amazing vehicle that scoops with pinchers and disposes of the piles into a secondary vehicle. Each Monday, there are piles all over the city like this...

... and my beloved California poppies. In the fall, I hope to get a few different varieties of other poppies and plant them so next spring will be even more beautiful. The plants take care of themselves- the type of plant I enjoy:-)

 

Happy Spring!