happy hallo"wings"

This was from Galla's school Fall Festival Carnival Autumn Celebration (or whatever PC title they gave it). I painted her scarecrow face and thought it turned out really cute--she was just thrilled to be wearing make-up!

The kids thought it was cool that they all had wings with their costumes (minus little Ryken--wings don't really go well in a stroller) and I made Galla's and Paisley's. The craigslist Buzz costume came in handy for a second Halloween. We tried to convince Finn to mix it up and wear something different (he wears that costume nearly daily) but he didn't want to and i didn't think it was worth fighting him on. Hurray for Halloween! We went to the ward trunk-or-treat where Brad and his friend Dave backed their cars up together and created a "haunted house" with a huge tarp, fog machine, strobe light, music, etc. It was awesome!

zittel's farm

[October 25] Brad was a parent volunteer for Galla's class fieldtrip to the pumpkin patch. They had a great time, but Brad seems to recall schoolbus seats being a little bigger before...Galla is the cutest little kindergartener!

I just have to add a little story here: Everyday when I take Galla to school I walk her to her classroom where the kids all line up and wait for their teacher to escort them in. We are usually one of the last ones in line because we will wait in the car 'til the last minute so I don't have to leave Finn, Paisley and Ryken alone for very long (trust me, it's a whole lot easier than dragging them all out and back--the car is always in close sight). So when we get there we walk past all the kids to get to the back of the line and every day I get a little taste of what it would be like to be a celebrity (or maybe a body gaurd to a celebrity) because all the kids are going, "Hi Galla!" "Galla! Hi!" "Galla, look at my skirt!" "Galla!" etc. She is so friendly and sweet and everybody loves her.

california girls

[October 2010] Once you party with us you'll be falling in love...oooooh oh oooooh...uh-oh! I LOVE my girls, but heaven help us...!

fireman finn

[October 15] We took a fieldtrip to the firehouse with a bunch of Finn's little boy friends. The firemen were all so very friendly and it was fun to watch the boys in awe of all the equiptment and, of course, the big truck! I love my boys!

baby grub

They look so cute sitting in these silly--yet very functional--chairs!
Here's Ryken (on October 14) all ready for his first taste of food!
The experience was a little anticlimactic. He never did really take a liking to the baby mush. He looks at me, looks at Brad, and makes it clear that "I'll have what she's having!"

best brothers

From day one Finn and Ryken have taken a liking to each other. Finn always wants to hold him and make him laugh and Ryken thinks Finn is the funniest person ever! Finn is always very gentle and careful with him and Ryken has always liked when Finn comes around. Even from a tiny baby he has prefered Finn and seemed comfortable with him whereas with Galla and Paisley Ryken gets a little nervous for his safety (the girls are a little overly loving!). Finn has never been a fan of taking pictures until Ryken came along and now he regularly requests I take a picture of him with Ryken! I love seeing my sons together--it totally warms my heart!!May 17--so precious
May 19--I love the arms behind the head and the smirk
May 23--blessing day
June 4--Ryken "looking up to" Finn with their awesome Star Wars shirts
September 5--I love how handsome they look
October 24--"I'm gunna get you!"
October 27--sometimes I can't resist matching my little monsters
November 4--sooo cute!
December 1--I love these boys
August 7--I couldn't resist throwing in this great generations picture

summer lovin'

The summer is kinda a newborn blur to me now--you mamas know what I mean! We tried to have some fun for the kids but it can be hard to get around with a newbie. Behold, one of my favorite craigslist finds ever:
This Joovy big caboose triple stroller is awesome and makes getting around with 4 little ones...well...as easy as it can be to get out with 4 little ones! I know it's not that great of a picture but I love this stroller. It's pretty pricey to buy new but I found one on CL and the people had only used it once when they went to Disneyland so it was in great shape and I got a killer deal. This stroller actually weighs less than a Graco double stroller and pushes/steers surprisingly easily. I love it and the kids feel pretty cool on their limousine stroller.
We did a lot of chillin' in the backyard and the kids love to find the critters that live around here. This garter snake is fun to play with when he's foolish enough to get caught.

These little froggies (about the size of a penny) are so cute and there is an excessive amount of them hopping around our yard, so I don't mind sacrificing a few of them for the cause of a fun childhood for my kids. Galla, Finn and Paisley love to catch them and put them in buckets or make them little beds--how CUTE is this!!!

Some other fun things we did last summer:
In July we went to a Rivercats baseball game.
In August we celebrated Mammaw's birthday with her. That bowl of "popcorn" is actually her cake that I made her and the "popcorn" is marshmallows! Mam is well-known for the delicious popcorn she makes and puts in a green bowl just like the one I used for the cake (you can actually see her popcorn bowl on the table in the background). My kids always grab a handful or two (or ten) from that green bowl when we go to Mam's.
On Labor Day we went boating with Uncle Brad and his family. The kids loved being on the boat, swimming in the lake, eating all the snacks, and going on the raft. I love how Paisley and Finn's lifevests are up to their eyes!
The next weekend in September we went to the Barnum and Bailey circus with Mimi and Opa. It was so cool and some of those acts were quite impressive!
I love this totem pole picture of my boys!

blurb book deal

I've recently learned about this cool website:

www.jasmere.com

It's like groupon, but for online retail. I've never actually purchased anything from it...until today! I thought my fellow bloggers might also be interested in this deal. It's about time I get my blog in hard copy--even if the posts have been infrequent lately--and I'm sure many of you feel the same way. But it only lasts until noon eastern time tomorrow (but the credit doesn't expire until Feb 18, 2011).

What little feedback I've heard about blurb books has been good. Any thoughts?

P.S. I just realized you can do me a favor by signing up through this link and I get referral credit. Thanks!!

http://www.jasmere.com/r/7777b292?l

Also, for an even better deal, go to this site for a $5 coupon code for jasmere:

http://mygoodcents.net/2010/10/21807/

out of mommy experiences

So, my last post was showcasing some of my crafts and things I like to do "in an attempt to act like I have a life beyond my cute kids." Another thing I do as a distraction from the daily hum-drum is run. I decided to refer to these extra-curricular activities as my "out of mommy experiences." You know, things to break up the "mom-otony" (monotony) and go beyond the "mini-mom" (minimum) requirements. Ok, I'll stop. I know, I'm way too entertained by a good play on words.

Anyway, back to the running. Most of you already know this, but I love it. It feels so good to me. It's actually surprising to me how much I love it. I'll start walking to warm up and my body feels all stiff and strained. So I'll start jogging (counter-intuitive, right?) and my whole body just relaxes and I feel like a total relief as I settle in to my autopilot pace. I feel so comfortable, mind and body, and like I've slipped slightly out of this dimension and into my own happy place. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm not complaining because it is an excellent "out of mommy experience" and when I'm done I always feel more capable of taking care of my kids.

Two weekends ago I did my first 10k race. It was called Run for Courage and it was a great race for an incredible cause. I'd never raced that distance before. I had to leave my happy autopilot pace and pick it up to make my time goal, but I did it. I finished in 45:46 (that's 7:33 each mile) and was second in my division and the 3rd girl overall. I'm not typically a competitive runner, but that was fun!

Now I'm all registered and in the thick of training for the California International Marathon in early December. I look forward to seeing this again:
My fans watching from the sidelines!
I knew Brad would be at the finish line with the kids and it totally motivated me to run faster so I could see them sooner! They are so supportive and always want to run and race all over the place! But enough about me, I promise my next post will be devoted to the stars of this blog :)

you've got to pick a project or two

(that title is supposed to be a play on words to an Oliver! reference)

In an attempt to act like I have a life beyond my cute kids, I like to experiment with all kinds of crafts. Sure, crayons and glue sticks are for kid crafts during the day, but these projects I definitely do while the helpful little hands are asleep! In the past month or two I've done a project in all kinds of categories. I'd like to show you:

Home decor:
I picked up these dinner plates (about 13") at Ikea and decorated them with silhouettes of my kids. Sorry the picture isn't so good/detailed, but they are being displayed on top of my kitchen cabinets and I didn't feel like pulling them down for a picture and putting them back up. They look better in person!

Sewing:

These car seat canopies are for my friend and her friend. She picked out the fabric and gave it to me to sew. They turned out really well, but I'd like to expand my sewing skills beyond (relatively) straight lines. Someday I'll take a class....

Baking:
These ghost cupcakes use cake balls and marshmallow fondant, which is so easy to make and super fun to use. It's like finally play-doh you can actually eat!

(Doll)house wallpapering:
Before.
After! This dollhouse hangs out in our front room and I got tired of looking at those ugly yellow walls. Nothing a little scrapbook paper and mod podge can't fix!

Jewelry making:
I admired all those mother's necklaces on etsy for so long and was going to order one until Brad suggested I just make it. So I got some tools and supplies, watched an online demo, and then started hammering away! I love it and wear it almost everyday. The kids like to play with it and find their name. I've got some more pieces in the works including coordinating necklaces for each kid, a runner ID bracelet for me, and a Mimi necklace for Brad's mom (don't worry, Robin, I haven't forgotten). :)

See, (I tell myself) I'm good at more than just diaper duty!

Ryken roll

A few days after turning 4 months Ryken started to roll! He is growing as fast as he can to catch up to his siblings. At his 4 month check-up he was about: 10% for weight, 90% for height, 10% for head size and I suspect if there were a measure for it, he'd be 90% for ear size! He is so cute and so sweet and I love him to pieces. When he got all his shots he just let out a little wimper and then blew raspberries at the nurse--so brave! In honor of my brave little boy I thought I'd take a short walk down memory lane with some pictures that never got posted. It's easily apparent how precious he is!
The first official roll on September 8.
Swinging at 4 months.
Lounging at 3 months.
Smiling at 2 1/2 months.
Also 2 1/2 months.
Smiling for Mammaw at 2 months.
Almost 2 months.
So serious at 1 month!
Sweet little sleep smile at 1 month.

Please don't get any bigger. Stay my little baby forever.