take a piece of my heart

We decided to clear some space in the garage and sell our baby bouncer and swing on CL. Actually, that statement is not completely accurate. It's more like I've been hanging on to these sentimental pieces knowing we need to get rid of them but sad to see them go because they have held all 4 kids. The swing especially has saved us on more than a few newborn nights! But Brad was like, "please get these things out of my garage, please." So I sold them. Some man came and took them both and just walked out like it was no big deal. He may as well have walked out with one of my babies! As soon as he left I was inexplicably sad and cried...like a baby. Brad was very compassionate and comforting and let me grieve. I just can't believe how quickly my babies are growing up!
Galla girl in the bouncer (about 2 months).
Galla wedged under the swing (6 months).
Little Ryken in the swing (1 month).
Ryken a little older in the swing (4 months).

Finn and Paisley also spent their fair-share of time in these seats, but I guess I never used them as photo-opps.

free crawlin'

Ryken has been crawling for a little over a month now. He will temporarily enjoy the independence and indulge in activities such as pulling cans out of the pantry and ripping night lights out of sockets. And then I will hear his crying getting louder as he tracks me down to reclaim his preferred position as my "hip ornament" (like a hood ornament, get it?). C'est la vie with this cutie!

interesting article

[Feb 22, 2011 Jelly Belly Factory]

My MIL sent me this link a while back (so maybe many of you have already seen this) but I thought it was an interesting read. We are a pretty peculiar people...and I for one am proud of it!

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/01/15/feminist_obsessed_with_mormon_blogs

I do have a very good life. And another thing that I was thinking about that's semi-related: The Bachelor. Yes, I watch it and so does Brad most weeks. But I realized that I am so blessed to have what they are looking for! To be in love with and married to an amazing man, beautiful kids, a happily predictable life...it's not what the world pretends to seek, but in the end most do want something similar. So I married younger than most and had 4 kids by the age of 28. Crazy? Yes. Would I change any of it? No. The way I see it, I just got a jump start on the good part of life!

sweet six

The "teen" part will be coming after that six soon enough! For now, we're still doing the princess parties. This year our girly Galla wanted a "Beauty and the Beast" theme.
I made each of the girls their own necklace with their name on it and a little red crystal to represent the rose.


And of course a red rose cake! I was a little nervous to make it, but it turned out pretty well and was actually easier than I expected.
Brad tried his hand at cake making last weekend when we went down to Turlock to spend time with grandparents and Ryan, Steph, Conner, and Addi.
His cake also turned out good...if your definition of good is that it made the birthday girl happy!
We had fun hanging with the fam and it was so good to see everybody!!

I can't believe my baby girl is six! I'm so proud of our Galla. She is really becoming a lovely little lady. She has learned so much at kindergarten this year and is reading and writing like a champ. I volunteered in her class on her birthday so I got to be there when she handed out the cupcakes we brought. She was so gracious as she gave them to each friend and when the friend would say thank you and happy birthday she was putting her little hand on her chest and saying thank you and even doing a little curtsy-type move! She is kind and sweet and also playful and spunky! Galla is very smart and observant and does not miss a thing. She is totally organized and loves to decorate. I love holding her hand because it is so soft and dainty. I'm so happy that I get to be her mama and look forward to continuing to watch her grow. We love you Gal-friend!

valentine treats

Galla brought 32 of these "flowers" for her "friendship party" at school. Must be sure to be PC.

And we made a bunch of cake balls to share with neighbors and to give to the wonderful ladies that work at the play center at the gym. I really should take some pictures and blog about the gym because we go there just about every day!

So we got our Blurb book done thanks to some long nights of page laying out by Brad and an extension on our Jasmere credit from Blurb. It turned out great and it's so fun to have! It has renewed my motivation to blog regularly because I love it as our family journal. And it's always great to keep in touch with friends!

princess pee

I don't remember if I ever mentioned it on my blog, but we moved (only about 1/4 mile to a bigger house) in January. With so much commotion and stuff going on I wasn't planning to potty train Paisley 'til a little later. But she must have found the new commode to be more comfortable because soon after moving she pretty much potty trained herself! She has had very few accidents and looks so cute running around in her tinkerbell panties. It's great to have only one kid in diapers!

a "blog"bardment

Ok, so remember that last post from OCTOBER about the blurb book deal and then I just left my blog hanging? Ya, well that blurb book voucher expires mid-February so I figured I needed to get my act together, get my blog updated (through 2010) and turn that blurb book into a reality. I've never done one before so if anyone has any advice, please share! In the meantime, here's an excessive amount of posts to skim through. These date back to last summer, but I think I covered the basics of what we've been up to and it feels good to be getting our family journal done. I know my kids will love looking at it![Sept 14] I love this picture of my cuties just chillin' at home!
[Oct 10] And here's another typical chillin' scene.
[Nov 8] When I saw this onesie at Target I just couldn't pass it up because when the kids are getting all the attention from grandmas or Brad's mom or me, Brad will often say, "I'm a big deal!" So you can see why I got a kick out of this.
[Nov 28] And nothing beats a good bathtub shot, right? It's looking a little cramped in there...

holly jolly

This picture was on the front of the postcard that Brad sent to all his patients for a season greeting. Santa is all set for chimney bounding and toy hefting!
The big man visited Galla's school winter concert and I was pleased to get all of my kids to pose with him and (pretty much) face the camera.

All cozy on Christmas Eve and in total anticipation!
First Christmas for little Ryken and he liked all that wrapping paper and ribbons!
This is playing Christmas morning, but the calm didn't last long because Christmas day we headed down to make the rounds to Mammaw's, Nanny and Pop's, and Sesa and Pa's houses and then back home all in one fast and festive-filled day! And then the real frenzy started because we packed up and moved (only about a 1/4 mile) on January 1st. Whew! Moving is a lot of work, but we are happy to be in a bigger home.

california international marathon

[December 5] I got to run in the California International Marathon which goes from Folsom (where we live) to the Capital Building in Sacramento. I think this is a pretty cool picture with the Capital Building in the background--even if my ears alone cover half the building! I ran a PR of 3:50:25 and had a great time, but my knees disagreed. Brad and the kids came to cheer me on and we all enjoyed pancakes at the finish line.

monster truck birthday

Finn turned four and we celebrated with a sweet monster truck cake! This kid is so my little man. He tries to act tough, but he gives me tons of hugs and kisses. Finn is super obedient and loves to help me (get my phone, throw away diapers, etc). He is also quite stubborn, so when we find something on which we disagree it's nearly impossible to convince him to cooporate (wear pants instead of shorts, eat his dinner, etc) no matter how much we bribe or threaten him! He is a man that sticks to his beliefs! He also loves to play outside and ride his scooter. Most mornings he has eaten breakfast (he demands cereal the second he wakes up) and gotten himself dressed (in basketball shorts and a t-shirt) and is going outback to play before the girls have even gotten off the couch! I love Finn and getting to know him more and more as he grows up.

count your many blessings

I'm grateful to have so many blessings and so many people with which to share them. For Thanksgiving we took a few days and made the rounds to visit some family.
We went to my parents' cabin for a couple days to play in the snow. It was so fun, but my kids enjoyed playing inside the cabin more than outside. Just when the sledding trail was getting good and packed down they were over it! We are grateful for warm clothes and heaters.
This is in front of my grandma's house. I love this picture because my siblings and I also used to play in the ginko leaves. We are grateful for bright yellow leaves.
We had a feast at Mammaw's house...
...and a feast at Nanny and Pop's house. We are grateful for delicious food and incredible family.
This is Brad's cousin Macy. We are grateful for cousins. And Galla is grateful for her monkey and lip gloss.
And, of course, I'm overflowing with gratitude for my amazing husband and four beautiful children. We are so blessed to be an eternal family and I love them so stinkin' much!

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.