Kids Say 3

Haven't put these up in awhile or been as good at keeping up with them but still managed to keep track of some cute ones :)
1st post here
2nd post here

2/16/11
C playing with her dolls: "And we're going to have a baby sister"
Mommy: Do you want another sister?
C:That might be too many babies, our family is big. It has Nanna, Jojo, Eva, and Mommy, and not Daddy because he's at school but he's going to come back
Mommy: Well how bout another baby sister or brother in a few months after your birthday and after Eva's birthday.
C: Well that wouldn't be too many then
Mommy: Well do you want a baby sister or baby brother
C:Another baby sister!
J:Daddy and I are the only boys!

-
C just came out of bed (she's supposed to be asleep) riding a pink car and drives it up to wear E's crawling and says "I don't want to drive over Eva! She's the best baby in the whole wide world I don't want to hurt Eva!"

2/19/11
C to Daddy: You're a good Daddy! I love you!

2/21/11
C says she needs 3 plates because she's 3
J says he needs 2
And C says well I need 10
because I have 10 fingers
J says well I have 10 too, and C said well I had 10 first....
-
Making sure the kids know our names as we've taught them
Mommy to C: What's Mommy's name
C: L___ Mommy Baker
Mommy:What's Daddy's name
C: Hun
C:But his full name is M_____ Daddy Baker

3/11
J:I'm a little brother and a big brother

3/11
C:We're going to have another baby but not till after my birthday, Jojo's birthday, and Eva's birthday!

4/13/11
When asked who was at the playdate
C:There was a baby named Ashlyn
Ibu:Eva's a baby too so were there two babies
C:No there was only one baby there, Eva is OUR baby.

4/14/11
C:(after lots of jumping) I need to go potty now! All that jumping made me need to right now!

6/9/11
While we were out C saw a woman sitting alone across the restaurant: "Mommy she doesn't have enough family with her! She must be sad....but maybe she has a lot of family but the babies are too little and they have stay home. Or maybe her family is too big to come and she's taking food home to share with them. Yes I think that's it. I hope she has a big family and she's as happy as we are!"

6/20/11
C: Wow that's a really good idea! I never thought of that!

6/21/11
J:I'm a little brother BUT I'm growing up!

6/21/11
C: Mommy I'm your princess!

6/26/11
Mommy pulls up the camera to take a picture of E
E:Cheeeeese!!!! :)

6/28/11
Mommy to C and J in the car: What do yall want for lunch when we get home?
C: Chicken!
J: Hot dogs!
E: (out of nowhere 9 months old) Cookie?

6/30/11
C: Why is Daddy driving that car (Ibu's convertible), he's all alone! He'll be so lonely

J to C (past bedtime): You know what I'm doing, I'm teaching you bad habits

J fake crying after being told to go to bed, C says:What's wrong Jojo? J: I'm just having a bad night

Back to Tennessee Unexpectedly

So the last few days have been pretty crazy. I won't go into too much detail on the more dramatic points but MIL decided we all should go away for the weekend before she left to go back overseas and being positive I will say the idea was appreciated though the execution left a little to be desired. We did make some nice memories with the kids though.

Hubby was going to go hang gliding but the weather wasn't favorable. We had many other plans to but SIL was exhausted (on the teenager summer schedule) and some things fell through.

We did get to go to the aquarium again though, where I got some cute pics of the kids especially C with her favorite creature of late butterflies! We also went to the IMax. The kids weren't very fond of the 3d glasses but still enjoyed the movie which showed lots of baby monkeys and elephants.

Sunday we went on the Aquarium River ride which was pretty awesome. All three kids loved it as did Daddy and I.

We went home early today and got back just in time for C and J's annual appointments (they're perfect C's in the 90% height 50% weight same as always, J's in 95% height and 75% weight).

I'll try and upload the weekend pics soon, now I'm ready to relax and enjoy being home again.

Cheeeeese!

E's newest trick since yesterday (which she's very proud of) is saying "Cheese!" when Mommy holds up the camera. Exploiting this trick today I attempted to get some pics of C, J, and E together before we headed home. Wasn't quite as successful though still cute lol. You can almost hear E saying Cheeeese in these :P

Riding down the River

Our awesome boat ride from the Aquarium River Gorge Explorer :) It was raining at the start but soon cleared up so we could all go on the top deck

Chatt Aquarium Take 2

Some memories from Saturday's adventures

Daddy Flying Video

Promised to add this earlier but Daddy had to edit etc. so adding now. Lots to catch up on for the month, I'll try and get on it soon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKAW6teuyD0

Happy Father's Day!

Since we did tons for hubby's bday last week I'll admit I didn't go quite as all out as we could've but it was still perfect. I woke up early to make hubby breakfast potatoes with peppers and onions, as well as eggs, turkey sausage, and bacon. Hubby got to sleep in a little while it was all getting ready. C and J drew cards for Daddy and after breakfast he opened his gifts, a World's Best Dad t-shirt and the big gift a Shutterfly photo book with pics of Daddy and the kids.

The book turned out really nicely and Daddy loved it.

The rest of the day we relaxed, spent lots of time outside, and went to visit MIL for dinner.

Hubby said it was perfect and my goal was to make it the best day for him so I was very happy :)

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and father to my children! And I hope even though we celebrated a little more today that he knows how thankful we are for him every day :)Happy Father's Day!




Hope your family's father's day was as wonderful as ours :)

Yard Sale, Home School, and the Mall

Today was busy but a lot of fun!

I got up bright and early to make it to my doula's mom's yard sale and it was soooooo worth the waking and the drive. This amazing woman has 10 children and just finished home schooling her 10th so she was getting rid of tons of books and I came away with quite a stash! Learning games, work books, study guides, all for a very good price!

Then my doula also had some of her kids' outgrown clothes for sale and she added those (plus a nice top for me), a book on aviation book for hubby, and a George Foreman grill to our purchase for next to nothing (really!).

It was awesome and when we got home I played a few of the math games with C and J and they loved them even more than I do, I know I'll be using these for years to come.

Our current plan on the homeschool front is to officially start homeschool Pre-K with C and J this fall and then see how each handles it and how far forward they may want to go. Depending on how they do this year and where we are next year we'll see if we continue homeschooling or maybe add the K12 online program to our curriculum. The kids have already learned so much in our less structured daily learning time I can't wait to see how they handle more info thrown in and I love spending the time with them teaching.

Anyway back to today :P

That afternoon we met up with MIL/Ibu and hubby's younger sister at the Mall and she decided to splurge on the kids a bit (understatement lol). She got them so much cute stuff. C was especially excited to add to her dress collection since she's in a stage right now where she only wants skirts or dresses ("princess clothes" as she calls them). It was a nice outing with the family and the rain came in right as we were leaving so good timing.

When I got home all this inspired me to purge and put away all the outgrown kids clothes to make room for the new stuff. It was bittersweet putting lots of the stuff away but also exciting I get to use most of the items over again soon!

Overall we all had a wonderful day and are looking forward to Father's Day festivities tomorrow!

Sleepy Sweethearts

Too cute not to share and similar to how I feel right now too :P

E walking on video :P

E walking video (links to FB)
(Gotten with hidden camera under the desk when she thought I wasn't looking and was distracted by wipes :P) Excuse the mess and about 50 sec in is the more exciting bit lol She's been doing this since Sunday, getting her to do it on camera was the tough part

Happy 9 months E!

Once again I'm in shock but E is now 9 months (3/4 of a year! old). She's growing so fast.

Our biggest developments this past month were new teeth, new words, and last weekend WALKING! She made it right in at the last bit of 8 months making her our 3rd 8 month walker :P

I love this stage with walking and talking more though miss my more snuggly newborn she's so much fun right now. Most days she's following big sis and big bro about trying to keep up and join in their fun and they're happy to have her (most of the time :P).

E is definitely branching out even more in her independence and guts though her sweet side is still here too. One glimpse into these changes though: J took a toy from E and she walked over to him and tackled him! He fell down in shock and she was on top of him laughing. Little sis is definitely showing she can take care of herself already. I wish I'd caught it on camera!

I'm a little sad how fast this year is flying by but also so excited to see what's next for our family and all the fun to come!

At 9 months E is:

-Walking!
-Saying all the words of previous months, plus Eva, Baby, and Daddy, and repeats many things the kids and I say to her (including numbers and letters but it's just repeating at this point)
-Still loudest child and has a new game with C of seeing who can squeal at the top of their lungs loudest (guess this is a hint of the sounds of my house for years to come lol)
-Still Nursing!
-Also great at eating solids, fresh veggies cooked down, and many of the same things we're eating now just less seasoned and cooked down a bit more
-Has 3 teeth on the bottom and it's a race to see if the 4th bottom or 4 on top will come out next! She currently has the two side top ones winning (another first on teething for my kids, order wise)
-Still a Mommy's girl but also head over heels for C, J, and Daddy
-Looking more like Daddy every day! Especially since she has a little tan (which is impossible for C and J with my skin lol) and blue eyes still
-Loves games where we say do this (reach for the sky, wave, etc.) and laughs often (especially if C or J are laughing)
-Also loves her new game of learning No where she tests Mommy a little and this No word which she definitely knows the meaning of she's shown lol
-Lines up with her siblings if they want outside or snacks, she always seems to know and is like "Me too Mommy!" It's funny how much she thinks she can do and amazing how much she can do
-Is still as cute and sweet as can be but definitely more and more personality coming out :) She's definitely a character and an individual unto herself, I can't wait to see her grow and learn more and more

With her big sis and big bro :)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today was my amazing hubby's birthday and I started bright and early working to make it the best one yet. He said we succeeded :)

We started with one of hubby's favorite breakfast meals, breakfast burritos with turkey sausage, onions, and peppers. Then I finished the cake decoration (made the main carrot cake the day before, then cupcakes and cookie this morning before icing it all). The theme was hang gliding from hubby's recent hobby. I came up with the design last week and made the background/board yesterday. I put the cookie on top of the main cake and cut and iced it to look like a hang glider from above and I decorated the cupcakes as trees. It was pretty cool and hubby was surprised and pretty impressed. Also it all tasted awesome!

Here's a phone pic of the hang gliding cake:

We had turkey bacon, BLTs and potato salad for lunch all followed with cake.

The kids and I picked out gifts for Daddy yesterday (fairly last minute but perfect for our almost 3 and 4 year olds lol). Daddy got lots of random camping goodies the kids liked for various random cute reasons lol, a compass, a model helicopter with a camera on it, and the big thing was a soccer net and a couple regulation balls for him and the kids to use! Everyone is very excited about breaking the last one in tomorrow.

We had some fun in the backyard and then more yummy stuff for dinner with Zucchini noodles and 7 layer dip.

We were all worn out, very full, and happy by the bedtime and I'm ready to dose with the rest of them. I'll try and upload some more pics later in the week. I'm so glad Daddy had a great day and we got to celebrate with him :) Now to finish planning for Father's day :P

E's Walking!!!!

E is now officially walking. She still prefers crawling on the speed but today she walked a lot on her own. Of course awesome time for Mommy to lose her camera that takes video but hopefully I'll be able to catch a clip of her new feat soon.

This makes our third 8 month walker though C and J were a few weeks earlier E has held her own and gave Daddy an awesome early birthday gift.

Even though I've done the firsts and the first year speeding by before with C and J it's still amazing how E grows and changes so much. I love this stage where she's talking up a storm, still snuggling lots, but loving to branch out in her independence and in playing with her big siblings. She's holding her own more with them and pretty much constantly trying to play with them. They're wonderfully patient and helpful as well.

We are so blessed as a family and I can't wait to see the excitement all the days, months, and years to come bring!

Flying Daddy

Well he did it.....this morning bright and early hubby jumped off a cliff (with hang glider attached :P) and survived.

Even more surprising I didn't have a heart attack while he was away, worrying.

He loved it of course and brought back a video which I'll admit is pretty cool (don't tell him that though). I was hoping he would get it out of his system some and then not want to go again for a bit but he's already looking at weather to come. *Knock on wood* hopefully Mommy will get a break before having to worry again.

It's definitely a fun new adventure though. And as soon as he uploads the youtube video I'll link here too.

On other fronts many many job applications are sent out and a few interviews have happened and more are scheduled. Please continue praying that the right one finds us! I'll try and add more updates and catch up some soon!

First Crochet Dress

This is my first attempt at a main piece of clothing (aka not an accessory:hats, scarves, shoes, etc.) and I love how it turned out. Fits 8.5 month old E perfectly though is a little short for Fall/Winter wear it's perfect in this heat and I may add a few rows later to the length. I love the color that I chose to bring out the blue in E's eyes and the pattern only took a tiny bit over 1 skein and 2 days of crocheting (when I could of course in between juggling my other mommy and wife stuff).

I will definitely be making more of these! Here's some pics followed by pattern link and my adjustments along with the first 2 steps of another raveler to adjust from newborn to 9-12 month size.

Excuse the sleepy model this was right before nap time (also indicated by the thumb sucking)

Started with http://www.ravelry.com/projects/oiyi/baby-girl-sleeper-se...
Modifications for bigger size

Continued to Row 6 for Top
Started with chain 50

1. Dc in 3rd ch from hook and in the next (3) 5, 3dc (corner made), DC in next (7) 9 chs, 3dc (corner made), dc in next (11) 13, 3dc (corner made), DC in next (7) 9, 3dc (corner made) Dc in the last (5) 7. Ch 3 turn.

2. Dc in the next (5dc) 7dc. CORNER, dc in the next (9) 11, CORNER, dc in the next (13) 15, CORNER, dc in the next (9) 11, CORNER, dc in the last (6 sts) 8 sts. Ch 3, turn. The rest of the top instructions I continued off myself from http://www.ravelry.com/projects/oiyi/baby-girl-sleeper-se... Notes

3. Dc in next 9 dc, CORNER, dc in next 13, CORNER, dc in next 17, CORNER, dc in next 13, CORNER, dc in last 9 sts. Ch 3 turn.

4. Dc in next 11, CORNER, dc in next 15, CORNER, dc in next 19, CORNER, dc in next 15, CORNER, dc in last 10 sts. Ch 3, turn.

5. Dc in next 13, CORNER, dc in next 17, CORNER, dc in next 21, CORNER, dc in next 17, CORNER, dc in last 11 sts. Ch 3, turn.

6. Dc in next 15, CORNER, dc in next 19, CORNER, dc in next 23, CORNER, dc in next 19, CORNER, dc in last 12 sts. Ch 3, turn.
   

Skirt half followed from original pattern http://crotiques.com/bgs.htm adding shells where necessary, on sleeves sk 11 instead of 8

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-girl-sleeper-set---dress

New Words and Rockets

Today was filled with excitement. Our original plans got changed due to illness and we were very disappointed to miss out on a party and get together with family but Ami, E, and Hubby still were determined to give us a great day.

E started the morning by surprising Daddy and I with 3 new words at once! And all multiple syllables that don't repeat: Eva, Baby, and Daddy. Before this she's had Mama, Dadda, Nanna (what she calls C), Hi, Hey, Up, and Booboo (when she wants to nurse lol).

Ami arrived and brought more fun by just being here but also added some excitement by bringing Tomato plants for the kids to re pot and making oatmeal cookies with C and J.

Before planting we all went to the park to shoot off Daddy's model rocket which was one of his Christmas gifts. The kids loved it. C, J, and E all got turns pressing the trigger lol and C and J got to run after the parachute as it came back down.

Home for planting, eating, and then we were all worn out and ready for bed. Definitely an awesome day.

Aunt Ruth's Visitation and Funeral

Yesterday we moved up a doctor's appt. for the morning and then headed to North Ga late that afternoon for the visitation last night and funeral today.

The trip was pretty easy going though we got a bit of extra bad news. Hubby's uncle was having some chest pains and shortness of breath so he went to the doctor and they found multiple clots in his chest. He is going in for surgery Thursday morning so please keep him in your prayers.

The kids stayed with Ami/my mom at her house while Hubby and I attended the visitation. It was nice seeing so many family members though I wish it had been under happier circumstances. Aunt Ruth was wearing her pink suit and had her nails done perfect and pink as well. It was a nice touch though I knew that was only her body and her spirit wasn't there. There were beautiful pink flowers everywhere. With her love of flowers and gardening I know she would've loved it. There were also pictures of her and her family which were wonderful to see. The black and white ones of her and my uncle when they were newlyweds were especially perfect. You could definitely see the love and joy in here face as he held her in his arms. I am glad they are together again now. There was also an amazing picture that my cousin took at Yellowstone that looked like the two of them were walking into the clouds. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen in my life and held even more significance now. I hope to get a copy of it later.

The funeral was today and was beautiful though definitely filled with a lot of tears. My mom and I went while Daddy watched the kids since they're not old enough to understand. The preacher was very close to Aunt Ruth so he worked many things about her life and things she loved into the service, mainly her family, her garden, and fishing :) Many times people would laugh and smile through the tears. As he said we're filled with joy because we know she's in heaven with my uncle but with sorrow because we miss her so.

My second cousin who is a Bluegrass singer and banjo player sang as he was accompanied by a friend playing my uncle's guitar. The music was beautiful and I know Aunt Ruth would've loved it. He said how of all the treasures one could own none would compare to the treasure his grandmother was. In the bible it says to give your treasures to the Lord but trusting and having faith in him as he holds the people we treasure in Heaven means the most.

The service seemed over quickly as has this week, with lots of hugs and tears. Several aunts and cousins told me how I was special to Aunt Ruth. I always felt this way but hearing about how she told others about me with that same love and pride she showed me definitely warmed my heart.

We talked about various memories of her. Of the foods she cooked (which are all my main comfort foods now), the time spent at her house, the stories she told me, her flowers, how she wrapped one of her amazing pies for our wedding present and it was my favorite one lol, and so on. She was truly one in a million and I am so blessed to have had her in my life and she will always be in my heart.

The preacher said so much about her positive spirit, love, and strength in her life and her faith, and how we should all try to channel a bit of her in our daily lives. I hope I am up to the challenge and commitment so maybe I can be even 1/100th of as wonderful an influence on someone's life as she was on so many, including mine.