Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Recovering...

I have been having a little trouble getting back adjusted to everything in the fast lane in our home this week!!! I think it all started the 2 weeks before we left for vacation! The kids all got this chest cold thing and they would sneeze and I would RUN to catch and wipe nosies, not getting anything done! I was frustrated cause I just knew that I would be ready on time to leave for our first flight with kids!!! I could feel myself catching the cold as I was cleaning their little noses, and then I got it!!! I was miserable, and the kiddos were all still sick too! Lee missed out on getting sick, praise the Lord! At the end of the week I thought we were all kicking the chest cold thing... then Zoe woke me up at 4am telling me that she threw up in her bed!!! She went to the bathroom, threw up another time and, after I got all of her new sheets, she got back in bed! All day the next day she seemed fine, just a little timid. She even wanted to eat, but she threw up again at 2am! The next night was good, but I was queasy, and the next 3 nights she threw up around the same time! I wasn't throwing up, but I was sick another way all night for one of the nights...and sooo nauseated for the rest of the week! I was also up all the nights that Zoe was sick!!! Lee helped me, which was great since he had to be up early the next days to work a FULL day!!! So, to make a long story short, the day before we got on the plane I was doing laundry all day and that night I was up packing until 3am!!! Lee set his alarm for 5am and went to bed cause he just couldn't stay up, so we basically traded shifts! We had to leave the house by 6:30am to get to the airport on time, so that morning Lee let me sleep as long as possible and we did actually make it!!! Hahaha! We obviously didn't sleep on the plane since we had 2 toddlers and a preschooler!!! We got 4 seats for the 5 of us, and I was AMAZED at how well they did! My biggest fear was that they would all be fussing and bored and restless...so I made sure they had enough to do! One thing I brought that took up a little time, and even kept Asher busy, was lolipops!!! They were a little messy, but they lasted a long time! I bought stickers, paper, crayons, 2 new books (cheapo ones), gum and pre packaged bags of goldfish!!! The kids weren't perfect, and we were exhausted by the time we got there, but I know it would have been worse if the Lord had not had mercy on us with their pleasant attitudes (and we were all well when we got on the plane)!!! Plus the flight was only 3 hrs and 45 min!!!

We were busy the whole time we were in CA, since we only had a week to spend! We filled it with site seeing, spending time with family, meeting new family friends, shopping, getting my hair cut and a date! :) Well, I know that at the end of every vacation you always feel like you need a vacation to recoop, but with the three munchkins I have been feeling it even more!!! There is a 2 hour difference in CA so the kids were up at 7am until the last day we were there! We are now trying to de-californianize our schedules!!! It's been hard, since the kids aren't ready to go to bed until 2 hours later than their regular bedtime! :) I think we're almost there, but I am just feeling sluggish! I had to leave the house a mess since I was sick before we left, and I think that's the biggest problem! I get overwhlemed with messes, and Asher learned how to climb onto the dining room chairs and onto the table while we were there, so now I have to make myself get stuff done even knowing that he might be standing on the table when I turn around!!! I'm going to just have to give myself 15 minute increments of time to get stuff done and then just let it all go!!! Prayers are appreciated!!! Thanks! I hope it doesn't seem like I'm complaining, because I am soooo thankful for the vacation we were able to have!!! I know the Lord blessed us with that family time!!! :) We got really used to seeing Lee and spending all of our time with him!!! Asher really enjoyed his Daddy time! It was soooo cute! He would run over and jump on Lee!!! :) The day after we came back from our vacation Zoe said "where's Daddy?" and I said "he's at work." Then Zoe said "why?"! Haha! I thought that was sooo funny!!!

Here are a few before and after pics of my hair!!!




This is the picture of how long my hair was right before I got it cut!!! The girl was excited when I told her she could cut more than 7 inches!!! :) The last time I had my hair cut was a little over a year ago!!! Yah, I need to do this more frequently!!!






This is my hair after Katy cut and straightened and styled my hair!!! :) Fun!!!









This is Lee and me on our date at the California Bistro in Santana Row!!! That was a very romantic little shopping center with gourmet restaurants!!!






A front shot of the hair!!! :) I was tilting my head so it would show the layers! :) It looks a little ditzy, but I was actually being very logical! ;) Hehe!








And here is my hair when I wear it curly!!! It feels soooo much better now that it's shorter and is still easy!!! Just wash, add Curls Rock and go!!!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

We're back!

We just returned from visiting family in San Jose, CA!!! I will put a few pics from some of the places we went!!! This was our first time to visit the big C-A! We had a very fun and busy time! They are 2 hours behind us, so that was interesting! :) Haha, so was the flight!!!





One pic from the flight there!!!









First thing...open presents!!! ;) Here they are waiting to open them!!!







So, one of the presents they opened ended up being what kept them in bed at night!!! I was wondering how that was going to be accomplished!!! The Rose Petal Cottage splits in two and the girls fit so they each had a house of their own to sleep in!!!




The Golden Gate Bridge! Beautiful!!!







A yummy San Fransisco restaurant called Fisherman's Groto! We ordered our clam chowder bread bowls here and went over to another place to order fish and chips and eat "in" there! :)








I think this is the only pic of all of us together!!! :)








We were sooooo disappointed that the choclolate factory was closed...they give out FREE samples!!! This picture was taken before we knew we weren't getting some!!! ;)







This is one of the places people surf!!! They were actually surfing behind us in the FREEZING water!!!






This little path takes you to the Santa Cruz Beach!









Freezing cold ocean water at the Santa Cruz Beach!!! :)










Playing in the sand!!!









Cuties!!!









This picture was taken in Carmel at a little restaurant called Forge in the Forrest, I believe! :) It was such a romantic place, and we ate out on the patio with heaters above our heads!!! :) Neato!







Cheese!!! :)







Mimi and Poppy!!!








Aunt Cassie and the girls!!!






Our yummy artichoke appetizer!!!









Here are the girls on the beautiful white sands at Carmel Beach!!!










Mimi and Lenci!








More fun on the beach!









Building sand castles!!!









You can see what's going to happen next!!! I'm waiting for my dad to email the pic of the aftermath!!! Poor Lenci!









Cold and wet after playing in the wet sand!!!






Asher slept a little on the trip home, but he had more of a teething spell this time! Poor guy!










And here's Zoe checking out the safety manual!!! ;) She didn't really know what she was looking at! It sure makes a cute pic though!




We had sooo much fun and took hundreds of pictures!!! LITERALLY!!! I'll post more later! :)

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Christmas and New Year and Zoe's 4th Bday Pics!

Here are some pics from our Christmas Eve and morning!!! Enjoy!




All the little ones at the Christmas Eve party!!!







The family pic which is slightly odd of me, but I was looking at the wrong camera!!! Hahaha! It's the only family pic from Christmas Eve that I have, so, hehe!








Lee and his sisters! :)







The Christmas tree before Santa or Mommy and Daddy came! These are presents from the Christmas Eve party. Lee thought it would be fun to put them under the tree! :)








Zoe is staring in disbelief that Santa came!!!







Wow!!! Stockings!!!










Look at my froggie, Mommy!










Daddy reading the Christmas story!!!










I love my Cinderella!!!










Showing the slippers I made the girls! :)










Big boy Asher!!!












Princess dresses!!!













Two sweet veterinarians!!!


















Snuggling with Daddy! :)












Happy New Year and Chinese Yoyo's!!!








Earlier in the evening!











Get Daddy!!!










What REALLY happened on New Year's Eve!!! ;)










AND a Happy Birthday to my big girl!!! Zoe's 4 years old today!!! :) We are in the process, at this moment, of making cupcakes!!! :) Yum!