Oh the Bliss!

We celebrated Jesus, the Savior, being born on the 25th. We celebrated Ben's 5th birthday on the 26th. We celebrated Ben not screaming or hiding under the table while everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him, a feat five years in the making, at his party on the 27th. We celebrated the life of our dearly loved Howie as Jesus called him home on the 29th. What a week

We had a great time celebrating Christmas with Mark's family on Sunday. It was such a treat having his sister here with two (out of four) kids, we definitely missed Todd, Michael and Daniel though. I love Mark's family! I love that they feel like family. I love that they treat me like they've known me their whole lives; his mom might say that she has because she's been praying for me since Mark's birth. I am incredibly thankful for such a great extended (in-law) family! Great - Great Aunt Didi, fighting over the new toy with Ben. She's awesome! Addison and Elizabeth could pass for twins, or at least sisters. Adorable Matthew!! This is my new favorite picture of Howie. He looks so regal in it, I love it. Didi is the winner of the Best Gift Ever award so far this year. The winning gift? A pink "Hewwo Kitty Wallet" that Addison is attached at the hip to. It always surprises me which gift really captivates them.

We've ridden the "Polar Express" Eaten some cookies Made some crafts And hung some ornaments And so much more!!

High's: ~ Seeing Elizabeth and Matthew, and of course Amy, this evening! Such a treat to have them out for a visit. ~ The kids great attitudes on our drive to Encino (to see the afore mentioned, as well as sweet cousins and their family). ~ Mark coming home from work to see us for a bit. ~ 11 more days until Mark's new schedule starts!! ~ Christmas cards. :-) ~ Ben having the evening to play with William, those two are so fun together. ~ Getting the knot out of my favorite necklace so I can wear it again. I've been trying to get this knot out for months! ~ Hearing the story of Jesus and his name being proclaimed and praised in songs all over the radio and in all kinds of stores... it only happens once a year, and I love it! Low's: ~ Being so weepy over the lamest things, or no things at all. This pregnancy has rocked my hormone levels - sorry family! ~ Leaving my developed pictures and a packet of stamps in the cart at Costco, and having them "not be able to help...

Addison has been perfecting her "talk to the hand" pose for quite some time now. The girl was just not cut out to take a good picture. I am praying that my memory of her adorable dimples and toothy grin holds steadfast as I am sure that is all I will have as evidence that she really did smile during her third* year of life. * (She will be turning three in February, so she's been alive almost three years, this being her third year of life. I'm explaining this only because it's a difficult number problem for me - and probably - me alone.)

Let it be known that on this day, December 10, 2009, Ben saw this car and (quoting here) said, "Mom, I LOVE this car. I have to have one just like it someday. I need to get a job so I can get some money so I can buy one just like it when I'm bigger. OR, wait I know, I can save all my Poopie-Doopie money (money he receives in a monthly card from Gma) and maybe I'll have enough money to buy one when I'm bigger. Take my picture Mom." I have never seen him react to a car like he did today. The owner was right there and spent quite a few minutes indulging Ben by showing him around the car and listening to him go on and on about it. "Wow, this is really cool" "I bet it's really fun to drive. Is it really fun to drive?" "It fits nicely in this parking space." "Red is my favorite color. Is red your favorite color?" "So, you really like this car don't you?" (I think the man started thinking Ben was going to ask for ...

well, for me anyway. :-) Yesterday I was able to spend some quality time observing two of my children. The first was baby #4, affectionately referred to as "Cuatro", during a 30 minute ultrasound I had. I love such opportunities to see this tiny one all stuffed inside my belly. I was told to have the ultrasound because last week at my appointment my belly was "measuring small"; 1.5 weeks behind what it should've been measuring. My doctor is pretty conservative so she wanted to make sure the baby was growing fine and fluids were good and all that. And I said, "I'll take it!" Any chance to see the little one, bring it! Ultrasounds are so fascinating! Especially when the technician acts like what she's seeing is the most beautiful thing on the earth. Really, with every view of the baby she'd sigh things like, "Oh look at that heart! See the four chambers? How can anyone not just be amazed when looking at such a beautiful creation?",...

Howie, Mark's grandpa, used to sing this song to Mark all the time when he was little and Mark has since taught the song to Ben and Addison. I know Pearl Harbor was Navy, and this song is about the Marines, but our hearts are in the right place. We are grateful for all of our armed forces!

I love this clip of Ben because it really does make me think of my Grandpa Smith. Because he lived far away, and then past away when I was still young, I have olny a few vivid memories of him. Some of the clearest are of him playing his harmonica. I would love it if Ben really did grow up and played just like him.

I love gifts. I love giving them when I've found just that right little something that I know a certain person will love. I don't like gifts at all when I feel like I had to make a purchase that didn't mean anything to me. Anyone can buy themselves a bottle of lotion. But if I find a bottle of lotion that is the exact sent of a memory we shared then heck yah I'll buy that lotion. Or if I know it's your very favorite but you never buy it for yourself because your bottle of Jergens is just fine, then I will be so excited for you to open that gift. One year my mom gave me a huge Costco size bottle of Neutrogena Rainbath Shower Gel... to you that may seem really silly. Soap? Really? But I LOVE the stuff. Love it. However it must be liquid gold or something because they charge waaaaay more than I'm willing to pay for shower gel. I cherished every drop of that stuff. That's a good example of how a seemingly ordinary present can really be something wonderful to th...

I want to blog, I do. I even have one half written, but it's not ready to post yet. So I'm sorry, you faithful blog checkers. I know that frustrating feeing you must get (big assumption here) when you check my blog and see the same title for 8 days in a row. And while other people are posting pictures and sweet stories of their Thanksgiving celebrations, I'm sitting here posting nothing except excuses. But my best work is always done Wednesdays-Saturdays, so I'm sure there's got to be a winner coming soon. And if not, well then, I don't know, read a book. Here's a picture just to show how much I care...

I emailed back and forth a bit with Miss Kelly and figured she was a winner so we set up a day and time for her to come and meet the kids, meet us and basically get a feel for things. Tuesday morning she showed up right at 10 o'clock and I liked her right away. These are the reasons why: 1. She jumped right in with the kids and started playing with them, acting like she'd known them forever, which I think gave them a since of security and OKness with her, even though they didn't know her from Adam. 2. Took initiative with them, not waiting for me to tell her what to do, she just did everything. (ie. changed Troy without asking me, put him down for a nap when she thought he was tired, spoke firmly to Ben when he was out of line, etc.) 3. She sized up the kids personalities really quickly and related to them well. One very cool thing that happened right away was when she saw Ben's school bag she told him she had gone to that school also, years ago, and it turns out she ha...

I received some money for my birthday with the encouragement to use it on something I really need; help. What kind of help? Geez, where do I begin? Mental help? Spiritual help? Physical help? Yes. Yes. And yes. It has become slightly apparent to those who see me in action with my kids that, due to Mark's insane amount of working hours and me being (nearly) ripely pregnant, a sitter to watch my kids for a few hours every week while I, I don't know, grocery shop, clean, bathe, breathe... might be a nice gift. At first I was like, awesome! thank you! But to be honest I had a hard time actually going through the motions of finding someone to watch the kids, especially since I'd be home some while she is taking care of them. That felt so strange to me. Why would I have someone else make my kids lunch or change a diaper when I'm right there? It was too weird, to foreign of a concept for me to really grasp and appreciate. But, lets be honest moms, if given the opportunity, w...

I'm tired of all this flu talk. It's hyped, it's drawn out, it's built up it's overdone, it's everywhere, it's disgusting. People are marketing their stuff now with little stickers that say things like, "HELPS PREVENT FLU" or "BUILDS IMMUNE SYSTEM TO FIGHT OFF FLU". It's marketing at it's sickest, no pun intended. Blah! I'm so over it! Am I going to get the flu shot? No. Do I know why? No. I really don't. For every 100 doctors that insist I must there are 100 doctors that insist I mustn't. There are articles and emails and YouTube clips and News clips and flyers and mailers and call-waiting messages... There is too much information for me to make an informative decision!! I've asked friends, doctors, Facebook, THE LORD, and I still have no idea what to do. Shot or no shot?... that is the question. I'm leaning towards no shot. Why? Because I hate shots. That's the best reason I can give. Because if I say, ...

My comments are being hacked by Viagra!!! What do I do about this? Anybody know how to stop it?

~ Ben is awesome because he "sneaks" piles of spinach into his mouth when he thinks I'm not looking so that I'll pretend to get mad at the "Spinach Thief" and refill his plate - over and over and over again. Seriously. I'm like, Please Ben, no DON'T steal the spinach off your plate and eat it all! Don't you dare eat handfuls of delicious, raw, leafy greens! Don't do it! Silly Ben. ~ I think Braxton Hicks are a menacingly cruel reminder of the pain that's yet to come. No thanks. I am in need of no such reminders. ~ I take Juice Plus now, and so do the kids. ~ Addison is entering a very not-so-sweet stage of life and I'm trying to figure out how to best nip this Addie-on-crack-tude in the bud, quick. Taking away all candy treats seemed to really put her into check yesterday. Really? Is she really that swayed by candy and sugar or the lack thereof? Yikes. ~ Troy is in the middle of my very favorite stage of a child's life; 12-24 mont...

Oh Troy... how I love you so.

We went to dinner before the reunion with these fabulous ladies and their hunky hubbies, which made the night pretty special. An entire dinner with no children (and no phone calls of sick children) what more could a girl want? The boys didn't make the photo-opp, but we were a snazzy bunch.

This video pretty much sums it up... Mark said it best, "This is like a bad SNL skit". He was right.

My birthday wasn't the dream day I had planned in my head, but really, what "dream day" ever really goes off without a hitch? Although my precious big kids were sick, and plans changed, I still had a great day and felt super loved and special and spoiled. Mark was the hero of all heros because he took complete care of the kids (stomach issues in my children is the chink in my armor - really, it's sad. I don't even want to be in the same room as them). He stayed up with Ben all night the night before my birthday, then (sort of) slept with Addison the night of my birthday, prepared to have her sick all night like Ben was, thankfully she was not. So yeah, it wasn't pretty. BUT! I was blessed in so many ways that day! Friends stopped by with treats and flowers, lovely Karen stole me away to get some fresh air and lunch at the mall. Wendy stayed with Ben and Addison while Mark and I attempted to go out to dinner. (Addison ended up getting sick while we were gone). ...

... Postponed until further notice...

What's your favorite color? ~Pink or green What's your favorite animal? ~Monkey What's your favorite thing to eat? ~Cereal Where is your favorite place to go? ~Indiana Who is your favorite person to see? ~Hannah :-)

This is a challenging time of life for me. So here is a verse that I am desperately trying to memorize: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's". (Psalm 103:2-5)

I read an article today that talked about five foods to eat to help you get sleepy. I frequently have trouble falling asleep at night so I thought maybe I'd get some tips, and I love food. Here's the list: 1. Cherries 2. Bananas 3. Toast 4. Oatmeal 5. Warm milk What I learned was not ways to help me feel sleepy, but why I feel so sleepy during the rest of the day; I eat four out of the five items for breakfast everyday! Those are some of my favorite foods. I mean, I have a big mug 'o chai everyday, which is 65% warm milk. Who knew I was feeding myself sleepy foods right when I'm supposed to be waking up and feeling alert and ready for the day? So now I need to google "Foods to help me wake up" and eat those for breakfast. And come midnight when I'm tossing and turning, I will enjoy my breakfast then. Yum.

Neither can we. :-) Last week Mark and I had the privilege to see our baby at 21 weeks along. So fun! I love seeing all the intricate little parts working so beautifully. Each time we have gone Mark and I always comment on how God is so amazing to create something so perfectly, it just blows me away! Everything is there and doing its job. We saw the brain, the lungs, the heart, kidneys, stomach, spine, intestines, fingers, toes, little lips and a nose... so precious! I was hit at how incredibly blessed we have been to have four healthy pregnancies. I think we almost take it for granted. But it's a miracle, and we recognize that, and we are loving it as much this time as we did the first time. This conversation is almost an everyday occurrence for me: - You're pregnant? ~ Yes. - Did you just find out? You can't be that far along. ~ No, um, I'm over halfway... almost 5 months. - Do you know what you're having? ~ No, we don't find out until the end. - Do you have a...

I should really blog about something. It's been a while now. And I suppose I have fun things to report, like getting to see our adorable baby today via ultrasound. Yes, I should really blog about something. I'll keep that in mind...

I put Addison's hair in tiny buns on the top of her head almost everyday for 4 reasons: 1. It's cute 2. It's easy/she sits really well for me 3. It keeps her bangs, that I've been trying to grow out since I cut them, out of her face 4. It's just about all I know how to do (besides a ponytail which won't keep her bangs back). Ever since she was little and figured out that her hair is kinda funky sometimes she's loved to look in the mirror and check out what her hair looks like after the day is done and we take her buns out. Recently she's been wanting me to do her hair in "bunnies", as she calls them, specifically for the after-look. Which is this: I would like to note that the last picture is of Addison and myself in a face-off. She over heard a conversation Ben and I had where we (jokingly) were thinking of places to hide should I ever leave him at the park. (Don't worry, we both knew we were joking and I did clarify with him what he's...