Sickness & Soccer

This past week we have been laying low because Emma has been croupy. Right before she came down with that nasty cold, Sammy, Travis and myself dealt with a nasty stomach virus. We also recently signed Sammy up for soccer and I took him to his first game on Saturday while Travis stayed home with Emma. It was a short game, but Sammy had a lot of fun and can't wait to play some more. I am glad that he doesn't have my shyness. I played soccer when I was five and instead of chasing after the ball I stood out on the field crying my eyes out. That was the end of my soccer season. I have never been the aggressive type but it seems that Sammy takes after his dad in that department.

After the soccer game I took Sammy and Noah to a park we have never been to before. It's on the shore of Lake Hefner and Sammy had a blast chasing after other kids. Noah slept in his carrier. Sammy makes friends wherever he goes and is a little chatter box. Often while we are in a store he will point to someone, often another child, and say, loudly, "Hey mama, what he doin'?" Or, he will make comments about people. Loudly. He's not shy, that's for sure!

Activities are somewhat on pause right now due to illnesses but, when healthy, the kids enjoy running around in their backyard, going to the zoo, playing with other kids at the YMCA while mommy works off baby weight on the treadmill, and checking out the local parks. I recently joined a mommy & child playgroup and found a Baptist Church for our family. We are getting settled in to our new home, containers still need to be unpacked and I'm working on becoming a better cook. I, of course, did not wait long to get a library card and already have a stack of books right next to me. They are mostly cookbooks and preschool activity books because, let's be honest, a mother of three itty bitties does not have much time to sit and read a whole book. What was life like before children? I can barely remember. I spent a lot of time reading, shopping and wasting time.Now, my days are full and busy!

Sleeping in his carrier

Noah Arrived!

Noah arrived on December 15th, 2011 at 5:50am. My contractions began earlier at around midnight and I was unsure if I was truly in labor because, in the past, my water would always break first. Since it was so late, and grandma would have to come over to stay with the kids, I wanted to make sure this was the real deal. I convinced Travis that it was the real deal and off we went to the hospital. The labor pains were easier to tolerate this time around, but I still got my epidural, and after 10 minutes of pushing he arrived! When he was first placed on my chest he wasn't breathing perfectly and a specialist was there to get him breathing better. Being that Travis is a Paramedic, he even got to assist with the delivery. Noah is perfect and reminds me so much of Travis! On a side note, I must have some weak genes because all three of my kids look like their daddy!



Emma loves her Noah & is upset that Sammy is holding him



As of today, he is almost 3 months old and such a joy! At 1 1/2 months old he started smiling all the time and I think he may be my smiliest baby (if my memory is correct). My first two started sleeping through the night by 6 weeks and he is still waking me up at least once a night for food. I would love to have a full nights sleep but with three kids fighting for my attention I see his middle of the night wakings as time I get to spend just with him. His favorite place to sleep is on my chest and usually that is where he is sleeping between the hours of 3am and 7am. I put him to bed in either his car seat, his second favorite place to sleep, or his crib but always ends sleeping soundly on his mommy. He really does not like his crib much but I know someday he will fully make the transition. I admit, I do enjoy our cuddle time at night!



Hello! From our backyard in Oklahoma City!



We also moved to Oklahoma City for Travis' Paramedic to Nursing program and will be here for at least a year. More on that later. That is, when I have the time to update my blog!

Two Months

In just about sixty days, we will be blessed with another baby. I do not know how on earth I am going to juggle a 3 1/2 year old, a 1 1/2 year old and a newborn baby but I just try to remind myself that it has been done by many before me! So many new adventures coming up: new baby, driving halfway across the country with three young children, moving to Oklahoma City for a year, adapting to a new city, finding a church, making friends and trying to maintain my sanity juggling three children! It is exciting and anxiety producing for sure.

Oh, and need I mention the tornadoes and crazy weather in Oklahoma City?? I will be the crazy neighbor lady knocking on doors, panic stricken, exclaiming,"IS IT A BIG TORNADO A COMIN'??!ARE WE ALL GONNA DIE?? ARE WE ALL GONNA DIE???!!!!!" FYI: I was the girl in elementary school who read about the killer bees making their way to California, and as a precaution, brought canned food over to my best friend's house just in case the killer bees made it to Sacramento during our slumber party. All I gotta say is, thank God above that I can put my trust in Him during these scary moments. Sometimes I lose sight of that, of course.

And to recap what we have been up to lately...we took a quick (very quick) trip to the San Diego Zoo recently. Sammy and Emm love animals and Sammy is always asking to go to the zoo. This one is waaaaaaay better than the Sacramento Zoo and worth every dime spent. It was especialy fun watching the kiddos at the petting zoo. Emma Jean gave hugs to every goat and Sammy joined in, as evidenced in the picture below.

Project Time!

It's project time and I have enough to keep me busy. As if the kids don't keep me running ragged enough! Our office could almost be worthy of being featured in that hoarders show and I'm starting the process of digging through the rubble. My hope is to finally get Emma's crib out of the livingroom (that's right) and put it in here. Having her crib in the living room has been less than convenient.If Sammy cold be trusted to not throw blankets and/or toys in her crib then I would think about having them share a room but since mommy would like to keep her children alive I have opted to not take the risk.Emma was in our room for her first 9 months but she was continuing to wake up multiple times a night. Hence, why the crib has been in the livingroom for months and why my life now shuts down at 9pm. Hard to get any cleaning done in the livingroom when you've got a little one trying to sleep in there! I am also finding that trying to clean out and organize the office is especially difficult with a 3-year-old and 1-year-old getting into the stuff I am trying to organize. Eek! Mommy needs a timeout...or a vacation! Vacation sounds better but I will take either one at this point!

Along with cleaning out the clutter I am also putting our uneccessaries aside for a garage sale. Sammy starts preschool in a month and since it is only 2 mornings a week I have decided to create our own little preschool time at home as well. He should be ready for college in no time! Or, at least be able to write his own name soon. Yes, probably more of a realistic goal.

Oklahoma or Bust!

Here's a sentence I never imagined would be coming out of my mouth: "We're moving to Oklahoma!" Travis was accepted into a nursing program and begins in August. The first semester is online and then we move. At first I wasn't terribly excited about the idea but now I can't wait to move. I needed time to warm up to it.It's a great opportunity and we'll be done in about a year and a half (by the time our third baby is 1 year old)!From there, who knows! We talk mostly about Florida and sometimes Texas comes up.Honestly, I just want to move...anywhere!

Yep! I'm Pregnant!

I think God must have a sense of humor because after Samuel we wanted another baby right away, but ended up not getting pregnant until 14 months later, and then after Emma we wanted to wait a couple years. Surprise, surprise! God has other plans for us! Despite it not being according to "Emily's Timetable", we are thrilled! I know it is just going to be crazy, crazy here for the next few years.

In order for this to really work smoothly I am probably going to have to become a lot more organzied and disciplined. Hey, anything is possible!

Oh,and I'm due Dec. 16th. I've been eating healthy (well, except for the In N Out we had for dinner the other night -- hehe)as much as possible. Weird new development in this pregnancy: I don't like Ranch. That use to be my favorite dressing, but no longer. Now I need to find a replacement that is healthier and tasty.

Hello? Anyone There...

Hellllo! Does anyone still read my blog?? It has been awhile! By the time I'm done uploading pictures to Facebook and reading blogs I really don't have much time (or desire) to update my own blog. Who knows, maybe this entry will be the beginning of something!

So, quick update. We found a church. A great church with great people. I joined a playgroup. Well, two actually. And, the church has a playgroup as well. We joined a gym. It has childcare!!!!!!!! Unfortunately, they don't change diapers. But, this day in age you can't really trust too many people with your kids so I guess getting dragged from my workout kicking and screaming to tend to a poopy diaper is not such a big sacrifice for their safety.As you might have expected, we have been at the gym. A lot. Almost everyday.Just for about an hour and a half and Sammy loves going. Unfortunately, we've been sick for a couple weeks with "fun" colds and have not been able to attend. Ugh.On the upside, I have lost 10 lbs., so all hope is not lost!

Emma Jean is crawling all over the place and it's so sweet to watch my kids play with each other. I can't wait until I can say, "Alright, you entertain you and mommy is going to take a nap." haha Does that ever happen!? Sammy is having difficulty with sharing and has regressed to acting like a baby. I hear it's a stage kids go through.I will try not to worry about it unless he's still wearing a diaper in high school.

On the downside, Emma has been waking up multiple times every night for the last month and I've been surviving somehow. I cut down her naps during the day but she still wakes up. It could be teething because this month she got in four top teeth! That's what I'm figuring it is.Sammy no longer takes a nap during the day no matter how busy the day has been (believe me). As you might guess, mommy can't quite remember the last time she had a good night of sleep.