Emma's First Foods

Emma's first tooth has finally arrived, and she seems to be a bit more interested in what we are eating lately so we decided to give her a taste of cantaloupe today. I blended it up in my Vitamix with a bit of water so it was more like melon juice. She wasn't sure what to think about it. She only ate about 6 teeny bites...maybe a 1/2 teaspoon. She loves just sucking on a cold piece of melon though. Must feel good on her gums.

We also have given her tastes of pear, cucumber, and a little bit of avocado. She really just sucks/teethes on them (except the avocado, which she really wasn't into). The pear was her favorite!

I LOVE how inquisitive babies are. Emma loves to feel, examine, taste, and really have a whole "experience" with her food. She hasn't really figured out yet what it is or how to eat it, but she likes it. She is excited to try new flavors and textures. The whole experience is very fun.

We'll keep giving her tastes, and let her practice and experiment for awhile. Then when she is really ready to eat she will know how and can dig in!

April 28- May 4, 2011

Happy Easter, Everyone!

James is working 12 hours on Easter so like every other holiday, we celebrated early! We have had fun over the years finding that balance between keeping these sacred holidays focused on Christ and also letting the kids do some of the fun activities that go along with them. James prepared a really good lesson about the Holy Week and Easter. We all learned new things and have a greater respect for the entire week leading up to Easter, not just Easter itself. Palm Sunday, Jesus throwing the money changers out of the temple, His last sermons, the Last Supper, His Atonement, and His crucifixion all occurred just days before His resurrection on Easter Sunday. It was neat talking about these days and their significance with the children. They are all (minus Emma) at ages where we can have family gospel discussions with deeper questions and thoughts involved.

The gang with their goodies. After the lesson the kids looked for their baskets and eggs we had hidden around the house. The baskets were small and the gifts cute and fun. They each even received a chocolate bunny which disappeared within about 5 minutes of finding their baskets! This was the first Easter in about four years that Bradley was able to have real chocolate in his basket. That was fun to see him enjoy that.

With James and I recently buying new phones, we put little cell phones in the boys' baskets. Each has a pretend camera that makes the real "click" sound. They have been taking pictures of everyone and everything ever since! Wow, if I never here that noise again it will be too soon!!

Savanna recieved some hair accessories and curlers, plus Sour Patch Bunnies.

Dying the Eggs.

The Real Eggs...

The boys each had a dinosaur egg in their basket. You put them in water for a few days and the shells slowly crack and the dino hatches. They get up every morning and check their eggs. It said it would only take 12 to 24 hours...we are now on day 3 and they are still hatching...I guess we'll see!

The Fake Eggs...

Ben's dino.

Brad's dino.

And Emma has her gift...she's not too sure what she thinks about it. I can tell you what I think about it! Well, watch and see for yourself.

Happy Easter, everyone! I am looking forward to going to church tomorrow and hearing my boys sing about Christ and His resurrection. It truly is one of my favorite holidays. It is a holiday of hope. It is the "good" in the good news the gospel brings! I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.

April 21, 2011

Princess Emma is still working on her first tooth. It is almost through the gum, but not quite out yet! She is starting to scoot a little on the floor, and has the strongest core of any baby I've ever known. She can sit straight up from laying down in one single motion. I'll be watching her crib monitor and she is laying down, and then all of the sudden like a hinge, she just sits up. Serious abs! I'm not sure if it's the teething or just the stage where she wants to go places and do things but physically can't...whatever it is, I can't get anything done anymore when she is awake. She wants to be held or played with or constantly entertained. Luckily she has started taking a good long nap in the morning and another shorter nap in the afternoon. Night time is still a party, but there is time to rest and work during the day! And lots of cuteness and playtime. :)

Here she goes- no hands, no help! You try it!!

I was in the kitchen and one of the boys walked by Emma in her play station and stuck his fireman hat on her. She kept it on for a really long time! I think she is going to like dressing up like her brothers.

We are slowly getting our house together. We didn't accomplish much around the house this week. Just a little cleaning and organizing, but we did find this on craigslist:

We finally have a table big enough to fit our entire family! We had several family dinners this week and no one was standing or sitting on a piano stool- sometimes it's the little things that make life great.

My husband has been spoiling me lately. In addition to my Kindle, he bought me this new, fancy smartphone. It does practically everything- email, texting, Internet, social networking, TV, GPS...it even has a Kindle application that is synced with my regular Kindle so if I read a couple pages of a book on my Kindle at home I can pick up where I left off on my phone! Technology is pretty cool.

Oh, and she has become VERY vocal! Typical woman.

April 17 - April 23, 2011

Talents and Skills

I finally baked my own whole wheat bread. It was really easy (well, easy because my Kitchenaid kneaded the dough for me for the 20 minutes the recipe called for)! It has six ingredients: whole wheat, yeast, sea salt, olive oil, water, and honey. I will put this recipe on my dinner blog. I just need a bread slicer and bags to put my loaves in...any ideas?

My crafty best friend made this cute hanging decor for Emma. I finally got around to putting pics in it. Thanks Jax. Love you!

Savanna is working on what we call "Adult Skills." I've made her a binder with several skill check lists. There are child care, baking, cooking, scripture reading, menu planning/grocery shopping, and house cleaning lists so far. When she learns to do all the items on the skill list, she gets a reward associated with that list. For instance when she completes the menu planning/grocery shopping list (she has to plan our menus and do all the shopping, including paying, unpacking, and putting everything away for several weeks), she will get a gift card to any grocery store she wants to buy whatever she wants. When she finishes the baking list (I think she has to learn to bake 20 items on this list- 10 I picked, and 10 she picked), she gets to have a party and bake a bunch of treats for her friends. The goal is for her to learn all those important, adult skills that we don't necessarily learn in a classroom. She already can cook, clean, and take care of baby better than most adults I know!

The boys have been asked to sing "On a Golden Spring Time" during Sacrament meeting on Easter. Just the two of them! They are really excited (they love to sing and perform). They have been practicing every morning during our family devotional. I love their sweet voices. Happy almost Easter, Everyone!

April 10 - 16, 2011

Another Birthday Week

Well, this week was full of birthday celebrating! We finally were able to go down South and visit the Serrano family. We brought Sofi her gifts, and Ben received his gifts. Heather bought mini cup cakes and we had a little party for them in the backyard. It was beautiful day, and all of the children behaved so wonderfully. The boys loved the new play room and outdoor toys. They even were allowed in the jacuzzi for the first time which was a big hit! James was able to get away and visit the temple, and our Emma even napped away from her crib...yeah, it was a relaxing and fun day!

This was the first time I have ever put Emma in a swing. We have to get her one of these. She was so happy!

With Ben's new interest in scuba diving, he was all excited about being in the jacuzzi. He kept pretending to swim and be a "scuba diber."

Gabby is so incredibly sweet. She smiled and cooed at me all afternoon. We all took turns cuddling with her. What a doll.

Sofi liked her presents, especially her new cash register (which she thought was a computer), and the play money that came with it. She is talking so well. Her little voice is darling. And, I love how little kids talk in the third person. Sofi cake. Sofi presents. Sofi money. :)

Ben got two Lego games. You have to build the game boards and dice, and then you play. He also got a scuba diver set with a snorkel, mask, and fins!

Cupcakes!

Brad started to put together Ben's Lego game.

It wasn't working out so well, so Dad jumped in and helped. I think he had more fun than the boys!

And the party continued...

Well as was very tactfully pointed out by my best friend, Jackie, I have somehow "forgotten" to mention that my birthday is also in April. Silly me. Since James is working twelve hours on my actual birthday (which is this Sunday), we celebrated as a family yesterday. I get one day a year to do anything I want (within reason, of course). So what did I do? I slept in (even with my night wakings I think I slept almost 9 hours- that was AWESOME!), my wonderful husband and daughter made my favorite breakfast- Eggs Benedict with a side of fresh pineapple, I took a long bath, went for a walk in the park, went to the nursery and bought plants, came home and planted them all, had another wonderful meal made for me, watched a cute movie, and went to bed. It was a great day! Nothing fancy, but just what I wanted.

It's funny celebrating birthdays when you have small kids. The kids (even Savanna) were very excited to find out what I wanted to do. They all had their suggestions (the beach, Bob Jones Trail, movies, restaurants, etc.), and I have to say they were somewhat disappointed in my choices. There was griping and moaning throughout the morning, but by the time gardening and movie watching came around, they seemed to be over it and ready to go with the flow. I think the trick with having a relaxing birthday is to either plan something that the children can do WITH you, or to plan to have the children sent away so you can enjoy your adult activities without whining. You think I would have this all figured out after over a decade of parenting!

There is nothing better than homemade cards for Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom (See Ben's card on the left!).

Part of my yummy dinner- Caesar Salad- we've been eating this like crazy lately. I found whole grain croutons and the best dressing at Vons.

Well, I stopped eating sugar over 6 weeks ago. I have been slowly losing the pounds just by removing all the white, processed foods out of my diet (sugar, white flour, white potatoes, etc.). But since it was my birthday, I splurged just a little. James got me these incredible brownie cookies, and my favorite sorbet.

And, here is my loot for my garden!

BEFORE

We are waiting for the silly HOA people to approve a bid for the re-seeding of our front lawn. It looks terrible. So, we decided to put some pots in the area where the lawn is non-existent. I have to say, it made it look a lot less ghetto!

Brad and I are starting some seeds in six packs in the house, and then we are going to transplant them outside.

Emma loved to be outside watching the activity.

AFTER

We also put all this in our front yard until we figure out a way to fence off my garden from Marley in the back. Eventually James is going to build me a raised bed out there, and I will be able to grow three times as much stuff! For now, I hope this works. I haven't had that much luck with veggies in pots before. But we did our homework, so fingers are crossed! We planted lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, basil, peppers, and blueberries. A good start. :)

Oh, and my hubby also bought me a Kindle for my birthday. I can't tell you how awesome this little gadget is! I already have close to 50 books, all of my pdf files, scriptures and church manuals, recipes, and games on it. And those are just all the free stuff! I am officially spoiled!!

Emma's first trip on a swing!

April 14 - 15, 2011