December 24th, 2008. Logan's 5th Birthday!

About a week before Logan's actual Birthday, I took the kids up to Auburn to go see the snow with Grandma and Grandpa Shaw. We drove about 10 minutes East and there was snow everywhere! The boys have not spent much time in it, so I was wondering if they would take much interest in it. Logan absolutely loved it. He loved trying to make snowballs and throwing them at everyone. He didn't mind the cold on his hands, but the weather was pretty nice, considering how much snow there was.

We went back to their house and in the evening we took Logan to John's Incredible Pizza Company. He was dying to go back after seeing it with his friend. I told him it would have to be one of his presents cause it's pretty pricey to go, and he didn't mind at all. He had a blast. It was almost overwhelming for him with all the rides, all you can eat pizza and he got some great birthday presents. I wouldn't go there every birthday just because we are not that high maintenance, and don't want to teach our kids that, but it was fun to try it out.

On the way home I asked him "What was your favorite part of the day?" and he replied "the snow!" I think next year we'll just have a sledding party for his birthday!
We ended up saving the cake for the BIG DAY. He had requested a Bulldozer cake that we had seen in Family Fun Magazine. I decided, if I'm gonna spend 2 hours making a cake, I wanted people to be able to enjoy it with us! It turned out pretty well, and I made Dave break open my new Christmas present to take pictures of it (he did so in stealth mode, so I wouldn't be able to examine it until Christmas morning.

I can't believe he is 5 already! It doesn't seem so long ago that I was spending that Christmas Eve in the hospital. Logan, you have been such a joy in our home. Thanks for coming into our family! We love you!

Thanksgiving

Okay, so it is time to finish the update. Thanksgiving day was great. Grandma and
Grandpa Porter flew in from Utah. Dave's Cousin Ben and his family were visiting from the Bay area too. We had a wonderful meal and I didn't have to work it this year, so I was mostly relaxing. I had a cold Thursday morning though, so on an empty stomach (due to rushing around to get out the door) I took 2 Dayquil. I felt loopy and dizzy the whole day. It has been years since I have taken any of that stuff, but now I remember why I hate it. I felt like I couldn't carry on a conversation the entire time I was there, and every time I picked up Audrey I was afraid my arm would give out and drop her. Note to self-toss the Dayquil!
Thursday night I stayed at Lisa's so we could wake up and go meet Amy and Valerie for some Black Friday shopping at 5 AM. Second note to self- returned almost everything from black friday deals after realizing the presents I had bought were not likely to be what my kids wanted; is it really worth waking up at 4 am for???
After shopping a few hours, we went and picked up Dave's mom to get her out of the house while her Christmas present was being delivered. Her kids/husband got together and bought her a baby grand piano. It was pretty fun to see the shock on her face. Once again, my photos don't do it justice, but it's the best I could get at the time.

Okay, so it's been like another month since my last post. I guess it's time to update our life. Several weeks ago Dave and I were instant messaging on the computer and I jokingly said we should go to Oregon to see my family since gas was so cheap. He responded by saying we should leave tomorrow because it was a slower week for him. So we started making arrangements to find people to work for us. Everything just kind of fell into place. Later that evening Dave called and said he thought we should leave that night, so the kids would sleep in the car, since we had no time to find entertaining things for them to do on the way. So, about 7 hours after we decided we were going, we were on the road. We drove ALL night, in thick fog (we were only watching out to make sure it would not rain, we didn't even think about it being foggy!) with our children weeping and wailing in the backseat (apparently the sleeping in the car thing wasn't on their agenda). It was a pretty rough trip, but we had a great time once we got there. It was fun to see everyone, since we don't get to visit very often. Dave had so much fun playing Rock Band at my brother's house, that 3 days after we got back, he brought it home himself.
While we were there we also did some Christmas shopping (mostly for me) and Dave got me a new camera. I was also told that I could not break it open until Christmas, or it would leave nothing exciting to open Christmas Day (hence, the lousy photos). I am greatly looking forward to trying it out!

Halloween

Here are a few pictures from Halloween this year.




















































Dave carved this really intricate skeleton onto our pumpkin this year, but the rain put out the candle so hardly anyone got to see it. We had very few trick or treaters this year. I guess it had something to do with the fact that it was raining off and on during the evening. I know it might sound odd to you Oregonians, but people in Sacramento don't get out much when it rains. It's kind of how Oregonians are when it snows. I find it quite funny! I was okay with it though cause we had a bowl full of candy left at the end of the night!
Why, do you ask, are my children so often running around with out their clothes on like a bunch of white trash rednecks???
I can't figure it out. I get them dressed and the second they get the slightest bit warm or the tiniest drop of something on it, off they go, and when one strips down, the other always follows. I attempted last year to freeze them into submission. I kept the house really cold, thinking this would motivate them to get some clothes on, and they informed me they like to be cold. WHAT?!? I guess I get what I deserve since my brothers always tell me how I used to bury my clothes in the backyard when I was little.









I was working the day after Halloween and Dave actually took pictures of the crime. He said Audrey was super cranky and Dave could not get her to stop whining. He put her in the highchair and after a while she was quiet. He looked over and she was sucking on one of the 6 suckers the kids had littered around the house. He said she was fixed instantly. She completely stopped whining the rest of the night. I think all that concentrated sugar was a shock to her system. She was in heaven!

Tag!

Tag!

OK, so it took me a while to get to this, but better late than never, right?

The ABC's of Me

A. ATTACHED OR SINGLE? Attached (8 years)
B. BEST FRIEND? Dave
C. CAKE OR PIE? pie- unless it's ice cream cake!
D. DAY OF THE WEEK? Sunday-lazy and we're all home together!
E. ESSENTIAL ITEMS? Internet, DVR, and chocolate
F. FAVORITE COLOR? powder blue (almost white blue; loved it since I was 16)
G. GUMMY BEARS OR WORMS? Gummy bears
H. HOMETOWN? Oregon City, OR
I. INDULGENCE? chocolate, pastries, ice cream, pretty much anything with sugar
J. JANUARY OR JULY? How about May?-mid summer is way too hot here
K. KIDS? Logan, Sam, and Audrey
L. LIFE ISN'T COMPLETE WITHOUT? afternoon naps (I don't always get one), a warm bath on a rainy day
M. MARRIAGE DATE? August 12, 2000
N. NUMBER OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS? 4 older brothers and one little sis
O. ORANGES OR APPLES? all fruit (it's the sugar thing again)
P. PHOBIAS OR FEARS? Wasps, burglers, speaking in church, making new friends
Q. QUOTE? "100 years from now it will not matter what car you drove... but what will matter is if you made a difference in the life of a child" (or something along those lines)
R. REASONS TO SMILE? a clean house, homemade cookies, my children's kisses
S. SUPERMAN OR WONDER WOMAN? Not really into the superhero thing
T. TAG 5 PEOPLE? Who's left?
U. UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME? I'm pregnant! Just kidding!
V. VEGETABLES? love the way mom makes them; swimming in butter and salt
W. WORST HABIT? Impatient, never schedule enough time to finish something
X. X-RAY OR ULTRASOUND? Ultrasounds, as long as I don't have to drink 10 gallons of water, endure severe cramping near my kidneys from fluid overload, only to be told I have to go home because I got stuck in traffic and missed my time slot. Hmmm... on second thought, maybe I'll pick an x-ray.
Y. YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? Italian
Z. ZODIAC SIGN? Aquarius

You Are a Werewolf

You are moody and easily provoked. You are highly loyal and protective of those you love. While you can be intense at times, you are generally a laid back person. But if a fight comes your way, you will fight 'til the death if necessary. You seem normal to most people. No one understands how different you can be. It's like a switch flips for you sometimes - and then you're a completely different creature.

Are You a Vampire or a Werewolf?

Sam's Birthday

It was a crazy/fun weekend. On Friday night we got a real live babysitter and Dave and I headed to the temple for the first time in FOREVER! I forgot how much I need it. I felt like I could finally catch my breath from the chaos of everyday life.
Saturday we cooked breakfast (we never do this cause I always work on Saturdays, so we have breakfast for dinner once a week), dropped Dave's car off for a long overdue tire and brake change and ran off to the pumpkin patch. It was a very brief visit, since we had so much to do, but the boys got to ride the "train" (Grandpa Shaw's is way cooler than this wanna be train that is actually some carts pulled by a tractor) and they got
to feed the animals at the petting zoo. Even though it was a little uneventful
for the adults, the boys had a great time. Next year we will be heading back to Fog Willow, where all there attractions are much cheaper (only $3). Yes, I'm a big cheapskate, I know.

Then we headed home to get ready for Sam's Birthday Party. Last year I ripped out this magazine page that showed how to make a dragon cake. I planned on doing it for Logan's birthday, but Sam was insistent that I make it for him and Logan informed me he wanted a different one anyway. So, I spent the afternoon decorating this complicated cake while Dave fixed all the food. It was excellent, by the way (thanks
Dave). There's nothing better than having someone else make a great meal for you. We had a barbequed tri-tip roast, funeral potatoes, Costco artisan bread and salad. Although it was not fancy, Sam loved his party and keeps asking if he can have another one so he can get more presents. He loved the Ninja Turtles van and action figures. He is really into pretending right now and loves having his "guys" interact with each other. The boys loved the toys so much that they woke up at 1AM and tried sneaking downstairs to play with them. I was not too happy to see them at that hour but it was pretty amusing that they would get the idea. They were so infatuated with the Turtles toy that it reminded me of the excitement of waking up on Christmas morning as a kid.

What are We Doing?

Would it be considered odd to be jealous of a 4 year old? Well, Logan got invited to this birthday party tomorrow night at this place called John's Incredible Pizza Co. in Roseville, CA and I am SOO jealous! I had never heard of it until a few days ago. This place looks like a miniaturized indoor version of Disney Land! It's got a bowling alley, mini golf, kids roller coasters, teacups, bumper cars, race cars, the typical carnival games, all you can eat buffet and several different themed rooms to eat in! Sooo long Chuck E Cheese! What I wouldn't give to be 4 again! I guess for now I'll settle for the semi quiet of having a few hour break from ONE of the three kids.

So what have we been doing? I've been a lazy blogger lately. This week is crazy at home. I started off Saturday working my traditional Saturday 14 hour day, I taught Sunday school the next day, taught preschool Tuesday and Thursday, and am gearing up to work another 26 hours between Saturday and Sunday. I am SOO looking forward to Sunday night when I can finally take a deep breath!

A few of the pictures posted are of Apple Hill. This was our first year going. There are like 50 orchards in a 10 mile radius. It's a fruit lovers dream! Next year I am determined to find the one of the U-pick apple farms up there.

Logan has been starting to read thanks to "Bob Books." I heard a recommendation from a friend and I am shocked at how quickly he has taken off. He is going to be so bored by the time he reaches kindergarten.

Sam is a week away from turning 3. He is such a sweet and funny kid. I am collecting a list of some of the funny things he says. One of these days I will have to post it.

Audrey is all over the place. She loves to put EVERYTHING in her mouth. Everyday I am shocked she hasn't choked to death on something. I have never had a kid who loved to put all kinds of trash in her mouth SO much. I wonder if that has anything to do with her still constant surrender of stomach contents? She is on the move. She started to crawl a few months ago (around 6 months) and she is quickly growing tired of it. She has been pulling up on furniture for the last month (7 months) and is occasionally trying to let go and stand. Her personality and development remind me a lot of Logan, who was a very happy, easy going baby and walked before 9 months. If she follows after her older brother than I think I may be in for one feisty princess the next few years.