What a Busy Week!

Okay, I guess it's been more than a week, but you get the point. I'm going to try to get some of this update done while I have two hands free. I just set Abbi in her swing sound asleep and Jack is playing with his cars and watching Curious George. Happy belated Mother's Day! I'm sorry I didn't post sooner, I was going to but then life happened and I didn't quite get to it.

I know I've talked to some of you so you'll already know some of this, but I'll write about it anyway. Last Saturday, we went swimming at the Lowell's house for a bit and were able to spend some time with the family. We got home a little past the time I usually put Jack down for a nap so I put him down thinking he'd fall asleep right away (because it was later and he'd been out in the sun for a while). After I put him down, he was quietly talking to himself for a bit. In the meantime, Abbi was just over-tired and I was trying to find a position she'd be happy in. When I almost had her happy, Jack started calling me so I went to check on him. I walk into his room and he says, "I pooped!" And yes he did. His diaper was off, he had poop on his hand and down his legs, there was poop smeared on the side of his crib, a chunk on the wall (and some had fallen on the carpet between his crib and the wall), it was on his bedding and pillow, and there were pieces of it on the top of his foot. He was kind of standing on one foot and I told him not to move . . . when I came back in he was still leaning on one foot. I put Abbigaile in her swing so I could start cleaning, so of course she starts screaming again. I started the shower and told Jack to start getting wet while I cleaned everything. Our swing's batteries were dead so I had to keep pushing it while taking care of everything else. I finally got Jack's bed cleaned and ready for naptime and him showered and put down again; Then, I was able to tend to her and we all went down for a nap. Oh! I mentioned that his diaper was off . . . it didn't have anything in it! You all know we're potty training so we think he may have known the diaper has to come off before you go . . . he just missed the whole get to the potty step in between. It hasn't happened since (thank goodness).

The next day was Mother's Day and Abbigaile's blessing day, as well. Justin and the kids got me some beautiful flowersJ. Church, and the blessing, went well, and then we all came home for lunch. We're so grateful to everyone who took part in our family's special day. We love you all! Abbigaile looked beautiful and slept for quite a bit of the afternoon (even with all the kids here).

Justin had his last final on Monday and his last school activity on Thursday. We're so happy to have him home with us a bit more now. Justin painted Abbi's dresser on Friday and painted a new workbench for the garage. We're going to try to get a lot of projects done around the house now that he's out of school for a while. We've bought a garage door opened so we have to install that and some other ceiling fans. We're going to stain our cupboards, change the hardware, and work on our yard. Needless to say, we have a lot of work to do.

We had the opportunity to watch Justin participate in his commencement ceremony last Saturday. Justin's parents, my mom, my dad, Mackenzie, Jack, and Abbigaile all took part in Justin's event. It was a big day for all of us, especially Justin. He walked with our friend Jeremiah and the rest of his senior experience group. We went to dinner afterwards and had some delicious Italian food (thanks dad!), then headed home. I think that night was the earliest we'd both gone to bed in quite a while (and it was great). I think that was the biggest, and most important, event that happened in our family.

Jack was fevered last Tuesday, but no other symptoms arose and it only lasted that day. I'm just so grateful if was a fever and nothing more serious. Abbigaile is growing quickly, as I'm sure you can imagine, and has become a little pudgier. I'm still not sure what color eyes she's going to have yet, but I don't think they'll be blue . . . if they are they won't be like Jack's eyes.

Friday, the kids and I went up to my mom's house and hung out while Justin was working. We played and made tons of cute bows for Abbi.

Sunday, (which is actually when I started this post) was just a nice day overall. We had church in the morning and ate lunch with Justin before he went to work. The kids and I took a nice nap and had a great evening together—all I have to say is Jack is a very sweet boy and he loves his lil' sister very much. I lined Abbigaile's dresser drawers and put the pulls back on; I'm excited that her room is coming together little by little.

Justin volunteered at the fire department yesterday morning, and then went to work for the remainder of the day. Abbigaile was kind of cranky, but Jack listened and behaved nicely. We watched the 24 season finale (what a letdown) and spent some time together before going to bed. We've already had a very productive morning; I've put away the remainder of the coupons, we've voted, went grocery shopping, picked up rain checks at KFC (today is the last day for that), Justin's outside working in the yard right now (I'll post some pictures), and now I'm going to work on Jason and Sierra's baptism program, then continue tidying the house. We've got a big week ahead of us and I hope we'll accomplish a ton! I'll write again soon.

Jumping Jack

Little Things

There's probably not too much to update everyone on, but Jack has Cars on and is coloring contently right now and Abbigaile just fell asleep so I thought I'd try to write something up quickly. However, it usually takes me a while and I often have to keep coming back to the computer just to finish; plus, I often write more than I'd plan to. Anyway, I'm happy to say the kids no longer have runny noses! Yay! I'm just hoping no one brings anything home for a little while so we can be around other people again.

Jack got to play outside for a while this morning at his little center and he had a blast; however, it was already quite sunny and his cheeks were a bit flushed. We also went to music class today and he behaved pretty well. He had a meltdown at first because he found some cars in the diaper bag and I had to take them away (they aren't supposed to bring toys), then he was trying to climb up some shelves to get some books and we had to stop him. But, we get little egg shakers for one of the song we sing (the Ravioli song!) and he didn't throw them at anyone! He still ran around a bit, but he actually participated for the most part. I'm so glad he was pretty well behaved because Abbigaile was awake the whole time so I kept her with me during the class (rather than in her car seat).

With regards to the potty training, we're really not making any progress. We washed his little potty so he's able to use it now, but it's really not helping all that much. He's only put his hands in his poop a few times since I last wrote (so gross), and luckily when he does do it he doesn't touch anything; I think we're at least making progress there. He'll now tell us he has to go and then run to the bathroom, but he's already pooped by then—it's a step in the right direction, I guess. It'll just take little baby steps and I know we can't force it.

Last Saturday, Nana came over and we had a nice visit with her. She brought Jack a sweet little bear and a toy bus that he plays with quite a bit now. He loves that bus (thanks Nana)! Abbi slept most of the time (and Jack went down for a nap) so we were able to watch the Kentucky Derby and have a nice chat. I'm glad Nana was able to see our home and meet Abbigaile J.

I've finally finished the movie I was working on for cheer! It was fun, but I'm glad to have it over and done with. My next big project will be compiling all of our home movies onto DVDs—that'll be a big one! Justin had his last real school day yesterday and he has a final on Monday night. He'll have a couple of weeks off and then his GMAT preparation course starts up, so he'll be studying several nights a week again. He hoping to study and prep for the next five months and then take the test. I know he'll do well.

Abbigaile is just growing and she's such a sweet little girl. There are days when she's a bit crankier than others, but I think that's to be expected. For instance, there are times when she won't eat unless I'm standing up, and then she'll wail if I try to sit with her. She's getting to be so strong! Last night I laid her on a little activity mat, so I could start to do a bit of dinner prep, and she scooted herself completely off the mat and turned herself! She moves when she's happy, but she can really move herself when she's upset. Oh, she's also just started to drool a bit. I can't remember exactly when Jack started, but I noticed her drooling on Sunday (down my arm, of course).

I think that's all that's really happening around here right now, nothing exciting, just little things that happen day to day. I'm going to start making little notes about things I want to blog about so I can remember it all. Also, I think I'll try to post some video I've taken recently of the kids. Until next time . . .

Poop!

know it hasn't been long since the last post, but things seem to happen and change so quickly around here. We had a few really hot days down here in San Diego (almost 100 degrees) so I tried to stay home with the kids because I didn't want Jack playing out in the super hot sun, plus I didn't want to sit and watch him in the sun, either. However, it almost might have been better to go to music class because it's air-conditioned. We had the missionaries over for dinner and I made this Peanut Butter Cup Chicken Mole (a Rachel Ray recipe) which I served over rice. it was really good, but a bit spicier than it was supposed to be because I had a little more of the chipotle in adobo than it called for (the heat level was better the next day after I mixed some sour cream in with the sauce, chicken, and rice).

Wednesday was the day that Jack's nose started running, we thought it might possible be allergies because Justin was having them and his nose was just clear. However, the next morning we woke up and Abbigaile had a runny/stuffy nose . . . and now I do, too. Abbigaile went to the doctor on Thursday for her well-baby visit and she's now 10 lbs. 12 oz. and 22 ¾ in long. It's amazing how quickly they grow at this age! She had four injections and an oral vaccine, as well. She really wasn't happy for the rest of the day because of that and the fact that she couldn't really breathe all that well—poor thing. We have to go back in about a month just to have her head circumference checked and her next real appointment is in two months. I don't think I've written about why we have to watch her head circumference so I'll update you all briefly. Her old doctor was concerned that her fontanel (soft spot) was really small, so they referred us to see a pediatrician to see if she needed an MRI done on her head. That pediatrician said that as long as her soft spot remains open we should be okay or we may have to have them surgically separated (as it would limit brain growth). Her new pediatrician isn't too concerned because some kids just don't have as big a soft spot as others, but is still going to keep an eye on her. So, that's that.

Now, here's the reason for this post's title. Now is the beginning of wedding season, so luckily Justin was home with us Friday morning when this all happened. Because we're more seriously think about potty training, and because Jack's getting a bit older, he's not really wearing a onesie under all his clothes anymore (he'll sometimes wear just a little undershirt now).It is because of this fact that his diaper is more accessible to him. So, on Friday Jack not only poops twice that morning; he also proceeds to put his hands in it twice, as well. This is not the first time he's done this (it happened once during naptime and he called me in to change him), but it is the first time that both hands were covered in poo! I didn't see it as I was in the shower and Justin was getting Abbi dressed after her bath . . . luckily Justin caught him before he got it everywhere. He was put into timeout in his crib, but then he went and did it again later that morning. He's being very defiant in his potty training right now. We're not even thinking about the whole pee thing a whole lot, but we do try to go poo poo on the potty and will sit there with him and talk or read a book. There have been a few times where he's been sitting on the potty for a while and then he'll state that he's "all done." He then goes away and poops in his diaper and tells us afterward. I know we probably need to go about things a little differently, but I'm thinking about getting more serious in a few weeks when Justin's around to help me with it for a couple of days a week.

Justin only has 20 days left until he graduates! If anyone wants to come it is on Saturday, May 16. Call or email me and I can give you more details. Justin is still working hard at his job, school, and he's the most amazing father and husband. We're definitely looking forward to a couple days a week with him! We're discussing the possibility of grad school for Justin, especially because CSUSM isn't accepting applications right now (and possibly not for Spring 2010 semester either) and it would be really great for him to have his masters degree; not only for Justin, but for our family, as well. We'll just take one thing at a time.

I'm thinking about taking either an aerobics or dance class this summer, maybe I'll take both. It'll be good to exercise again and get fully back in shape (or at least more than I am now). I'm also kindo of excited about running again—I just have to get motivated to go out early and do it. Maybe within the next week or two I will. Oh! I got this cool new thing called the "Ped Egg." It's awesome and it was only $10 at Target! I don't know about you, but I don't always have the time or money to go and get a pedicure. Although it's nice to be pampered every once in a while, I like the fact that I can now have smooth feet at home and I don't have the expense of going to the salon. Anyway, I highly recommend this product especially now that beach season is upon us. Last thing for me—I pretty much finished with the Cheer movie I was working on! I just need one more song and I might change some of the transitions.

Oh yeah, since our last post Justin has turned 27! Woo hoo! Jack stayed with the Lowell Grandparents (thanks again) and we went down to San Diego and picked out a really beautiful picture of Christ at the bookstore (since our home was lacking one), went to dinner at Red Robin, and spent a little bit of time with my Dad, Teresa, and Randen. While at the bookstore we found a beautiful panoramic sepia-toned picture of the San Diego temple that we both really like . . . so that'll probably be the next picture we purchase (maybe for our anniversary?).

Yesterday was a long day, but we had a lot of fun. We spend most of the day with my mom and sister. We hung out at the mall for most of the afternoon and attended the Jaguar Auction that evening with them; we were also able to spend time with my Dad and Teresa J At the mall, Jack decided he was going to run away from us. We were finishing up lunch at Panera and he thought it would be funny to dash out the exit and run halfway down the mall (it's a big mall too!). I was nursing Abbigaile at the time so my mom chased him for me; however, she couldn't run because she had flip-flops on and some nearby people helped her to catch him. Unfortunately Jack doesn't know about stranger danger yet and he has no fear. I never thought I'd be one of those parents, but I'm thinking one of those kid leashes might be a nice future investment for him since he doesn't like to sit in the stroller all that much. He really liked the Build-a-Bear store and pushed around a teddy in a stroller for a long time. They also had a little stuffed dog on roller skates that he liked a lot, as well—I think we'll have to go and make him a little something in the future.

I guess that's it for now. I'll try to post again soon and I'll get some pictures for this post up a little later. Love you all!

Time Flies

Wow! I can't believe it has already been a month since my last real post . . . time flies when you're having fun, right? I was looking at the pictures I last posted of Abbi and she looks so different already. As of today our little girl is 8 weeks old and it has gone so quickly. I think it does with the second child just because you have more to do and take care of than with the first child. Anyway, Abbigaile is growing and thriving; as of the 31^st she was 9 lbs. 7 oz. and I think it was 21 in. long this puts her in the 10^th percentile for height and 30^th for weight. She's filling out nicely, even though she's still in her newborn clothes, and has already been holding her head up quite well. Abbigaile is smiling a lot more and starting to coo a whole lot more. Unlike her brother, she doesn't care for the binky at all, she prefers to suck on her little fist instead. She is quite spoiled at times and loves to be held. Her favorite spot is up over the shoulder, so it makes it hard to get things done sometimes (I'm actually typing with one hand right now). As a result of this, I think I'm going to have a very strong left shoulder from supporting her J We have a doctor's appointment next week, so we'll be weighing her again and she'll be getting some more shots. I think that's really all that's going on with Abbi at the moment. Oh yes, she still has that sweet baby smell. Sometimes when I'm holding her and she's asleep, I just love to take a deep whiff of that sweet baby yumminess (is that a word?).

Jack is turning into such a big boy! He's talking a whole lot more, and I think other people can understand him, too. Justin and I still understand more than others, but he's definitely speaking a lot more clearly. He likes to tell me things about "my stista'" and I think it's so cute. He says her name a lot more now rather than just "baby" and he still loves to kiss her and talk to her. He's definitely helpful and will even throw away Abbi's diapers. When she's fussy or crying, he'll try to comfort her (as long as he isn't the cause) and will pat her belly or stroke her foot. He tends to do the things he's seen me do. There are times when I'll be in the middle of something and he'll go tell her "I's okay" and give her kisses. The other day we returned home from grocery shopping and I set Abbigaile down in her car seat so I could run to the restroom (that's definitely harder to do in public with 2 kids when you're by yourself) and so she was crying, I heard the crying lessen and when I came to see why, Jack had found a binky in the diaper bag and was trying to give it to her. Isn't he such a sweet boy!?!

Jack is also becoming very intelligent and loves to learn. He now knows almost all of his capital letters! The only letters he's still having trouble with are R and W (sometimes). He knows his numbers 0-9, except 4. Jack does pretty well with most of his colors, and knows a few of his shapes; I think his favorite shape is a triangle. He still loves playing with his train and cars, coloring, and reading. His favorite show is either Thomas the Train or Word World (yes I let my child watch TV—I know it's bad, but at least it's somewhat educational). Oh! I almost forgot to blog about this . . . Jack went poo on the potty for the first time on April 7^th (I know you all don't need to know the date, it's more for me); we were so excited and proud of him. We're not really pushing the potty training right now, but we're starting to get more serious about it now that Abbigaile is here and Jack is becoming more verbal.

Last Saturday we had the Annual Lowell Easter Egg Hunt, thanks again Mark and Jody we had a lot of fun, and Jack had a blast. Although he didn't want to participate at first he got the hang of it and did quite well. For Easter the Jack got some wooden puzzles, a Car's bucket and Car's eggs; he loved them all. Abbi got a cute yellow sundress and a cute striped outfit; she, of course, has no idea.

I think that's all that's really going on with the kiddos right now. I just have to rant about one thing really quick. I can't stand Huggies diapers! There, I said it! They leak like crazy even when I'm diligent about changing her. I don't know if it's just my kid, I don't think it is because our friend's little girl leaks, too. I'm tired of having three outfits a day! So even when I can get a pack for 5 or 6 bucks, I'm not doing it! Thank goodness that as of this moment we only have 2 left. Hooray for Pampers! Okay, I just had to get that off my chest.

Justin has only one month until graduation! His graduation ceremony is on May 16^th and we couldn't be happier! I feel like we just started the semester, but that's probably because I'm not the one doing the homework and going to class. Justin's birthday is this Saturday and we're going to go out and do something, but I'm not sure what yet. We'll probably just go to dinner and hang out since we'll have the little peanut with us, but any time spent together is great! I'm glad that after almost 5 years, it'll be five years at the end of July, we still have fun together and can make each other laugh.

I'm not really doing anything new right now, just being a mom and dealing with the day to day. I went and got my hair cut, twice (that's another story). I'm doing some digital video editing, and although the program I have isn't my favorite (I think it's just a limited version), I'm doing an okay job. I'm looking at going back to school to finish my degree, but admissions for Fall 2009 are closed and they don't know if they'll be open for Spring admissions yet. I can only take one more class at Palomar for my undergrad work, so I'll do that then we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I guess that's pretty much it for now. I'll post again soon!