My Husband is THE Best!

So, the day of the "Red Wine" post was also the same day that LOST Season 2 premiered. OMG! It was a great premiere!

Well, that day Keith didn't call me on the way home from work. Which was odd because he almost always calls me. Anyway, he comes home and has paperwork in his hand, and I can see something stuffed in between the papers. He immediately goes into the kitchen, then comes back out to give me a kiss. I ask him what was in the papers, and he said that there wasn't anything. I knew he wasn't being truthful. He hid whatever it was and laughed as I searched the kitchen trying to find what it was that he had stuffed in his papers. I finally found it up on the top shelf of the cupboard by the fridge.

Well, remember how I've been sobbing on about how Keith denied me purchase of the LOST DVD Season 1? Well, guess what was mixed in with the papers? YUP! The DVDs! Yippee! He left work early that day, went to Best Buy and picked it up for me.

Ain't he sweet?

A Bunch of Guests

Today turned out to be a nice, fun family visit day. Julie came over yesterday to spend the weekend with us sans children. Julie comes to visit every so often for (according to her) a quiet, relaxing time. The kids LOVE when Auntie Julie comes. She reads to them, does Kaela's hair and pays special attention to each kid. And it is nice for me too! She changes diapers, fixed bottles, entertains kids, makes them breakfast when Keith and I sleep in (I know!). I don't tell the kids until the day before because as soon as they find out, the questions never stop. "Is Auntie Julie here?" "When is Auntie Julie going to be here?" "What is taking Auntie Julie so long to get here?"

Then Julie and I get to go out while Keith graciously watches the kids. Last night Julie and I went to a restaurant that gets quite crowded. But, we anted to eat there so we waited. The wait didn't seem to drag. We talked and sat and then were called. We were seated at the exact same table we sat in last time (which was before our babies were born). We were starved and ordered an appetizer. It was a yummy spicy crab Rangoon. As we got our appetizer, the server said she was going on break and that another server was going to be helping us. So, he was great at refilling our drinks, etc. Julie and I waited and waited for our food. After about (I'm guessing) thirty minutes, the server comes back and asks us if we want dessert. Huh? We told him we hadn't even had our meal yet! He said that there wasn't anything else on order for us, asked us what we ordered and then told us he'd put it in right away and make sure that we were at the top of the list. Well, you better put us at the top of the list! He apologized and left. Soon, the manager came by and offered us apologies and free cheesecake for dessert. Then the server came back and apologized again, then the original server came and apologized because she was the one that messed up the order. Julie and I were in good spirits and were happy that we got so many apologies, and well, free cheesecake. We shared a piece and brought the other piece - Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake - back for Keith for watching the kids. We had a great time there, but this morning, I found that in all the confusion and excitement, I lost my credit card. I called the restaurant and they didn't have it. I searched my purse and car. I didn't have it anywhere. I had to call to cancel it. What a bummer.

Well, today Ris, Mom and Dad came up. The arrived in the early afternoon and we all hung out and socialized. Julie and I went to the grocery store and picked up Rotiserie chicken and some sides, but when everyone else got here, it was decided to have steak. It did end up being really yummy. Dinner was filling. Rib eye steaks, gingered carrots, garlic mashed potatoes, Caesar salad and corn. For dessert we had Red Ribbon cake. Everyone left around 8. The kids went to bed shortly after and I cleaned up the kitchen and played on the internet.

While they were here, Dad and Ris took the beliefnet.com Belief-a-Matic quiz. It determines on this set of questions what your best match of religion is. Dad and Ris scored 100% Roman Catholic. When I took the test, I was 100% mainline to liberal conservative protestant. Only 56% Roman Catholic. Julie scored 100% Orthodox Quaker. At least she was 98% Roman Catholic.

Ris was surfing for a new website host and then all of a sudden, things started installing themselves and something weird started running and before we knew it, the computer was being hijacked. All kinds of shortcuts were attaching themselves onto the desktop and it hijacked the task manager so we couldn't stop it. So, we just shut the computer off and Keith is going to look at it tomorrow. How rude is that? It's like a plumber just walking into your house and installing new plumbing to an outside shower. Something you never asked for, didn't want in your house and didn't need.

Well, it was as always a good day.

Red Wine

My parents brought us back a bottle of red wine from Spain. I felt like having a drink. I pulled out one of our wine glasses and I thought, "We need some 'everyday' wine glasses." Not that we drink everyday. Rarely do we drink wine, or alcohol for that matter. The wine glass that I am drinking from has a flared top, very delicate glass and a gold rim. Not really "us". We got it a set of four as a wedding present. They are beautiful wine glasses. I'm scared I may break one. I think I put them on our wedding registry because I thought that one day we *might* have dinner guests. We've never used them for the "dinners" that I had imagined. Good thing we never put fine china on our registry.

I felt like having the wine, just like when I worked, I felt I had to have a cigarette at my 3pm break. All this past year that we have moved back to Southern California, the kids and I have stayed home, only running errands when completely necessary, or when I just had to get out of the house.

With Kevin and Kaela in school, I've been out every week day and have been in more contact with people. Like I said to my friend Julie, "God help me for living in South Orange County."

No one here seems to follow the rules and everyone looks the same. I can't seem to remember which child goes to which mom because the moms all look the same - trendy clothes, manicured toes and perfect hair driving an SUV too big for their family. Cookie cutter soccer moms. Not only do they all look the same, they all break the same rules. I'll try not to get too bithcy about it, but it has to do with the parking in no parking zones and double parking that everyone seems to be doing because they can't get walk their lazy asses with their one child from the street to the classroom. If I can do it with four children, aged five and under, Mrs. Cookie Cutter Soccer Mom can too.

Okay, vent over. Back to the wine.

Another Nice Weekend

Can you believe it? We actually went out! We went to the mall. Even though it was only the mall we had fun. We went for lunch at the food court. The kids and I had Hot Dog on A Stick and Keith opted for Indian Food. All the kids of course were well behaved and Kyle even sat in a chair as opposed to a high chair.

After we ate, we went to See's Candy and bought chocolate - mostly for me. Keith is such a chocolate snob! lol He practically spit out the piece he tired to eat after dinner tonight. Okay, not practically, he did!

I don't get beanies anymore, unless they are really cute or special. But, I found some Halloweenie Beanie Bears, miniatures. Very cute. I will add them to the house decor for Halloween. Did I mention that we are going to have a birthday party for Kyle that is Halloween themed. Everyone is supposed to wear a costume. We'll see if that happens.

I have been working on a new blog. One for stamping. Check it out. I added a Personal Links section on the left. You can find it there.

Well, it is late and I have to get up early. We have been having a thunderstorm. Hopefully it isn't raining in the morning. If it is, I don't think I am going to walk Kevin to school. We will just drive. *Yawn* Good Night!

Our Cute Girl

Our Cute Girl

I took these pictures of Kenna yesterday. There were so many cute ones I could not decide which to post. Keith suggested to post them all (there were 43!). So, we picked out our favorites. From left to right, my favorite, Keith's favorite and Kevin's favorite. Kaela and Kyle were already asleep for the night so they didn't get to pick! lol

Michaela's First Day

Michaela's First Day

Michaela really enjoyed her first day of school. She did really well! The first picture is of her before we left. She wore this dress because she was supposed to wear something red. Well, her red dress was way too short, so at the last minute we had to go with a pink dress with red flowers.

The second pane is her in front of her class room. The book she is holding is from Kevin. She was going to learn about red today. Coincidentally, Kevin studied about red yesterday and made this book in class. He gave it to her to help her learn about red too.

This last pane is her going into the class room and getting her name tag. The lady pinning her name tag on is the teacher's assistant.

Isn't She Cute?

Isn't She Cute?

A big smile for you. This was taken earlier today as she hung out in her swing. Keith archived some pictures this weekend and some video. It is amazing how much Kenna and Kaela looked alike. They could be identical twins!

My Cute Boy

My Cute Boy

Blurry pictures bug me, but I really like this one. Keith took it on the weekend. The "three boys" were in the blue room where I have about a million loads of laundry that need folding. Well, they all thought that it would be fun to play in the clothes as if they were a pile of fall leaves. They all had a ton of fun as you can tell by the happiness on Kyle's face.

I like this picture because I think it captures Kyle to a tee. He always has such a bright smile on his face and is such a happy boy. He has a way of making everyone happy.

Intelligence

I took a short quiz entitled "What Kind of Intelligence Does Your Child Have?"

Here are the results:

KEVIN: Your Child's Strength Is Logical/Mathematical Intelligence
With an orderly, systematic approach to life, your child can probably excel in activities that include logic and strategy, such as board games and puzzles. Children with Logical/Mathematical Intelligence tend to have a very quick mind and can often bond instantly with computers. And as they get older, these kids tend to gain interest in abstract concepts. Prepare to answer deep and complicated questions like, "What is time?"

MICHAELA: Your Child's Strength Is Interpersonal/Emotional Intelligence
Your little one probably makes friends easily and relates well to other children. Children with Interpersonal/Emotional Intelligence tend to be happiest around others and often get bored on their own. With an awareness of others' thoughts and feelings, your child will probably serve as a group mediator and can take the lead in helping groups of people come to a common decision. Nicely balanced with this understanding of other people is a strong sense of self, with an awareness of personal feelings as well as those of others. People thriving on Interpersonal/Emotional Intelligence are often very successful as adults. They present themselves well to others and win allies by paying attention to those around them.

I think these may be right on. Well, more so for Kevin as opposed to Kaela, but she is still forming her relationships. As for Kevin, I think the way he is now will pretty much be the way he is when he is older.

LOST

They are replaying last season's season finale tonight. Keith says that it would be fun to watch it again.

The entire first season came out on DVD early this month, but Keith doesn't want me to buy it. He never denies me, but on this he has! *sniffle* *sniffle* Poor me!

I have really fallen for this show. I am not sure why I am so drawn to it.

It premiered the night we flew to MN for Paul and Karensa's wedding. Well, the show is about a group of people that survive a plane crash. I didn't want to watch it when it first premiered because well, it was about a plane crash. But, a few months ago, Keith found it streaming online, and we watched it for hours. I was hooked instantly!

It premiere's next week on the 21st. I can't wait.

Kaela Is Starting Preschool & Other Stuff

Kaela had her preschool orientation today and she really enjoyed it. We got there early. I had never been to her school before and wasn't sure how to get there, where to park, etc. It turned out to be really easy and we got a good parking spot on the street. About half her class was at this orientation and the other half were to be at the second orientation. There are 16 kids in her class, mostly her age, but there are about three almost 5 year olds.

We were all waiting outside for the orientation to start and when the teacher opened the door, two little boys immediately went up to the door to greet the teacher. The other kids (all but one) quickly formed a line and followed suit. The teacher was very impressed with this bunch of kids. She said in all the years that she was teaching preschoolers, she never had kids that lined up in front of the door, filing in one by one and saying their names when asked. She said that usually the kids are clinging onto their parents and bury their faces in their parent's leg when spoken to. She said that it looked like there were going to be quite a few independent, strong willed kids in the class (I don't know if that is such a good thing. Imagine a bunch of little strong willed Kaelas all in the same class!).

The parents sat on one end of the classroom (which is a huge room, by the way - an entire portable classroom) and the children played while we had the orientation. It seems like a very fun class and a great environment. They work towards Kindergarten readiness. I am very impressed. Kaela said she had a lot of fun playing and doing things in her class room and is already excited about Thursday.

Now the other stuff. Kevin is of course loving Kindergarten. His open house is Thursday night. More info for us. Both Kevin and Kaela's teachers sent home calendars for the month with all kinds of things and activities and things to remember listed. I am going to have to get myself a binder to keep all the school stuff in. Kevin starts soccer soon and Kaela wants to learn ballet. Wow, we are going to be busy. Imagine how it'll be once Kyle and Kenna start school.

Kyle is saying, "Thank You." It is pretty nice. At night though, he has been escaping from bed and joining me and Keith. It has happened a few nights in a row now. Today at nap, he climbed out of bed and went into ours. I am thinking that he just doesn't like his sleeping area anymore.

Kenna is cute as ever. She sits up in her swing and talks and plays. Ris watched Kyle and Kenna today and said they were both really easy. Ris didn't hear it, but Kyle said, "Bye Auntie!" when she left. Ris has been trying to get him to say "Auntie Ris", but of course he won't say it when asked. lol Back to Kenna, we have her on her tummy on the floor sometimes and put toys in front of her. She is moving her legs and pushing and can eventually get to the toys. She may be crawling soon!

Our Yellow Garden Spider. Not sure if it is the same one in the picture below, but this weekend, Keith found two that were within two feet of each other. They are almost twice as big as the one in the picture. They were HUGE!!!! Creepy, but we leave them alone. The other orb weavers that we are more accustomed to seeing are more numerous now. Also creepy.

This weekend is another neighborhood garage sale. Keith suggested that I go around the neighborhood and give out flyers and things to introduce my business. Very interesting idea. I just may do it!

Well, it is time to wrap up for the night. Kids need PJs, etc. So, good bye for now!

Kevin on His First Day

Kevin on His First Day

The first pane is of Kevin eating breakfast. As you can tell, he is not totally awake. He complained that the sun wasn't up when he woke. I think I'll get him up 15 minutes later tomorrow. We had some sitting around time.

The second pane is Kevin all dressed and ready to g0. He was excited about his spiderman lunch sack and his water bottle.

The last pane is Kevin at his classroom. Keith took the morning off and we all walked to the school. THere were two kids (a boy and a girl) crying, but Kevin did really well.

School Starts in Two Days

Kevin starts his first day of school on Thursday. Tomorrow we are going to his orientation and we will find out which class he is in. Michaela's orientation is next Tuesday and her first day is the following Tuesday. I sure hope they gave Kevin the morning session. It will make for really long days on Tuesday and Thursday if not.

Kenna is doing really well. She can sit up rally well now. She does have some balancing issues, but she can sit up with a straight back. She likes her walker and can maneuver around the kitchen and to the TV room and back again full circle. She has figured out how to unstick herself if she gets stuck on something.

Kyle is doing really well too. He says more words and is very vocal. He talk to us as if he is carrying on whole conversations with us. He is very animated when he talks. He furrows his brow and talks with his hands. It is very cute. All we really hear is blah blah blur na nu blah uh. But he really acts like he is speak perfect English. I just reply, "Really? Wow!" He seems perfectly happy with that. I am not really sure what I am validating when I say that.

Kaela is still singing a lot. Maybe she's inherited a great voice from both her Aunt Karensa and her Grandma Tessie. She sings every time she hears music, sometimes just naturally picking up the music of the chorus which she will hum. Then, when she picks up the words, she full on sings. The theme to the Candyland computer game is her favorite right now. "Candyland is waiting for you. Yummy gumdrops and chocolate treats...." Very cute too.

Well, I am getting more excited about being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. I have scoured the Stampin' Up! website for all kinds of info and tips. I am going to hold an Open House to introduce my business on October 1 down at my parent's house. I don't know anyone up here yet, but I hope to meet more people once school starts and Kevin will be playing soccer. I am excited about it all. I have a lot of work ahead of me to get this business off the ground. I have a website sponsored by Stampin' Up!, but it has personal info listed on it, so I won't post it here. If you want the URL, e-mail me.

There was a big fire near my parents house, and some streets got evacuated (not theirs). Luckily for my family, the ocean breeze blew the fire over the mountain in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, a few hundred acres burned. Fortunately, no homes were damaged.

Keith is doing well. Work is a bit slow and boring right now, but I am sure it'll pick up.

Can't think of any other news right at the moment. So, goodbye for now!

I'm the King of the World!

So Keith and I decided to play Risk tonight. We brought it along with us on our vacation hoping to get a game in. We all know how much Keith enjoys playing Risk.

We started tonight at 9pm. Wouldn't you know it. With the deal of the cards, Keith already has all of the Australian continent and its surrounds. That's an extra two points from the get go. He didn't even have to do anything for them. Of course, I was scattered all over the world.

So the game progresses and I finally get North America. Before you know it, we are battling over Europe. I have most of the continent, but don't quite understand the strategy. He would use Europe to creep into North America. Eventually, I get South America and Africa. Then lo and behold I get Europe! Then I move east to Australia. And now it is mine!

Off to conquer more of Asia. Keith is getting impatient and says that I could have killed him off a long time ago. I suppose I could have, but well, I had no clue that I could have.

So, he is directing me on where to make my next move and how I should kill him off. So I take most of his advice, but it was that I got some lucky dice tonight I guess. So Keith is holed up in one to the K-stans. A roll of the dice. And ta da! Four hours later, I'm the King of the World!

Argiope Aurantia

Argiope Aurantia

Yellow Garden Spider. This spider was in our backyard. The yellow section was about an inch long. As creepy as this spider looks, it is not dangerous to humans. It will cause an itchy bite and a small welt, but nothing serious. It is not the same orb weavers that we have up in the trees. This guy (yes it is male - the females are skinnier and longer) lays low about waist high to the kids. Keith found this one. Kevin found his "twin" about five feet away.

I Don't Usually Like to Do This, But...

I try to keep this blog light hearted and an update to friends and family on what is going on with the family, but I am going to use the opportunity to say how ashamed I am at what is going on with the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

On Tuesday, my sister and I were talking about how people on the news were complaining that no one was doing anything for them. Well, I told my sister that these people just don't realize what is being done as they don't have any forms of communication. They will be rescued and safe soon. Well, poor naive me.

I have been consumed with news about the devastation and rescue efforts. And now I am ashamed of the inaction on the part of the President.

It is Friday - five days after the hurricane and people are still stranded in buildings and are all alone. There are hundreds if not thousands of elderly and mentally disabled people stuck in nursing homes and hospitals - some without any kind of supervision or help. Students at universities are stuck in the dorms without food and water. People are wandering the streets starving and hungry. These are regular everyday people. What can we expect here in Southern California when the big one hits? Or along the West Coast if a tsunami hits? Or a nuclear power plant malfunction? The Southern Region is an example of how unprepared we are to help our own citizens in times of disaster.

The media is portraying the looters as criminals taking TV's and things. But, what the news also isn't pointing out is that some of the looters are just people looking for food, water and meds for their families. It is made to look like lawlessness and free for alls. Many of these people are just like you and me and are just trying to survive. The ones that are making it on the news are the ones that probably would be breaking the law regardless of the hurricane or not.

Anyway, back to our President. I am all for backing him as he is our President, but I believe there should have been a quicker response. The minute the flooding began, he should have had relief headed that way. He cut his vacation short, but not soon enough. He flew over the area to view the devastation. Flew over? Why didn't he land? At least, it would show that he cared. He is going to visit today. Ah huh.

Ugh, I could go on and on. But, I guess I am in one of the mourning phases. I think I have come to the anger phase. I do mourn for all those that have died and those that are continuing to suffer. Please donate what you can to the victims.

McKenna is 5 Months Old

McKenna is 5 Months Old

Okay. Now it is working! Here is Kenna's 5 months picture. Ain't she cute? A smile just for you!

Kenna Turned 5 Months Old

Well, this post was to be a picture of McKenna, but the service I use to upload pictures is currently down. I was able to post the bottom two pictures, but then it decided to give out. Oh well, I wil try again this afternoon.

My Little Darlins

My Little Darlins

Their monthly picture. After I take Kenna' month picture, all the kids want pictures with themselves holding Kenna. Then we do a group picture. This is this month's edition.

Not the Best Picture, But Look at Those Lashes

Not the Best Picture, But Look at Those Lashes

McKenna has the longest lashes. They are long and have the perfect curl to them. All the kids have long pretty lashes. They get them from Keith.

Rest In Peace

Wow. I am so saddened by the recent loss of life throughout the world. Plane crashes in South America and Greece. Famine in Niger and Africa. War in Iraq, the Stampede. The Gaza Strip Conflict. Louisiana (especially New Orleans), Mississippi and Alabama hit by Katrina. Natural and Manmade disasters everywhere.

You just never know when your time has come. There are constant reminders to live life like each day could be your last. Be thankful for what you have.

I pray for the families that have lost someone recently. I hope everyone can find peace.

It's Only Tuesday

But it seems like it should be Thursday. Technically I am writing this Wednesday morning, but it is really still Tuesday since I haven't gone to bed yet. lol

Well, Kevin and Kyle both had high fevers today. I finally broke down and gave them Tylenol when they were really uncomfortable. Not that I was waiting for them to be miserable, I was waiting for the fever to break. It didn't by 2pm so I gave they meds and it worked. The fevers reduced and then I gave them more before bed so that they could sleep.

But, we tucked them all in and then Kaela started making whiny noises. When I finally brought her downstairs at about 10pm, she had finally gotten a fever. She was her self the entire day and I thought for she was going to be fine, but I was wrong. She is now asleep in our room at the foot of the bed. We have trouble sleeping with her in the bed because she moves around a TON.

With the boys being sick, it made for a long long day. Keith came home right at 6pm and made dinner for us. I got a huge headache trying to deal with the sick boys and the baby (who I pray doesn't get a fever). I called Keith around 2:30 to see if he was going to make it home at a decent hour. Well, he did and for that I was so thankful.

I am up late tonight because I wanted to order groceries. But, there is a problem with the website and now we won't have any milk or bread for tomorrow. Oh well, I guess I have to haul the kids to the grocery store. Maybe I will just buy overpriced milk at Target as I have to go there to buy Kenna more formula. It is worth the extra money not to have to go to two different places.

Arugh, Joann's is having another 50% off the clearance price on fabric and then there is an additional 10% off coupon on your entire purchase. Of course I can't pass this up. But why can't I??? It is a sickness I tell you!

I read The Kite Runner. It was a great book and I finished it in less than a week. Big deal you say? Well, it is a big deal when you have four kids to manage! Anyway, I am sad. I am always sad after a good book draws me in. I always want to know more. How does it go from there? What does the character move on to? I feel like I will never see an old friend again. That's what a good book is to me.

Back to The Kite Runner. I must've cried at least a dozen times. It was a well written story. I hate to write much more about it as I don't want to give anything away. I hate knowing too much about a book or movie that I want to see or read. I want to form my own opinions.

My big disappointment for the evening. Well, a company that I shopped online with through eBay is the fastest growing store on eBay. They are trying to be the first eBayers to get 1 million positive feedbacks. Well, I was so excited that their tally was getting close to 1 million feedbacks. Whoever gives them the 1 millionth positive feedback wins a trip to Hawaii. Well, I had been watching over the last few days and noticed their feedback was getting close to 1 million. Wouldn't you know it, today was getting close to the 1 million mark. So I am gearing up to be the millionth person to leave them feedback. Well wouldn't you know it - I left the 1 millionth feedback for pugster on eBay. I was so excited and I couldn't believe I actually won! Woohoo! Keith and I are going to Hawaii. But, alas. The finer print. They are looking for the 1 millionth positive feedback. I entered the 1 millionth overall feedback (includes neutrals and negatives). Boy was I bummed when Maria pointed it out to me. Keith said he wished that he got me on video how excited I was. Oh well. I will win when the time comes. Maybe I'll write to them and see if the overall millionth feedback is worth anything. But, if it did, it might make me ineligible for the real deal! lol

Okay. It is now past 1am. I should head off. Good night!

Fischer Update

Well, as you can see, I have posted new pictures. What have we been up to?

I got Kevin's school info and he has an assessment with the teacher in the morning. He is going to meet with her (I am assuming the teacher is female) and she is going to evaluate his "strengths and likes". What ever that means! We shall see. Kevin also got his first haircut for school. He looks older. We got his school supplies and of course he picked out a green binder. He is excited about school and is looking forward to meeting new kids.

Kaela has been doing really good with the potty training. Keith just laid into her about how she had to use the potty because we knew that she could do it and had no trouble doing it before. So, that night before bed she asked for underwear and hasn't had to use a Pull-Up since. That was last Monday, or was it Tuesday? When she was in the spa this weekend, she hopped out and used the bathroom upstairs (as opposed to the spa). We thought that was really good.

Kyle is skipping naps more these days and continues to say more and more. Kenna is wearing Mickey Mouse PJs tonight and Kyle exclaimed, "Mickey!" Kyle also knows how to climb right up into hi high chair. It has an extra wide base, so we aren't worried (too much) about it tipping. He climbed right in tonight surprising Keith. I had seen him do it once before. He also just climbs right of out his pack and play in the morning. Good thing Kenna wakes up early too. I don't like Kyle wandering the house while I am asleep. He likes to get into all kinds of things.

Kenna is sitting up. Well, not full straight back, but she sits up by herself if she has her hands out in front of her on the floor. It's a funny sight. But, I remember taking a picture of Kevin like that and that was in October of 2000. Kenna is just a tad more developed than he was. The doc told me she was read to try solids, but honestly, I am not up for trying it yet because that would mean I would have to stop to feed her. The bottle is so much easier and less messy!

Keith's program went Beta. So far everyone seems to like it. It is so exciting. I am so proud.

Julie, Emily and Andrew visited this weekend. It was a nice visit. Kaela adores Emily. Did you know that Emily and Kevin are going to be married someday? Emily has been saying so for a couple of years now. She is exactly 5 months older than him. They play together well and she is a tough chick! She can handle any roughness that Kevin can dish out (which isn't too bad!). Emily takes soccer and karate and is musically inclined. She was in a Stomp band. Kevin wants to play drums, soccer and take karate. They sound like female/male clones. And my goodness are they both the cutest things. They make a cute couple. lol

Keith was brave enough to watch all six kids while Julie and I ran some quick errands. He said they were all really good while we were gone. The kids went into the spa and played for a while.

Well, that's it for now. I am sure I left something out. But, I will try to get back to it soon. Bye!

Kevin Got a Buzz

Kevin Got a Buzz

Kevin got his first preofessional cut today. Keith brought him to place he usually goes to. Kevin did really good and sat still for the Stylist. He wasn't scared at all. I think his haircut makes him look older.

Kaela Smiles

Kaela Smiles

Kaela is so so girlie these days. Her hair is getting really long. Emily was with us this weekend and Kaela wanted to do everything Emily did. Emily brought along some cute hair stuff and Kaela got her hair done quite a few times by Auntie Julie.

Kyle Gets Bored Computerizin'

Kyle Gets Bored Computerizin'

Keith took this picture of Kyle. I was out running errands. Kyle was playing on the computer and decided that he was tired. He just laid down on the chairs and fell asleep.

Kenna and Her Scooter

Kenna and Her Scooter

Kenna has been scooting around in her walker. She can go really fast, especially on the hardwood floors or when we are hanging out in the garage. She can maneuver it pretty well. She can go around corners and around obstacles. She hasn't figured out how to go backwards yet though!

My Hidden Talent

Found a cute little website. Try this one too. These are my results.

Your Hidden Talent

You are both very knowledgeable and creative. You tend to be full of new ideas and potential - big potential. Ideas like yours could change the world, if you build them. As long as you don't stop working on your dreams, you'll get there.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

Linguistics Quiz

Okay, try this. These are my results. (Can you tell I am surfing?)

Your Linguistic Profile:

60% General American English

20% Upper Midwestern

20% Yankee

0% Dixie

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Okay, More Stuff to Mention

1) Our darn lights are flickering again!

2) Keith is pretty much over the cold that he got from us.

3) Keith was impressed at how well Kyle did while we were out today. He was really easy.

4) Kaela is weepy and having accidents and I am not sure why. We have tried to be really nice to her and talk to her in a soft voice, but she is going through another one of her weepy stages.

5) We bought Lego 50th anniversary buckets (filled with 500 Legos). And each bucket includes a free child's admission to Legoland. The buckets were $9.99, the tickets are $37.95. Quite a bargain!

6) I have signed up to become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. "Finally" is the comment I have been getting.

7) Kenna is drooling like crazy, but still no teeth.

8) Kyle is talking more and using sentences. "Down Mama" "More please" "Blue's Clues" ball, bird, star, car, milk, juice, cheese, bread, owwwww, and lots of other things I can think of right now.

9) Kevin starts school on the 8th. Oh my! Kaela starts on the 13th. I haven't gotten any info for either of them regarding things like when school starts, who their teachers are, what supplies they need, what is appropriate to wear, etc etc. Nothing! You know me. I hate to be so unprepared. I have to know everything that's going on. I am anxiously waiting. I should be getting something this week.

10) School hasn't even started and I am already looking forward to putting up our Halloween decor and our Christmas decor. I love having fun stuff like that in the house. I still haven't completely taken down Keith's birthday decor. It is so much fun to have up.

11) Good Night (again!)

What A Great Day

Today turned out to be a lot better than I thought it would be. With it being Monday, I had decided that it was going to be the same ol' same ol'. Well, I got a call from Keith around 11:45am today. He asked what I was doing. I said that I was cleaning the garage (which I was actually doing!). I could tell he was in the car which I thought was odd (he never calls me except on his drive home). So, I asked what he was doing. He replied, "I am on my way home. They kicked us all out."

Well, with the departmental changes going on, my heart sank. The first thing that crossed my mind was that they decided to can the entire department. I further pressed, "What do you mean?" trying to remain calm. "They asked us to leave." So I press on, "Just you?". He replies, "No, the entire building. There's been a bomb threat."

Whew! What a relief. Just a bomb threat. No biggy. Suddenly my panic lifted. All was well.

So, yeah! Now, Keith was coming home early. He wanted to go out and do something fun. So, we all piled in the car and went out to lunch. Then, we headed to the mall. The one with the Ferris Wheel and the Carousel. Of course we did all those. The train was not running though. They are expanding the mall and so things were a bit shook up there. Stores moved and closed and new ones opened and opening. We tried to look for new shoes for Keith and some pants. We ended up not getting anything. I shopped yesterday and went to six different places looking for shoes for Keith and no one had his size.

So anyway, back to our day. After shopping, we had ice cream and then took the kids to the park. They had a lot of fun at the park. We discovered that dinner time is a popular time for the park. It was filled with kids and parents. The most I've seen there at one time (barring there being a party). After the park, we stopped at the grocery store and picked up some steaks.

We gave the kids PB sandwiches and watermelon then packaged them off for bed - which was really easy tonight. Then we cooked up our steaks and Keith and I had a quiet dinner together. And now, I am talking to you fine people (Titanic).

So, that was our pleasant day. Oh, I forgot to say something about yesterday. Keith went to get his hair cut and came home with some beautiful flowers for me. Pretty daisies, a sunflower and other flowers that I have no idea of their names. But they are so colorful and beautiful. Then, Keith watched the kids and I went out to run errands. So not only was today good, but yesterday was nice too!

On a side note, I went shopping at Target and bought Kaela Pull-Ups. We have suffered some potty training set backs. She is wearing them to bed and during the day for now because she has been having bee accidents. She says, "The pee just wants to come out!" I guess for some reason, she all of a sudden can't seem to sense when she needs to go. Thank goodness she is still doing #2 really well! Okay, TMI. But, I shall leave you on that note. Goodbye!

Lego Creator

Lego Creator

Kevin created this from the Lego set Keith got him after our vacation. This wasn't the one from the instruction booklet, but something Kevin built on his own. I think he did a great job for his age!

The Big Sister

The Big Sister

Kaela loves to get her picture taken with McKenna. Kaela is always holding her and talking to her. She is a great big sister.

Kyle Protecting the Cooler

Kyle Protecting the Cooler

I snapped this picture of Kyle right before our vacation. I put the cooler next to the counter thinking we were going to use it on the trip. Kyle could not keep off of it. He was always standing or sitting on it when it was there.

Smiley Girl

Smiley Girl

Finally a good picture of McKenna smiling. She usually stops once the camera comes out. I caught her at a different angle so she didn't see the camera. She is always easy to get a great smile out of. She can turn any bad day around.

Our Vacation Pics

Cape Lookout, Tillamook, OR

View more vacation pics here.

Okay, So It's Been Awhile

So I haven't posted in forever. Well, after returning from our vacation, I had a lot to do to get the house put back together (which still isn't completely done). We got a new housekeeper and I wanted to get some things fixed up before she first got here. Then we went to Oakland to help Maria get rid of some of the clutter in her house. Now we are home and I have a sore throat and the kids (yes, all four of them) all have runny noises.

I am still working on a journal of our vacation. I have gotten to about day three and it is already three and a half pages long. We did have a lot of fun. I will post a picture with a link to the album I created on yahoo albums.

The new house cleaner. Well, she was late (which I hate), but she said she was confused as to the time she was to be here - even though she was the one that picked it! Anyway, she did a fantastic job and really did clean up a lot better than the other service I used. I didn't realize how dirty it was until she got it all sparkly clean! She spent about 45 minutes in the master bath alone fine cleaning the cracks along the walls and counter tops. Like I said, I didn't know they were dirty until she fine cleaned them! Well, I am sending her a reminder e-mail as she is coming tomorrow. If she is late again, out she goes. I hate waiting around when I am paying for a service.

Maria's. Well, we left here early Wednesday morning (10th). Dad came with us to watch the kids. He was a huge help. He took care of all the kids, but Kenna most of all. She slept in the same room as him and he was the one that tended to her in the middle of the night. I had the three olders in the same room as me. Kyle finally figured out how to climb out of the pack n play and didn't want to go to bed the same time as Kevin and Kaela did. So, I ended up rocking him to drowsiness every night and then I would have him walk to his bed, then he would sleep. Well, it has carried over to home. He doesn't want to just get put to bed and I have to rock him. Last night, Keith did the SuperNanny thing and just kept putting him back in bed every time he got out. Well, Kyle finally gave up and fell asleep. Well, Keith and I watched "The Wedding Date" last night and Kyle came down stairs during the last half hour of it. He crawled into my lap and fell asleep. He woke a few more times throughout the evening. He isn't the only one having sleepy problems. Kaela has cried two nights in a row now about sleeping and she keeps getting out of bed. Last night we just let her fall asleep on the couch while we watched the movie. Tonight she has been told that she is expected to go to bed when we say and that she can not keep getting out of bed. She says she will be good about bed - yeah right, we will see.

Anyway, back to Maria's. All the kids had loads of fun playing together. We stayed home the entire time except on Saturday. They played in the backyard and ran around. All my kids have scraped knees. Kaela has it the worst though. She biffed it pretty hard on the bike. She had a huge scrape on her right knee, left shin and her elbow. But she was pretty tough about it. Kyle got his scraped knees from pushing the dump truck at full speed and then falling. It looked painful to me, but he continued to do it all week.

On Saturday, Joann's was having a 50% off clearance fabric sale. So, of course I couldn't pass that up. We loaded the five oldest into the Expedition and Dad stayed home with the baby. Maria waited in the car with the kids while I picked out fabric. I got ten really pretty designs. This Joann's was about a third of the size of my regular Joann's, so the selection was tiny. But, I was very happy with what I got. After Joann's Maria had to run into Office Depot. After that we went to Ellie and Colin's new preschool.

This was the cutest preschool I have seen! We went to the open house. It is brand new and just opened. The owner/principal has launched preschools before and decided that she should launch one herself. She did a great job. It is in a residential neighborhood, but with the high wooden fence, and the surrounding buildings, it is like in its own little world. The front yard is nice and big and there is a huge sand box. When you walk in the front room on the right is a play area. The room on the left is the science room. There is a kitchen and bathroom and a dress up/reading room. They are going to learn a little bit of Spanish as well as music once a week. There were all kinds of learning games and cognitive thinking games. It was so neat. The kids had a lot of fun trying everything out. Kaela cried when it was time to go (her new thing. She bawled when we were leaving Ellie and Colin's house to come home - I don't want to leave! She says). After the preschool, we had lunch (you don't even have to ask where!). Then to Uncle Dan's fire station. They got to climb on the trucks and see the station. They even got to ride the truck with the ladder. Uncle Carlos drove and Uncle Dan drove the rear section. They all got fire chief hats. It was a fun afternoon.

Okay, the progress on Maria's house. Let's see. Well, we mostly worked on the guest room where lots of clothes were stored. We got rid of all the baby boy stuff and sent a lot of it to Maria's friend Liz. Maria got rid of a lot of her older clothes and a TON of toys. She took two full car loads of things to the Goodwill. We rearranged her front living room so now there is actually room to sit and spread out. When we first got there, there was just a narrow pathway to get through. We also cleared out her hallway. It is completely bare. The kitchen counters are cleared off and the house is somewhat straightened out. There is still a lot to do, but Maria says she is now motivated to clear out more stuff on her own. Yeah! Now, I am going to start working on our house. It isn't cluttered, cluttered, but I want to get rid of some of the stuff that we haven't used in ages.

We got back on Monday afternoon and yesterday I spent most of my day on the computer (was having internet withdrawals). I am going to straighten up today and then back to business as usual.

Okay. Was that a good update? I know, not much on the kids. I have some pictures to upload (just have been to lazy). I will try to get some pic kids up. Bye!

The Fantastic Four

No, not the movie. The Kids. They are such a joy.

Well, we came back last weekend from our vacation and we had a great time. I will tell you more about the vacation in a separate post. This one is about the kids.

They were well behaved and had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They got to eat all kinds of yummy treats. Grandma even made them Rice Krispy Treats. They got to have ice cream every night!

They had fun with their Auntie Ris and did all kinds of neat things. They swam everyday in the backyard. They have some serious tans going on. Auntie Ris even took a dip a few times. Kyle was not as adventurous in the water. Kevin and Kaela were too rowdy for him. Kevin can hold his breath for "a long time" and Kaela can swim around the circumference of the pool without stopping. Ris took them to the park and the beach. Kevin, Kaela and Kyle all ventured into the water (waded). Kaela said the water got into her mouth and it was "yucky".

Kevin made all kinds of neat Lego creations while on "vacation". Keith said Kevin has been a really good kid - which he has - and so we got him a really nice Lego set. Iron Predator vs T Rex. Kevin has made some really sophisticated looking things with this set. Maybe he will be an engineer or designer.

Michaela is officially potty trained. She wears her undies to bed and even when we go out. The day before we left for vacation, she announced that she had to "pee and poop in the potty". And she did! Well, at Grandma and Grandpa's she didn't need much prompting and was able to go all by herself. I guess she will be going to preschool in the fall.

Kyle is more vocal. Today at lunch he held up his french fry and said "Broken". It had a snapped tip. He sounds like he is saying all kinds of things including "Ghost" for every weird noise he hears in the house. He is saying no whenever he objects to something. Time for nap nap. "Nooooooo". He is communicating very well these days and is taking commands/requests really well too. He is pointing to more pictures in his books. If you point to a dog, he'll bark. A dinosaur, he'll roar. A cat, he'll meow. He is going to be talking in no time.

McKenna is now four months old. She had her well check appointment today. She got another round of immunizations (the same four as last appointment). She is 13 pounds, 4 ounces and is 23 1/2 inches long. All her siblings were 25 inches at this age and one or more pounds heavier. She is doing well after her shots. She is sleeping them off. She has gotten really strong and is starting to roll over. She can do it in her bed if she has something to push against, but is getting stuck on her side if there is nothing around her.

Well, that's it for the kids for now. I am working on what to write (a summary) of our vacation and will probably make up an album of pictures. Signing out. Bye!

V A C A T I O N

Well, as usual, I have been really busy. It has been almost a week since I've posted. I have been cleaning the house and getting things together for the trip. I have been getting our administrative things in order - living wills, wills, contact info, etc. You know, just in case - morbid I know, but I like to have my bases covered, well, just in case.

I ended up firing my house cleaners. It hasn't been properly cleaned in about three weeks and I can tell the difference. I ultimately ended it because I hated the fact that they were late every visit between 30 minutes and an hour. And because I was no longer happy with the job they did.

It has been hot. It reminds me of last summer when we first moved. It is hot outside and hot inside. We have the fans running and so the coolness helps, but it is still hot hot hot. There were record temps in Palm Springs. 120 degrees! I know we are not that close to Palm Springs, but it'll give you an idea of how hot it feels here!

We are leaving for our vacation on Friday night right after we drop off the kids. We plan on doing lots of night driving as we go up through the hellish bowels of California, also know as the 5. Ick. It is the most horrid, dry, exhausting heat ever.

We are still slightly up in the air about some of our plans. We are going to wing it. We got a tent last night and have decided to camp. We filled up the air bed in the back of the SUV, but with the height of the bed, it affords no privacy. We are going to bring some board games, so we need room to sit. We got a nice sized tent. Hopefully it'll end up being a nice tent.

Kevin. Well, nothing new here. Legos mainly. He is proud about helping around the house and tries to help out a lot. He is really good at helping out. Keith has been thinking about getting Kevin a really nice Lego set that Kevin has been eyeing online and in the Lego catalog - yes, he gets the catalog in the mail. We will probably get one after our vacation.

Kaela. Potty training is going fairly well. The pee thing is going good. We still have to prompt her to go. The Number 2 thing is still a bit of a problem. Maria pointed out that we may be having a problem because out of my frustration I am raising my voice to her. Okay, not just raising, yelling would be more exact. I am scaring her I think. I told her that I wouldn't yell at her anymore. I haven't in two days and I think it may help her to figure out the number two business.

Kyle. He still isn't talking, but communicates very well. You can tell when he is not happy. He let's everyone know. It can be frustrating to actually figure out what he wants, but the other two went through this same thing. He still makes everything all better again when he flashes one of those smiles.

Kenna. She is growing. She eats a lot and sleeps a lot. She is growing. Smiley as ever.

Well, that's it. We are on vacation soon, so I may not write more for a week or so. Bye!

We've Had a Nice Week So Far

Well, so far the week has been not too bad. It has been HOT. So, I have been grumpy. I don't do well in hot temps. But, today wasn't so bad. I've been working on the blue room and our huge wall of boxes is no longer there. Everything is out of the boxes and is slowly getting put away. I was going to sell a lot of my unused craft stuff (stuff I bought because I thought it would be cool to have, but never really used). But, when I looked on eBay to see how things were selling, they weren't really going for much. So, I have decided to save them for the girls (and the boys if they want) to use when they get older.

It has been hot, like I said, so we have noticed an increase in spiders. Did you know that the average person swallows 8 spiders while sleeping in their lifetime? Gross.

Keith's birthday was nice. I actually baked him a cake from scratch. Frosting and all. The two recipes called for almost 6 cups of sugar and 2 cups of cocoa! My goodness! But, Keith really enjoyed it and so did the kids and I. The kids decorated with colorful garland. They made the garland of strips of colored paper and made interlinking rings. We also printed out letters on the same paper that read "Happy Birthday", cut them out and hung them. It looks pretty neat. Keith got some really nice cards and some very nice gifts.

I am expecting some new charms in the mail. I am obsessed with Italian charms. They go from $15 - 30 in the mall, but I have been finding them on eBay for $0.99. I made Kaela a bracelet, and I got enough for two strands of bracelets for me. My cousin Noelle got me my first three charms along with a starter bracelet and I was hooked. I found a place that does custom laser charms and had the kids names done. I should be getting those soon.

Our vacation is coming up and we are getting really excited. We are definitely camping for a few nights, but other nights are up in the air. We are just gonna wing it. Which, without kids would be the fun thing to do. We are not camping, camping. We are car camping. Literally. We are going to sleep in the back of the SUV. We were going to buy a tent, but figured that after we did, we wouldn't be able to use it for some time. So, we opted to sleep in the car. Keith suggested that I sleep in the tent cot and he sleep in the car, or vice versa, but what's the point of being on vacation together without kids if we can't sleep in the same space?

Cleaners are coming tomorrow. I haven't been completely satisfied with their work lately. I have a few issues that I am going to point out to them tomorrow when they come. If they don't address those issues, I am going to get rid of their ass*s. I am no longer feeling that it is money well spent. *sigh*

Okay, that's it for now. Have to get some sleep. Bye!

Happy Birthday Keith!

Happy Birthday Keith!

Keith's birthday is today, well, the 12th really. I just assume you are reading this on the 12th. Mom, Dad and Ris came up on Sunday and we celebrated Keith's birthday. We had a couple of Indian dishes. But before dinner, we had a whole huge plate of Rumaki (chicken livers wrapped in bacon). It was SO yummy.

They bought Keith this cake from Red Ribbon. It is a chocolate mocha cake. I think this is the third time for them to bring this particular flavor. It is really rich. It is chocolate cake, three layers with mocha whipped cream in between the layers. There are bits of mocha crunch in the cream and on the top are rolled tubes of chocolate. Wow, is it yummy!

Keith has gotten some really nice cards and we have them displayed on the front room. The kids keep saying they want to go to Chuck E Cheese for Keith's birthday and he is actually entertaining the idea!

Personal note: Happy Birthday MDHK! ktu ilu ylwm

Kenna

She is getting really strong. She is | | this close to rolling over. She is so cute and smiley. She is still sleeping well through the day and at night. Couldn't ask for an easier baby.

Kyle

Kyle has been bottleless for more than a week now. He is falling asleep without them, but is not sleeping as much now. His naps are short - one hour at best, as opposed to the three to four hour naps he was doing. He also is waking in the morning and after naps as grumpy as can be. He definitely takes after me in the grumpiness arena.

Kaela

Potty training is well, going. She is doing pretty good at going number 1 and hasn't had a pee accident in almost a week. But, now number 2s are not going so well. I won't go into details. Eh taint pretty. She fell asleep sitting on the toilet on Saturday. Poor thing. She was so tired from swimming and she sat and sat waiting for number 2 to happen. Well, she got tired of waiting and napped right there. She was all curled up. Her feet were on the rim. It is a hilarious picture, but I didn't want to post it online. E-mail me if you wanna see it!

Kevin

Geez Kevin IS getting tall. I was looking back at posts from January. On the 18th, I commented on how Kevin's nose is right at counter level. Well, here we are six months later and Kevin's armpits reach th counter tops. I watched him just today reach for his cup. His arm was flat on the counter and he wasn't tip toeing. Maybe he will be 5' 11" like the height predictor predicted.

Photo Updates

Check out their photo albums! New photos added. Click on links at left. Good night!

So Close

So Close

The kids are such good sports. They actually let me take these pictures with them all smashed up against each other. When trying to get them to put their heads together, I clonked Kyle's and Kaela's heads against each other. Look at Kenna. What a good sport she is. She just sat there, but made sure to put a pout on to show her displeasure. She was all smiley and laughing until I whipped out the camera. As I recall, all the kids at that age stopped smiling when the camera came out. They relate the camera to the unpleasant flash. And you know with all the pictures I take, they catch on really quick!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!

The kids are all dressed up for the fourth. Maria bought them these cute outfits. The kids were all happy to show their American pride.

We are probably going to catch the fireworks on TV tonight, either Macy's or Boston Pops. Not sure which yet. Enjoy the fireworks!

Happy Independence Day

Well, not only is it our country's independence day, it seems to be independence day in the Fischer house. Potty training and bottle weaning is looking good today. We are on our way to little independent kids.

Okay. Spoke to soon. She had an accident as I was typing.

But, she is making fairly good progress. She pooped after I blogged yesterday. And today, before lunch she pooped again. Yes, in the toilet. Well, maybe she'll be one of those that poops in the toilet okay, but has trouble with the peeing. We shall see what happens.

We probably aren't going anywhere for fireworks. Kevin and Kaela would like them probably. Kyle would be scared (we think). He doesn't like loud noises. They make him nervous. Kenna would probably sleep through them. Kevin did at her age. I think that was the last time we ventured out for fireworks.

Well, whatever you decide to do tonight, have a fun time!

Good Ole Summertime

Good Ole Summertime

It was a big weekend for us here in the Fischer House. We started potty training Kaela yesterday. We also decided to wean Kyle off the bottle yesterday too. That was a spur of the moment thing. Lastly, the spa is ready for the summer.

Okay, first the potty training thing. Let me tell you. It sucks. I hate potty training. It was a pain to train Kevin. No wonder we waited so long to train her. She did semi okay yesterday, but didn't poop. She has only had accidents today and still hasn't pooped. It sucks.

Kyle is doing much better. He cried just a short while at his nap yesterday, but fell asleep. Last night at bedtime, he just went right to sleep. At nap time today, he just went down. Hopefully this will be easy.

Everyone right is quiet. They all went swimming and had lots of fun. They are all tired now, so they are quiet. It is peaceful right now.

With that thought, goodbye.

McKenna is Three Months Old

Three Months Old

Kenna turns three months old on the 1st. She has gotten so big. She is so different from the day she was born (obviously), but she isn't an infant anymore. She has moved to baby. Before we know it, she'll be sitting up, crawling and then walking!

They've Got the Blues

They've Got the Blues

Can't you tell? Just kidding. They are all smiles. Well, the best smiles I could get out of Kyle and Kenna.

Yes, I dressed them up for this picture. Kaela and Kenna's outfits are the cutest I think. Kenna is wearing an outfit that I got for Kaela when she was only 3 months. Kaela is wearing a very cute outfit Aunt Cheryl got for her. You can't tell because Kyle is wearing overalls, but Kevin and Kyle are wearing the same shirt.

Kid Update

Kevin. Hmmm. What is new with him? Not much. Still doing the big brother thing. We were going to try to start training Kaela today to use the potty. He sat on the floor near her and was asking if she was okay. He told her she just had to sit and wait. He also asked her if she just needed a book. He was so concerned. It was too cute. Right now he, of course, is playing with his Legos. He loves them. I am glad I gave up my sets for him. At least now they are being used.

Kaela is officially enrolled in preschool. We have to have her potty trained by Sept 12. This morning was going to be the first day, but I was just so busy trying to clean up the house (someone might be coming over later). I didn't have the patience when after sitting her on the toilet, she peed about ten minutes later right into her pull-up. Oh well. Keith said we could start this weekend when he is here to help. On Saturday, to get to Mom and Dad's on time, we woke the kids around 6:30. She had a dry diaper. So, if we wake her early on Saturday and set her on the potty, maybe she will actually feel what it is like to pee in the toilet and then get a hang of it. I, of course, will keep you posted.

Kyle is talking more. Today, he was grumpy and kept saying nah nahhhhh, nah nahhhhh. Well, duh. I finally realized he was saying, "Nap nap". I got his bottle (which after our vacation we are going to wean him from) and he went right up the stairs to his bed. Haven't heard a peep from him since. He is right now about and hour and a half into his three hour nap. Also today, he was by the range and was saying hot, hot, hot. The oven was off though. But, I think he knows that hot is a temp and not the actual range/oven.

Kenna. She is doing what all the other did. After she wakes in the morning, she eats and goes right back to sleep. Ah. It is so nice. She sleeps all night and then wakes to eat, only to go back to sleep. She is more awake in the afternoon. I think she is also thinning out. Her face isn't looking as chubby.

Well, that's it for now. I'm sure I missed something cute about the kids that I've forgotten about and will remember right after I post. Well, that's it for now. Bye!

Purge Purge Purge

Well, we've been busy here in the Fischer household. We went down to Mom and Dad's this weekend and finally got the rest of our stuff out of their house. Keith drove his truck down and we took out the third row seat from my Expedition. Kevin rode with Keith and the three little ones were with me.

We got everything. Well, almost everything. The kids each got one of those huge, life size stuffed dogs from CostCo for each of their first Christmases. We couldn't fit those in without blocking my view or them flying out the bed of the truck, so we left those there to get another day.

I straightened out the garage yesterday to get everything to fit. It looks pretty nice in there. All my stacks of stuff - we have just TONS of stuff - were looking picked through. I straightened those out and packed everything in there tighter.

Well, Dad is looking to get rid of some of his clutter (1 washer, 2 dryers and dining room chairs - all old and broken) and we wanted to get rid of some of ours (a broken computer desk, broken printers, etc). So, someone is coming on Saturday to haul away all our stuff. He is taking the washers and dryers to a metal recycler. I'm glad it's just not going to the landfill.

So, my goal is to purge about half of the stuff in the house. We still have a lot of things sitting in boxes from when we moved to WA the first time and haven't opened them since. So, it leads me to believe that it is something that is doable. A lot of the stuff is mementos from school. I think I am going to just bite the bullet and get rid of it. It'll be hard for me, but I can do it. Right???

This is...

This is...

a) McKenna as she looked this afternoon and this morning

b) McKenna this week and last

c) Michaela at three months on different days

d) Michaela on the left, McKenna on the right

e) McKenna on the right, Michaela on the left

f) McKenna on the left, Michaela on the right

The answer is "f". Just threw in "e" to see if you were paying attention. McKenna is on the left. I took this picture today. She is less than one week shy of being three months old. Michaela is on the right. This picture was taken in 2002 on the day she turned 3 months.

When I asked Kevin and Kaela who these babies were, they just assumed they were both Kenna. When I asked them which was Kaela and which was Kenna, Kevin guessed right because in the uncropped picture of Michaela, you can see her earrings.

My Stubborn Girl

My Stubborn Girl

So Kaela has this bad habit of eating her food, asking for seconds and not touching the seconds. Well, today at lunch, she asked for a second helping of eggs and a second helping of spam. Well, she ate most of the second helping of spam, but notice all the eggs. I gave her too many. So, I compromised and told her she only needed to eat half of the eggs remaining. I reminded her that she was the one that asked for them and insisted that she could finish them. Well, she refused to eat them. Not even half. So, I told her she could sit there until half the eggs were eaten. Well, after about an hour, she was really quiet. So, I peaked in on her and she was asleep. I snapped the picture, laughed at how funny she looked and then took her plate to the sink. Stubborn Girl.

What the Kids Looked Like on Friday

The Kids on Friday

So, these are pictures of the kids on a typical day.

Well, it was hot that day, so Kevin took his shirt off. He has been doing that a lot lately. He hates to sweat. Notice he is chomping on a carrot. He loves carrots. Let's see, what has he been up to? Well, still in love with his Legos. He is making all kind of Star Wars spacecraft. He is also doing jets and gravitates towards the police mini people. He is also really into his "Visual Dictionary". He flips through this two inch thick book just filled with all kinds of info. He looks at the pictures and then explains to me what they are. He can't read, but by looking at the picture he can accurately explain things. The other day he was explaining how sunlight reflects of water droplets to make a rainbow.

Notice Michaela is wearing her crown. She made this at Colin's birthday party. She loves this thing. She also loves her princess books and her princess coloring books. She is getting into her clothes picks out her own clothes in the morning (she is a bit color palette challenged). This morning Kevin advised her on how to match the clothes, in the process they tore apart her stacks of clothes. But she did look really cute. She likes to put on her hats and asks whoever will listen if she looks cute. She smiles, tilts her head and gives her girly eyes.

Kyle. Well, he is starting to say (or kind of say) more words. Poo Poop. Dirty. Hot. He grunts with the inflection of words. It is a grunt, but I can tell when he wants a drink because it is always the same inflections. I think he tries to say thank you - it is the same sounding grunt every time he gets what he wants. He is in the stage in which he cries when he can't get it across what he wants. So, I have been telling him to "show me". He'll take me by the hand and drag me through the house. To the fridge when he is hungry or thirsty. To the cupboard when he wants a snack. To the toy box when he is looking for a toy. He is getting smarter at communicating.

McKenna is doing well. She will smile in response almost every time you smile at her. Now she is saying Ohhhh and Cooing when you Ohhhh and Coo at her. She likes to be held to an extent then wants to be laid down or propped up in her boppy pillow. She loves to play under her arches still and likes to watch her brothers and sister. She is really taking it all in. She still sleeps through the night, but is going down later at night now. Usually around 10pm. But, she is now waking later. Around 9am.

Keith's father's day was pretty much a typical Sunday. We ended up ordering out at our local Italian. I enjoyed my dinner more though and ended up getting a more expensive dish. But Keith said that it was okay because "every day is mama's day". He is too sweet.

So, that's the update for now.

I Love The Internet

Yes, I am an internet junkie. I have been online since the early 90s. That's more than ten years. I've been on the internet so long, that when I got an ICQ number, it was only in the 3 millions. Now it is giving out numbers starting in the 180 millions. I used the original versions of ICQ and mIRC. My first webpage was made in 1994.

I love the internet because you can find a wealth of information on it. Some of it may not be all that accurate though; you should always check as many reference as possible and not just rely on one.

You can find all kinds of interesting trivia like Los Angeles' official name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula" - the longest city name in the US. But it is also known as "L.A." - the shortest.

You can find what ever you want to know on different countries, peopleethnicitieses and on and on. You can get restaurant reviews, movie reviews, music reviews, reviews on almost anything! You can make plane reservations, hotel reservations, camping reservations, compare prices, find discounts, etc etc etc. You can shop - almost every store out there has a .com. Kevin doesn't refer to a site. He refers to a dot com. He says things like, "I am looking at the Power Rangers' dot com."

If you can think it, you can find it on the internet. And it is so easy anyone can do it. Kaela knows her way to the Little Pony website. It isn't bookmarked, but somehow she gets to it. I think she clicks through on another website that we do have bookmarked. She can't read, but she manages to find all kinds of websites that she likes. From the PBS home page, she can get to the websites of all her favorite PBS shows.

Miss a TV show? Find a recap on line, find the transcript on line, find when it is playing again. You can even find a copy of it online *illegal* shhhhhhh....

We spend a lot of time online, but are always finding new and interesting sites. I can spend hours just diggin up info. As you've read, I've been doingenealogygy stuff - very cool. Keith the other day found a site that plays guitar chords. Shows you how to finger them and shows you the minors etc. Then it plays them so you know how they sound. We are researching our vacation online. We can see pictures of rooms in bed and breakfasts and read menus before we are even at the restaurant.

Who has time to make all these sites? I guess the same people that have all the time to cruise them *grin*.

Happy Father's Day

to all the Fathers out there.

The kids made cards for Keith and this morning when we got out of bed, Kevin and Kaela ran up to Keith to wish him a happy father's day. I didn't even have to prompt them to do it. They were so excited about it, they did it on their own!

Today is our normal Sunday. Lazy Sunday. Kenna is asleep and the rest of the kids are upstairs playing and bugging Daddy. I am sitting at the computer watching our lights flicker. We are having electrical problems. Did I mention that before? It started last weekend when we noticed the plugs on one wall - the one with the fridge and Keith's coffee makers - weren't working. The plugs were coming on and off. Well, then on Thursday, I noticed a slight flickering of all the lights downstairs - kitchen, dining area, garage, bath. So, I called the electric company to see if there were problems in the area. No such luck. It's just us. So, Friday, they sent someone out. It appears as though the main power supply to the house is burning itself out. But, it is only half of the supply having the problem. Thus, the problems with only half the house. Anyway, it is on the outside of the house so, the owner has questions as to if it is an association's problem or their problem to get it fixed. Well, in the meantime, we have flickering lights. It is so obnoxious.

Well, this post has gone from Happy Father's Day to our electrical problems. So, let's see if I can end on a better note.

Hmmm. Can't think of one. Geez. Oh well, I shall think about it and post again. Bye!

Is Anyone Else Sick of

hearing about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes? Geez. So they are in love and as of today are engaged. But geez, do I have to read "headlines" about them everyday??? Can't Yahoo put anything more important in their headline news? I want to read about REAL news. Okay. The end of my rant for today.

Thursday and All is Well

Not much has been happening around here. Well, let's recap and we shall see if nothing has really been going on.

Our Anniversary. Sunday. We went to a Mexican seafood restaurant on the coast. I called the restaurant to see what the dinner crowd wore so that we didn't feel out of place. I wasn't sure if this was a nicer casual restaurant, or a laid back casual restaurant. Well, the hostess said that it definitely was not a jeans kind of place ("Oh no, not jeans," she said). So, Keith and I dressed up, not fancy, fancy, but Keith was in a nice shirt and slacks and I wore a skirt and heels. Well, we get there and everyone is in jeans. There were even shorts and tee shirts, as well as loud obnoxious kids. I know I have kids, but I wouldn't have brought them there. Keith was unimpressed with the food. It was a bit pricey for the atmosphere, but I thought the food was tasty. I didn't think it was so tasty at 3:00am while I was suffering from heartburn. Yick!

Monday. What can I say. It was Monday.

Tuesday. Julie came up with Emily and Zoe. Emily and the kids played hard - in the backyard, upstairs, downstairs, in the garage. Time went by really fast. Before I knew it, Julie was telling Emily that it was time to get going soon. Julie and I just hung out with the babies and talked. We all had a good time.

Wednesday. We met Keith for lunch. We hadn't met him for lunch in ages. Then after dropping him off, I wanted to drive around a little so the littlest ones could nap before we headed off to Ikea. Well, I got lost and all turned around. We ended up getting stuck in totally horrendous traffic. So, what was supposed to be a fun little drive so the babies could take a short nap, turn into us being lost for about an hour and Kenna crying most of the time. We finally made it to Ikea. All the kids were actually pretty good in the store. Kevin and Kaela had fun looking at all the furniture and sat in different chairs and on beds and things. They loved looking at the kid's rooms. Kevin loves to shop and says that Ikea is one of his favorite stores. Yesterday as we were diving around Kevin says, "Mama! Look! Big Lots!" Oh my goodness that boy likes to shop.

Thursday - today. We straightened up the house because the cleaners were coming. Yes, I clean before the cleaners get here. I don't like scrub and clean, I just tidy the house. Pick things off the floors and clear off counters. I do it to maximize what the cleaners are actually able to clean. Does that make sense? Now Kyle is napping and I hear Kenna starting to cry (she was napping). So, I guess I should go. *sigh*

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Well, today is our six year anniversary. It is hard to believe that it has already been six years. Even though we have done a lot in the six years, it seems as though it went by really really fast.

Let's see. What have we done in six years? We've had four kids, threw 9 birthday parties for them, had four baptisms along with four parties to celebrate, changed thousands of diapers, moved six times (if you count the time from WA to CA as two times because of the unexpected extended return to CA), drove from CA to WA or WA to CA eight times, six road trips over 500 miles (not including moving), had three overnight retreats without kids, bought two new (used) SUVs, flown six times - three of those times with kids; no small feat, Keith and I have each worked for three different companies/clients, had two garage sales, one major surgery (Keith), one minor surgery (Kevin), three trips to the emergency room, one speeding ticket, went camping four times, went to different attractions (Disneyland, Sea World, Legoland, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, Cabrillo National Monument, Mt. Rainier, Space Needle, Pike's Market) too many times to count, gone out of the country once (for our honeymoon), have had three different ISPs, gone through five computers, two TVs, but still using the same stereo, eaten out at almost every type of restaurant imaginable, and 2,191 days filled with cherished memories as a married couple. There is so much more that we have done, like the little everyday things that mean so much more than the trips and material things, but it would take a novel to reminisce about all that. In summary I would say that we've had six wonderfully blessed years together. Luckily for us, the "bad" stuff has been few and far between.

Kenna at 2 Months

Kenna at 2 months

I took this picture shortly after Kenna turned 2 months old. I haven't had a chance to post it. But, I thought I should since we needed a Kenna picture. She has changed a lot since this picture was taken. To me, just being about a week and a half since I took this picture, she already looks and acts older! She had an appointment last week and weighed in at a whole 10 1/2 pounds and 21 1/2 inches. She is a shorty in the 10th percentile.

The Aquarium

Dorys and Nemos

View more of the pics from the aquarium here.

Mom and Grandma Left This Morning

We drove Mom and Grandma to the airport this morning. It was sad to see them leave. They were here a whole week, but it went by very fast. It was really nice to have them here.

Let's see. Were did I leave off last time? Okay. Well, Monday we didn't do anything special. We (everyone but Keith) stayed home during the day. Mom and Grandma had fun playing with the kids and just hanging out with them. I was really spoiled this week as Mom and Grandma tended to Kenna and the rest of them most of the time they were here. I got to relax and cook without kids bothering me every second. Not that they are a bother, but they do need attention. Kyle totally warmed up to both Mom and Grandma and really loved the attention he got from them.

I forgot that on Sunday night, Keith and I went to see the Star Wars movie. The tickets were $9.50 each! I remember back in high school when Tuesday nights were dollar night for first run movies. Granted, high school was more than 15 years ago, but still! We also got a large Coke for $4.50 and a small popcorn for $5. Movies are not a cheap date anymore! Nonetheless, we had a nice time and thought the movie was entertaining. I liked how it tied all the movies in. I wanted to buy the first three movies on DVD (I have them on VHS), but nearly choked when I saw how much they cost. I looked on Amazon.com. I was going to get them from Columbia House, but they are not offered as a selection.

Tuesday Keith took the day off. We went to the Aquarium of the Pacific. It was a nice aquarium. They are having a whale exhibition there (there were no real whales, as of course they are too large!). They had these really nice "passports" with info for all the exhibits in the Aquarium. At certain areas, they had embossing stations to emboss a different whale stamp into your passport. Kevin, Grandma and I each filled our passports with the stamps. It was fun collecting them. When we got there, the aquarium had a TON of kids there on field trips. Luckily they cleared out by 2pm and then it really quieted down.

After the aquarium, we went across the street to Bubba Gump's Shrimp. It is a theme restaurant from the movie Forrest Gump. I had a Shrimp Po' Boy. The kids had a basket of shrimp and chips. Keith and Grandma (who doesn't really care for shrimp) had the fish and chips and Mom had a fish sandwich. I thought it was good food. We had a fun time sitting there, although I think Keith was a bit stressed with the kids. Kyle can be quite grumpy when he is tired. And Kyle tends to scream when the mood strikes him. I high pitched squeal really.

After our late lunch, we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway. It was really nice. We had never driven down in this portion of California. We drove south for about two hours. We saw some really interesting houses and long stretches of beach. Grandma especially enjoyed seeing all the different houses and the trees and flowers. It was a beautiful drive.

Wednesday was another lounging day. Keith was home with us again. We all went to the park in the morning were the kids had a lot of fun (of course). Grandma struck up a conversation with another lady there with her great grandchild. Later, I was able to go run some errands that I had been putting off. I spent about three hours to myself and did some shopping. I even got to go to a bookstore and browse. I was looking for a new book to read, but nothing grabbed my attention. Keith barbecued chicken for dinner and Mom made coleslaw and gingered carrots. Yum!

Yesterday Mom took Kevin and Kaela to the park again. I ran to CostCo for a few things, and Grandma stayed with the baby while Kyle took his nap. We just hung out here at the house.

Mom and Grandma's visit was relaxed, but it sure did go by fast.

A Busy Week

I have been really busy this past week and so, I didn't have time to update the blog really. Monday and Tuesday I spent most of the day working on my client's books. There was a problem and the numbers just weren't looking right. I had to go back all the way to February and reconstruct a ton of stuff. It was a big pain in the butt trying to figure out what went wrong, but I finally figured it out. It also took a long time to do the adjustments needed to fix the problem. Sometimes I hate doing accounting work, but it is worth the extra spending money it provides. I am saving up the money for our vacation.

Keith and I are going on vacation the last week in July. My sister had volunteered to watch all four kids for the entire week. She will be getting help from Mom and Dad, but she will be the main sitter. She is going to plan all kinds of fun little outings for them and crafts for them to do while at home. They will have lots of fun with Auntie Ris.

We are not sure exactly where we are going for our vacation. When we last talked about it (last night), we decided to blast our way to Western Washington and work our way down. We have somewhat of a plan, but we are going to leave most of it up to what ever we are in the mood for. We hope to do some camping and we also hope to spend plenty of time lounging on the beach. It is a much needed vacation and we can't wait to finally have some alone time together.

Okay, back to the busy week. Wednesday and Thursday I spent cleaning up the house for Mom and Grandma's visit. I was going to try to get the curtains done (my project that's been ongoing for almost a year), but I decided (with Keith's encouragement) that I was not going to stress out about having the house perfect and exactly how I wanted it by the time Mom and Grandma got here. I keep the house in decent order, so cleaning up wasn't the problem really, it was that I wanted to make curtains, hang some pictures, get the office/craft room together, etc. but I shouldn't try to cram all those projects into such a short period of time. Our lease is getting renewed so, I have time to do all that stuff in the next month or so.

Friday Mom and Grandma arrived. They had an uneventful flight, although Mom thinks she may have lost her driver's license. After picking them up, we headed home and Kyle got some really good Grandma attention as Kevin and Kaela were at Disneyland again. Keith got home late on Friday because on Monday they have a big demo and it is dependent on his program. Well, it was being buggy and he needed to get it fixed. It didn't help that other people held him up until about 4:30pm.

Saturday was the baptism and Colin's birthday party. It all went really nicely. Kenna's baptism was nice. Dad was the celebrant. There were two other babies being baptized that day and all Filipino, so there were quite a good number of people there - as Filipino families tend to be quite large. Well, one of the babies cried the entire time so a lot of us had a hard time hearing most of the baptism celebration. Keith held Kenna as she was baptized with the water. He has held all four of them at their baptisms and it really means a lot to me that he participates like that.

Afterwards was a ton of picture taking. I think we got every conceivable picture configuration with all the family members. We got some really nice pictures. I may post an album soon. After that was the reception and birthday party for Colin. The kids had tons of fun. Maria had them make crowns and necklaces and both little crafts turned out to be very cute. The girls were into it just a bit more than the boys (Kevin), but they all still had fun.

Then we headed home and relaxed the rest of the evening. Today we just hung out at home. Keith worked on finishing up his program and the kids just played. A typical relaxing Sunday. Tonight we are having Tandoori chicken and later Keith and I are going out to watch the new Star Wars movie. So, good bye for now. Keep looking for pictures. I will post them within a few days.

McKenna's Baptism

McKenna's Baptism

McKenna was baptized on Saturday at my church. Dad did the ceremony. We had a party afterwards at Mom and Dad's for both McKenna's baptism and Colin's 3rd birthday. It was a really nice day.