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*.