It was a Nice Holiday

So, I have like four posts in the last two months and before that I was doing so good at keeping up the posts. Well, as like everyone, it has been really busy for me since Halloween. Time slows for no one, but for me it seemed to have sped up. With all the stress that was incurred with the car accident, that made Thanksgiving fly by and before I knew it, it was the day after Christmas, even now it is four days after Christmas and then it'll be the new year.

Well, let's see. I think I will spare the details of just our everyday stuff that has taken up most of my time, and recap Christmas.

Mom came down and spent Christmas with us. It was so nice to have her here. The kids were so excited that she was going to be here and they loved all the attention that Grandma showered upon them. They played games and she read to them. The day before Christmas, she walked them to the park and they played there awhile. Afterwards, the walked all the way down to the Dairy Queen were they had lunch and ice cream. Mom brought them a lot of really cool toys, clothes and some PJs. They really enjoyed getting them. Mom's visit with us was short, but I know they kids will talk about it up until Mom's next visit with us.

Christmas eve the kids each got to open one present. On Christmas morning the kids opened all their gifts. They all got some really neat things. Christmas seemed like it had been going on for a few days because the kids got to open some presents early. So, there has been new toys being played with around here for about a week.

Maria and Ris and the kids flew in from the Philippines a few days before Christmas and Mom and Dad continued with their visit there. They were all there for my aunt's 50th wedding anniversary. We didn't go because with McKenna being so young, we didn't think it would make for easy travel. So, we stayed behind.

With Mom and Dad in the Philippines this year, so they didn't host the family party which has been held at their house every year my entire life. I remember them having a party with tons of friends and relatives pre-California days, which was more than 30 years ago.

This year the party was at my cousins house. It was a nice party and we did have fun. We were missing almost an entire branch of the family tree and they were missed. It was weird not having Mom and Dad there, but they did call during the party and spoke to everyone.

Before the party, we exchanged our family gifts. The kids got a ton more stuff, then at my cousins house they got even more! Christmas gifts are for kids, but sometimes I wonder how much is too much. I say that with a bit of guilt as I know that they get so many wonderful gifts because they are loved by so many wonderful people. They are so fortunate to have so many people that care so much about them.

Well, my parents flew home yesterday and they stopped by here on their way home. It was nice to see them. It was weird not having them here. I am glad they are home. They brought back lots of yummy Philippine sweets which got divvied up amongst us all.

Kevin refused any of the sweets. He got sick the day after Christmas with some weird stomach thing. He complained about having an upset stomach right before bed the day after Christmas. Maria and I went to Target to hit the after Christmas clearance stuff and when we got home, all the kids that were asleep when we left, were all awake and Kevin was in a new pair of PJs. It turns out that shortly after we left, he threw up at least a dozen times and was on his second set of PJs. His bed sheets and blankets were a mess and they had gone through almost all the towels. Keith and Mom (mostly Keith according to Mom) cleaned it all up. I ended up staying on the couch with Kevin. The poor thing threw up all night until about 7am the next day. He stayed in bed all day Tuesday and yesterday. He was weak and dizzy. Today he is feeling great (according to Kevin), but he looks like he hasn't eaten in two days - which he hasn't.

So, it is today. I am going to work in the garage, clearing out the tons of stuff we have in there. I hope to get it done this week (what's left of it!) to start the new year off, well, new!

I plan to post on new year's eve. It'll be this blog's one year anniversary!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

A Quick Update

Gosh, there is so much to say since I haven't updated in forever! I will try to update you soon and even post more pictures into the kids' photo albums.

I just wanted to give a quick update on Kyle.

He has had the sniffles since Thanksgiving and last Wednesday, he had a fever. It lasted the whole day and all of Thursday. He was quite grumpy and could not sleep well - which meant neither Keith nor I slept well. He had a snotty nose and was breathing heavily. I had to check on him a few times to see if he was snoring; he wasn't asleep, just breathing heavily. He had not much of an appetite and wasn't drinking a whole bunch. So, Friday morning I called the pediatrician and they wanted to check him over to make sure he didn't have an ear infection. I didn't really want to haul all four kids to the office, so they said I could take him on Saturday (I didn't know they had Saturday appointments!) Wouldn't you know it, his fever broke not 10 minutes after I talked to the doctor.

On a side note (which is actually an important part of this update): Julie came over on Friday and hung out with us.

So, his fever breaks and I think, "Eh, he's fine. I'm not going to take him in." But, come later in the afternoon, Kyle is a HUGE grump. A bigger grump than he has ever been. I figure that he is so tired because of the lack of sleep, that he is beyond sleep and so he is grumpy. Julie suggested that we give him a decongestant so that he could sleep, but we really use meds on the kids unless it is absolutely necessary. So, we didn't have anything in the house to give him. So that night was yet another sleepless and frustrating night. Keith and I decided that we needed to have Julie advise us on which drugs to give him, and that we should have him checked by the doctor.

So, come Saturday morning, after hearing Kyle's restless night Julie says, "So, have you called the doctor?" Julie and I go to the doctor's office. Kyle gets checked out. The doctor listens to his breathing. He is having difficulty breathing. She looks at his ears. They look fine. She looks in his throat. Extremely red, pustules in the throat and very swollen tonsils. She suspects strep throat. A culture is taken. The test (which only took a minute), is negative. No strep. She then says that it's very rare for kids Kyle's age, but she'd like to test him for mono. After the doctor leaves, Julie says that she would be very surprised if it was mono.

Five minutes later, the doctor comes back. Apparently, Kyle is positive for mono. Mononucleosis. The Kissing Disease. Isn't that something high school kids get??? Who the heck has Kyle been kissing?

So, that explains it. Kyle got a steroid shot to help with the swollen tonsils. The tonsils were hindering his breathing along with the nasal congestion. The doctor says to expect lack of appetite for about two weeks and listlessness for about four to six weeks. The mono goes away on its own. We have no clue how he could have gotten it, or from where. She said that the virus can last for as much as six months in you without making you sick.

My poor baby. And just think, I thought he was just being cranky because he was tired. Duh.

The Kids - December 2005

The Kids - December 2005

Last weekend we took pictures for our Christmas card. Here are the solos of the kids. Hopefully I will be able to get the cards out soon! Kevin is looking older and older with every picture I take. He definitely isn't a little kid anymore. Look at Kaela's hair. It has gotten so long and soft. She is losing her "baby" looks too. Kyle is always the jokester. He can't stay still for a picture. I like the way this one came out though. Kenna is now 8 months old! I can't believe it. I was going to originally name this post "time flies". Well, time certainly does fly - just look at my babies!

Kenna Gets Her Ears Pierced

Kenna Gets Her Ears Pierced

Kenna got her ears pierced today. She didn't even cry! They had two techs working on her and pierced both ears at the same time. They said that they have never had a baby not cry. She is so tough!

The earrings we picked out are just gold balls like Kaela's. Don't be concerned with the purple "bruised" look. She is not bruised. It is the marking pen they used to mark where the piercing would be.

If we don't talk to you tomorrow - Happy Thanksgiving! I will update our Thanksgiving tomorrow or the next. I should have some good pics!

Wow! Has it Really Been That Long?

So, it has been more than two and a half weeks since I last updated you on what is going on with us. Let's see if I can recount what has happened. Time has flown by, but at the same time, November 1 feels like ages ago. Let's just recap by family member.

Keith. Working like always. Just hanging in there and is doing well. He stayed home yesterday due to illness. It has taken its rounds among us and Keith always gets it worse than everyone else. But, he is back at work today, so he isn't all THAT sick. Keith says sometimes he feels bored and needs some adventure. He's not sure what kind of adventure, but hopefully we can find something that he thinks will make life more interesting. Any suggestions?

Me. I have been busy with Stampin' Up stuff. I just had an open house last weekend. I have also been selling some of my older stamp sets. The open house went well and I thought a good amount of people came. I had some sales and it gave me a taste of what it is like to actually hold an event. I had fun doing it. I just need to do it locally and with people I don't know! I can see myself being pretty successful at this, I just need some focus and drive.

Other than Stampin' stuff, I have been busy carting the kids here and there and taking care of everyday life. The house is messy, but it's the lowest on my priority list. It is in decent shape and far from being a pigsty.

Kevin. He was sick the other day and missed a day of school for the first time. Soccer is done for the season and starts up again in January. We had a parent teacher conference and he seems to be doing well. He needs to work on his writing skills and his number recognition. He is doing good with his letters and his letter sounds. According to his teacher, he is right were he needs to be. They are having a Thanksgiving feast on Wednesday and I am going to help out. Maria and the kids are going to be here to watch over my kids. I wonder how she'll do with five kids for a few hours?

Kevin made me the cutest card yesterday. He drew a picture of me and him with a big heart in between us. He also drew some sunflowers, a Monarch butterfly and a rainbow. He told me this morning that it was an appreciation card. This one is definitely a keeper.

Kaela. She is doing good. Cute as ever. She is enjoying school and is looking forward to her Preschool's Thanksgiving feast. She really likes school and is really learning a lot. I think by the time she goes to kindergarten she will be much further along than Kevin was.

Kaela is still a girlie girl. She loves her princess stuff and anything that is girl related. Barbie an purses and pink things. She loves all girl things. I did notice though that her tastes are migrating to bigger girl things. She is focused on clothes mostly! Yikes.

Kyle. He's talking more and fighting with Kaela a lot more. The 18 months between Kyle and Kaela really make a big difference behaviorwise in comparison to the 24 months between Kevin and Kaela. Kyle and Kaela fight a lot more than Kevin and Kaela ever did. It is difficult to have to deal with as nothing I do seems to lessen the fighting. They aren't fighting all the time. They do play together quite often. So, it's not like they hate each other, they are just butting heads with some things - mainly toys and when Kyle is bored, he just bugs Kaela to no end.

Kyle's words are coming gradually and I can understand him more and more. He is saying a few words more clearly now and I am finding that I don't have to decipher so much.

Kenna is now officially crawling. She doesn't go all that fast. But you put her in the walker and she flies through the house. I think she doesn't care so much for the crawling. She can get into a seated position from a crawl and vice versa. We have started putting her in the pack-n-play downstairs during the day. She can sit in that thing for a couple of hours with a few toys and you don't even have to entertain her.

Well, I think that sums up most of the last two and a half weeks. I am sure I've forgotten something. If I think of it, I'll write more.

I'm off for now. Hopefully I will be more on the ball and keep you more up to date. Bye!

McKenna is 7 Months Old!

McKenna is 7 Months Old!

Here's the smiley girl posing for her 7 month picture. That is her bear in her hand. Since she has gotten so mobile and can move things, the bear just didn't want to stay put!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Okay, so I cheated and changed the date. I really am posting this the day after!

Well, the kids had a lot of fun trick-or-treating. But, what kid doesn't??? Kaela was the brave one and so the Princess had to ring the doorbell when the Ninja was hesitant. The kids had only been out about 45 minutes when they came back. Keith hadn't intended on stopping, he just wanted them to drop off some candy because their buckets were filled to the top! But, once they got home, they wanted to dig into their candy, so suddenly they were "tired".

It was a much warmer night than last year and Kenna and I were able to sit outside in just our long sleeved tees to pass out candy. There were some pretty neat costumes. Some of these costumes looked like they cost a pretty penny.

Halloween was fun and we have TONS of candy to eat! Yummy!

Jack-O-Lantern

Jack-O-Lantern

We bought a fat orange pumpkin

The plumpest sort they sell.

We neatly scooped the inside out

And only left the shell.

We carved a funny funny-face

Of silly shape and size,

A pointy nose, a jagged mouth

And two enormous eyes.

We set it in a window

And we put a candle in,

Then lit it up for all to see

Our jack-o-lantern grin.

Life is Moving at the Blink of an Eye

Aurgh. I don't know where the time is going, but it is flying by. We have been really busy, but not doing anything in particular. It is just life that has us busy. So, here are so quick recaps...

The car. It is done. We got it back on Friday and it is so nice to be in my own car again. The familiarity of it is calming. I feel safer in it than I did in the rental car and lastly my dad's car which we ended up borrowing after the whole insurance fiasco reared its ugly head. The car feels great and looks great. They washed it for us and it looks all shiny and new.

Keith. Doing the daily grind. He has no complaints I guess, or rather none that he is expressing. He got the just released, Civilizations IV. It was regularly $49.99, but since we had gathered so many Best Buy bucks from McDonald's, we got $42 off. I suppose we could have gotten the game completely free, but to get the Best Buy bucks, you had to have large fries or a premium chicken sandwich from McD's. Well, after gathering $42 worth of these things (in $3 and $1 increments and with the help of Maria), I am SO sick of McD's. Of course the kids love it, but their stuff didn't come with the Bucks. At any rate, Keith is now playing the game as we speak.

Me. Well, I am getting ready for my open house on the 12th of November. I have had a few responses to the e-mail newsletter I sent out, so I know at least a few people will be there. I feel like I never have enough time on my hands to do what I want, but yet I feel that the time I do have is being wasted. I feel unorganized and forgetful these days. I am just not on the ball like I feel like I usually am. I think some of it has to do with my disorganized house. The house is a reflection of my disorganized life.

Kevin. He has a loose tooth. He is anxious for it to come out. He is enjoying soccer, but wants to do Karate too. We are still holding strong with the one extracurricular activity until he is older. He has been learning a lot through school. He can now recognize letters by sight. I just wish they would work more with the numbers so I don't have to! This weeks homework they want him to be able to recite his numbers up to 40. I just don't have the patience to do it.

Kaela. She has been peeing in her bed at night. At first I thought there was an explanation as to why - she didn't pee before bed, she woke from a bad dream and then couldn't rush to the bathroom, etc etc - but she did it again for no apparent reason. Back to the pullups. It seems to go good for a few weeks then back to the pullups. Oh well, she'll learn - hopefully soon!

Kyle. He has been fighting and picking on his sister everyday, all day! It is aggravating, not to just Kaela, but for me too. I guess I can referee to my many job titles. Kyle is talking more and I can make out a lot of the words he is saying. He is still bugged by anything dirty and can't stand things that aren't just so (according to his tastes). He is a smart one though. He had a memory like an elephant.

Kenna. She is strong as ever while sitting up. She can move her hands when she is on her hands and knees, but generally gets forward movement by plopping on her stomach and then getting back up on hands and knees then lunging forward, plopping on her stomach then getting up and on and on until she gets to where she wants to go.

Halloween. Keith is going to take the three older kids out and Kenna and I are going to hand out candy. I went out last night to check the mail and it was cold! Last year was really cold, this year looks as though it'll be the same. We are going to carve the pumpkin tonight after we get back from Kevin's soccer.

Overall, there aren't really any complaints. It's all good. Back on the 13th marked the 7th anniversary of our first date. Life is moving at record speed.

Kyle's Birthday Cake

Kyle's Birthday Cake

Kyle had his Hauntingly Fun Halloween Birthday Party today. We had a lot of fun just visiting, eating and taking pictures. We had a good turn out for costumes. Click here to view pictures.

Kaela Visits the Pumpkin Patch

Kaela Visits the Pumpkin Patch

Kaela went on her first field trip ever. She and I went to a local Farm. We had a great morning together. Keith took off from work that day and after we got home we all went out to enjoy the day together.

At the farm, we took a wagon ride tour of the farm. We saw where they were planting a new crop of strawberries and large fields of pumpkins. There was a petting zoo there and Kaela had a great time feeding the goats. Kaela was the most "hands on" of the girls. Some of the girls did not want to touch the animals.

After the petting zoo, we got to pick vegetables. Kaela handpicked green beans, carrots, radishes and onions. She got right in there and got her hands dirty. When we got home, we washed up the veggies and the kids ate them. Kaela didn't like the radishes. It was what she wanted to try first, but she didn't care for them very much.

The whole class got to run through a huge hay maze and then we all stopped to take some really cute class pictures.

Finally, Kaela picked out a family pumpkin. We wandered through the patch until she found the perfect one. Then we went to the vegetable stand and she picked out addition smaller pumpkins for her brothers and sister.

When I asked her what her favorite part was, she said it was feeding the goats.

Happy 200th Post & 2,000th Hit

Well, this is my 200th post. When I started this blog just before the new year, I didn't think I would be able to keep up with it. Going back and reading what I have written, it is fun to see what has gone on this past year.

It is also neat to see that the blog has been visited 2,000 time. This counter to the right is a bit deceiving though in that more than have the hits are mine. But still, I think for a blog that hasn't been thrown out there on the search engines, it does get some pretty good traffic.

So, with that, thanks for reading!

Kyle's is Two!

Kyle is Two!

Here is Kyle with his Thomas the Train birthday cake. We had dinner and then cake. When we brought out the cake and placed it in front of Kyle, he was so happy. Then we started singing Happy Birthday and he had the cutest smile on his face. I don't think he realized that it was his special day until we started singing to him. Notice the yellow frosting on his nose and the red and blue on his fingers. He couldn't keep away from the cake while we sang.

He got some really nice presents that he really loves. Grandma Karen got him a book and a Fur Real puppy - which this morning he was carrying around in a football hold. Aunt Karensa and Uncle Paul got him a monster truck dump truck which Kyle has become very protective of. If anyone touches it, he throws a tizzy fit! We got him some Thomas the Train books and some Matchbox cars. He had fun putting the little Matchbox cars into the back of his new dump truck. He got a really cool book reader from Grandpa Dennis and Grandma Mary. He got a nice card and some college fund money from Great Grandma the same from Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Orv. His Halloween birthday party is on Saturday. He might get even more presents then!

Kyle has his two year appointment this morning. He is 34 inches and 29 pounds. Wow! 60-70% for weight and 55% for height. He got a flu shot which he didn't like at all. But, all in all he is doing just fine.

Kyle's Birthday Dinner

Kyle's Birthday Dinner

Kyle's birthday dinner was a lot of fun. We ended up not making anything special and cleared out the fridge of leftovers. We ate first then had cake, then gifts. We got some very cute pictures and all the kids really enjoyed themselves.

Our Weekend

We had a full weekend. It was nice.

Thursday Kevin and Kaela were off from school, so we all stayed home together. We didn't do much of anything that day. The kids played and watched videos. I had a lot of cleaning to do as we were having guests on the weekend, but as usual I procrastinated.

Thursday afternoon was a busy delivery day for us. First UPS came by with packages for Kyle's birthday and Halloween. Then the postwoman dropped off more packages for the same. The kids were really excited when they came. We saved one of the bigger packages for when Keith came home so that he could join in on the fun. Kyle was asleep when the boxes came in, so we were able to hide his birthday presents.

Friday Kevin had his first field trip. He rode on a school bus for the first time and had a lot of fun at the farm they visited. He saw an ox, a calf, goats, horse, cow and pigs. There were bees and lots of vegetables. He said his favorite was the calf. His class and the three other kindergarten classes went - two full bus loads! It was really hot that day and the kids and I walked at 1pm to pick up Kevin. The sun was beating down on us and the kids' cheeks were a bit red. I had our big black umbrella that both Keith and I fit under to shade the kids. Kaela walked the whole way home with that thing shading her. It was quite a funny sight. She held it high up on the handle which was so long that it was touching her feet as she walked.

Saturday was a busy day. We finally got the house clean! I let the housecleaner go in the middle of August, so the house hadn't been really cleaned since then. I have been doing a lot of Stampin' Up! stuff, so my things are everywhere in the kitchen. I got all that stuff cleared out of the kitchen and somewhat put away. My counters are once again bare and sparkly white. Keith took the plunge and deep cleaned the guest bathroom and the kids' bathroom. I had been cleaning them, but not a well as I should have. I dusted and spot mopped the floors. I cleaned out the cracks of the couches and the house actually was nice and presentable.

Alma and Scott were running a half marathon this weekend and asked if they could spend the night so that they wouldn't have to wake really early to drive to the race. By staying at our house, it got them closer to the race so that they could rest prior to their run. They brought their kids and we watched them this morning while they raced. Kevin and Joshua had a TON of fun playing together and Kaela and Carolina were stuck like glue. They were all well behaved and had fun fun fun!

It started to drizzle last night and today for most of the day it was raining. Well, rain as in SoCal rain. Not really rain to anyone else! Kevin had soccer and the game wasn't cancelled. I stayed home with the rest of the kids as Keith took Kevin. I didn't feel like bring the kids to sit in wet grass. Good thing we didn't go, Keith said it rained a bit while they played. Kevin did a good job playing. Keith said he overhear one of Kevin's teammate's older brother comment, "That Kevin, he's good!" Kevin really is enjoying soccer.

Well, this is going to be a busy week. Kyle's birthday is tomorrow. We are going to have dinner using Thomas the Train plates and napkins. I ordered him a Thomas the Train cake. It'll be fun I think!

Kyle's birthday party is on Saturday - a costume party. I have not started making the kids' costumes. I think I am going to have a few late nights this week. I am also supposed to make the cake and I haven't a clue as to what we are going to serve at the party food wise! Yikes! I have less than a week. I better get on the ball!

Well, with that said, it is time for all kiddies to go to bed! Good night!

Practice Drills

Practice Drills

Here's Kevin before the game doing some drills. He is really liking soccer. This past weekend everyone came out to see the game. Grandma and Grandpa, Auntie Ris, Auntie Ri and Ellie and Colin, of course we all were there too.

Kevin can get pretty aggressive. When they are getting ready to go for the ball, Kevin roars and then runs. He reminds me of those Vikings on that credit card commercial. He does pretty good at stopping the ball. He just needs to concentrate on going after the ball and staying with it. He's not bad for it being his second game.

Hmmmmm

Hmmmmm

I'm not sure what to make of this picture. Kaela enjoys watching Kevin's soccer games, but in this picture you'd think differently. We asked Kaela if she wanted to play soccer too. Her response, "No. I want to go to ballet school." Again with the ballet school!

Book Hoarder

Book Hoarder

Kyle has a new fascination with these little ABC board books. He plays with them daily. He looks at the pictures sometimes, but spends most of the time piling them up and knocking them over. Notice that he has stuffed a few of the books into his shorts and that he is holding as many as he can.

A Hint of Teeth

A Hint of Teeth

Here is a picture of Kenna's two teeth that have popped out. She is as cute as ever. Keith wants me to get her into commercials.