Halloween...

Halloween this year was on a Friday. I knew Aaron would be working late so I decided when the girls got out of school we would head up to Papa's house and visit for a little bit, so that's what we did. After spending some time there the girls and I went and picked up some dinner from Carl's Junior and headed over to Mandi and Chris's house.

We ate dinner and then at about 6:30 we all went trick-or-treating. I think the girls had a blast trick-or-treating with their cousins. Aaron ended up getting off work earlier than expected and he was able to meet us and trick-or-treat with the girls for about 45 minutes. It was nice having him be able to come, since we didn't think he would be able to. The girls ended up with a ton of candy. It overflowed their buckets, so we poured all their candy into a pillowcase. We then decided to weigh it, and it was roughly 11.5 lbs. We had a ton of candy. Quite a bit of it I sent with Aaron to work to give out to his coworkers. It was all the candy we don't eat. Like Gobstoppers, Milky Ways, Baby Ruth's, Mounds, and 3 Musketeers. I have a feeling we still have too much candy and most likely won't ever get thru all of it, but the kids had fun. That's the most candy we have ever gotten. As a matter of fact I don't think my sisters and I ever got that much growing up...

The girls each picked out their own costume this year. Here is Emma as Queen Elsa, Livi as Princess Anna, and Abby as Doc Mcstuffins...

Our upcoming Disneyland trip...

Aaron and I have planned a trip to Disneyland (a 3 day park hopper), and also to SeaWorld, and the kids have NO idea. We have been keeping this secret for quite awhile now and it is soooo dang hard. I had to book our reservations after the kids went to bed, because it seems every time I got on the internet one of the kids would walk up behind me and I didn't want this surprise ruined....

We will be stopping in Saint George on our way there to spend the night at my parents house. The kids will have fun spending some time with their grandparents. They think visiting their grandparents is all we are doing. However, the next morning we will be on our way to California. We were originally going to just drive to Disneyland and have them be surprised when we checked into our hotel. However, now that Emma is reading so well and she is in 2nd grade, we knew that wouldn't be an option the second we drove into California. I am sure there are billboards everywhere for Disneyland in California and I know Emma would figure it out quite fast. So with that option scratched out I decided I would write a little poem for Emma to read aloud to her sisters. I have the poem broken up into paragraphs and each paragraph is on a separate piece of paper, so Emma couldn't skim to the bottom and cheat lol....here is what I have come up with so far:

Dear Emma, Livi, and Abby, 

What will you do today?

Go to school, do homework, and play?

Or maybe get in the car, and drive away somewhere far?

We are going away to a hotel to stay,

And you will have some very fun exciting days.

It’s a place where you all want to go,

Where there isn’t any cold white snow.

It’s a place in the west with a very big castle,

And getting there shouldn’t be much of a hassle.

There are rides and parades and fun to be had,

And you will get to go with your sisters, mom and dad.

The place has a great big mouse as a pet, 

So tell me now, have you guessed it yet?

We are going somewhere grand. We are going to.....Disneyland!

We packed our bags from our house, now let’s go see Mickey Mouse...

The car is waiting, so hurry, get dressed...

We are visiting Mickey, Minnie and all of the rest.

I might make a few changes here and there but that is pretty close to what it will say....

I am sooooo stinkin' excited. I have been to Disneyland several times growing up, and several times since being married. Only once since having kids though, and I was 6 months pregnant with Abby at the time. However, I have never been during the holiday season and I am so excited to see all the holiday decorations. holiday lights, and holiday parades. I just hope it doesn't rain...

These are pictures I took off of google that shows the Disneyland Castle all lit up for the holidays:

and here is a picture of It's a Small World ride all lit up:

Goodbye to our beautiful Nana...

News about our Nana....
Nana's health deteriorated fast,  unbeknownst to us. At first the doctor's said she will be around for at least 5 years and if she was lucky then she might even make it to 10 years. Then they changed their opinion and said she had 6 months - 1 year. Then they changed their mind again and said she only had a week or two left with us. We saw her the Saturday before she passed away (October 11th) and she seemed to be doing pretty good.. However, on Friday October 17th, Aaron, me, Mandi, and Chris stayed the night at Nana's and Papa's house because hospice said she was fading quickly. Our girls stayed at Mandi and Chris's  house with Chris's parents and sisters. She passed away on Saturday October 18th at 1:15am with the 4 of us (and Phil) by her side.

We all got to say our goodbyes, which I am sooooo thankful for.  I loved and still love her SO much. It was so hard to see her breathing slow down and to see her take her final breath. However, I am soooo thankful for being there when she passed. I am glad I could be there for her final moments on earth and her final moments with us. She loved her family so much, and we loved her so much. She always put family first. You could call on her anytime, day or night. whenever you needed. She truly was an angel on earth. I could have never asked for a better mother-in-law. She was the best.

Phil had Aaron and Mandi plan most of the funeral. I tagged along when I could. We had to make arrangements with the funeral home, pick out a casket, a headstone, floral arrangements, and write an obituary. It was the hardest thing I have ever been thru. I have never been this close to anyone that has passed on. She was a Mother to me. Always treated me with love and kindness from day 1. It has been so hard to see her health decline. The girls loved her soooo much (I did too of course), but it is so hard to talk about death to the girls with someone they were so close to. I think Emma and Livi realize that Nana is gone from this earth forever, but I don't think Abby does. I know they are upset, but I don't think they know how to cope. I have told them that it is OK to cry, but we have to remember all the fun times and happy memories we have of Nana.

I miss her sooo much. It has been so hard to visit Papa the last couple days and go into their house and not see Nana. I walk in and expect to see her walking down the hall, standing in the kitchen, or sitting on the couch. It's not the same without her, nor will it ever be. There's a huge hole in my heart. People who have lost loved ones have told me it will get easier with time, BUT I just don't see how. The only thing that makes me feel better is thinking that the reason she HAD to leave us was because her grandson Joshua needed her up there in Heaven with him. I HAVE to believe that, otherwise I get upset knowing she has 5 other grandchildren down here on earth that needed her too. Her funeral was beautiful. It was a beautiful sunny day, and no need of a coat. That's the type of weather she would be working in her garden in, which she loved to do. She would've loved today's weather. She looked so beautiful, but she always did. I will always love her and miss her and think about her every day.

Nana holding Emma in the hospital

 Nana holding Livi in the hospital

 Nana holding Abby in the hospital

and here is another one of her holding Livi. I love this picture because Nana is looking directly into the camera.

Update...over a year later!

Oh my goodness, it has been over a year since I have updated this blog. We have been busy, busy, busy.

Emma:
~ She is in 2nd grade now. I can't believe how tall she is.
~ Her favorite color is still purple
~ She loves to help Aaron cook
~ She wants to be a cop when she grows up
~ Still hasn't lost any baby teeth, and is always asking when she is going to get a loose tooth

Livi:
~ Started Kindergarten this year, She was so eager to go and just loves it
~ Her favorite color is still pink
~ She also loves to help Aaron cook
~ She wants to be a Chef like her dad when she grows up
~ She is growing like a weed. She isn't even 6 years old til November and a lot of her size 6 pants are too short. She can wear her older sisters clothes because she is so tall. They can also wear the same shoe size even though they are 18 months apart.

Abby:
~ She is 3 years old and will start Pre-School next summer. She keeps asking about school so I think she is really excited about it. She misses her sisters when they are at school
~ Her favorite color is "Boo" (blue)
~ She loves to help me do laundry. She helps me load the dirty clothes into the washer, and then she will help me move them to the dryer. She also likes to help me sort them and put them away. She is a good helper.
~ She loves to dance
~ She always tells me that she is "my baby forever-ever," which just melts my heart
~ Always willing to give hugs. She is so huggable.

Aaron:
~ Just returned to work after taking some time off (10 days). We took the kids to Saint. George to visit my parents. They stayed a few nights with their grandparents while Aaron and I went to Las Vegas for a few nights. It was a much needed vacation.

Me:
~ Being a busy say-at-home-momma.
~ Just got my 3rd tattoo finished.
~ I am almost finished with my P90X3 workout program. I am starting week 11 on Sunday, and there are 13 weeks in the program. My next program will be either PiYo or Body Beast.

***Aaron and I are also trying to plan a surprise vacation to Disneyland within the next few months. It is really hard to surprise the kids when you are trying to look at things online, and one of the kids ALWAYS seem to come up behind you. Luckily, they haven't seen anything yet, so I have been having to wait til they go to bed to look at anything Disney. I really don't want them to find out. I think it would be fun surprising them.***

Abby turns 2

On Saturday August 10th our little "baby" turned 2 years old. Time has gone by soooo fast. Where does the time go? I have been asking myself that very question all week long. She is always going to be stuck being called my "baby." No matter how old she gets I will probably always refer to her as my "baby girl." I can't help it,  that's what I have been calling her since the day she was born. But while she will always be my baby, she isn't always going to be a baby. Aaron and I are about 99% sure we are done having kids, so it is very bittersweet for me. She isn't always going to need me for everything in her life. She isn't going to need me to change her diapers, help her put her shoes on, or kiss her boo-boo when she gets hurt. And while I still have a lot to teach her, and a whole lot more parenting to do, it somehow seems to be going faster than her siblings did. I feel like I blinked and her baby stage was over, and that she skipped right towards the toddler stage.

She is growing and learning and I wouldn't have it any other way. I just need to cherish these moments that much more. As she grows, her needs are going to change, but she's still going to need me. I will miss the baby moments...

I love the fact that she is walking, talking, and on the verge of potty training. I do however miss those baby days. The days of sleeping on my chest, smiling for the first time, crawling, etc, but those days are gone. There will most likely be no more babies for me, but I will enjoy this new chapter.

Abby you are quite the little monkey. You love doing jumps off the couch and tables. You are my little tornado, always whirling from one thing to another, making messes along the way. You love playing with your sisters. You love giving hugs and kisses. You are always trying to be a "mommy" to your baby dolls or your little cousin Wyatt. You are such a good little helper----putting binkies or bottles in their mouth, and making sure they have a burp cloth.

You will always be my baby, Abby. No matter how old you are. Or how big you get. We love you so much and are so happy to call you ours.

Emma's 6th Birthday!

On Saturday May 18th we celebrated Emma's 6th birthday. Emma wanted a Pirate themed birthday party, so that's what she got. She sent out pirate birthday invitations to close family & friends.

Here is her pirate birthday cake with 6 pirate candles. It is a Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Cake:

Rubber Ducky Pirates. Strawberry cupcake with vanilla frosting:

Aaron made a shark fruit bowl, which turned out awesome!

 Our 3 girls:

Me and my girls:

Emma also invited 2 neighbor friends, and 3 friends from school. So, our house was full of friends/family and everyone had a blast. At the end of the party there was a treasure hunt where the kids had to follow clues to find their hidden treasure, which was their party favor bag full of goodies. 

Update on us...

Here is an update on all of us:

Abby:
~ she will be turning 2 soon. I can't believe it!
~ she loves to play with her sisters and HAS to play what they are playing. If they are coloring then she has to color too. So cute that she plays so well.
~ she is such a good eater. She is not picky at all and will try anything at least once. 
~ she didn't get her 1st tooth til she was 18 months old.
~ she loves getting her toes painted---just like her sisters.
~ she loves saying "NO"

Livi:
~ will be starting Preschool in the fall, and will be turning 5 this year.
~ STILL the pickiest eater ever! She doesn't like trying new things.
~ she loves olives---she calls them OLIBS.
~ she still loves Mickey Mouse.
~ she loves playing with her sisters, but doesn't like playing with other kids. I think she is shy....
~ she loves Apple Juice---and would drink that ALL day if I let her.

Emma:
~ she LOVES school.
~ will be starting the 1st grade in the fall and is turning 6 this month.
~ she is such a good big sister. She always wants to play Mommy and help me take care of her sisters.
~ she is so smart. She is doing so well at reading.
~ she has a boyfriend at school named Tanner who writes her "love notes." She also said she is going to marry him when she is 30 years old.
~ she loves trying new things. Sometimes she's hesitant, but she has gotten really good at not turning down something new.

Me:
~ I have lost 23 lbs and I am down to my goal weight. I am trying to maintain now.
~ I packed up my maternity clothes into a storage bin and moved it to the basement. Usually my maternity clothes just take up residence in our closet. However, I packed them up and I think that really confirms that I am done being pregnant. I think we are done having kids---3 is good :)
~ I really hate cooking. I would rather Aaron cook, and I handle the clean-up. I also would much rather bake than cook.
~ I still love being a stay-at-home-mom, even though some days are really really challenging. Some days are harder than others, especially if my sleep is lacking.
~ turning 32 this year!!!

Aaron:
~ still working Monday-Friday, hours change day to day.
~ he is a good father and a great husband. He is so supportive in every aspect.
~ I still love him as much as I did when I married him. Possibly even more now, because he gave me the 3 most wonderful children who complete our life.
~ is an AWESOME cook. I love trying/eating his food. It always tastes so yummy.
~ we celebrated our 11 year wedding anniversary in March. I can't believe he has been in my life for 13 years---the time has gone by so fast!