Blogging hiatus

So to all of you that read my blog, you may have noticed that I haven't been very good about posting lately and I apologize that I haven't been a good commenter either. I promise I am reading, but I don't have tome to comment because my little Brooklyn who you usually see like this:
Looks like this after about 6:30 p.m. each night:

Her colic is still raging. I have tried gripe water, warm baths, gas medicine, walks, curling her up and changing my diet. Nothing changes. She is just as fussy as ever. I was told that at three months it seems to magically disappear. Well, three months have come and gone and still no change. I am frustrated and usually end up in tears once a day feeling like a bad mother. Luckily, I have my mom who is there to let me know that it will work out, but for the time being I feel like I am being tortured. To rub salt in the wound, I got the visiting teaching message today and it had to do with the eternal nature of motherhood. Great, I have to do this forever? I have a three year old that is testing his limits each and every day and a three month old that screams at me each night. I am exhausted and at my wits end. I feel like I might need to get on anti-depressants just to make it through this period. I think I just might. Happy pills won't make it better, but maybe I will be able to cope with it better. I know everyone says to cherish these times when they are little, but I think this is a time I would rather forget. I am looking forward to getting out of this phase and quickly. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but I like them when they are asleep better right now. Mom, I'm sorry for being colicky for you. I promise I understand now how bad it was. Thanks for not throwing me through a window!

Let's Get Political

OK, so all we seem to hear about on the news is the race for the White House and now more than ever there seems to be a huge party line. The Democrats and Republicans seem to hate each other with a passion and blame each other for everything. To tell you the truth, I am not really excited about candidate or party for that matter. I think that a lot of my generation tends to lean towards the Democratic party because we would like to pride ourselves on open-mindedness and tolerance, right? That seems to land a person squarely in the Democratic side of things since they seem to think that we should accept anything and anyone. Those who side with the Republicans are supposed to be the Bible bashing closed-minded type, right? So, which side do we choose. I then have to ask WWJJ? No, not what would Jesus do, but which would Jesus join? He is supposed to be our best example, so if He chose a party, it would be the side I would want to be on. I think He would like the charity and tolerance that the Democratic party seems to embrace, but disagree with their pro-abortion and gay marriage views (at least His dad wouldn't be happy with it). On the other hand, I think He would like the values and frugality that the Republicans claim, but not be thrilled that they tote around guns and don't have much regard for this beautiful earth He created. So Jesus would be an Independent (he has always been that type) and in this day in age, that is a throw away vote. So I have to chose a side and hope for the best. Sad that after hundreds of years our political system hasn't evolved as much as it should. I wonder if our forefathers would be proud of what we have done with this great country or hide their heads in shame knowing that there is so much corruption and red tape and that party lines in this contry have become much like the divide between North and South Korea. Do not cross and even though you might actually like someone on the other side, they are automatically the enemy, right? The worst part is that once you pick a side you take on all the stereotypical views. So if I say I am Republican, I must love guns or if I am a Democrat I am on the gay pride float. No happy medium yet, but let me know when there is a better party to join!

Update

My dad was in the hospital last night and my husband and my brother in-law gave my dad a blessing. After that, he was given another blood test and the enzymes that were showing up as abnormal in the previous tests were completely normal, so there is no heart damage. The next day they gave him a stress test (the one on the treadmill) and everything turned out fine. They let him out this afternoon and he is very happy to be home. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for him and my family. They worked!

Keep your fingers crossed...

My dad ended up in the hospital Sunday night. He was having chest pains and his right arm was going numb, so my mom took him to the ER where they admitted him and he has been in ICU since. They have been running tests and his EKGs are normal, but the blood work isn't coming out right. They believe he has heart damage, but we are hoping it is minimal and that he can come home today and work on getting healthier (diet, exercise, etc.). If not, he might have to have surgery. When I came to visit him, I scolded him. He still has a lot to be around for. My brother is getting married in April, Brooklyn is only three months and needs to get to know her Papa and my sister hasn't even had kids yet and they will need him around! This is picture of him with Micah at the hospital.

We took the kids out to the Spectrum after to distract them. Shelby was pretty upset over it all. She acted very tough in the hospital room and once we left she fell apart. Poor girl! Thank you to Brooke for being my go to girl and making phone calls for me. You are the best!

They're funny

I caught a little bit of a cold the other day so we haven't been getting out much, so when Saturday rolled around, we decided to go out for lunch. We like going up to the plaza in Laguna Niguel since we can each get what we want. I got my sushi and Chad got pasta and we sat outside with the kids. Micah was quick to grab our drinks (both lemonade) and pulled both straws to the middle to drink at the same time. "Mmm, dats yummy two juices." I swear that kid can put down the juice like no other! Sometimes I worry if this is a bad sign of college days ahead!

Today we were sitting around the couch watching the Olympics when I heard someone let one. I have a gassy family, so I looked around and said "OK, who did it?" Micah looked at me and said "Oh, Chad farts!" I just about died laughing. He saw how amused I was and said it a couple of times as I cried with laughter. To top it off, he decided to let one too and say "Oh, Micah farts!" He is so funny! Here are a couple pictures of the kids. I have to make sure Ghee gets to see them even when she lives far away!

I know this headband is so big, but it is so fun to put on her. It is adorable on her and I swear I get stopped a million times when she has it on. It is hilarious!
This is her M.O. now. She wakes up and I feed her, we play for a while, I put her in her bouncer and then when she gets restless, I lay her on the floor with her binkie and blanket and she falls fast asleep. In fact, she is there right now. I think I should probably try to get her to do this in her crib soon. I am beginning to think that the crib is just going to become an expensive decoration in her room!

My talent

I've never considered myself a very talented person. I don't sing or play an instrument, I don't play a sport or dance exceptionally well and I don't think I am really crafty or creative. I tend to have the more obscure talents like carrying babies well during pregnancy and being a good multi-tasker at home, oh and I am great at making beds! Well, I just discovered a new one. I am great at being poor! I have to thank my parents for helping me out with this one. Growing up we were well taken care of, but we weren't just given everything we wanted. We had chores to do and allowances, so if we wanted a new Barbie we had to save up and sacrifice getting the bouncy ball or My Little Pony. Over time, I learned how to budget and through college I managed to always make ends meet with my allowance. Today we have zero debt and don't even have a car payment! I have a talent that I have honed over the years. I can make a budget stretch and find amazing deals. I have learned how to save money by doing a lot of things on my own too. I am willing to sweat through the day to avoid using the A/C and I am happy to take hand-me-downs for the kids. I am a master at creating new dishes using ground turkey, rice, chicken and pasta (some of the cheapest items to buy). I can find a coupon for nearly every activity I bring the kids to and can dine on a dime. I am not above scrubbing toilets or yardwork and I can always wait to save up for an item that I want (or until it is on sale which is even better!). I am willing to go all the way home hungry to make my own food to save some money. It is a good thing I am this way because my husband is the opposite. Chad has expensive taste and is all about convenience. He turns on the A/C as soon as he feels uncomfortable and goes out for every lunch. He hates manual labor and always wants to hire someone. I should sit back and complain, but I can't. His spoiled ways are something he has gotten used to and something he wants to keep up, so if he is willing to work hard enough to afford it, I am just fine. Maybe one day he will make it so that I won't have to use this talent of mine as often!

Big Boy Bed

Look at this big kid! Today he got a big boy bed and it is the coolest bed ever! Special thanks has to go to Aunt Tawnya, Uncle Trevor and Cousin Cody for this fun bed. It was Cody's and we always seem to get the fun hand-me-downs. Now Micah has this loft bed with a fort underneath. We put his TV and chair in there along with a track for his cars. He has been busy playing in it and watching Spongebob. They had mentioned that they lost the slide part that goes near the foot of the bed, but I am thinking that it is the best senario because I know Micah would have been up all night sliding down! Maybe this new found love of his bed will keep him in his room longer in the morning. Maybe we won't have to see him until after 7 am!

He wanted to take Lightning McQueen and Ramone to bed with him!

What a day!

Yay, lots of pictures to show! I will keep the explanation short so you can move on to the pictures. Today we had a birthday party for Micah. Please don't be offended if I couldn't invite you. It was tiny. I didn't even invite my aunts or grandparents. Just a few friends for Micah and basically the immediate family. We did the whole Spongebob theme and set up a mini waterpark for the kids to play in. They were adorable!

I made jumbo cupcakes...


I put together little buckets for each kid to take home. Even Abby got one!


Getting into the water balloons.


The kiddie pool was a hit!


Micah was walking in circles. Don't ask!


Brooklyn was ready to jump in too!


Best $14 ever spent!


Blowing out candles.


Micah licked all the frosting off the cupcake and left the cake behind.


This is what happens when Emma takes pictures. Sorry Aaron!


Opening presents...


...and playing with presents in a very strange position.


Enjoying all his fun stuff!


After the party we did a quick clean up and went down to Aliso Creek Beach for the Corn Roast. It is basically a beach bum party for the church. I took Brooklyn over to see what she thought of the sand. I laid her down slowly so that she would lift her head up and lay on her tummy. Well, she did for a second and then she face planted!


This is what she looked like when she lifted back up! Poor thing, we had to rinse the sand off her face and even out of her ear. Maybe when she gets older she will like it!

3 Months old!

Brooklyn is three months old today! It is going by fast, but slow at the same time. Strange! Anyways, she is a smiling machine. She loves to flirt and my favorite has to be when she smiles really big and turns her head away like she is shy. It is adorable. She hasn't completely out grown colic, but she is getting there. She is allowing more people to comfort her besides just mommy, which is nice for me! What can I say, she enjoys a soft place to cuddle? She is also super close to rolling over on her own and as soon as she does I will try and post a video. She has been working so hard on it! Also, (I know I ask these questions like everyone else got a manual with their child and I didn't) I wanted to know if anyone had advice on getting their kid out of their bed and sleeping through the night. I was able to do it with Micah because he was bottle fed, but with her nursing I fall asleep and I am afraid I am starting a bad habit. I put her in her own bed at night and then when she wakes up, Chad brings her in to me to nurse and we both fall back asleep. I do have to admit it is fun to wake up to her adorable smile though. We love our 14 pounds of fun!

On a side note...the itsy bitsy spider bit the crud out of Micah's cheek last night. We have had spider problems here and although I have called for an exterminator, they can't come out until September (maybe I should find one that can come out sooner). Last night, Micah was put to bed at about nine like usual, but at ten he was still awake and making car noises. I decided to go to bed with Brooklyn and let him tire himself out. He then started calling for me, but knowing him, if I went in I knew he would get more excited and be up later. Well, he got louder and louder and finally he said "mommy, there's a spider in my room." I thought it could just be his way of getting me in the room, but I went in just in case. He insisted over and over that there was a spider, so I got Chad to take care of it. He went in and turned on the light to see this! We didn't find the spider, but hopefully he won't be back for more!

3!

Hi, my name is Micah and today I am three! I am a ton of fun and although there have been times I have almost driven my mom crazy, she thinks I am the smartest, sweetest and funniest kid ever. I love trucks, cars and sports. I also love Spongebob. I actually love him so much that I call hamburgers, Krabby Patties and call people walking into doors, customers. I even try to laugh like Spongebob! I am a picky eater and strong willed, but my mom has learned how to deal with it. Oh, and this is my new baby sister. I love her and I am so sweet to her. I try to help her play and roll. Sometimes I am a little too helpful, but she doesn't seem to mind! Well, I am off to have a fun day!

Silly kid!

Micah is a crack up. Everywhere I go people tell me how funny he is and that they want to take him home. Well, they can't! My life would be so dull without his antics. He just has funny quirks like every time he sees a Ford on the road he says "Das American Idoe." Their advertising worked on him. Yesterday we took him to the doctors office and before they took the staple out the doctor took a look at it and said "oh yeah, I see it, it's a big one." They took it out and he didn't even flinch! On our ride home he kept rubbing his head and said "Mommy where is my big one?" It took me a while to figure out what he was talking about and then I started laughing. I told him the doctor took it out and he was happy it went "bye bye." Today was really funny though. He was sitting at the table with Chad and as his head was down, Chad threw a cinnamon twist onto his tray. Micah looked right up at the ceiling fan and said "thank you." We were pretty amused, but the best part came a couple seconds later when he looked back up and said "ky hab more please?" What a funny kid! We just love him!

P.S. I finished my little craft project for Brooklyn's room! Next up...the play table!

Our week in pictures

Brooklyn with daddy. They have so much fun!
She was kicking her leg in this picture. First action shot!
Micah being numbed at the hospital
On our way home from the hospital. Obviously we were more traumatized!
Papa knows what makes a boy feel better...
...lots of cookie dough!
Back to playing like nothing ever happened.