Baby giggles

Noah and Macie already think that Jacob is the best thing since sliced bread (and they really really like sliced bread!) But, today marked a whole new level of love for him. He giggled. Not just a random giggle, a full out belly laugh. Noah was holding him and kind of rocking a little bit and Jacob must have either really enjoyed being held by his big brother, or being watched by his big sister, because he laughed. He loved it! I wish my camera was nearby to catch the moment, but I'm sure there will be more giggling moments! Jacob is a very happy baby, we all love it!

Little girl update

{So, I previously posted about the little girl who was in critical condition in the ICU, and thought I should probably post an update about her, since I asked for prayers and all. }

A miracle has truly taken place. This little girl is a fighter. She had been recovering at a remarkable rate. No one ever thought she would be making the progress that she is. As of last night, one lung was back to its normal function and the other was well on its way there. The doctors had cut the oxygen back by half, and were hoping to have it completely off by today. They put her body in an induced paralysis so she would be able to heal. She contracted pneumonia and was fighting a fever, and they wanted her to be able to rest and get it through her system as quickly as possible. When they do wake her from that, they will be able to assess the brain damage, if any. It really is a miracle that she is at the point she is. I think about her everyday. I think about her mother, and the brave woman that she is. She was able to give her daughter CPR, confidently. Apparently, she had just recently taken a class on it, offered from a guy in her ward. So it was fresh on her mind, and was able to perform it. It really saved her life. Though, it did not resuscitate her completely, it helped get oxygen to her and her brain, which was crucial in something like this. What a blessing that was for her. My heart still goes out to this family for having to endure this ordeal. But, things are looking up. I'm sure the prayers offered on her behalf were heard, and will continue to be heard. She is a fighter and she is fighting hard.

Baptism

We have had the privledge of having the Sister Missionaries teach Rob the discussions in our home. It has been an awesome experience. We have been able to see his complete conversion to the gospel. His first lesson, he knew it all made sense, but as we all learned together, you could literally watch the change in him. At first he was waiting for the angel to come down to him and tell him that the LDS church was the one to join, he thought that's what he needed. But after much discussion, he had a change of heart and was ready to make the necessary changes in his life and be baptized. Adam was able to perform the baptism. It was a very sweet baptism.

Noah and Macie were so excited. Everytime the missionaries would come over they would get so giddy. They never sat still through one of the lessons, but they were just excited to have them in their house. The Spirit was always so strong. The week before the baptism, I would tell them about baptism, and what we were going to see happen. They were so excited about it. The day of the baptism, as we were getting ready, they could hardly contain themselves. It was so cute. And then as Adam actually baptized him, they watched in awe. And now keep asking when Daddy can baptize them. I'm so glad we got this opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful thing.

Sitting up.

Have I mentioned that Jacob is huge?! I know, I know, that's all I talk about! But, it's so true. He's huge. He's AT LEAST 20 pounds by now. He's only like 3 and a halfish months. Jeesh. But, since he does have all those extra rolls and fat in his belly, he kind of sits up already. I don't think he's developed completely to hold himself up on his own just quite yet, well, for longer periods. But, I put him against the Boppy pillow, and he sat there for a good minute and a half before he toppled over. I was impressed. He ALWAYS wants to be sitting up. It's funny, he kind of just leans forward and rests his body on his belly. Oh, ya gotta love those rolls. Every single one of them.

Strong Man.

Jacob is so strong. From the day he was born he's been able to hold his head up very well. He never really flopped in his carseat. Macie did a lot, but Jacob has always been so strong. Noah was as well. I just have strong boys. It's so funny to watch Jacob look around. His head perks up and he just looks around. Noah loves it. Jacob is changing everyday. I can't believe it. I forgot how fast this stage is! It needs to slow down, however. I want my baby to be a baby forever!

A little girl needs our prayers...

When we lived in Palmdale, we knew an amazing family. They had three young boys, and a little girl. The little girl was in Macie's nursery, and the cutest little girl. She was very energetic and ALWAYS had a smile on her face. You can tell she is the princess in the family, of course, she is the only girl, but her brothers ADORE her.

But, I heard the most hearbreaking new yesterday. This little girl {who will remain nameless at this time} suffered a terrible accident. I don't know the complete story firsthand, so I don't want to butcher anything, but she was playing, as most little kids do, and somehow got a dog leash wrapped around her neck, strangling her. Her brothers found her lifeless. After her brave mother's attempt of rescue breathing failed, the paramedics were able to get a pulse after using the paddles to revive her. Obviously, the oxygen was cut off to her brain, and there is swelling. One lung collapsed, and there is still an excess of fluid in her lungs. She is a fighter, however. She woke up for a minute today, which is something that they didn't think would happen so quickly, but she woke up long enough to know that she wasn't at home, and start to take things out of her arms. Poor little girl. It breaks my heart to hear this story, and to even retell what I know of this story. Like I said, I don't know the COMPLETE firsthand story. The doctors don't know the extent of the damage to the brain as of yet, however, there is still some activity, which is a very good sign for this little girl.

I cannot even begin to fathom what this family is going through right now. Accidents are something that happen everyday. Accidents like this are so tragic and so heartbreaking. It takes just 6 minutes to cut off all oxygen to the brain resulting in death. Just 6 minutes. That is such a short time. It is not possible to watch your children 24 hours a day. You need showers. You need a bathroom break. The phone rings. The doorbell rings. A diaper needs to be changed. There are so many things that take you away from that constant watch over your kids. This little girl has such a brave mother, a mother who knew to give her daughter CPR. I don't know CPR. I have learned it time an time again, but I haven't really paid much attention, I just always thought in my head, that someone else would be there, it wouldn't just be me. But, that isn't always the case. I NEED TO LEARN THIS! The safety of my children depend on me. I need to be there for them when they need me the most, and in a time like this, that is when I need to be there for my children. What a scary situation to be in, and to be so helpless. My heart seriously aches for this poor family as they watch their daughter go through this ordeal, and not know the outcome, and not be able to make it all go away.

As I heard this tragic news, I instantly wanted to help. But, I am so far away. And then I realized that the most help this family and this little girl need right now is my prayers. My most sincere prayers and pleas to my Heavenly Father to spare the life of this gorgeous high spirited little girl. My prayers to help the doctors help her. My prayers to help her lungs function as they should. My prayers of comfort to the family to help them see God's hand in this and in everything. Our Heavenly Father has a plan for each one of His children. I pray that whatever the outcome may be, that will of our Heavenly Father will be seen. As members of the LDS church, we have also been given the most wonderful gift. The gift of the Holy Ghost to comfort us when we need comforted. This family needs comfort right now.

Please, pray for them. Pray for this little girl. She is a fighter, but she can't do it alone. I can't help them face to face, but I can help in prayers and in thought. And so can you.

cute flower clips

My cousin Erica has started a little Etsy shop selling way cute bows/flower clips. They are so darling. So, you should go here, and buy some.

Happy Birthday, Barbie!

Barbie turned 50. Last Monday, I believe, was her birthday. Stores had the anniversary Barbie doll on sale for 3 bucks. We never did find one, but luckily my mom did! Thanks, Mom! I had gotten an e-mail at the beginning of the week that Toys R Us was going to be having a birthday party for Barbie. It was perfect. Noah was going to a friends party that day, so Macie could go to Barbie's party. Barbie was going to be there to meet and then you got to decorate hats and cookies. All week I got her excited to go, and she was very excited for Barbie's birthday party. I woke up Saturday morning and thought I should call the store just to make sure they were doing it. I called at 10, the party was at 12. When they answered I said, "Hi, I got an e-mail about a birthday party for Barbie, are you participating in that?" The girl on the other line responded, "No, we are not. Sorry." Disappointed, I hung up the phone.

After I dropped Noah off at his party, I took Macie to Toys R Us anyway, just to look at toys and calm her down because she was so upset that she couldn't go to Barbie's party. As we walk in, they are taking down balloons and things. I asked a worker if they had the Barbie party, and yes they did. I was SO mad. They specifically told me they were not doing it. So, I told them this, and they were like maybe they thought you were talking about the $3 Barbie, we are all out of it. I'm like no, I know what I said and what the girl told me, I was a little upset. But, they gave her the party hat, and she was happy. I was more mad, I think! Dumb girl at Toys R Us!


Anyway, I decided that we needed to have a birthday party that Macie missed. I went home and made cupcakes. In the meantime, Macie fell asleep. So we decided to wait until after church on Sunday. I got a "wonderful" idea to dress up as Macie's Barbie. I got my wedding dress out, and tried it on. The waist fit just fine...it was the upper part that wouldn't zip! Maybe after the nursing days are over it'll fit!;-) It was fun, though. Macie loved it. She loved Mommy's princess Barbie dress! It was very cute to see her little eyes light up when I walked downstairs in it! It was great! We sang a little birthday song and ate cupcakes, all in honor of Barbie!

Jacob and Noah

Noah LOVES Jacob. The first thing he does in the morning is find Jacob and give him a kiss. It's so cute. He's always asking where Jacob is. If anyone jokes that they are going to take Jacob home with them, Noah cries. That is not a good joke. He gets so upset. It's so sad, but so cute. He still asks to hold him all of the time. And everyday he asks me if he's big enough to play with yet. Noah wants Jacob to play with all of his toys and go to Disneyland with him. He's pretty excited about it. It's so great to watch and see how much Noah loves him. He's such a good little helper and a great big brother!

3 month comparison

The only feature that all three children share is their chin. They all have the same shaped chin. Macie and Jacob have a few more, however! It's so funny how they can be so different, but still the same! You can tell that they are all related.

3 months.

I really cannot believe that Jacob is already 3 months old! He's such a funny little guy. I think that he's our smiliest baby. He always has smiles, even when I have just sucked his nose out with the bulb syringe, he still gives me the biggest smiles. He's starting to "talk" and coo a LOT! He's just a happy baby, and just content to kick on the floor most of the time. {when he can do it without getting attacked by his siblings!!} He's finally starting to notice the mobile on the swing, he thinks that's pretty cool. And he can grab the rings that I hang from his carseat. He absolutely adores his brother and sister. Every time he sees them, they get a huge smile as well. His voice is so cute, I love in the morning to hear him talking, telling me that it's time to get up! He's got so much to say, if I only knew what he was saying!

I took him to the doctor yesterday. He's been so congested the past few weeks. I was worried it was something terrible, but nope. He's fine. I'm just paranoid, I guess. But, he did get weighed. He's a whopping 19 pounds 12 ounces! a GIANT! The nurse assumed he was 6 months old...nope, only 3! He always wants to be sitting up, and I want to get him one of those cool Bumbo seats. But, like Macie, his thighs don't fit into the slots for the legs. So much for that! We'll have to come up with an alternative. I want to get him one of those doorway bouncers, hopefully he won't pull the door frame down! ;-)

I still can't believe it's already been 3 months, though. It's gone by so fast. He's so cute. I could just squish him all day long!!

the microphone.

Noah informed me yesterday, that when he grew up he was going to be a rockstar, like Daddy. I asked if he was going to play the guitar like him, and he said, "No, I'm good at the microphone. I'll play that. But, Daddy and Tim can play the guitar." {do you play the guitar, Tim?} And then I was reminded of this video. He's pretty good at the guitar, too. Maybe he will be a rockstar afterall.

Transform and rollout

Noah loves Transformers. He loves the cartoon version, but also the "Commercial" {or the movie...we're still unsure why he calls the movies or the real life things "commercial", but whatever!} one. Aunt Erin sent Jacob this onesie of Optimus Prime, and Noah was VERY excited about it. I didn't think Jacob would be able to wear it for a while, but little did I know I'd have a giant baby! As soon as I put it on Jacob, Noah thought he should transform. He made the transforming noise for him, but nothing happened. Boys. We ♥ them.

Bubble Gum Alley.

We went to the grossest place today...Bubble Gum Alley. Why would we subject ourselves to something gross, well...the novelty. What is Bubble Gum Alley you may wonder? It's an alley in San Luis Obispo where the brick walls have been completely covered in chewed gum. Kind of gross, huh? But, it's intriguing. Like, you want to see it. It has a history, I guess...it'd have to. To check it out, click here. It is pretty interesting, but pretty gross when you think about the nastiness of other people's chewed gum around you. It is definately a "hands behind your back" place for the kids. Ew. But, despite the gross factor, we did take pictures. I mean, you really couldn't not! So, if this doesn't entice you to want to come visit us, I don't know what will!!

"I don't have a Grandma."

{despite the title, this is really a post that will make Macie's grandma's feel very good about themselves!♥}

Macie and Noah were taking a bath this morning. They play with the Fisher Price Little People Noah's Ark when they are in the tub. Noah decided that it needed to be a bath toy, because boats are supposed to be in the water. How do you argue that, really? So they play with it in the tub. One of the little people is Noah's wife. {does she have a name other than "Noah's Wife"?} Macie held up Noah's wife and asked, "Is this a Grandma?" I assumed so. And then she said with her little look she does, talking out of the corner of her mouth, "I don't have a Grandma." I told her that she had two grandmas. "Nope, I have a Nana and a Momo, not a grandma." Very true, however, we don't call either one "Grandma." When I explained to her that her Momo and her Nana were her grandma's, she said, "No, they don't have gray hair. They not old."


{don't worry, I'll wait a while to teach her about hair dye...you're safe for a while! ;-)}

Seriously so funny...

Does anyone else read this? I laugh so hard every time I read it. Sadly, because it is SO true. It is totally a spoof of "Mormon mommy blogging", so it's just great. Love it. You really need to read it. Click on the little thing to go there.

Polka dots.

Noah asked me the other day, "Why do you have polka dots on your face?" At first I was a little sad that he noticed my zit breakout...but then he added, "Like Kendall, she has polka dots, too." {Kendall is his very cute friend. She's very blond...he loves her!} It took me a minute to realize the "polka dots" were freckles. My totally unobservant son finally noticed something...freckles!! I tried to tell him about them, and just told him that people get them sometimes. He wants freckles now. My kids don't really have freckles. They have one or two here and there, but not a lot. How do you get freckles anyway? When do you get them?

Jacob

Jacob is so cute. I know I'm his mother, so I am biased...but really...he's so cute! He's so big and I can't believe he's only like 2 and a half months old. And neither can anyone else. When people stop me in stores to ask how old he is, they are in shock when I say 2 months! He's just a giant. I don't get offended when people comment on how big he is, because I know he's big. I carry him around all day long and feed him. I know he eats a lot. It's kind of sad, because now we have a misconception of how babies are "supposed" to look. All babies are different and grow at their own rates, but we see pictures of babies that are probably a "normal" weight {but who's really to say what's normal anyway??} and we think they are malnourished and starving. We're just so used to these huge chunks we have! I look at pictures of Noah and feel guilty because he was so "skinny", but in all actuality, he was a big kid, too. Not as big as his siblings, but he was always at the top of the charts like in the 95th percentile and we think he was skinny?? Goodness.

BUT...he's growing and changing so much these days. It's so fun to watch babies grow and learn new things. He learns something new everyday. He holds his head up so well. He always has, really. He just looks around. Noah thinks it is the best thing ever to watch Jacob look around. He just laughs and laughs. It's great. Jacob also smiles ALL of the time. He started giggling this past week as well. If you laugh at him, he'll laugh back, It's so cute. He's always cooing and moving his arms and legs, like he's doing the back stroke. He appears to be very athletic. He's just a good baby. He rarely cries {usually only when Daddy holds him...he's not Mommy. He can't feed him!} He just hangs out with us all day. Usually I have to hold him or he will fuss or wake up, but it's alright. I really don't mind it. They are only little for a while. And as I've seen with the other two, it goes WAY too fast! So, I'm just going to enjoy holding him while it lasts. Here in a few short months he'll want to be crawling around and on the move, so I'm going to treasure those cuddling moments while they last! I just love this Baby Jacob. He's great. I don't know what we did without him. But, I do know that our house feels more full with him here. He is a great addition to our family.

Who am I?

Go on, take a guess. Who are we?
{This was ALL Adam's idea!!}

Cory's song

When we were in Palmdale, I found a piano on Craigslist for 100 bucks. And the guy said he'd deliver it. I went and looked at it. It was an older piano, but worked. It was cool looking, like a saloonish type piano from like the 1800s or something. It had a lot of character. The guy told me that he had gotten it from a "drug house", which made it even more interesting to me. And then he told me he'd give it to me for 50 bucks and deliver it. So, I couldn't resist the offer. I like it. It has wax on it, because the druggies in the house didn't pay for electricity, they used candles. Maybe eventually I will refinish it. But, it's a great conversation starter.

Anyway, I like to play the piano, although I am not good at it. I only play select Hymns and Primary songs. Jacob loves the piano, so I sit down and play at least once a day. I was going through my playlist of the songs I know how to play. Macie insisted we sing, "Cory's song, Momma." I didn't know what that was. I don't have any Disney, Phantom, or Wicked books, so I had no idea what Cory's song was. Finally, I started playing, "Called to Serve." I was pretty impressed that she called that Cory's song. He will be putting in his mission papers in April, so I thought it was fitting that she called this Cory's song. And then she started singing it...
"Onward, ever onward. Cory is his name."
It made me laugh. She's two...I can see how 'glory' and 'Cory' can sound the same. Noah laughed, but always corrects her when she sings it. It's funny. So, now, everyday we sing "Cory's Song."

Disneyland

Many kids play house. Many kids play Star Wars. Many kids play princesses. My kids do too. But, they also play Disneyland. We haven't been in a while, which is pretty uncommon in this house! Maybe they are just trying to tell me something. Yesterday I heard them giggling and saying, "Up...down...up...down." I was a little confused. I went into the living room and they were sitting in their toy bins {that they had emptied, thus making a HUGE mess, I may add} one behind the other. I was still wondering what on earth they were doing, and they both exclaimed, "WE'RE RIDING DUMBO!" After that ride was over Macie decided it was time for Pirates. She told Noah it wasn't scary, but they would have to stand in line. They enjoyed a snack while in line, and finally made it on the ride. Both of them remembered pretty much the entire ride and narrated it for me. And then it was time to Buzz...and another line. It was pretty funny to watch them go to the different "rides". They have quite the imaginations. And, I think we'll be going to Disneyland soon. Out of guilt, really.

MIA

Yes, we are alive. This has been VERY uncharacteristic of me to go 12 WHOLE days without a single post. We've been sick, cleaning house, playing a lot...and really, didn't have much time to blog. I guess that's a good thing, right?? I don't have many pictures, however. But, we'll see what we can do. Maybe I'll be a bit more blog motivated. Life is so stressful with three kids. Two of which are at each others throats all day long, screaming, hitting, sitting in MANY time outs, and then running around laughing. My kids are crazy. Jacob finally lets me put him down for longer than 10 minutes at a time. I would just hold him because I didn't need more crying/screaming. I was just saving my sanity, but totally killing my poor back. Anyway...enough complaining...I'll get those pictures uploaded. Check back very soon for more.