oh, Noah.

NOAH: "Why does Jacob have baby feeders?"

square.

Jacob went to the doctor today. Originally the appointment was to remove his three stitches. However, today, there was only one left. I could have just taken it out myself, but much to my surprise, he's like 4 months behind on shots. And so we kept the appointment.

At SIXTEEN months, Jacob is still a giant. He weighs in a whoppin' THIRTY THREE pounds, and measures THIRTY THREE inches. Yes, he's 33 all around. He's square, I guess.

60 years.

{I stole this picture from you, Erica, I hope you don't mind!}



First off, I apologize for not getting this done yesterday. With teaching preschool, dance, errands, and mutual, I didn't have much time to even check e-mail. But, I couldn't let the occasion go without proper congratulatory wishes.

My Grandpa and Grandma {aka Myrt} Ludlow were married on April 28, 1950. Sixty years, FOUR children, sixteen grandchildren, 7.5 greatgrandchildren, one Family History Mission, many trips to visit family and attending baptisms, graduations, weddings and baby blessings from coast to coast, and still going strong! What an awesome day, and an awesome occasion. And to think, all this because two people fell in love...

We love you Myrt and Grandpa. You really are the greatest example to us. We wish we were there to celebrate with you! But, here's to many more years and an eternity together!

self-portrait

I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again, Jacob loves the camera. He is not camera shy at all. He will smile on command all of the time. Even when he's sad and crying, he'll flash a cheesy grin for the camera. {But, Mommy has to be behind the camera, however!} The other day I took a picture of him, and he wanted to take one of himself. It was a pretty good picture, I thought. I mean, he is only 16 months old. With a little tweeking to the shadows and highlights of the picture, it doesn't look too bad! Good job, Jake!

stitches

It's happened. Jacob took his first visit to the Urgent Care. With my kids, sadly, it's inevitable. I'm actually impressed that he's 16 months old and this is his first time there!

This morning the kids were taking a bath together. Which, will probably be the last time. I was washing the older kids hair, and they were both screaming bloody murder. They absolutely hate getting the soap rinsed out of their hair. So, I put Macie in the shower. She was screaming. Noah and Jacob were in the tub, and Noah decided to wash Jake's hair. There was soap in Jacob's eye, and he didn't like it. He was standing in the tub crying. All of the sudden he slipped and fell right on the edge of the tub. There was blood streaming out of his head instantly. Not only was it a head wound, but it was a wet head wound. It was very bloody. I immediately knew he needed stitches. We closed it the best we could with the Toy Story band aid, left Erin to get the kids ready for church, and headed to the Urgent Care. The wait wasn't the shortest, but it's expected. At least it was the ER, we probably still would be there, with a bigger bill. He was a pretty happy kid through it all until the doctor came.

When we took the band aid off and the doctor looked at the cut, I was shocked to see how deep it really was, poor kid! He needed stitches They had to "burrito wrap" him and gave him three stitches. It was the most heartbreaking thing in the world. I shed a few tears watching him so miserable. They put another bandage on it, which didn't last long. They told us to put sunscreen on it so it wouldn't turn white, and we left. He fell asleep in the car. He had a rough morning, dangit.


But, he does make the stitches look pretty darn cute.

Cheesy Jacob

Jacob is a ham. His little personality is coming out all of the time. He is a crack up! He loves to get his picture taken and will always say Cheese and flash quite a smile! People are always swooning over him at stores! He's a flirt, and always will play peek-a-boo with people behind us in lines. He loves to make people smile, and loves to get their attention. If they aren't looking at him, he makes sure that they are. Who can resist that little grin, though? And lately, it's been the curls. Oh, this kid is the best! He's hilarious.

Go Angels!

Noah started T-ball this year. And in California, t-ball season starts in March. I remember when my little brother Cory played t-ball, he had games cancelled because of SNOW. IN JUNE! We haven't had any games cancelled due to weather yet! He is getting better at hitting, catching and throwing. His favorite part is batting. One week he got to play against his "fiance", Kendall. It was funny. Kendall was playing first base, and stopped the ball until Noah made it to the base. She's looking out for him! There aren't any outs, anyway, but it was a very nice gesture! We look forward to our weekly practice and game. GO ANGELS!

easter dinner

Easter was wonderful this year. General Conference should always be on Easter Sunday. I loved it. Easter dinner is a pretty good meal. However, I do truly miss my grandma, Myrt's dinner, I'm homesick for her food quite regularly. This one was pretty good though. I even made Myrt's rolls, so it made everything seem better. And they even turned out! I attempted deviled eggs this year. They weren't so bad. This is my second Easter feast that I have made all by myself. I feel so grown up! It's sad to be away from both families on holidays, but I'm becoming a better cook because of it! Our only problem with big holiday dinners is, we have way too much leftovers. Who wants to come over for the next big meal?? It looks pretty good, huh?

Mr. Bunny.

I know of many children who get a real bunny from the Easter Bunny for Easter. My children, however, will never be so lucky. I'm not a huge pet person. I think it's mostly because I don't want to have to clean up after them. I've always loved the idea of an Easter bunny, though. And then I saw that Hallmark had a limited edition bunny. It was pretty cute. However, it was white. That wouldn't go over well in our house. I knew that would be one gross, dirty bunny. And I didn't like the pricetag for a Zhu Zhu pet. So, we went an alternative route. Meet Mr. Bunny:
With the help of the Easter Bunny's helper, this chocolate brown bunny is sporting felt ears and even a fluffy tail. And he was less than half the cost of that Hallmark one! The kids love feeding him carrots, and playing with him on the tile floor. I think Jacob plays with him the most. He loves him. And the best part, I never have to clean up after him. I don't even have to buy food! Plastic carrots are all he needs! Oh, and we'll never have the drama of the poor bunny dying! Seriuosly, the Zhu Zhu and the FurReal pets are the best invention ever! I love them!

the Christensen 3

My kids are pretty darn cute. Some days we have many tantrums, spills, messes, and even accidents here and there. But, most days, they are happy. They laugh a lot. They really do have lots of fun together. Sure, they fight. Even Jacob gets in on the fighting action. But, really, isn't it inevitable? They are with each other 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there is bound to be some arguments, right? All three of them play off the others. It's so cute to watch them interact, play and dance. They all love to get their groove on! They all have different personalities and like different things, but they are all Christensens. I love my three children. I wouldn't trade them for anything.

{these were taken a few weeks ago. Yes, Noah is still in the goofy picture phase. I'm hoping this will end soon...but then I remember that he is Adam's son!;-)}

Primary

We had a Ward Party Dinner tonight. The food was good, the company was good, and the program was awesome. We got to listen to a few wonderful testimonies, and then it was time for the Primary kids to sing the song that they have been learning. This was Macie's first time on the stage. She has been waiting for this day for ever. I think since the first time Noah went up to sing with the Primary, she has cried that she wanted to go up. And today was her day. She sat up there with this little smirk on her face the whole time, waiting patiently for the speakers, and occassionally glancing at her new love, Bode, sitting behind her {He's an older boy...he will be 8. However, Macie told me she will marry him.} And then it was finally time for the song. At home I had heard the kids singing this song that I didn't know. They didn't seem to know all of the words, but every time they would sing the little that they would, I would get chills, and tear up. It's a pretty good song. So, the Primary kids stand up in front, and start singing the song. Noah and Macie were awesome. They both sang every single word. And I cried. Noah even joined in for the sign language during the chorus. It was amazing. All of the kids did so well, even the Sunbeams. They really knew the song, and they really enjoyed singing the song. It was a proud moment as a Mother to watch two of my children up there singing their hearts out. They are learning the important things. I'm so glad for Primary and for the leaders and teachers that my children have. What an awesome church we belong to!

Click HERE to listen to the song.

Budda Budda

Have you ever really liked a song, and you listened to it over and over? And then you started singing along with it. You sing it all of the time. And then someone finally points out that the words that you are singing are not the song at all? But, to you, it will always be what you thought it was? It's what's familiar to you.

If it hasn't, lucky you. Unfortunately for me, it happens ALL of the time. It's like the game of "Telephone." What is first said, usually isn't what the final result is at the end of the line.

When Erin first got here, we were introduced to the Runaways. I had heard of Joan Jett and I knew a few of her songs, she had even just performed at the fair here. But, I didn't really know much of the actual Runaways. Now, there is a movie. Anyway, the CD would be playing in Erin's car when we would go places with her. After a while, the kids would start singing, "ch ch ch ch ch CHERRY POP!" {Yes, we say POP, not soda. We will not conform.} They insist that it what it says. Adam will even sing it the right way and say cherry bomb, but Macie says as she's talking out of the side of her mouth like she does, "Dad sings it wrong. He says bomb. Silly Dad." And then she rolls her eyes, well, her entire head, but she thinks she's just rolling her eyes! :-) Now, when I heard the song, it really does sound like "cherry pop." I cannot bring myself to sing it any other way. Now listen to it. http://s0.ilike.com/play#The+Runaways:Cherry+Bomb:96859:m1095057

Another very popular song in our house is "Budda, Budda" Do you have any guesses as to what this song may be? Macie asks for this song multiple times a day. She loves to shake her little booty to it. She will sing it and dance in the middle of the store, even. Adam never calls it Budda, Budda. He always uses the proper name, "Wooly Bully" but she looks at him kind of funny and says, "yeah, Budda, Budda." To her, it's what it sounds like and it's what it says. And yes, when I hear the song, I also hear Budda Budda, and forever will.
http://iLike.com/s/Zqm

My kids love music and they love to dance. They can really shake it! Jacob even gets into it. Dance parties are a common occurrence in the Christensen house. You should join us.

sibling love.

Noah and Macie love each other. They really do. But, when they fight, sometimes I can't help but laugh. I let them fight it out just so I can laught a little bit.

MACIE: Noah, you are going to get punished. You're mean.
NOAH: {screams at her} I'm not mean. I'm your brother.
MACIE: {screaming back} YOU ARE MY BROTHER. I'm going to start calling you CRAZY GUY.
NOAH: Don't call me that.
MACIE: You have to be punished, Crazy Guy! And that's my mean.

{Did you vote for Jacob today?? http://jasminejohnsonphotography.com/blog }

TEAM JACOB!!

Did you vote today??

http://jasminejohnsonphotography.com/blog

Who is the cutest baby ever??

{editors note: I fixed the link. Just go there, click on the bubble next to Jacob's name, and click vote. Only one vote counts per day. No sense even looking at the other pictures! Ha. He is the cutest. Okay, Ada is pretty cute, too. This'll give them something to tell their kids when they get married!}

Mine, of course. All three of them. However, not all three are babies right now, and not all three got entered into a contest. Yes, I picked Jacob. Will that give the other two a complex?? Are they ever going to forgive me for not entering them? Well, actually, I did enter them into the Gap Casting Call last year...so it's okay. {sorry, just thinking as I type!} BUT...back to the contest.

I entered a picture of Jacob into photographer, Jasmine Johnson's contest, "My Fresh Faces". She is a photog in San Luis Obispo, I found her from my friend Kara's blog. Kara has lots of photographers on her blog list and it's always fun to click away and blog stalk them. I happened to run into this contest. If he wins, he gets a mini session with a $425 value. Yeah, that's pretty good. And I'm sure Kara's Little Miss will also be entered, but, Jacob IS older. Ada will have her time! ;-)

And so, this is where you come in. You have to vote. Yes, ALL of you. The voting starts tomorrow, April 7, 2010 at 8AM, PST, (that's 9 AM for all you Idahoans ;-) and goes through April 13, 2010 at 8 PM PST. You only get one vote a day, which is a 24 hour period, and not nessecarily calendar day. I know that Jacob is the cutest one. He's my child, isn't he?? So, send all your family and friends to vote for him too. I have no shame, he's going to win! The more votes the better.

So, go HERE and vote for Jacob. He's pretty cute.

And, don't worry, this isn't the last that you'll hear of this. I'll remind you. Oh, I will.

I guess it's not so bad...

Remember when I said I thought my daughter was going to be a bully? I thought she was going to be mean. Well, her conversation with her brother may have caused me to rethink that meanness.

NOAH: "I'm sitting by Jacob. I'm sitting by Jacob. You're not sitting by him!" {they like to fight about this...it's not just Jacob, it's usually Erin, or Julia at preschool...they really like to sit by certain people for some reason I do not know.}
MACIE: "Stop, Noah. I don't want to hear it."
NOAH: "I'm sitting by Jacob, haha."
MACIE: "If you don't stop Noah, I'm going to get mean."
NOAH: {with a hint of worry} "What are you going to do?"
MACIE: "Do you want me to growl like a dinosaur? I will. If you don't stop, I will. I really will."

And if her meaness stops with a dinosaur growl, I'm fine with it.

Jacob says...

Jacob is hilarious. He seriously is the biggest ham. We thought Macie would be our crack up, but Jacob is pretty darn funny! He's always hamming it up for the camera and saying cheese. He gets the cheesiest grin on his face. Macie wasn't very fond of people other than her mother for a while. And usually came across as a mean little girl with her scowl that she usually had on her face! She was and is pretty funny though. Heck, Noah has us laughing all the time too. I think I just have the funniest kids in the world. The other day I asked, "If you want to take a bath, say I." Noah and Macie stayed glued to their Phineas and Ferb, but I heard a little "I" from the toy room. Jacob responded. It was probably the funniest thing ever. I didn't expect him to respond! So I kept asking things, it was hilarious. He's saying so many words now, too. Baseball really was his first word, and he still says it. But his list is getting longer:

Mom
Dad
Momo
Pa
Nana
Papa
Baseball
Baju {this is what he calls himself. I guess it's common to mix the beginning and the end of words??}
Juice
Ball
I
bath
Side {outside, which is LOVES to do. He's always wanting to go out. He's a cute little tan!} cheese, either for the camera or for actual cheese!
teeth
Bye-Bye
hi
En {for Erin}
nurse {is it weaning time now??}
dummo {it's not what you think. That's his word for dog. I don't know.}

I'm sure I could add more, but for now that's all I can think of! I tried to get a video of all the words, but he hasn't grasped the video thing. He just sits there are smiles for the camera, like he should! The BEST video would have been him WATCHING the video I just made! It was pretty funny!