Free Pictures!

Emma and Ava (in that order)

Whitney, Jack, Ava, Emma, and I were killing time at Babies R Us the other day when a guy from the portrait studio asked us if he could practice taking pictures using our babies as models. He said we'd get a free picture. We only got one free picture so it will live a week at my house and then a week at Whitney's house and on and on until we get sick of it. But you can look at BOTH pictures right here on my blog....for FREE! You're welcome!

Kids say the darndest things....

We have a little old lady that lives in our complex and absolutely LOVES Jack. She has always called him her baby. She is a little "off" but we have learned to love her. Well, today Jack and I were walking to the car and he insisted on bringing his comforter with him. If you know Jack you know why I didn't object. The only problem was it was dragging on the floor. So above mentioned old lady came over to help him. Speaking lovingly to him (in cuban) the whole time. We make our way to the car and after she walks away Jack looks at me and says.."My Grandma is crazy!" I cracked up and he says.. "mom it's not funny, shut the door my Grandma is crazy!" I don't think I have ever told him that she is not his grandma, I guess I should have!

Another funny thing that was said recently was last night. Ethan asked me who won the election and I told him Barack Obama. He got the saddest look on his face and said, "Oh poor Tim Shaw!" haha I spent the next hour explaining the different branches of government.

CHOC walk 2008

Devin and Jack with the Toy Story characters, Devin is not that fat, just a weird angle.
Chase was so awesome, he carried Owen on his shoulders almost the whole time. Owen is making a silly face in this picture.

Emma's first CHOC walk!

Me and Devin
Whit and Kelly
Ethan
Owen and Chase

Ava's first CHOC walk, well she was there last year, just still in the womb

We had a great time and I am so grateful to everyone that joined us. Casida family rocks for putting up with us that early in the morning!!

TAG! I'm it....

Three names I go by-
1. mommy
2. T.T.K.
3. Tiff

Three restaurants I love-
1. San Sai
2. Mimi's Cafe
3. Spaghetti Factory

Three trips to plan in the next year-
1. Utah
2. Camping
3. Idaho (maybe)

Three things I want badly -
1. A HOUSE
2. Ethan and Jack to get along
3. More hours in the day to get things done

Three pets I have had-
I'm assuming this is past tense so the current ones don't count??
1. Snuggles the cat that got hit by a car the day that Chase was born and then thrown into the trash when I was lead to believe that she was resting comfortably in a pet cemetary, i'm over it, can you tell?:(
2. Chiquita the best attack, in-bred, half chiuaha half pekinese you have ever seen hop by
3. The noisy guinea pigs that now reside at the park (I still go a feed them)

Three things I did yesterday-
1. was a taxi driver for my kids
2.fed people
3. cleaned up after the same people

Three things I ate today-
1. pancakes
2. rice with teriyaki sauce and onions yummy!
3. alphabet shaped tater tots, so cool to spell your name and then eat it!!

Three fears I have-
1. dentist
2. elevators
3. flying

(Three things I plan(ned) on doing today-
1. Finish up my LLL leader stuff
2. Start christmas shopping
3. Make cookies

Three things I plan on doing tomorrow-
1. Take kids to and from school
2. volunteer at school
3. take Ethan to the eye doctor

Three favorite holidays-
1.HALLOWEEN
2. Thanksgiving
3.Christmas

Three favorite beverages-
1. water
2. Mojito lemonade
3. Diet coke

Three things I can't live without-
1. My family
2. MAC foundation
3. my car

Now I tag...... Julie, Judith and Jen (all J's )

Oak Glen Apple Orchard

I LOVE FALL!! o.k. that being said we decided to do our favorite fall activity and go up to Oak Glen to the apple orchards. We picked the perfect day. It was a cool, crisp and dry day. We all had a blast. We started out at the petting zoo. I need to mention that 3 of my four children are terrified of petting zoos, total wusses. The only one that showed no fear was Ava. She was fascinated by all the animals especially the pot belly pig. Owen was pretty brave once he warmed up to the animals, Jack came face to face with a chicken and from that point on clung on to Devin like a spider monkey. Ethan avoided the whole situation by staying completely out of the petting zoo. After we were done torturing our children with various farm animals they got to sit on a fake horse, rope some fake cows, play in a fort and on a wagon. There was a small maze made out of hay. They played on that for at least an hour. Then we bought some fresh pressed apple cider and sat under the apple trees to enjoy it. We ended the day with a hay ride tour of the orchards. We never did pick any apples, we ran out of time, but it was a great day. At one point I was looking out at the view and sitting with my family and smelling the wonderful smell of the apple orchards and I realized how blessed I am. We may be crazy, but I wouldn't change any of us for anything!

*Sorry the pictures are out of order, I have a hard time figuring out this blog!!!

Smokin' Hot

Owen and I were watching an airplane write in the sky today. It took us a while to figure out what is was writing because it was upside down to us, but we soon saw that it said "Will you marry me" I told Owen that a man must be asking his girlfriend to marry him and be his wife. He looks dreamily out the window at the plane and says, "She must be smokin' hot" Knowing that that message must have cost a fortune, I couldn't help but agree with him! haha

No more monkeys jumping on the bed!!

Ethan learned a valuable lesson last night. He was jumping on his bed and fell off and hit his back on the corner of his bed. I think it's safe to say that he will not do that again...hopefully!!

Update: Ethan was just getting a drink of water when Devin walked behind him...

Ethan: Be careful of my sports injury dad

Devin: Jumping on the bed is not a sport

Ethan : It is when you are trying to break a world record

Devin: What world record?

Ethan: The highest Jump in the world

ahhhhh... it all makes sense now!

The Proofs

Jack pretty much refused to be in the pictures so we only got one group shot with him in it and a picture of him in his costume at home. Oh well at least they came out cute, mission complete!

Ethan, the poet

Ethan had the best second grade teacher ever last year. She had the kids write poems and then had them published in a book. I ordered a copy last year and totally forgot about it until it came today. How cool to have Ethan's poem in an actual book!!

Red

Apples

Juicy,Shiny,Delicious

Ribbons

Crayons

Chalk

Red is the color

of a prize in a race

Halloween Pictures

O.k. we survived the halloween pictures and they actually came out really cute. Just one thing was off....Jack refused to wear his costume and insisted on sitting on a car push toy. When Jack and I were looking at the pictures at home Jack pointed to the picture and said, "Ethan is Indiana Jones, Owen is a skeleton, Ava is a princess and I am a cool guy on a cool car" So I guess that is Jack's costume, he's a cool guy! Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures, I had to take pictures of the pictures, but at least you'll get an idea of what they look like.

Ava is 6 months!

Today was Sassy's six month appointment. She is 18lbs. and 27 inches, putting her at 90% for height and 80% for weight. And more important then the stats, she is perfectly happy and healthy. We then went costume shopping. She is going to be Snow White, but we decided the wig was to much. Ethan is going to be Indiana Jones, Owen is a skeleton and Jack is wolverine. We are getting our annual Halloween pictures today. 4 kids in costumes, 2 parents, 1 photographer=chaos, so wish us luck!!!

Remember when........

..........................it was fun to look in a mirror? Yeah, neither do I, but Sassy does !

Happy Birthday Uncle Bj

On Friday night we got to go to Claim Jumpers with Devin's family to celebrate Bj's birthday. We had a good time and good food!! Happy Birthday Bj!!!

All this took place in about two minutes........

It being Devin's day off we all walked in the door at the same time today, chaos pursued. Ethan and Owen stitting to the table complaining about homework, whining , begging to play video games instead. Sassy crying in her highchair. Devin and Jack unloading the groceries. Finally Devin took Owen and Sassy into the other room so Ethan and I could concentrate on his math homework and he could help Owen with his spelling homework. Then it dawns on me, I noticed it was strangely quiet. hmmm where's Jack? I walked back into the boys room expecting to see him playing with quietly with Ethan's toys, if I can redirect him Ethan will never know and we can avoid a fight... not there. Look on all the beds, not there. Is he in my room?...NO. "Devin where is Jack" "I don't know" The doors are all shut and locked. Did I lock him out somehow?Open front door, JACK! JACK! My heart is now pounding. JACK! JACK! throwing open shower curtains, running from room to room. JACK! JACK! Devin asks "Did I leave him in the car?" Run to the driveway, Ethan and Owen are crying. "Stay in the house and stay together!" I yell No, not in car. "JACK! JACK! running up and down street screaming, asking strangers, "Have you seen a little boy, MY little boy?" What is he wearing? My mind is blank. Was he just in pull ups? What did I dress him in today? Where is my baby? Mind spinning, tears running down my face. Who has my baby? Neighbors are following, watching the panic unfold. I've got to call the police, shut down the city, Where is my baby??? I run in to the kitchen , where is the damn phone? "Ethan, Owen sit on the couch and don't move!" Sassy safely in Devin's arms. Devin runs up to Whitney's house. Running to bedroom to find the phone, can't feel anything, but terror, JACK! JACK! and then, on the floor by my bed, I almost tripped on him.

Instant, unbelievable relief. I collapse on him and cry, he stirs in his sleep and I hold him while I sob. I cannot explain the pure terror of not being able to find your child. It is by far the worst feeling in the world. Who cares about homework or putting the groceries away, I have all my babies and they are all safe. I feel like the luckiest person on earth.

Where have I been???

I noticed today that it has been weeks, yes weeks since i have posted. This is my official "catch up" post and pictures will follow later tonight when Devin gets home with his computer. So where did I leave off, oh yea, I left off in glorious summer. Oh how I miss the lazy days of summer. Sleeping in, not rushing, not worrying about bedtime, oh how I miss you summer.
On that note...Welcome Fall!! I do love fall, just not all the new schedules. We are getting used to having places to be and times to be there, but some of us are more reluctant then others. The boys started school and are doing well. I like both of their teachers and I am already amazed at how much they are learning. I know you were all wondering what I decided to do with Jack. I didn't send him to preschool. I decided to do "mommy and me" classes at the local college for this semester and then reasses the situation in January. I'll keep you posted. As for Sassy, she is growing and is just the sweetest baby ever. She'll be 6 months tomorrow and hopefully i'll be able to post about her tomorrow with all the new stats. So to sum up this post we are all doing great, busy, happy and are loving life. I'll try to be better at posting!

CHOC walk 2008

For those of you who don't know what Choc walk is, it's a fundraising walk to raise money for Children's Hospital of Orange County. Devin and the kids and I have been doing this walk every year since 2002, but this walk took on a new importance for us the year that Bailey died. The night that she passed away she was taken to CHOC to see if there was anything that they could do for her and they tried everything to save her. The doctors, the nurses, everyone was so kind to us and so gentle and loving to her. Now when we do this walk it means so much more.

CHOC does so much for the children in our community that are sick. It's important to help in anyway we can and this walk is a fun way to do it. We usually just walk by ourselves and I make us matching t-shirts, but his year I decided to create a team and have as many people walk with us as possible. Every year there are alot of teams and it is so cool to see groups of people wearing matching shirts and walking together for a child or in memory of a child. It is a very touching and humbling morning and we would like to share it with anyone who is interested in joining us. This is the link for our team, http://www.chocforms.org/chocwalk/2008/Baileys_Memory_Team/ take a look and if you can join us or sponsor us let me know!!

To preschool or not to preschool, that is the question!

I signed Jack up for preschool last April, and now as start time is coming closer I am starting to think twice about this. Today we got his paperwork with the name of his teacher, his classroom number and the start date. But is he ready? Both Ethan and Owen did two years of preschool and really enjoyed it and I could see the benefits of it, but Jack seems so much younger then they did when they started (he's actually older) I just can't make up my mind. So i've made a list of pros and cons.

PROS
1. He will grow socially
2. It's only 2 days a week
3. Ava will get alone time with me
4. He will finally have something that is just his.
5. It should help him with his lack of structure

CONS
1. I will miss him and I assume he will miss me
2. It is a little expensive
3.If he hates it then it will be a power struggle 2 days a week
4. HE'S MY BABY!!!!!!!!
5.We are still working on potty training.

UGHHHHHH I don't know what to do, what do you think?

tagged

Whitney tagged me, hey it'll give you something to read if you are bored

Three Joys
1. my children/family
2. cooking
3. friends

Three Fears
1. ELEVATORS
2. airplanes
3. not making a difference in the world

Three Goals
1. Find something that Owen likes to eat beside pizza and hot dogs
2. become a LLL leader
3. potty train Jack

Three Current Obsessions/collections
1. cookbooks
2. clearance racks
3. John and Kate plus eight

Three Random Surprising Facts about ME!
1. I love giving birth, from the first contraction to the food in the hospital, I LOVE it all
2. I hope to be a nurse someday. I plan to start school when Ava is in first grade.
3.I read cookbooks like people read novels. I can get lost in a good cookbook for hours!

Now I tag.....everyone who reads my blog!!!

Ava's 4 month check up

I took Ava to her 4 month check up last monday (hence the title of this post) Turns out she is more like her brothers then her sister! She is 16 lbs. and 26 inches long! That puts her in the 90th percentile for both. The doctor says she is perfect ( at least that's what I heard her say) Since I am following Dr. Sears's immunization schedule she only got one shot this time, and she didn't even flinch! I mean it, no tears, no grimace, nothing. I checked to make sure the nurse didn't miss! Then I turned to her brothers who were all cowering in the corner of the room with their ears plugged and warned them that she will be able to kick their butts very soon.

I know that this is kind of a strange picture to post, but it's the most recent one I have now that Devin's i-phone has been stolen and my camera's batteries are dead :( The picture does show Ava's latest obsession, biting my fingers. I thought she was teething, but nothing has popped through so far, I will keep you posted!

As for my new diet, I had a minor set back today. Whitney offered me Chipotle and I was at a weak moment and said, "yes" I justified it as not really fast food since it was really healthy. Vegetarian tacos. Does that count? I promise to stay stronger and not answer the phone when Whitney calls ( just kidding Whit) oh I am hopeless!!!!!!!

No more fast food!

If you know me then you know that I am addicted to fast food. O.k. maybe it's not that bad, but I certainly do eat to much of it. I just love the convience of it. The fact that I don't have to think or clean up. But I notice that the more it takes from my wallet the more it adds to my waistline, so I have a bet with myself (yes I talk to myself) that I can go two weeks with NO fast food. So please pray for me to beat this addiction haha. If I can't do this you might see me on the next intervention! SO far it's been 24 hours and I am going strong. Man I sound pathetic!!!!!

Ethan's baptism

Ethan was baptized on Saturday. I am so proud of him for making this big step in his life. He is such a good person and I am so thankful that he is one of my children!

Sundays

Some people are exhausted after church......

and some people are not....

Sittn' Sassy

Any of you who know Sassy (Ava) know that she is not one who likes to lay around. Ever since birth she has been a girl on the go. However, this week she has discovered the joy of sitting up. Thanks to Buffie who gave us her bumbo seat and to Nana and Papa who bought her her very own pink and purple saucer, Sassy now has a totally new view of her surroundings. Don't get me wrong, she can't sit unsupported, but with these handy new toys she is able to think she is sitting up without help and feels that much more empowered! The boys had alot of fun playing with the toys on the tray. Luckily she still doesn't mind sharing, I know that will end all to soon. The pictures really don't do her justice. For some reason everytime she sees a camera she opens her mouth and eyes as wide as she can. I do love the picture of her and Jack talking. He is so good to her and she just cracks up when she sees him!

Ava's new stroller

Grammy got Ava a new stroller and she LOVES it!! Jack wanted to sit in his next to "Sassy" I didn't pose Jack like that he did himself. Doesn't he look so proper? I mean if it wasn't for the tatoo and puppy pajama pants. I also didn't really look at the background while I was taking the pictures, I probably should have moved the vacuum, oh well! And yes, as you can tell by Ava's tights I was and always will be a Punky Brewster fan :)

Bailey Annmarie Downs

I didn't post anything on Bailey's angel day because I didn't know what to write. Today I received my Bereaved parents newsletter and found this poem. I wanted to share it because I really liked it. Sorry for the poor quality of the picture. I took a picture of a picture and well you get the idea.

The Broken Chain

We little knew that morning that

God was going to call your name.

In life we loved you dearly, in death

we do the same. It broke our hearts

to lose you, you did not go alone;

for part of us went with you,

the day God called you home.

You left us peaceful memories,

your love is still our guide and although

we cannot see you, you are always by our side.

Our family chain is broken,

and nothing seems the same.

but as God calls us one by one

the chain will link again.

Bad Kharma

Never be mean to your siblings! I tell that to my kids 100 times a day, yet I don't practice what I preach. Tonight Whitney and I were going through Ava's shoes. We were oohing and ahhhing and everything was going well until I decided to seperate the shoes that were still attached with those little plastic tags. Instead of cutting the tags I pulled the shoes until the tag broke. Innocent right? I thought so, but Whitney yelled, "OW!" The harmless plastic tag had flown off and hit her right between the eyes. (Luckily she had her glasses on) I thought it was so hilarious that I purposely aimed the next pair of shoes at her. I pulled my hardest while laughing my best bully laugh and SNAP the tag flew off and hit me in the chin. It hit me so hard that I started bleeding. I now have a welt and i'll probably have a scab tomorrow. So learn from me and NEVER be mean to your siblings. If you have to be mean at least plan a little better then I did and make sure that you won't get hurt.