Rancho Picts

Am I cute or what???

My Handsome Boys

Bunny Hunting - this was before Seth took off chasing after him

Cheeeeeze!

the New Asian Look

A couple nights ago we went bug hunting at Rancho San Raphael. Sam got a bug catching kit for his birthday and really wanted to try it out. We had a great time, but unfortunately didn't catch anything besides a fly. . . oh well. The boys always love the chance to get out and run around. So, yesterday, we went over to Gene and Patty's to water some plants, check the mail, wash my car, and just play in the yard. When loading the boys up in the car afterwards, I noticed a little red spot on Seth's nose. I figured he'd been pinching his nose or something. He's been really into his eyes, ears and nose lately. Well, the pink spot kept growing and by the time Adam got home from work the original spot on his nose was ooozing. Poor kid! He had an allergic reaction to something probably at Rancho, and the doctor said he would look worse today and even worse tomorrow, and his left eye would probably be swollen shut. So far so good. I think he actually looks a little better today, but we'll see as the day goes on. He just looks a little Asian to me. These pictures really don't do it justice. Add a few more shades of pink and they would be a little more accurate.

Baby's First Photos

This morning I got the opportunity to see my baby dance. It was so neat! You don't really think of her being a little person yet, but she really is - and it's such a MIRACLE!!! I got to see her little heart beat (both sides), her little arms and legs. And she really was doing a little kind of dance it seemed. My doctor said it reminded him of the gopher or whatever it is that dances at the end of the movie Caddyshack. I have never seen this movie myself, but if you have then you might have some kind of an idea. She is 2.23 cm tall, 5 or 6 days ahead of schedule. I think all of our children will be on the tall side - taller than I anyways (which isn't saying much :).

And no, if you were wondering, I don't really know yet that she is a she, but my pregnancy book refers to babies as she's so it must be politically correct and all. Adam is always warning me that if I continue to call her a she, it will make her a he for sure. So little faith!

Happy Birthday Sam!

This is what Patty stopped by to give me. It's pretty cute - I love how he sings along :)

An Unexpected Blessing

Well, today I received a little unexpected blessing - in the form of Patty. She called to ask if she could stop by for a minute before heading to do her grocery shopping. Little did she know that Samuel would want to go with her. So she took Sam shopping, and I got a couple hours of one-on-one time with Seth - something that pretty much NEVER happens. But, it gets better, after shopping Patty called to see if she could take Sam home for the afternoon as well. This is great! Not that I don't love Sam with all my heart, but it is nice to have a little time to play with Seth.

In fact, I have learned today that he is so much smarter than I give him credit for. We've had a chance to look at several books and he has pointed out many things that I've asked him about. He doesn't really get a chance to do that with his older and much faster brother. In fact, Seth won't usually even look at books when his brother is here. One of Seth's favorite things is his piggy bank, so we spent several minutes putting money into the bank. He also loves to help take laundry out of the dryer and put it onto the couch for folding. Then we made grilled cheese sandwiches, but of course he ate too much cheese during the making that he didn't eat much of the sandwich :) Now, he is sleeping peacefully next to my chair as I type this (with his brother's bear and gun - shhh, don't tell!). I guess we really wore him out... me too actually, so I am off to join him in a nap.

Videos

Ohh, and I can't forget these!

Sam's 4th Birthday Party

Well, we celebrated Sam's birthday yesterday, and it was way too much fun. We had a pool party and invited all the cousins within traveling distance. I was a little worried because when we began hauling things up to the pool in preparation, rain drops began to fall. Luckily only a few! It was a little cloudy but the party went on. We all had a ton of fun even though the water was a bit cold. Melanie had very BLUE lips after just a few minutes, but they matched her swimsuit so she was still stylin. I think the adults had much more fun in the pool than all the kids really. Great Grandpa even came and had fun - watching of course.

We then had very yummy BBQ chicken. It was so GOOD! And for dessert, cake and ice cream. Adam outdid himself with the cake once again. This time a shark, a very toothy one. It was so great! While the kids were all deciding which part of the shark they wanted to eat, Grandpa Gene and Great Grandpa announced their preference for fin. Apparently, shark fin (according to them anyway) is an aphrodisiac. Who knew?! I guess you learn something new everyday :)

And, of course, you can't have a party without presents - lots of them. Sam was really spoiled and received everything from money, to a marble tower set, to a lifetime supply of otter pops (thanks Isaiah), to a baseball and mitt. He was truly lavished upon this year, and now I have to find room for all this! It really was just a great time. We all had so much fun catching up with each other. It's amazing how seldom we see each other while living so close. We better take advantage of this nearness while we still can.

We are now heading to bed and looking forward to more partying tomorrow - Chuck E Cheese with Grandma Marilyn, Becca, Emma and Erica. Fun times!

Another Milestone

Well, we just accomplished the seemingly impossible with Sam. He LOVES swimming now. It is nearly impossible to get him out of the water. This is such a HUGE thing for us! If you had been in Reno (or anywhere near Reno) a few days ago you probably would have heard his protests as we carried him into the water, even with a life vest on, holding on to him as tight as possible. He was just totally terrified. But now he's all about the water, swimming from one end to the other. It is so AWESOME! So, I feel like I have accomplished so much this week. You definitely gotta cherish these moments!

This is totally new for me...

I love reading Christa's little updates so I thought I would try this blogging stuff too --- if I can figure it out that is :o)

Well, we had a crazy evening yesterday. On the way to taking Sam to a birthday party, Seth became really sick all over the car. It was very bad!!! So instead of doing Sam's birthday shopping (which was the plan since I rarely get to go shopping without him), we ended up coming home to do major cleanup. Sam had a great time at the party and Seth is now feeling much better, thank goodness!

However, I am experiencing some severe queasiness too. Fortunately, and unfortunately, it has nothing to do with Seth's illness. Fortunately, because I really am not sick, but unfortunately because I have several weeks or months left of this queasiness. Yep! Another baby... and Yep! We are crazy! :o) This one is due March 3 (1 day after Seth's due date, by the way), just 1 month before we had planned to make a trip across the country to buy a house, and just a couple months before we load up and move. It will be a busy few months for us, but I think we are up to the challenge. Besides, Sam and Seth are looking forward to those few days of hanging out with Grandpa Gene (so please don't make any plans to be out of the country in March, Gene - I know what you are thinking). So anyways, that is our biggest news at the moment.

We are just staying home and trying to find things to keep us busy. Our pool opened up recently so we've been spending some time out there. We are trying to get Sam to enjoy the water - for some reason, he is deathly afraid of water even with floaties. But, we made some progress the other day, and by the end he was sitting on the steps all by himself. Maybe we'll head out there in a little while...

P.S. I would be very happy with another little boy - I do love my boys!! However, do you think you could pray for a girl this time??? :o) And, a small one would be really good, while you're at it - anything under 8 pounds would be amazing! But, pray for healthy above all.