9 YEARS AGO...

I became a mama, and here we are back to the same place again, San Diego, and the same address, my dads'. This is my favorite early photo of Riley I shared a bit back, what a sweet little one he was. Leili seems very similar to Riley as a baby except Riley slept, really slept. I miss sleeping. I miss quite a few things. But not the sun, I am enjoying the sun right now it is WONDERFUL! So having Leili has sent me down memory lane as I gaze at her and remember those first gazes as a mama with Riley, 9 years ago.

Sorry there is no picture of him today, I took one but you'll have to wait. I have a camera full of pictures to show you, but I have no clue where my camera cable is and I don't even have my computer. Not anyones high priority I guess, and well I am just not into computers enough to figure out all those wires. So I wait and dream of having a laptop (I dream big so it is a macbook in my daydreams!) so that I am never computer less again, that sounds blissful. :)

So eventually I will have something to blog again, but I could not let today slip away without sharing my nostalgic feelings.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RILEY!

XOXOXOXOX

Oh the Fun that is Funny!

So not so funny... Riley and Jake were rough housing Monday evening and then Riley ended up smacking the wall pretty well. With prior head injury experience (thanks Jake) I knew this was a trip to the ER, so now Riley has 4 staples in the back of his head! I think it has something to do with christening our move, Jake did it last time. I now have experience with stiches, durabond, and staples. Fun.
This is pretty funny, ya know just in case we forget who she is! :) Riley made name tags for all of us! :)

Totally funny, mom and Dad trying to trick Jake! CAUGHT YA!! Jake hides from the camera, but we got him! :)

Fun for Leili! Leili got a special package yesterday! She was happy to open it!

Yea! It is her baby quilt from Grandma H. Isn't it beautiful! We are planning on trying to get a good picture of all four kids and their quilts soon!

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I might be completely absent for a couple weeks! I'll fill you in then! :)

A Break...

For some fun!For Christmas the kids each got a plain white play silk, bought HERE. They also got...
Kool-aid, they did not even know what it was! :) I pulled out the vinegar, per THESE instructions and we had some fun!

Riley could not find his silk, but later found it. His is the red kool-aid!

Here they are freezing.. I mean drying! :) Seriously they where stiff! So Purple for Fern, Blue for Jake, and Yellow for Leili!

All in all it was fun and easy, and a great distraction from life these days. We do have some news so look for an email from us soon!

Why Danna is Not Blogging...

Things are crazy busy here, and there is that lack of sleep thing too. I guess I had forgotten how rough it can be with no sleep! :) Then there is all of this too... The kids amusing themselves... yes we are packing...
LOTS of potatoes, all the sweeter when made by these cuties! Lots of potatoes because yes they are cheap, goes along with the no job thing. But also because during this last pregnancy I could not see, smell, or taste a potato with out lurching. So I am all about them now! There is always something that does it every pregnancy and it is always something completely normal...

Look who LOVES avocados!! MMMMM, a friend gave us a couple last week and so we thought we'd let Leili try it. It was a hit! Good thing we are moving when there are plenty. and not New England priced...

Seriously could she be cuter!! Brother Riley let Fern try out the ipod and she was so cute rocking out I had to snap her picture! :) What a nice brother...

We've had a couple good storms, good enough for church to be cancelled and plenty of good sledding (if you don't mind the 17 degree weather, but really it was warmer today, it was 29)! The boys have seriously spent most of the day outside even during the blizzard....

And the Christmas spider, we have one every year! They come home from the farm and enjoy our warm house for a few weeks, they always LOVE the star! After I snapped a couple pictures this guy decided he was not up for a photo shoot and dropped down into the tree! :) He's back outside now...

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So there is the answer!

We hope your New Year has started well, don't worry if I am a bit sparse... it is crazy around here!

Christmas ...Backwards!

Sorry these are all backward time wise! :) You could start for the bottom, or not! Your choise! :)Merry Christmas!! Fern looking too cute talking to Grandma Christmas afternoon, yes we have a corded phone! It is even a rotary! It totally freaks out my kids friends! :)
We (many giver kind of gift) really surprised Riley, we made him open it last, we have not seen or hear too much from him since! :) He got an ipod...before his mom!!!

Our little present, with a bow on top!

Said present getting noisy!

Oh the wrapping paper!

This was her favorite, thanks Aunt Mary!

All ready Christmas eve!

Do you think we should get a nut cracker! :)

Our 4 beautiful babes in their Christmas jammies from Grandma!

Leili was happy to finally attack some presents! Yea for those jammies to open!

Leili "enjoying" our snow with mom (it was like 20 degrees, we did not last long! )!!

Mama's sweet snow baby! Oh she is just too cute!!

And that is the end of the FAST, disjointed post! Enjoy!!

7 More Days!

So sorry I have been so MIA! Life is happening even if we don't want it to, Leili is a handful but such a cute handful, and we are really trying to savor this Christmas season together as a family, everyday knowing even though it is a "trial" we are so blessed to have Dan this year! It will probably continue to be sparse for a bit! :) Here we are today with the tree that came home with us! It may look sunny and warm but don't let it fool you, it has been in the teens and now we are expecting a nor'easter starting tomorrow!
Leili loved sitting in the frozen grass! This was my little warm outfit when I was a baby, my mom made it! :)

And then Leili got distracted and ended up laying in the frozen grass!

This evening we pulled out the Christmas books, here is Riley reading The Pokey Little Puppy's First Christmas. My grandma J. use to read this to me when I was little.

Leili enjoyed The Velveteen Rabbit.

Fern is enjoying the nativity, we bought this Riley's first Christmas.

Jake hid from my camera, telling me to stop taking pictures. At least he choose a good book!

Leili woke up from her milk nap to a lighted tree, she loves it!!


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Now a few I have been meaning to put up! :)

Leili hanging around! I had put her in there to do something I could not with her and when I turned around to check on her she had found a way to get her arm and head out!

She is a dangerous girl these days!!

But oh so cute!

She is really getting around! :)

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I emailed Christmas cards this year so if you did not get one it means I do not have your email address, so email me!! :)

Merry Christmas!!

I Usually Don't...

Start my Christmas thinking/planning/doing until Dec. 1, just to be sure to give Thanksgiving it's due. But I have come to realize that I really should do a little pre-December planning so that I am ready. Take for instance that I forget about the advent calendar until like the 10th, bad. And our St. Nicholas festivities are usually thrown together a bit as I have forgotten/not prepared in advance. SOOOO... lets get started a little earlier! I have started a nice link box over there on the right with Christmas ideas. Let me know what you like and reply with any other links you enjoy!

Riley

Last night when he asked me to trim his nails he brought me the big clippers not the baby clippers. And he now prefers to take a shower, it is weird not to bathe him. How can it go by so fast!

My Quiet Book

For mom!

This Week!

My baby boy turned 6! How can it be! Yesterday was Jake's birthday, he says 6 is pretty good. Before bed we got out the photo album that has his first few months pictures in it. I just can't believe it!

It was also Grandpa M.'s birthday we surprised him with a video happy birthday call on skype. We got a big smile! :) We love you Grandpa!
Here is Yoda as the kids have dubbed her. They all love giving her a light saber now that she is so grabby and they think it is hysterical that she tries to eat it! :)


I captures a great Leili smile while nursing the other day, photography while nursing is a little like juggling jello. Trust me! :)

Look at our two purple princesses! Beautiful girls who look so very different from each other!

Dad, Daughters, and Cupcakes!

Feliz Dia De Los Muertos!

In our family we take any opportunity to have an excuse to have yummy Mexican food, so of course we celebrate The Day of the Dead! We also usually make it into a family home evening, kind of a genealogy holiday!Here is Mama, and Leili making Great-grandma M.'s Mexican rice. And of course Mama is wearing her Day of the Dead apron! Festive, Festive!
This year money, patience, and sleep are all so short that our celebration was a bit muted compared to other years. But Jake and mama made agua de jamaica, and dad, Jake, &Fern made pan de muretos! YUMMM! We also made some refried beans and had burritos, it was all so good! If you want any of the recipes let me know!!
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Now for the yummy part of Halloween night!

We made Cherish's Potato soup using a pumpkin as the squash, mmmm!

Then we took the seeds from said pumpkin and made some roasted pumpkin seeds!

To go with our seeds, The Great Pumpkin, and Garfield facing scary pirates for Halloween candy, we made caramel corn! MMMMM!

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Happy November!!