I Love To See The Temple,

I'm going there someday...

The weather's lovely so we went and had a picnic at the Temple. Kylie's been learning about it, and she looks at Matthew and my wedding picture and is confused like you wouldn't believe as to why she's not in the picture! The concept that we existed before she ever did is lost on her. She's been on Temple grounds before when we've gone to weddings and whatnot, but she was too young to remember. So we took a fun little trip and had a wonderful time! (the girls saw butterflies and loved all the pretty colored flowers, still trying to get Kylie to say Moroni right, it sounds like Momronee~ we'll work on it)

*Weekly Round-Up*

Fun random things happen during the week, and I'm afraid that I'll forget them over time. So since my long-term plan is to eventually get this blog printed as fulfilling my duty for family history, I think I'm going to start this new tradition.

So here are some highlights of the week, you might not care all that much, but they're memories that I really don't want to forget:

1. Kylie was holding Baby Kadyn (with my assistance) on the couch. Kadyn started passing gas, and Kylie began freaking out thinking that Kadyn had pooped on her. Kylie's facial expression was priceless as she's pushing Kadyn onto me... as Kylie got up she wiped off her pants with her hands in disgust (there wasn't anything there). She hasn't asked to hold her sister since.

2. Kylie knows the concept of jail. Not sure how or why, I never told her about it. But there's no cartoons there or toys... only a bed and sink, and they wear black stripes like a zebra.

3. I was pulling into the garage, and I let my mom get out on the passanger side beforehand so I can get close to the garage cabinets, so there's enough room for Matthew's car (it's a tight squeeze). Kacey freaked out when Yaya took Kadyn out of the car. "That's my Kadyn! Don't take Baby Kadyn!" She was really upset, it was funny.

4. It's official: Kadyn's a Daddy's Girl. He holds her from the moment he gets home from work until she falls asleep at night. She melts into his chest, I call her his little pea in a pod. She smiles and coos for him (not for me, who am i??? just the food source!) But I love it, Kacey's a Momma's Girl... Kylie's the independent one... Kadyn definitely loves her Daddy the mostest!

5. Last night for the first time, we did curlers in Kylie's hair. It was fun and when I took it out she said she had hair like Kacey. She's been prancing around today like a princess. She's been going around saying that she's adorable. My only concern is that she's going to want to do it everyday, and I don't know if I have the energy for that!

6. We walked into the house the other day, Kylie sat on the bottom step, took her shoes off, began rubbing her feet and said, "My feet are killing me!" Maybe it was her annoyed tone, I don't know... I could not stop laughing!

7. My tile grout annoys the living daylight out of me! (apparently no one else notices it, but it bugs me like you wouldn't believe!) I had Stanley Steemer come out for an estimate... HELLO, I mean I do have a lot of tile, but seriously, I don't think I spend that much on Christmas let alone spend it for cleaning grout (that will eventually get dirty again). So I sat myself down and for 2.5 hours, I scrubbed with a toothbrush and a baking soda mixture.

Before:

After:

I'm only halfway done, I assume another 2.5 hours to go... (see how much it bothers me!) But the end result is worth it~ for me.

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful....

1. That Kylie's in a great Preschool. I love what she learns, I love that she's so excited to go - I hope that sets the trend for her enjoying school in general. AND I've had Kylie in a crummy preschool before we moved to this end of LV, so I KNOW the difference. The difference between Mrs. Tate and the other preschool teacher she had for just a few months is like night and day! (and I'm thankful that Tate might might might do it next year which would be for Kacey!)

2. That I have a great Vet. Seems simple enough, but my Vet is really awesome. Today- Oct 16th- marks 2 years to the day that Maggie first experienced her seizuring episode. I was frantic, I didn't know what to do, it was scary to watch her seize. I was post partum with Kacey and an emotional wreck as I'm trying to carry my 75 pound dog down the steps and get her into the van. Anyway, my Vet was the best. I heard him in the back room, at first encouraging then forcing 2 other doctors (one to drive, one to administer meds to Maggie) to drive my dog to the specialist for me as I followed in my car. I realized that he did this because he thought I'd kill myself and my dog if she seizured while I was driving. (Matthew was in PHX on business) I thought for sure Maggie had hit her 9th life and that was it, but she's still ticking 2 years later!

3. That shots are over. I'm surprised you all didn't hear us with Dr. Santos on Tuesday afternoon. All 3 girls screaming their heads off, Matthew and I couldn't help but laugh hysterically. But everyone's good, no reactions from the shots. All is well, SO GLAD it's over!

4. Matthew's speaking in church on Sunday, just him... not me. (Not that I said no, they only asked him) Now I have to manage all 3 girls on my own as he sits up front... but I'm thinking it's worth it to not have to speak :)

5. Last but very not least, today also marks the 9th year since my baptism: Oct 16, 1999. :) I'm very grateful for that decision. I think I was at a fork in the road as to where I could go with my life, and I'm very grateful for the path that I chose. I know it was perfect for me, and I look at my life now and think how different things could have been if I hadn't of made that choice. I'M SO GLAD THAT I DID! I know that's the reason for my happiness and my many, many blessings!!!

Tagged

I just got "tagged" by my college roomie Kari and am supposed to answer the following questions with one word (and one word only!) answers. These are fun, and I need some me time so here I go!

1. Where is your cell phone? pocketbook
2. Where is your significant other? church
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? awesome
5. Your father? handy
6. Your favorite thing? eating
7. Your dream last night? med-school
8. Your dream/goal? mortgage-free (to have no mortgage, trying to keep 1 word answers is hard!)
9. The room you're in? study
10. Your hobby? shopping
11. Your fear? sickness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? home
13. Where were you last night? asleep
14. What you're not? laidback
15. One of your wish-list items? closet-organizers
16. Where you grew up? virginia
17. The last thing you ate? soup
18. What are you wearing? capris
19. Your TV? music
20. Your pet? asleep
21. Your computer? on
22. Your mood? tired
23. Missing someone? sanity
24. Your car? quest
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? kohls
27. Your summer? pregnant
28. Love someone? hubby
29. Your favorite color? pink
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? nope

I tag anyone else who wants some free time to think about somthing other than dinner, homework, baths and bedtime. (Kaylan consider yourself double tagged- me and Kari)

Monday Monday

Monday is cleaning day. I take one day, put on music and we do everything! We stay home (it's windy, freezing here anyways) and do it all. Then we get to play all week long knowing the house is clean... although I'm probably the only one who gets great enjoyment knowing my house is clean and orderly~ Kylie and Kacey are probably glad it's over. Well, I can't say that, it does seem like they enjoy doing it. I took some pictures of my busy bees helping out. They really are a big help.

Kylie's jobs: vacuuming the steps, vacuuming the tile downstairs, putting all her laundry away. She'll also mop the tile when Kacey goes down for a nap (mainly because I worry Kacey will fall on the wet floor)

Kacey's jobs: keeping the cord straight while I vacuum the 5 bedrooms upstairs (which helps out sooo much!), she also helps put her clean/folded laundry away, cleaning her room... although both girls tend to keep their bedrooms neat.

Pink Vacuum, very appropriate for our family! (yes dad, I emptied it out) :P

My jobs: management- all laundry and ironing, and overseeing that everything is done properly! Yeah, I wish... I do everything else and anything that involves dust and cleaner. I'll get to clean all 4 bathrooms again when Kacey and Kadyn are down for naps. Fun fun!!! :)

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I really like that we do this together, it teaches the girls that sometimes (even if you don't want to) we clean up... and it also teaches them to clean as they go along during the week because it makes Monday's cleaning easier. (maybe I can teach my husband that too, hehe... sorry dear, couldn't resist!) But it's not out of sorts for my girls to spill crumbs or cut paper and then go get the vacuum and clean up the floor all on their own- without being asked/reminded.

We also look forward to Monday because when it's all done, we have Movie Time Monday with popcorn and usually play outside for longer than normal and with our chalk. Kylie also gets extra time to play her learning games on the computer, because she's Mommy's Big Helper and really makes my load lighter. And they'll make a fun kiddie dinner for us ~~~Matthew's got class on Monday evenings and well, we get bored :) SO it's not all work and no play! But I should probably get back to work...

Sunday Morning Pictures

Well we've made the transition from side rows, to the long big rows at church. I was resistant I must say... something about a wall on one side and kids being unable to escape that direction puts me at ease. But we did it and we survived. Kylie did however ask why she didn't get to go up and sing again like she did for the Primary Program. I think if she had her way, every Sunday would be the Primary Program!

No Kadyn's not matching the older girls, she's so tiny... nothing fits yet! :)

***Heads up for the week, Dr appts Tuesday, for everyone. It's going to be a BAD day in my house. Kadyn gets her 1 month shots. I'm anxious to see how much she weighs now, on our scale she's weighing in right at 7.0. Back to Dr appts, Kylie and Kacey both need flu shots. Ugh. Any good ideas? Right now I'm thinking bribery with McDonald's ice cream cones afterwards... although it's flipping freezing here so ice cream might not be the way to go. (by freezing I mean the high is 60, and honestly we are SOOOOO cold!!!!)

Thankful Thursday

1. Every morning, I get to pick out 4 outifts and do 4 heads of hair. I love doing it every, single morning... I really and truly love it!!! (also that Kylie still let's me pick out her outfit and doesn't fight me on what I pick... I know those days might be limited)

2. The precious way Kacey pronounces the word "suit." I'm not sure how or why, but her nose crinkles and her mouth makes the shape of an O. It always makes me smile.

3. The amazing effect of a shower: it brings me patience and peace... (I tend to take long showers, sometimes one in the morning AND one after we put the girls to bed)

4. A blog post I read today titled "Bitter and Sweet." Tara's a friend from college. If you're a mom, you should read it. http://2boys2girls-thepainterfamily.blogspot.com/

5. (Don't think I'm shallow, if you've had a kid--or a few-- you understand me when I say) The fact that my normal clothes are starting to fit again.

Brown & Pink Day

Did you know that today is National Brown & Pink Day?

Well not really, but it is in our house!

The girls and I had fun with making it our very own brown and pink day.

Maybe tomorrow we'll do blue and purple (?)


Adorable outfit w/ matching blanket~ it was a gift, see she's not always in an older sister's hand-me-downs... she's got some of her very own stuff too!

Venetian

Today we saw cousin Frank and met for a yummy lunch at our favorite place in the Venetian! Frank was here on a business trip, we're hoping the next time he comes he'll bring Lisa and the boys with him! (hint hint Lisa)Kylie twirling her spaghetti... (we're Italian, no cutting spaghetti allowed)Check out that bruise... she went smack down on the cement (not today, a few days ago) No one else probably notices, but whenever we go to the Venetian the girls wear these shirts. They're red -safe color when eating Italian food- and the material wipes clean easily.(up and down pics) Fun pictures outside... one of these days we need to take a Gondola ride!

Thankful Thursday

1. I LOVE being able to sleep on my stomach again! ahhhh...

2. Having a washer and dryer... not that I've been w/o one, but ever think how easy that makes our lives??? Not having to wash everything by hand and then dry it outside.

3. I am super grateful that I'm not left to my own intelligence for certain things. I mean I consider myself an intelligent person, but I couldn't have invented the wheel much less anything more creative. Example: Solar panels to heat pool water from 68 degrees (FREEZING!) to 92 in 2.5 days. As cool as that seems and as intelligent as I think I am, I could have never invented that.

4. A compliment I got yesterday. A middle-aged man came up to me (I'd expect it from a woman or a mom, but a man really struck me as interesting) he came up to me and complimented me on how well-behaved my girls were. (HA, I'm thinking: "You should see them at home!!!") I graciously accepted the compliment and felt good about my Mommy skills.

5. This just made me happy... I have these 2 cute blue gingham dresses for Kacey and Kylie that they've never worn, they were going to wear them last Sunday. I put it on Kylie, it fit but it was way too short.... constant problem for her so we took it off and they wore something else. I was out shopping this week and I found a larger size for Kylie... so now I have them for Kylie, Kacey and Kadyn... the best part, it was clearanced to $2.40 and I had 20% off on top of that. SWEET!

Fun Fun

So (not saying it too loudly) don't want to jinx it... but I think I can handle 3. It's certainly not as bad as the transition was for me from 1 to 2. 2 to 3 has been quite manageable. Theory behind it, maybe now I've mastered the multitasking a little better. Who knows, either way, I think I can handle 3... (by no means do we go out, I can only handle 3 at home!)

Yesterday, we made pizza from scratch (thanks for the idea Missy!) The girls LOVED it, messy pizza dough all over our fingers... although we are boring, the only topping we enjoy is cheese, but we loaded it on!

I promise Kadyn is awake sometimes during the day. It seems all the pictures I post are of her asleep.

Sunday Morning Pictures

All 4 Girls!

Kadyn's first day at church, she's also 2 weeks old today. Normally, I wouldn't be taking her to church this soon, except for the fact that it was Kylie's first Primary Program. So Kadyn and I stayed only for the Primary Program, which was the cutest thing ever! Kylie was so proud of herself walking up every time it was the Sunbeams turn to sing, smiling ear to ear. She was so happy! It's truly amazing how the leaders get the children to do all that, hats off to you guys... it was adorable! Matthew and I kept looking at eachother and nodding at the start of a new song... thinking, that's why she's been singing that song nonstop! Kacey was thoroughly confused as to why Kylie wasn't sitting with us, and why she didn't get to go be with Kylie.

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Daddy never made it home from church by the time we needed to leave to go to church. (did that make sense?) So he missed Sunday Morning Pictures. He forgot about his stake meetings this morning, so I was left getting 4 females ready... I think I did okay :)

~no Kadyn's not matching Kylie and Kacey... she's too small, I can't get anything to fit her!!!

Thankful Thursday

1. A decent night's sleep... last night was a good night. So far we've only had good nights, but every night when we go to sleep I worry that tonight's gonna be the bad one... so far so good.
2. Service: Momma's little helpers. It's nice having extra hands that can grab something for me or help carry things up the steps as I'm holding Kadyn. And also the service that's been rendered to our family with all the yummy dinners being brought to our home. It's been such a huge help, we've had leftovers like crazy... makes my life much easier!
3. The YW and their leaders. Last night for their activity, they had a baby shower for me and Kim Meeks- our babies are just days apart. It was so cute and thoughtful of them! Fun games, I got a whole bunch of sweet gifts... really fun evening out! Thank you for thinking of me even though I've been out of YW for a bit now!
4. Priesthood Blessings. Tuesday, Kadyn developed a nasty cough, so we took her into the dr's. Four hours later, we were still there. She was four-tenths of a degree off from being admitted into the hospital. (I wouldn't have been able to handle that) She had to get blood tests, too bad it took them FOREVER to find her little veins (that nearly killed me)... the tests came back fine, but her temperature was still too high. And they don't give fever reducer meds because it can mask the real problem in newborns. I left with them saying if it got higher, take her to the ER immediately. We got home, Matthew gave her a blessing and she's been in the 97-98 range ever since.
5. 1999 Ford Explorer. My van's battery died as I was going to said dr appt on Tuesday. (ugh) I changed my parents' whole afternoon as I threw my older girls in their direction and took off with one of their vehicles, Kadyn in tow. Fully gassed up, good air conditioning for nearly 10 years old. Anyways, my car battery was completely covered under AAA warranty and we didn't have to pay a penny for a new one... kinda nice, thankful for that too :)

Sunday Morning Pictures

I can't believe it's been a week already...

Matthew took the girls to church today- alone, brave man.

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Our morning pictures... excuse my absence, I was still in my jammies!

Next week I'll make a grand appearance back into Sunday Morning Pictures :)

One week since...

I can't believe it's been one week since we went to the hospital. It's really quite a funny story. Matthew and I went out to lunch at On The Border, in hopes spicy food might actually trigger something... maybe that helped. It was a full moon, I remember taking Maggie out back and staring at the moon thinking "let's go now!" Ironically, the nurses at the hospital said that they really are more crowded on full moon nights.
After we bathed the girls and put them to bed, I laid down and realized my contractions were 7 minutes apart, they continued like that for an hour. I went downstairs and told Matthew to maybe get his Accounting homework done (I'd only been telling him ALL week, but did he listen... no!) because we could be in the hospital for the next few days. I started scarfing down my leftovers from lunch, knowing they won't let me eat once I get there. Then, no lie, in between my contractions -now hurting more and closer together- I'm teaching him his Accounting homework so it can be done for Monday night's class. We get it done, my mom comes over... we're off to Mountain View.

Labor all night. It hurt. Out she came. Did I mention that Mountain View's food is SO good!!! WOW, I don't know if I was just THAT hungry or what, but it was fabulous. I ordered massive amounts of food for every meal, and I enjoyed every single bite. And, I really liked that they gave the husbands food too. Although he did enjoy a bacon cheeseburger as I labored around 2 am... he did the same thing with Kacey, I guess now it's tradition :) :) :)

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Okay, done reminiscing. I did Kacey's hair today in pigtails. So precious! Needless to say, I had to wrap the band around about 67 times, but it's adorable with those curls coming out.

Not much else on our end. Kadyn sleeps so good, if I could be guaranteed another baby like her, I'd have 9 more.... I'll post Sunday morning pictures tomorrow too. (FYI: I'm reading Midnight Sun... I can't read as fast off of a computer screen, but I just love it and I'm heartbroken that it's going to end abruptly. I just really love being on the Cullen side of things and seeing it all from their views...)

Thankful Thursday

(instead of 5, I'll do 3 long ones... because they all pretty much run together)

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1. Our most recent blessing- our beautiful Kadyn! She is the sweetest, calmest, softest little love bug ever! She is such a good baby, I just love her so much!!! She smells SOOO good, she's so tiny.... we had her 3 day check-up yesterday and she's 5 lbs & 12 oz.

2. Matthew! He's been home from work, which has been an enormous help. He's been there to give the girls the extra love they need so no one feels left out or even jealous these first few days with the dynamics of our family changing. He's taken the big girls out for fun activities, going out to lunch, doing one-on-ones with the girls... notice picture...

This is at Star Nursery, Kylie's at Preschool... Kacey and Daddy had just came from breakfast... he took this with his phone, I love it!

The things you have to do when you're the only man in the house. Kylie is doing his hair, combing and using pretend shampoo to rub his head. What a manly man! (I can't wait until she figures out that he has nails that can be painted too!)

3.The extra happiness that just bounces off the walls with a newborn baby in the house. Every yawn, every little glance from Kadyn just excites our whole family. Kylie and Kacey aren't the least bit jealous- I was concerned with Kacey since she's been the baby for a while- but they are so loving and you can just feel that when you see all 3 of them together.