October

I love the month of October!  I'm not sure if it's because our weather is finally getting a little nicer, because the house is decorated for fall and all the holidays are coming soon, or because Emma was born in October and I have so many memories of the last week of being pregnant with her and the first month of her life (not that I don't have the memories of the other 2, the first is just a bit different).

We have been plenty busy since school started this year and once again I feel like life is moving too fast.  Thankfully, I've been on October Break for the past week with Josh and Elizabeth and am taking a few days off from work over this next week to spend time with Emma at the Happiest Place on Earth.

All 3 kids are growing like weeds (literally like weeds).  I busted out the winter clothes from last year to see if anything still fit, perfect in the waste line but not so much in the length.  Guess we'll all be shopping for new clothes this winter.  Today, I hit 12 weeks pregnant with number #4 and unfortunately I've hit that in-between phase, my clothes are no longer buttoning and maternity clothes are still too big.  This is my least favorite part of being pregnant and you'd think by now, I'd have figured it out but, sadly I have not.  Other than being pregnant, not much new is going on with me.  I'm still working, doing bible study with girlfriends, trying to keep the house in order, and reading a few new books.  Eric and I have been able to sneak about one date night in a week and are so blessed to have the babysitters we have.

Eric was promoted at the end of August to a new branch and made the switch from his old branch after Labor Day.  He's been really busy so far and doesn't have much time to think but it seems like he's been home more with the different hours that this branch has.  In September, he was able to get out dove hunting a few times and even took Emma and Josh once.  I thought they wouldn't like it, I was wrong and they had a great time.  Eric has already decided they are going to be competitive shooters by the age of 10 but I'm still not sure I want them having their own gun before age 10.  Eric has also started shooting clays and tries to make it out with a friend but not nearly as often as he'd like.  He's all pumped for bigger game but with the lottery drawings on those, who knows when his time will come. 

Emma has been having a love/hate relationship with Kindergarten.  One day, she loves school and can't wait to go.  The next day, she'll tell you she's bored and knows everything that they are doing in class (which she really does).  I've been in plenty of contact with her teacher about challenging her, knowing her and what she's capable of, I know she needs a challenge and can't just be left alone to be average.  Does that make sense?  Emma started dance in August and goes every Monday night, she loves what she is doing, I hate it.  I feel like I'm paying a fortune for a giant class and my daughter is coming home showing me somersaults.  I keep asking if she still wants to dance to which she always replies yes, secretly I'm praying that when we get Josh going in sports in the spring, she wants to try that instead.  Emma is still our little cling-on.  She will draw and write by herself at times but still wants someone to play with constantly.  She gets so upset if Josh won't come outside with her and if I don't drop everything when she wants to play dolls, she melts down.  She's been going through a bit of a nasty streak lately and thinks it's funny to tell me NO.  Tonight I turned it back around on her and began keeping track of her No's and for each one she gave me, I gave her one back on what she wanted.  I may have found the answer to this one, we'll see.  Emma loves reading and has been reading every night from the old school Dick and Jane books her Ya-Ya got her.  Pretty soon she's going to be reading chapter books and I can't wait for all my old favorites to come off the shelves!   

Josh has been having a ball in preschool and all October Break he has been begging to go back to school.  We are working really hard on him writing his name.  He does a great job tracing it but really he could care less if it looked nice.  He's so opposite of Emma in that manner that it makes me laugh.  Josh still loves to snuggle and will lay with you forever, he plays independently and has such an imagination.  He's rotten whiny sometimes and it drives me nuts, he can also be a bully to his big sister but knows how to turn on the water works making things seem liker her fault always.  Josh is happy being alone and will watch a show, play on the iPad, or play with his cars.  He's not a loner though and loves being around others and is a friend to any stranger on the street.  Josh will talk your ear off about anything and everything and isn't shy when it comes to being around anyone. 

Both Emma and Josh started Catechesis of the Good Shepard a few weeks ago and they both instantly liked it.  I love watching their relationship with Jesus Christ come alive and am excited for them to grow deeper in their Catholic faith through these classes.

Elizabeth turns 1 year old in a week.  She's finally pulled her belly off the ground this week and began the real crawl but, if she realizes she's going too slow, right back to the belly and off she goes.  She's into everything, she loves pulling the tupperware from the cabinets, will get in the toilets if they aren't closed, has flipped herself in the bathtub a number of times, and is starting to cruise the couches.  Her eating is finally turning around a bit and she is excepting new table foods.  She still drinks multiple bottles through the day but only because she will only drink 4oz at a time and three hours later, she's starving.  I've tried so hard to make it different, it hasn't work.  The doctor tells me she's just that kind of eater, little bits all through the day.  Makes sense, not everyone is made to pack all their food into 3 meals and be happy.  She is still napping twice a day and goes to bed at 6pm. She sleeps until 5 when I shove a bottle in her mouth while she's still asleep and then she wakes up happily at about 6:30.  I have learned that if I don't feed her then, she's up for the day at 5:15 and that is torture!  She's still a terrible teether and I can't wait for those darn things to all come in, she is so happy when they aren't bothering her and such a wreck when they are. All in good time I suppose!

All in all, we are good, maybe October can be the month of more than one post!  Who knows, it could happen. 

Emma's first day of Kindergarten

All summer long Emma had been asking when Kindergarten would start.  Finally her day arrived!  After all the obligatory school shopping for clothes, supplies, and shoes she was ready.  Until she decided the day before school she needed a dramatic haircut.  Goodbye long locks, hello short.  Emma is definitely my child when it comes to her hair, grow it out then chop it off and repeat. 

We set out her favorite dress the night before and packed her a special lunch in her new Hello Kitty lunchbox.  I'm pretty sure she was up at 6:00 or earlier because when I got up, she was already dressed and ready to go.  Waiting 2 hours for school to start was like torture for her.  At her school, they ask all kindergarteners to go to their classrooms the first day and luckily Eric and I were both able to take her.  Emma did great until it was time to say goodbye, I'm pretty sure the few kids crying hysterically in her classroom may have given her some anxiety.  When we bent down to give her a kiss and hug goodbye, I could see she was fighting back tears and as we walked away, I could see her wiping tears from her face.  Of course this caused me to cry as Eric and I walked back to the car and then I proceeded to cry the whole way to work.  I'm such a wimp!

Thankfully when she got home that afternoon,  she was all smiles and had a great day.  She even told me about all the kids crying that day and when I asked her if she cried she quickly replied "no way" and when she asked me if I cried, I replied with the same.  ;O)

 

Josh's first day of preschool

Josh has had a crush on Miss Carrie since Emma began preschool two years ago and now that it's time for him to go to school with her, he's ecstatic.

When Emma went to preschool, we bought a backpack for her but not new clothes or other school supplies.  Josh, seeing that his big sis was getting goodies for school needed to have his too.  We bought him a few outfits and a box of crayons but what he really wanted was a Spider Man lunch box to match his Spider Man backpack.  I tried explaining a thousand times that he doesn't eat lunch at school but he wouldn't hear it.  Hopefully Spider Man will still be cool two years from now when that boy starts Kindergarten because his lunchbox hasn't been used once.

I'm so excited for Josh to start school, he is definitely different than Emma when it comes to academics.  Josh is our story teller, class clown, ham, social butterfly.  To this point hasn't cared at all about spelling or writing his name, he'd rather smack himself in the head to get a couple of laughs.  I'm eager to see if this changes over his two years of preschool or if I will need to start practicing my apology speech to his grade school teachers now.

  

New beginnings

Next Tuesday, Josh starts preschool and next Wednesday, Emma starts Kindergarten.  I'm am so excited for them to start school and at the same time sad.  Where has the time gone?  When did they get old enough to both be in school?  I remember my mom always saying that when you get older, times goes so quickly.  I didn't understand that statement when I was a teenager but I get it now.  Part of me would REALLY like time to slow down but I am also ready (and the kids are too) for this new journey we are about to begin.  I've been chanting to myself all week, "I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry" hoping that it gets me ready to not be a mess next week as I drop them off.  Seeing as I'm already crying while typing this, I don't think it's going to work. :o) Oh well, here's to next week and our new beginnings!  

9 months

Elizabeth is 9 months!  She is still a doll of a baby and surely God's way of suckering us into a fourth (I'm sure He works that way, right?).  At this age Lizzie Bits....

*army crawls all over the place (she's decently fast)
*is getting on all fours as rocking back and fourth
*loves her daddy and gets very upset when he leaves a room without taking her along
*babbles to any item she loves chewing on
*has switched her sibling preference from Josh to Emma
*love, love, loves the pool
*pretty much hates any form of nutrition that isn't regular table food
*weighs 18lbs, putting her in the 50%
*is 29.25 inches, putting her in the 95%
*is surprising light when you pick her up. Her height gives a false sense of size
*has been sleeping like a pill since she starting teething and had her last ear infection
*has her bottom 2 teeth
*sits up independently for about 3 minutes before toppling over
*is such a cuddler
*loves being sung to, especially Itsy Bitsy Bizzie
*still has a clogged tear duct in her left eye
*screeches SO loudly when she's tired
*is a true testament to God's goodness

California 12

The kids and I had a great time in California! It was the first vacation I've taken since having children when I felt like I didn't need a vacation from my vacation. We left early on a Wednesday morning and I was a little nervous to be flying with both kiddos. Emma is a pro on a plane but Josh (who is a bit whinny and temper tantrumish lately) had never been. Thankfully both did a great job flying and since the flight to Orange County is so quick, we were descending right after we ate our snack and drank our soda. Both kids were very excited to see my grandparents and I absolutely love that they are both so fond of them. We spent the rest of that day catching up and helping Grandpa with the garden. The next day we went to Disneyland along with my mom. The morning was extremely rough and Josh had two MAJOR tantrums at the park. I was so caught off guard by the first because he'd never had one in public and never one of that magnitude. I ended up facing him in toward a trash can and walked a good 10 feet away from him while he got it out of his system, I knew if I got anywhere within reach of him, I might be escorted out of the park childless. :o) After his second tantrum we had a nice trip to the bathroom for discipline (I was very calm this time) and a long talk, we decided it was time to head back to my grandparents for naps. So thankful the park is about 10-15 minutes from their house! Josh and Emma both slept almost 4 hours, no wonder he was in such a mood! We headed back and the evening was wonderful, both kids plus me, loved our time there together. I had originally planned on taking Josh back to my grandparents for bed at 7:30 but, he was so good the rest of the day, that he ended up staying the entire night with us. We were all exhausted when we got home and the kids even slept until 8:30 the next morning, unheard of for the Hildwine children!

On Friday, more of my family came over and Emma and Josh had a great time playing with their cousins. Saturday and Sunday were spent at two different beaches. On Saturday we visited my Uncle Don and Aunt Karen at Seal Beach. The water was a little cold and the kids didn't get in but played in the sand and had fun running away from the waves as they broke on the shore.

 

Sunday we went to Doheny Beach with more family and thanks to my cousins Katie and Ryan, got an awesome picnic spot to hang out in. Doheny has a little beach called Baby Beach that was perfect for the kids. Giant rocks out in the ocean keep the beach from getting waves so the water was nice and still. Both jumped right in the water to play and were sad when they finally had to get out to eat. After dinner, the weather turned awfully cold so we headed to my Aunt Cindy's house who lives not more than 5 minutes from the beach. The kids played with the cousins on the golf course behind my aunt house (once it was closed) and we roasted marshmallows and made smores (yum!) before leaving.

Monday and Tuesday we didn't have much going on so we spent time at the park and playing outside. The weather was absolutely beautiful and I was really sad to come back to the heat of AZ.

Our trip was perfect!  The kids were SO good (other than Josh's morning at Disney, which I'll take most of the blame for, he was obviously tired).  They went to bed late every night, slept in every morning, took 3+ hours naps each day, played without fighting, and were genuine sweethearts.  I know they missed Eric and Elizabeth and I did too, but,  I am really glad that we took this trip together.  I'm already looking forward to next summer's trip, I even told Grandma that the kids and I are coming for the whole month of June!  Well, in my head, that's the plan!

Almost here

Summer break is almost here, my last day of work is on Thursday! I'm so ready to have a long break with the kids and the calendar for June is already filling up. The summer movie program starts on Monday and I'm excited to hit the theater every week with Emma and Josh. It was fun last year but having a 4 and 2 year old at the movies while being 5-6 months pregnant in the AZ heat, wasn't always fun. We leave for California on 6/6 and the kids are super excited to spend a week with my grandparents. My mom and I are taking them to Disney one day and the kids and I have already mapped out our whole day at the park (never step foot in that park without a game plan). We have parties to attend when we get back, a wedding, and Emma is all set up for Vacation Bible School. I think swim lessons will need to wait until July, which I'm absolutely fine with because I HATE cold pool water. Unfortunately, the kids keep begging to hit their favorite public pool so I know it's only a matter of time before the cold water and I meet. Hopefully, my time off during the summer will give me a chance to keep up on the blog, but, no promises. :o)

Camera

For our anniversary, Eric got me a really nice camera. So nice, I'm still figuring out how to use it properly. I have no desire to be a photographer but feel confident in some of my skills after watching Eric for a number of years. Here are my Elizabeth 6 month pictures I took in our backyard, I'm a little bias but I think they are adorable. I also got some really nice shots of Emma and Josh.

Rice Cereal

Elizabeth is by far the happiest baby we've had. Josh was always a content but Elizabeth is always smiling and happy as a clam. I've been excited to get her started on rice cereal for a while now and on her 5 month birthday, we gave it a go. You see, Elizabeth is also the pickiest eater we've ever had. Emma and Josh would both gulp down bottles whenever you gave them one. Emma would even go so far as to drink way more than her little belly needed (as a new mommy, I had no idea how much to give) and then puke it up 2 minutes later. Elizabeth is quite the opposite, she has no attachment to the bottle whatsoever. If she's not hungry, she doesn't eat. If there is too much noise, she doesn't eat. If Emma and Josh are any where around, she doesn't eat. If Eric tries to feed her, she doesn't eat. You get the picture. Well, rice cereal came and rice cereal went. Elizabeth had the same reaction as Emma and Josh did the first time eating it but a few weeks later, she was a terror when it was time to eat. As soon as I offered her the cereal, she'd arch her self backward in the Bumbo and scream. Elizabeth never screams. Then, as I'd put the spoon to her mouth, she'd lock her lips so tight that I couldn't even get the spoon in. After fighting for almost 3 weeks, I decided it was time to move on to bigger and better things. For the first time, I gave one of my children veggies before 6 months. I started her off with sweet potatoes and she did great with them, thank God. She has continued eating her veggies well and definitley has favorites and dislikes. I can't wait to start fruits and yogurt.

Where to begin....

Another month has by! Seriously, how do they keep getting away from me? Life with 3 kids is a little more hectic then I thought it would be. It's funny though, Elizabeth is by far the happiest, easiest baby but just having another little one makes everything just a little bit harder. Thank God she is so super sweet because I truly think I would have been committed by now if she'd been the kind of baby her big sis was. Here is what we've been up to over the past month,

Eric and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. He bought me a great camera (much nicer than I am capable of) and I've taken tons of pictures but still haven't learned how to upload them.

Josh got a bike for his birthday and has been a maniac on 2 wheels (well, 4 wheels if you count the training wheels). He wants to ride nonstop and loves going on long bike rides with Eric around our neighborhood.

Emma has officially been registered for Kindergarten! I am still struggling with my desire to send her to St. Tim's Academy but for now, it just doesn't seem to be in the cards.

Spring Break has come and gone. The kids and I had a nice week together and did lots of outdoor activities. The weather in AZ was absolutely gorgeous and I don't regret canceling our to CA. Eric was able to take 2 days off midweek and we split the kids up both days and spent some one on one time with both Emma and Josh.

Elizabeth is five months old now and had her first taste of rice cereal last Wednesday.

We switched the kids rooms again. Josh and Emma are roomies now and Elizabeth is on her own. The first night Emma and Josh went to bed at 7:30 and whispered and laughed until 9:15. It was very cute listening to them outside the door. They were both up before 6 am the next morning and were so exhausted that both took close to 3 hour naps that afternoon. Elizabeth seems to be doing better at night now that she is by herself. She still only wakes once at night after a solid 8-9 hours for a quick bottle and then sleeps for a few hours more. The reason for the big move was she kept fussing out through the night needing me to give her binky. I came to realize that Emma is a loud sleeper and was disrupting Elizabeth. So, until Elizabeth becomes a really great sleeper like Josh and Emma are, she gets to be by herself.

Eric has been able to go out shooting a few times over the last month which always makes him happy and I've been able to see a few movies and have a couple of evenings to myself which makes me happy.

The next few months are going to be busy at home and work. I'm ready for summer to come so I have more time to be home with the kids. Hopefully I'll figure out my camera soon so I can post pictures. No promises though. :)

Happy Birthday

Josh turned three this past week. I cannot believe that three years with this little guy has gone by. Josh is the sweetest boy with a new flair for whining. He is still my cuddler and has the best personality. No matter where we go, people are always telling me how much they love him. Josh has never met a stranger and will talk your ear off if you let him. He amazes our doctor with how much he talks for a three year old and for a boy. He still loves the AZ Cardinals which he calls Mr. Cardinals and only wants to wear jeans and a Cardinals (or ASU) shirt every minute of every day. Dressing him for church is a nightmare because we won't allow jeans and you'd think his whole world is caving in when we put him in a collared shirt. Josh loves playing rough with Eric and at times takes his roughness to new levels when playing with Emma. He is extremely sweet with Elizabeth and loves being a big brother. He loves movies and bowling. He also loves pizza and has been nicknamed Joshie the Hutt by his godfather.

I love watching this little guy go and am never sure what he has in store for us next. It has been an incredible three years and I look forward to many more. Happy Birthday Bubbas Boy!

Christmas

Two months later, I figured I'd post something about Christmas.

Christmas Eve was spent with the Wiemann Clan and Christmas evening was spent with the Hildwine's. Both were wonderful and full of tons of food and gifts (each year I swear that I am buying less than I do the previous year). Christmas morning with our family of five was a peaceful breakfast and gift opening followed by a beautiful mass. It was sad to see another Christmas come and go but there's always next year :o)

Here are a few images from Christmas Eve (the kids weren't really cooperating)

Christmas morning (Elizabeth was asleep for the whole thing which is sad because I forgot to get a picture of all 3 in their matching Christmas jammies)


Christmas evening

Apology

Dear Elizabeth,

Sadly I must admit that everyone is right, you do take less pictures with each new child. I always swore that we'd never do that and well, here we are. You poor girl, before these cute 3 month photos, the last time we took pictures of you was at a few weeks old. I might as well apologize now for your baby book too, for at this moment, it doesn't exist. I'd love to tell you that we are going to be better and that we'll have 5 million pictures of you like we do your big sister but I think that comment might come back to haunt me. For now, find comfort in the fact that you have been the most wonderful baby and I love every minute we spend together!

Love,
Mommy

10 weeks

Elizabeth is ten weeks old already! I can't believe it, the time has flown by. We have gotten in to a pretty decent groove at home and I hope it remains so when I go back to work in a few weeks. At ten weeks Elizabeth,

* is all smiles. She is such a happy baby and smiles every time I talk to her
* loves Emma and Josh and grins whenever they are near her and follows them with her eyes when they are next to her
* is so content and hardly every cries
* loves being swaddled to sleep
* sleeps between 8-9 hours at night and takes 2 out of 3 good naps a day
* looks just like her brother and sister and it's hard to see just who she will resemble the most
* has big beautiful blue eyes just like Emma
* launches the bink out of her mouth when you give it to her and she does not want it
* loves being in a sling
* is so good at church (and is adored by all the people around us)
* is a quiet sleeper
* is still quite small and not yet out of 0-3 months clothing (unheard of for my children)
* has begun laughing at noises Eric makes at her

Elizabeth is a doll of a baby and easily loved by us all. It as been a joy having her these past 10 weeks.

Halloween (better late than never)

Halloween was such a whirlwind this year since Elizabeth was only ten days old. Emma, Josh, and I had been at Once Upon a Child back in September when Emma found an ASU cheerleaders dress that she HAD to have for Halloween. Shortly after finding that, Josh (who is obsessed with the AZ Cardinals) found a football players costume. I then got this bright idea that Elizabeth would be a football and that all I needed to do was find a brown onesie and have a friend sew some white ribbon to it. FYI, plain brown onesies are impossible to find! I looked all over (which is hard to do when you have a brand new baby at home) then finally got clever bought a white onesie, some brown dye and presto.

The evening before Halloween we went to the Hildwine's and carved pumpkins together. Emma had a blast and really got into her carving this year, Josh cared for about 10 minutes, and Elizabeth was content to sleep and eat.

This Halloween night was Josh's first experience with trick or treating and he was a bit scared. A few weeks prior his Ya-Ya and Poppi took him to Schnepf Farms for their annual Pumpkin Festival. He rode a train ride with Poppi and apparently there were scary guys on the ride and that was enough to set him off (we are still trying to convince him that no scary guys are going to get him). Every house we went to, he allowed Emma and our next door neighbor Gracey, go to the door first to ensure it was safe for him to approach. If he didn't like the look of the house, he steered clear. After about 10 houses, Josh was done but Emma was up for more. Eric and I changed places and I stayed home to pass out candy with Elizabeth and Josh. When Emma was finally done collecting her loot, she helped pass out candy too (I'm pretty sure both kids enjoyed passing out candy more than they did collecting it). We have a ton of kids in our neighborhood and they loved seeing all the different costumes. As of today we still have a gallon Ziploc bag full of candy, it's like the never ending bag! Both are excited for Halloween 2012 and are already planning their costumes.

Carving Pumpkins

Halloween night