Happy Mother's Day!

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! Here are some pictures from our day at the San Fransisco Zoo. We had a blast and the girls LOVED it.

Mother's Day '10

In other news, we are about 12 days from closing on our current house and are not sure when the other one closes. We are trying to figure out what to do during the in between time. I know that it will work out. I am looking forward to moving into the new place and enjoying the houses and areas new features.

Will write more soon (hopefully).

New House Pictures!

New House Pictures

Catching Up!

Things are crazy around here. We are in escrow and are having the home inspection this week. Hopefully we will also have the appraisal done this week so we know for sure that it will appraise for asking.

We have been looking at houses and are hoping we find and get something we love and can live in for a long time. I will let you know when that happens.

Camille is having a hard time readjusting back to daycare. Last Monday she cried and/or screamed the entire day. How sad is that? Hopefully she will be back to her happy self soon. She now has all four molars popped through. That could contribute to the crankiness as well. She is saying "papa" now. She understands far more than we think and she is VERY into testing boundaries. She really loves to laugh at you when you tell her "No thank you!" It is hard to keep a straight face but this one we will need to.

Evelyn is doing good. She now knows how to spell her name, what street she lives on and what her birthday is. It is pretty amazing. She talks so much now and has really taken a liking to our Realtor. She has come over a few times with all this house stuff and Evelyn warms right up for her which is unusual. The other night after looking at houses with our Realtor, Evelyn was sad that she couldn't see her anymore and didn't want to leave. It was cute. We came home and she drew a picture for her. Gotta love the girl.

This past weekend was BEAUTIFUL!!!! We spent most of it at the park and the zoo. We had a fabulous time. We were able to see friend and family both this weekend which is a real treat and something that doesn't happen often. We went to the zoo with Evelyn and Camille's cousins and Grandma Lavon. The girls had a blast.

I will keep everyone updated as I know more about jobs, houses and life. Enjoy the pictures for now. Love you all!

Girls April 2010

Fish - Belly and Button

Spring Break/Easter

I am off for two weeks (now less than one left), so we have been a little busy. The girls are still going to daycare 2 days a week so that the routine can stay the same as much as possible. Last week we were supposed to go to Tahoe but the weather was bad so we decided to stay home. On Thursday we went to the Folsom Zoo (which is more of a rescue zoo) as was lucky enough to have Richard join us. He had never been there so it was something new for him as well. Camille loved it as did Evelyn. At one point, Camille sat down and just stared/watched the baby chicks that we showed her. It was adorable.

Friday we went to the Sacramento Zoo for a little bit. It was raining so we didn't stay long. After the zoo, we went to Ikea and walked around before having lunch. By then my parents were in town so we headed over to the KOA to see them. Of course the girls fell asleep on the way over so we let them sleep a little while we got to catch up with my parents. Can I just say that I LOVE my parents. They are so much fun! I love seeing them and having them come up to see us.

Saturday, we took Madison to Petsmart (she was stinky) to get a bath and while we were there decided to get Evelyn and Camille a fish tank. After upgrading from a $5 bowl, we found the one we wanted and my mom found the colorful decorations for inside the tank. We were bummed to find out we couldn't get fish that day since the water had to be regulated. We will be getting them tomorrow probably. I will post a picture once we get fish in it. The girls love it already and like to look at it with the light on because it is all neon colors. It is pretty cool. I never had fish growing up so this will be fun.

Sunday was Easter and Richard's birthday so it was a busy day. We had breakfast at our house with my parents (Thanks mom for cooking!) . The girls got their Easter baskets from Uncle Scott and Aunt Nicole (Thank You!) and my parents. We gave them each a book about Jesus or Easter and then 100 Bible songs. After the girls took their naps, we went over to Lavon's for an Easter egg hunt, dinner and then to celebrate Richard's birthday. It was a nice day and the girls looked adorable in their dresses from my parents.

I think that is all for now. The girls are doing good. Camille had another molar come in this past weekend so we wasn't too happy but is better now. I will have to take some video of the girls for everyone to see how much they have changed. It is amazing!

Easter Pictures

Here are some pictures. I will post more later. I wanted you to see pictures of the girls in their adorable dresses.

Easter/Richard's Birthday

Slacking

I am sorry it has been so long... I feel that this is how I start many a posts but life as we all know can be crazy. The only reason I am on now is that I am on spring break (2 weeks) and the girls are at daycare today. You would think my day would be filled with naps and reading but it sadly isn't. I have already been to two car dealerships to get both vehicles oils changed and now I am back at home doing laundry and when done with this clean the house. Speaking of the house, we have not sold it and no one has looked at it in over 2 weeks. Please pray someone looks soon and likes it enough to buy.

The girls are doing good. Camille had her 15 month checkup yesterday. She weighs in at 26.5 lbs (95%) and she is 32 3/4 inches long (95%). She is about 2 1/2 inches taller than Evelyn was at the same age. She also officially weighs more than Evelyn by a pound. She met all her milestones and is doing well on all fronts. She had 3 shots and has to go back and get one more in the next day or so. She did good with the shots. She cried during them (who wouldn't) but stopped as soon as I picked her up. She crashed on the way home and slept for 2 1/2 hours, took another 45 minute nap in the early afternoon, went to bed at her normal time and then slept all night (this is a first in about a week). Hopefully she keeps that up. Camille is talking and communicating more and more these days. She loves dogs and points at any that she sees. She is saying please, dada, mama, sister, dog, and can say what a cow says. When she is happy it is amazing to watch her explore and enjoy playing with her sister.

Evelyn is also doing well. She is talking more and more and is expressing herself more often. The other day I accidentally ran into her and she fell over, she looked up at me and with the most stern face said, "Mommy, you knock me down." It is nice to hear her stand up for herself because she was getting picked on at daycare a little so she is learning to have a voice and I think that is great. She also knows that her birthday is August 2nd if you ask. She can tell you what street she lives on but we are still working on the numbers.

Last night while sitting at dinner with Richard, Camille and Yaya Lavon; Evelyn started spelling her name. She was sitting on Lavon's lap saying E-V-E-L-Y-N. It was so cute and we were all so proud of her. I think these are all important things to know. She is excited for Easter and we have been reading out of her Bible that Yaya Yvonne and Papa Fred bought her (she tells us this every time). She enjoys it and really likes Noah. She has socks that have Santa Claus on them but she calls them her Noah socks. Sweet!

Evelyn had her first sleepover on Saturday night. She invited her cousins over to sleep in a tent in the backyard. All the girls loved it. We ate ice cream, watched a movie and then they slept outside with Richard. The next morning we got bagels. We had a great time and Evelyn was sad that they had to go. It was cute to see them all together.

Other than that, things are status quot. My job is still up in the air but I am trying not to worry about it because there is not much that I can do. My marathon is about a month a way and I have not bee good about training for it but hope that I can still do it. Easter and Richard's birthday are both on Sunday and we are looking forward to seeing my family and having a nice time. I will post pictures soon from Easter. For now enjoy some other pictures we have taken recently.

Playing Around!

Girlie Girls!

Backyard Fun!

It's been a while...

Things have been crazy and exhausting, which is why I haven't posted.

We have officially put our house on the market. We had a few people look at it but we were their second choice and not the first. Oh well, when the right person comes along, they will buy it.

The girls are doing great and enjoying life. They both love daycare and going to see their friends. I am hoping that I have a job so that they can continue to thrive in that environment. Evelyn is sleeping in her bed most nights, which is nice. She is talking like crazy and comes up with the funniest sentences. She loves to help Camille and likes to talk for her as well. She is amazing.

Camille is teething, her molars are coming in which is no fun for anyone. She is doing ok other than that. She is started talking more. She can say milk, please, some form of thank you. She is following directions that you give her. It is impressive. She is still our stubborn and difficult one. Sometimes it feels like nothing I can do will make her happy. Maybe it is the teething. She is running all over the place and wants to do whatever Evelyn does. It is really cute to watch her dance also. Daycare has a music lady come in and Camille is one of the few in toddlers that actually dances.

My job is up in the air right now. We will know more about May 15th. It sucks the way that it works. If they cut elementary p.e., than I could potentially not have a job because a P.E. teacher holds a special education credential. She hasn't done special ed. in a while (10-15 years) but is still able to take my job from me. I don't understand how that is benefiting students. We shall see. So my job is up in the air and so is where we move to. Lots of whatifs right now.

Here are pictures. Enjoy!

New Pics

Getting there...

Well we are getting there with the house and will hopefully get it on the market in the next couple of weeks. We are having some work done this week and then a paint job and we should be good to go. I can't wait. The hardest part will be keeping the house clean with 2 young kids, a dog and both of us working full time.

This past weekend, Richard helped Elaine move and the girls and I went to a birthday party for a friend of ours who's little boy turned 3. The girls had fun and Evelyn devoured an entire cupcake. She actually wanted more but I said no. Other than that we got together with some other family and got our girl scout cookies and some good quality time together.

On another note: I am finding that with working full time I am letting some of my friendships slip away from me a little. I think of them often but do not make the time to call them or see how they are doing. For this, I feel like a bad friend. I have several friends that are having a hard time and I didn't know and wasn't there for them. It is hard when you are exhausted at the end of the day but they are my friends who have been there for me and I am not doing a good job being there for them during their hard times. To all my friends I love you and am here for you. If you need me call. I will call you back.

Craziness surrounds us

Who knew that preparing a house to be sold would be so much work? Well I guess anyone out there that has sold a house knows. It takes a lot of work and time (neither of which we have) to make a house ready to sell. Nonetheless, we are plugging away in hopes (my hopes) of listing before the end of February. I think it still can be done but we have some big stuff to do before than.

I do not have school tomorrow so Richard took the day off so we could work around the house without the kids (going to daycare). It was going to be prefect: able to get things done around the house, painting, lawn mowing, etc. until Evelyn came down with hives on Friday night. She has been on antibiotics for an ear infection and after a week on them she developed hives, so tomorrow I have to take her to the dr. to get her ear looked at and make sure that it is healed and she doesn't need any other antibiotics. We are planning on taking Camille still so hopefully some work will get done.

Some updates:

Evelyn: Other than the hives and not liking her bed, is doing well. She just helped me make some brownies for tonight. She remembers so much it is amazing. She remembers where things are better than we do. She is a happy and healthy (mostly) child and for that I am grateful.

I did have a bad mommy moment today. I was spinning her around in the yard for a little bit and when I put her down she threw up a little bit. She was fine after that but was sad looking when she did it. Bad mommy!


Love her smile on this one... so pure.

Camille: Camille can identify her head, belly, feet, ears and hands. It is adorable when she shows off her belly. She also started giving high fives which I can't wait to see my brothers because they will get a kick out it. She is doing well and learning more everyday. She follows directions we ask her. Simple ones like sit down, find your shoes, or let's go change your diaper. She amazes us. I try to relish in her curiosity and exploration, as our last child I want to take in every moment that I can.


She wanted her PJs on but also her shoes. She was VERY happy running around like this.

Richard and I are doing well. Trying to get the house ready and dreaming of the possibilities of a new house in our future excites us. We aren't looking for anything extravagant but something that we can grow as a family in and still have some space. We are looking in areas with good school districts and are safe. Wish us luck in selling our house and finding one we can grow as a family in.

Trying to sell...

Well we are going to be trying to sell our house in the next few weeks. Hopefully it will sell quickly at a good price. It is a nice house and is pretty clean and updated. We are hoping to sell here and find something up the hill that will meet the needs we have now.

We haven't taken pictures lately and for that I am sorry. We have been so busy that we forget about the pictures. I did get video of Evelyn singing and Camille dancing. It was really cute. I will post (hopefully) some day in the near future.

Not much is happening (other than trying to sell the house). Evelyn WILL NOT sleep in her bed. She will sleep on the floor, couch, her tiny chair in her but NOT the bed. We even bought a sleeping bag for her and that didn't work. I am hoping that it is just a phase and that it doesn't last long. We don't know if she had a bad dream that makes her not want her bed or what. It has been this way for 2 weeks now and we are at a loss. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Camille is doing well. She is cutting her first molar, so she is a little unhappy but overall doing well. They are about to move her into the toddler room at daycare and I think that will be good for her. The hardest part is she only takes one nap but is still tired so she falls asleep on the way home and then doesn't want to go to bed and bedtime. MAN! This parenting thing is hard.

I love the girls and Richard. I probably don't tell him enough but he is great with them, me, the dog and the house. That doesn't take into account everything else he does. He is amazing and I don't give him enough credit.

***As a side note, you definitely have to watch what you say around Evelyn. This morning I said, "What the h..l!" 2 seconds later she said it. So then I had to explain that we shouldn't say that and mommy was wrong. I haven't heard it since so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

It has been a while...

Sorry it has been a while since I last updated the blog. Things have been crazy to say the least. This year has proven to be a busy one so far.

Camille: She is doing great. She is understanding more everyday. She now knows how to throw away her own diaper, put the washcloths in the bath tub and helps feed Sandy dinner. It is amazing what she understands. She can point to her head, belly and feet. We are working on other body but it can be hard with Evelyn around because she points to them before Camille gets the chance.

Camille is talking and babbling up a storm. It is adorable. She gives hugs and they are the best (well equal to Evelyn). She hugs you so tight it is great. She started doing just after Christmas when she was sick and I cannot get enough.

She is doing well at daycare still and is going to be moving into the toddler room soon. She is still taking 2 naps a day most days so that is what is holding her back.

Evelyn: Blows us away with the things she says. She started watching T.V. while on vacation and everyone was sick so she wants to do that a lot now. We still limit it to once a week but I think she would like it a lot more than that. What else is she doing? Singing. She loves singing "5 little monkey" and "twinkle twinkle." One of the things that she is obsessed with is birthday and presents. She has finally figured out their meanings a little. She always brings us birthday cake made out of lego and anything else she can piece together. If she sees any package, she says "its for my birthday."

She is doing well at daycare and they love her. We are teaching her how to spell her name. She has the LYN part but forgets the beginning. She also knows her middle and last name. Not bad for a 2 1/2 year old. She doesn't like loud noises and covers her ears in bathrooms because of the toilets and blow dryers. It cute and sad at the same time.

Richard: Working hard and developing things for his company like crazy. We just went to his company party in the bay this past weekend. It was great, people came up to him asking him for a hug for the work that he has done. He has done a great job making his name known and doing things for people that make their job easier.

Me: Working! I feel like that is the story of my life. Even on days like today, when I have no school I am working and the girls are at daycare. I am going to make sure that my next day off is with them.

I applied for my level 2 credential and master's and waiting to hear if I got in. I signed up for a 1/2 marathon on May 1st. Looking forward to training for that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the first time in 2 1/2 years Richard and I went away for the night and my parents watched Evelyn and Camille. We went to San Jose for Richard's company party. It was great. It was what we needed as a couple. We got to hold hands and just be us without kids hanging on. We got to sleep all night (though we woke up a bunch). On the way home we even went and saw a movie. The first one together in 2 years. We saw Avatar in IMAX 3D. It was amazing, beautiful and sad. It was great. The girls were great for my parents and I think it was good for all of them to have that time without mommy and daddy there. You can bet we will be doing that again. See what happens when you volunteer to watch the girls. Thank you very much.

Here is one of my favorite pictures from Palm Springs. My mom took it but it shows Camille hugs.

LOTS of Pictures

I told you I would upload and I followed through. Enjoy!

Some are old but still cute.

2009_10_25

Christmas Eve/Christmas

The Living Desert

Palm Springs

Happy New Year!

I know I am a little late but at least it is still within the first week of the new year. This year is off to a good start (mostly). The girls are getting better from all their sicknesses they had over our vacation. Nice thing about them being sick is that we got to relax more than we would have if they were not sick. We had a great time in Riverside and Palm Springs. I hope we can go back and enjoy some of the other things that Palm Springs have to offer.

I will post many pics from our trip soon.

***News for the new year. I am going to train to walk a 1/2 marathon. It takes place May 1st along the American Parkway. I am looking forward to it and accomplishing something big for myself. Cheer me on!!!

4 days and counting...

4 days until Christmas break and I can't wait. It was a rough Monday at school. Don't want to go into it but glad it is over. After school, I went to my department chairs holiday party at her house for a little bit. It was fun. We did a gift exchange and I ended up with a snow globe that the girls LOVE. Richard watched them for me so that I could go and it was nice to spend time with my coworkers on a personal away from school setting.

Today was day 1 of "Operation Cold Turkey." It was the day we decided that Camille would get no more bottles. She did great at daycare and at home. The only rough time was before bed when she usually gets a bottle she was a little more fussy when I offered the sippy and not the bottle. She even went into the kitchen and pointed at the counter where the bottles usually are. Smarty! Hopefully tonight she will sleep well even though she did not drink as much fluid as usual. I am hoping she will increase her solids intake.

Evelyn is doing good. Her new favorite thing to do is my hair. She takes it out the ponytail and plays with it. If I put it back up in a ponytail she takes it right back out to play with again. It is really cute. She is singing at daycare of Friday night at their festival. She will be singing "Jingle Bells.'' We will try to get video and post it for everyone to see. She has been practicing since last week. She walks around the house singing it. It is really cute.

Not much else happening around here. Waiting for break and working hard. Here are a couple of pictures.


Too cute for words!


Giving hugs!


Camille giving Evelyn a hug!

Camille has started giving hugs and making the kissing (Muah) sound. It is adorable!

Happenings....

Camille had her one year well baby check up and is doing great. She weighs 25lbs 4oz and is 29.75 inches tall. She is in the 95% for height, weight and head circumference. The doctor checked her milestones and she is passing with flying colors. He told us what to expect her to do by 15 months and she can do some of those things already, it is amazing to watch her process and follow directions. Her birthday was great and it was so nice seeing family and friends. I am glad we were able to get together to celebrate such a special occasion.

This has been an interesting week for work. School was canceled because of snow, I never thought that would happen in Sacramento (Well really El Dorado Hills). It was nice having a couple of extra days off after the busy birthday weekend. I had the girls go to daycare so I could stuff around the house done. I felt a little guilty but their routine stayed the same, I got stuff done and I will have a little over 2 weeks off with them soon.

We are preparing for more birthday parties and Christmas all within the next couple of weeks. It is a busy time of year but I love this time of year. We are looking forward to spending Christmas with my family in So. Cal. Hopefully the drive with the girls won't be too bad. They are usually ok travelers so here's hoping.

Camille can say "dog, dog" "dada" "mama" "tickle tickle" and "Bubbles." Obviously they aren't said perfectly but she is consistent when she says them and points to what it is she is talking about. I love that little girl. She is sleeping great now and goes down without a bottle. When she is tired you lay her in bed and she is out. It is great. We are working on weaning her off the bottle and formula. She is almost done with the formula, we are just trying to use the last of it. She did great transitioning from formula to milk. I am hoping the same goes for the sippy cup. I am not sure about that one though, she sure LOVES her bottle.

Not much else is happening. I applied for my Level II Credential program and the Master's at the same time. I was a little late on the application so we will see if I can get in. I am hoping I can. Please pray that I do. I decided to go for the Master's as I will probably not want to go back to school again so now is my time, plus tuition is just going up. It will be hard but we can do it.

Richard is working hard as usual but will have some time off at Christmas, which will be nice. He has been great with the girls and helping with them in the evenings when everything hits at once. It is nice to have someone that helps and supports you. When I am not feeling good, he picks up my slack. I glad to have married such a wonderful man.

Well, that's all for now. This weekend is no plans for Saturday and a birthday party an hour away on Sunday. Have a great rest of the week and an even better weekend.

Decoring for Christmas

Here are some pictures of us decorating the tree and playing around tonight. Enjoy!

Decorating for Christmas

Camille's Birthday Party

This weekend we had Camille's Birthday party. It was a great time. She drove into her cake a little but did not eat much. She did however like the m&ms. It was great to see family and friends. Camille enjoyed opening presents and then playing with them. Thank you to those that came and to those that couldn't hopefully we can see you soon. Enjoy the pictures!

Camille's 1st Birthday

Happy Birthday Camille!

On December 3rd, 2008 at 7:33 am Camille Karen was born. She weighed in at 9lbs 3oz and 20 inches. My how much a year changes in a year. From sleepless night to sleeping through the night. From crying to giggles, from rolling to crawling to walking. Where did my baby go? She is an amazing little girl with the most focus of any baby I know. I love her belly laughs and that she cuddles all the time. I look forward to what the next year brings and her talking to us more. I love you sweet Camille.

Enjoy a couple of pictures:


Camille's First Day of Life!


6 months old and crawling!


This morning with mommy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we had a wonderful day. We were in Sacramento this year and celebrated with Richard's family. We had a great time. Evelyn loved playing with her cousins and half the time she was off playing by herself with her cousin. It is nice that she is at the point we don't have to worry about what she is doing every minute. Camille did ok although she didn't make it easy to eat dinner. Thanks Richard for taking her so I could eat.

There are so many things to be thankful for this year. I am thankful so my and my family's health. I am thankful for Camille and the joy she has brought into our lives. I am also thankful for my job and that it has allowed so many other opportunities for our family because I have gone back to work. There are a million other things to be thankful for but don't need to state.

To my friends and family; I love you and care for you very much. I wish you happiness all year long. Thank you for who you are and all that you do.

Happenings...

Things have been busy around here lately. We spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Tahoe with the girls and had a wonderful time. Evelyn loves going to Tahoe and when you ask her where she wants to go she says, "Tahoe." We didn't do much while we were there except spend time with the girls. We took some walks, went in the pool and took naps. It was great to get away for a few days.

Evelyn now knows how to say her first and last name together and it is so stinking cute! She is doing great and talking in complete sentences more and more and is still polite as can be. She shares with Camille and even asks for 2 of anything so that Camille can have one. It is really sweet that she cares so much about her sister that she thinks of her that way. She knows Camille's birthday is coming up so she is singing Happy Birthday to her and says that she is going to be 1. How can she get any cuter?

Camille is great and is sleeping so much better. She is sleeping from about 7:30 until 5:30-6 which is awesome and I feel like a new person. She is babbling more and knows how to say mama, dada and dogdog. She points at things she wants or will bring them to you if she can get to them. She also loves her sister and wants to be around her all the time. She tries to wake Evelyn up in the morning by pounding on the door to her room. Her personality is shining through more and more each day. She is a VERY focused and determined girl. When she wants something she will do anything to try and get it. She is a powerhouse of strength and loves to walk around and explore. Her 1st birthday is less than 2 weeks away and I ponder how that happened so fast. My baby is walking, talking and turning 1. It is truly amazing the transformation that happens within a year and we look forward to the years to come.

Richard and I are doing great. We were able to get out of the house a couple of weeks ago while Lavon watched the girls so that was great. It is hard having time for ourselves when we have 2 kids always clinging to us and wanting our attention. We do pretty good even though we don't have much alone time. I am hoping that now that Camille is older we will be able to leave them more often with other people and Richard and I can get away alone. It is nice to be able just to hold hands.

I think that is most of what is happening around here. We are gearing up for Thanksgiving and the holidays fast approaching us. Looking forward to seeing family for Thanksgiving, Camille's Birthday and Christmas.