3 Years Ago Today

A miracle happened. I gave birth to a gorgeous 9 lb. 1 oz. baby girl. 18 hours of labor (3.5 hours just pushing). This is how I know I could run a marathon. Piece a cake. A miracle because just 2 years later I was unable to do the same thing with an 8 lb. 13 oz. baby boy. A miracle because she has made me smile every single day since she has been alive. A miracle because she makes the world a better place with her happy sweet self.

Kyra (after a Panamanian friend) Indianne (after my great great grandmother)

dreamer daring emotional wishful affectionate dancer silly motherly smart graceful free-spirited nurturing playful stubborn spunky sneaky happy bashful passionate

always quick to smile

to show off her dimple (she got it from me)

the big day

content to spend her special day lounging on the front lawn with mom

favorite color: purple

favorite animal: lion

favorite food: pizza

favorite treat: popcicles

favorite place: Sea World

favorite toy: Magnadoodle

favorite book: Princess stories

favorite princess: Belle

favorite show: superwhy

favorite movie: tinkerbelle

favorite person: mommy

28 pounds, 35 inches

Hot Dog Juice

My kids LOVE this juice. They say it is apple, peach & hot dog juice.

Obviously.

Of course I won't tell them it is actually carrot juice. Because to them, hot dog juice is just so much better.

I think I thew up in my mouth a little bit while writing this post.

Just in from the Animal Doctor...

Looks like our poor Drakey boy has cancer. Kyle suspected he might and it was confirmed today after an exam. Kyle removed the tumor and he could be just fine. If it has spread, well maybe he won't be. We'll know more in a few days.

I'll be the first to admit I'm not Drake's biggest fan, but he really is the best dog I could ask for. We bonded on all the many miles we've ran together. Even though he dashes in front of me and knocks me off my feet quite frequently, he makes me feel safe running alone in the desert in the wee hours of the morning. I hope he is okay.

Which Austen Heroine Are You?

You are Marianne Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are impulsive, romantic, impatient, and perhaps a bit too brutally honest. You enjoy romantic poetry and novels, and play the pianoforte beautifully. To boot, your singing voice is captivating. You feel deeply, and love passionately.

I just had to know which one I was. Which one are you?

13 Days of Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. We always celebrate the 13 Days of Halloween so we can take full advantage of this spooky season! We do something Halloween-ish for 13 days leading up to Halloween. Here is what we've done so far:

Oak Glen Apple Orchards

Haunted House Decorating

Apple Carving

Here is one from a few years ago. This is what they end up looking like after a couple weeks.



New Halloween Coloring Books

And today, we made sugar cookies! Kyra helped me make the dough. Breckyn helped cut them out and bake them. We all decorated! So much fun!

We have lots more fun yet to come. Happy Halloween!

Scary Story

Last night: I was sleeping peacefully and then suddenly, bam... boom... click... click. I hear funny noises. Any second now I would see Kyra pop up to tell me needs more music or a drink of water.

Hmm... No Kyra. click... clack... bump... thump. More noises. No Kyra.

Try to sleep. swish... thump. Okay, better get up and see what she is up to. Just as I reach out to open her door, the door opens, and there is Kyra, needing more music and water. Take care of that. Back to bed.

bam... clunk... thump. What the?? It's nothing. Try to sleep.

Noises on the baby monitor. swish... creak. If Ryder was awake and moving around he would be making some baby noises, right?

creak... creak. Footsteps? Better check it out so I can get back to sleep.

Don't want to wake him. Listen at the door. Nothing.

Peek out a small window with a good view of the front yard. A car drives slowly down the street. Hmm, it is a police car. It slows. It stops. Right. in. front. of. our. house. Police lights point at our house and all around.

Okay, so the police are looking for something. Something, that is in our house. Crap! Run to wake Kyle. "I heard weird noises, looked out the window, and a police car is in front of our house looking at something with his spotlight!!!"

"WHAT!?"

Run back to the window. Police car continues on, slowly pointing his light around and disappears around the corner.

Kyle emerges from the bedroom. Fully armed. Inspects the whole house. Nothing. It is a mystery. Just a coincidence with the police car?

I will probably never find out what was making those weird noises, but I do know this. People should not go poking around our house in the middle of the night unannounced. They just might get their head blown off. Kyle takes protection of his family very seriously. And for that I am grateful.

*I'm not one who just 'hears' things all the time. Last time I heard weird noises on the baby monitor and went to investigate, I found a BAT flying around Breckyn's crib!

Prop 8

Here is a good Prop 8 video that is going around.


It is very important for Californians to get out and vote on this. YES on 8!!

Picture Book for the Week

The end.

I have more to say - from Ryder

I have something very serious to discuss with you. I've decided against the whole sleeping at night thang.



I tried it, just wasn't working out for me. I enjoy my snacks. So sue me. I'm a baby. That's what we do. I figure I don't have to go out of my way to be all perfect. Afterall, it's not exactly Easy Street around here. I have to put up with a lot.



I get sat on. Poked, kissed too much, I don't even have anything to play with besides furry purple wands and princess polly pockets. It's embarrassing.



And this, this is what happens when my dear big sis gets bored.




I think I am entitled to a few midnight snacks, thank you.

Shakey Shakey

Something cool DID happen! When I least expected it, obviously. There was a 4.1 earthquake last night at 2:41 am. Of course I was awake feeding my sweet imperfect baby (remember this post, well that only lasted a week.) It was my first one and I got really excited about it. I couldn't go back to sleep for an hour. It was super short - like 2 seconds, but it really seemed like quite a jolt. I jumped up, ready to wake the girls and KC and run outside, but it was already over.