Patience and Gratitude

Patience is not my strong suit. In fact it is something that I have always struggled with. Maybe that is why I have been given this trial to learn some patience. We have been trying to get pregnant for over a year now with no luck. It has been so discouraging because every month I believe this is the month and it isn't. It seems like every time I go to church I find out of someone else who is pregnant and I wonder why not me? Everyone I know seems to be having babies and I am not. Now no matter what, my kids are not going to be as close in age as I have always wanted.

Then I feel really guilty because of what I have been given. I have been blessed with three amazing beautiful girls, and the best husband in the world. We are all happy and healthy. I know of so many people who are not able to have any children or just one. Or people who are going through a lot of difficulties and here I am feeling sorry for myself. So right now I am trying very hard to as my grandma would say "keep my eye on the donut and not on the hole." I am trying to see the positive in all of this and stop pining for children that I don't have and really focus on and and enjoy the ones I have already been blessed with.

There is one thing that I know for sure- things do not happen in our timetable. Heavenly Father can see so much more than we can and He truly knows what is best for us. He gives us trials so that we can learn to grow close to Him and learn to put our trust in Him. Am I learning that from this trial? I think I am. I still have days when I get sad about it. But I want to trust in Heavenly Father because I do know that He knows what I need in my life better than I do. I have learned that over and over again. I can always look back on trials that I have had in the past and see the Lord's hand in my life and I am grateful that He knows what is best for me better than I do. So right now I am going to remember everything Heavenly Father has done for me and trust that when the time is right we will be blessed with another child.

My Baby is TWO!!

How can this be? How can Janie already be two? She has gotten so big over the last 4 months especially. It is like she has grown in double time. We just adore her. she brings so much joy to our family. Janie is such a silly goose, she has gotten totally obsessed with Dora so we had a Dora party for her. And in fact basically everything she got was a Dora present. I felt bad though because we were planning on getting her a Dora bike for her birthday. There were tons of them at Christmas, but we decided to wait until her birthday to buy it. That was a big mistake because they were all gone, so for her party she got a book from us. Oh well she is just two, she won't be scarred for life right? She had fun opening all her presents, she really has gotten good at opening them, it is funny. Janie loved her D-d-d-Dora cake. Yes that is how she say it most of the time, I just love it!

I take these pictures so I have proof that these cake really were made. I am worried that they won't remember them and I want them to know I really did make them for them.

Big sisters were just convinced that Janie couldn't possibly open her presents herself. Good thing she was a good sport about it.

Janie got this cute puppy from her Grammie and Papi and she just loves it. We named him Finnigan.

Jane is one of those kids who really does love playing with toys. She got these blocks from Grammie and Papi and she really does play with them. In fact all the girls like to build with Janie's Dora blocks.

More unnecessary help from Nellie and Lizzy. We got her this book for cheap so that we had something to give her on her birthday, but she just loves it. It is a look and find and she is really good at looking for the pictures and pointing them out to us. "it's right dere" I just want to eat her up!

Janie got this darling suitcase from Grandma and Grandpa. Both of the other girls had a little suitcase and Jane always played with them. So now she always loads hers up and pushes it around the house.

We didn't get a picture of Janie actually blowing out the candles because Lizzy actually did it, even after we warned her to let Janie. Such a silly girl. I am so happy and so sad that Janie is two. It is so fun to have her be big and to see her learning so much and showing such a cute personality. And I love seeing her play with her sisters. I just am not ready for her to be big.

Family Night!

I know that I keep saying this, but it is so nice to live in a place where there is a lot of stuff to do. Hey I lived in a very small town for the past five years so it is going to take me a while to get used to this. Chick-Fil-A has family night every week and we hadn't been yet so we took the girls. They had face painting and balloon animals. Nellie just thought she was in heaven getting her face painted like a jaguar. Her eyebrows were pretty black for a couple of days afterward.

Notice the jaguar shirt and coat. Don't worry she was also wearing jaguar pants, and a headband that she had taken out. I am starting to wonder if this obsession is something I should worry about.

Lizzy wanted to be princess, again big surprise with my kids. They are so predictable.

She has to change poses before I take another picture. Notice the outfit, she wore it for two or three days in a row. She is so funny.

Janie had fun playing with her balloon animal and chillin with dad.

We did end up getting her arms painted so she got to do it too. She loved it and kept showing it off.

Fashion Show

A few days after Christmas the girls wanted me to take their picture in their new clothes that they got. The all first wanted a picture together, Jane just loves her sisters so much and always wants to give them hugs. Nellie's face says it all she is just such a different kid than the other two.

Lizzy and Jane are cut from the same cloth. Jane reminds me so much of Lizzy at the same age.

Lizzy just loved this outfit that she got from McKay and Joanne. I told her it is Calvin Klein and that is what rich girls wear. So now she always says when she wears it "I look just like a movie star! "

Joanne and McKay got Nellie this Adidas sweat suit and it couldn't be more perfect for her. She is my little tomboy. She loves to wear her "cozies"

Kimball got Jane this cute little ladybug shirt. She is my little baby lady so it is perfect for her and she loves to wear it.

Christmas 2010

It was really fun this year to be out here in California and get to spend some time with family for Christmas. By the time it was Christmas eve the girls were worked up into a frenzy of excitement. We went to to my parents for Christmas Eve dinner, they always have a Shepherds dinner of soup and sandwiches. It was really yummy and nice to not have such a big dinner, because we would be loading up the next day. Then we watched a really neat video on the birth of Jesus and then we opened up our Christmas eve present. I normally like to make their pajamas for Christmas, but I knew this year I was going to be pretty busy and I didn't want to stress myself out so I went to Carters when they were having a sale on their feet jammies and bought the girls each a pair. Lizzy had been begging for some for a long time so I knew she would be excited and Nellie's were jaguar and so I knew she would be thrilled as well. The problem ended up being Jane, a few weeks before Christmas she developed this weird little quirk where she started refusing to wear any of her jammies that had feet. The weird thing was before that she loved them. Well I was worried so a few days before Christmas I unwrapped her jammies and showed them to her to see if she wanted them or if I needed to take them back. She loved them, even though they had feet, (silly girl) she even HAD to wear them that night, so after she wore them I wrapped them back up and she unwrapped them on Christmas Eve and acted as excited as if she had never seen them before.

Jane LOVES unwrapping presents and even though Lizzy thinks she has to help her, Jane could do it on her own. I have never seen a kids that young not get bored or frustrated with the wrapping paper and ribbons.

Nellie's reaction to seeing her Jaguar jammies, she liked them just a little bit I think.

Lizzy was super excited as well to see her feet jammies.

Cute little monkeys in their jammies. That night I was worried about them staying up because they were so excited and they are not good at going to bed normally, but we told them Santa can't come unless they are in bed, and we didn't hear a peep from them, in fact I checked on them a few minutes later and they were all asleep. I just wish Santa would come every night so I wouldn't have the bedtime battle that we always do. The next morning Nellie came in our room around 6:30 so I thought Lizzy wouldn't be far behind but she just kept sleeping, so we eventually had to go wake her up. I was a little apprehensive because we didn't get the girls much this year, but with grandparents and all my brothers and My grandma and aunt and uncle, the girls made out like bandits.

Daddy putting together Janie's Dora scooter. Janie was so excited because now she can ride hers just like her sisters.

Nellie got a live Jaguar, that makes noises and opens his eyes and growls etc. She loves him a lot and named him Little Paw.

Lissy got lots of jewelry, just what she asked for and on of her favorites was this L necklace we got her. She is doing really well keeping track of her jewelry and putting it back in her jewelry box.

Janie got all things Dora this year because she is obsessed with Dora right now. It is so cute, she had t put her slippers and nightgown on immediately forget the monkey jammies, she has no interest in those anymore. After we had breakfast and got dressed we went over to my parents to open more presents.

Lizzy got to take out her stud earrings and wear new ones for the first time on Christmas. She got tons for Christmas and everyday one of her favorite thins is picking out earrings for her outfit.

Nellie got a jaguar coat from my parents and of course she loves petting it and hugging it.

Lizzy got a super cute outfit from Joanne and McKay that she says makes her look like a movie star.

My parents got Jane this darling little dress, it is so cute on her.

Kevy barbecued the turkey for us in his charcoal BBQ. It was the best turkey I have ever had. He is quite the barbecuer. We had such a yummy dinner. The food was amazing! The ham was also seriously the best one I have ever had also. It is nice living in a place where you can get really good quality of food.

I love this picture of Jane and my dad just chillin watching sports. She might take after her mom and be a huge sports fan, I know my dad and Kevy would love that.

The girls opening even more things at Judy and Jim's house.

Lzzy got hold of the camera, it was a bit blurry, but such a cute picture.

Lizzy showing off more of her spoils. I love her smile.

The big present from Santa to all the girls was a tramp. It was a super nice one with an enclosure that normally cost almost 400 dollars that I went and picked up on Black Friday at the crack of dawn for $150. That was the first time I have ever done the wake up early thing, but it was well worth it for just that.Christmas day was rainy so the next day when we had a break in the rain Kevy went and put the tramp together. What a good Dad he is. The girls were thrilled and it is so nice to not have it so cold here because they can still play on it throughout the winter.

They are just so dang cute.

We had such a good Christmas this year, it was so hard to see it end because I always get a little depressed in January with a long winter ahead of me, but the good thing is it isn't too cold here and it starts getting up into the 60's and 70's in February, so I guess I can handle that. I know poor me right?