Baby Lady

Where has the time gone? My baby lady is not a baby anymore. But I still do call her that. She is such a fun little girl to have in our family. She is so sweet and loves her sisters so much. And her daddy too. My kids don't usually turn into Daddy's girls until the next one comes, but Jane has been one for a long time.

She has always been the easiest baby, but since she turned two she definitely has changed. She is into everything! She is so busy, always taking off her diaper, and changing her clothes five times a day. She has gotten really opinionated about things too, she will not let me pick out her clothes anymore she has to do it. She is always getting into things she shouldn't. She pulls the chair over and gets on the kitchen counter about twenty times a day. One of her favorite things to do when I am in the other room, is to get the salt shaker and shake it all out onto the counter. She is so much like Lizzy at the same age. She also loves to yell NO! or STOP! the little stinker.

Jane loves whatever Nellie does so green is her favorite color too and she is seriously in love with jaguars and jaguar prints too. Good thing Nellie has been really good to share all of her things with Jane. But one of Janie's favorite things is Ddddddora. She calls her Dora Splora, and she always sings it when she says it.

Jane is such a sweet little girl she loves her sisters soo much and thinks she can do whatever they can. She always wants to be with them and loves when they include her in things. One of her new favorite things i s jumping on the tramp with the girls. When we first got the tramp she was too scared whenever she got on but now she loves to bounce and she has the cutest little jump. Jane also has the cutest little run. She is always trying to keep up with the other two and she is always running. She lifts up her little legs so high like it will make her go faster.

We just love having little Janie bug in our family she adds so much. I can't believe how perfect our family is with our little Jane. Who needs boys when there are these sweet little gals.

When You've Got Kids....

There was a little saying that I guess my great grandpa used to say "When you've got kids that's all you've got" Only that is saying it much nicer then he used to say it. But I swear sometimes it is the truth. Kids seem to destroy everything. Case and point: I did some portraits of Lizzy and Nellie a few years back for Kevin and I wanted to do one for him of Janie too. So for his Valentines present I made one. It was one of those times where the drawing went effortlessly. I didn't have to keep redoing it because it didn't look right, it just flowed. It was a few days before valentines and I was almost done, and then Nellie brings it in to me looking like this:

She said that Jane had found it. That little stinker! My heart just dropped. I had spent hours and hours on it and now it was ruined. I bawled for a good hour over it. I was devastated. Kevin got home soon after and I had to tell him what happened because he could tell something was really wrong and he was really worried. Oh well life does go on. I did another one for him. It ended up looking pretty good, but it certainly didn't flow out the way this one had. I had to keep fixing things that just were not right. What I have learned is what is really important and that is my family and these precious little girls I have. Even if I don't have many nice things because they seem to destroy them I am a very rich woman because I have them.

Kevin's Hot Date!

Lizzy's little school sent home an invitation for a masquerade ball for all the girls and their Dads to attend. Lizzy was beyond excited for it, and I told Kevin it was something I was going to make him do. Thankfully our friends have a daughter the same age and her Dad taking her, so Kevin would have a friend to hang out with. Kevin really hates stuff like this, but with three little girls it is going to have to be something he gets used to.
The invitation said it was semi-formal so Lizzy has this dress that Kevin's Aunt gave her that she has been dying to wear, and I told her this would be the perfect dress for it. we went out that day and bought her these earrings for her to wear that were very fancy. I don't think I have ever seen a kid so excited to do something. The day of she asked me probably 50 times if it was time to get ready. She kept saying she was Kevin's hot date for the night, it was really cute. I kept telling her how jealous I was. It was funny. Kevin said when they got there Lizzy said her chest was hurting, we think it is because she got herself so worked up and excited for it. Oh they are so cute together!

I took a picture of them with their masks on too, but I promised Kevin that I wouldn't post the picture. It was pretty funny.

We did her hair up so I had to get a side picture.

Such a little beauty. I know we are in for it when she gets older.

They sent home masks for the kids to decorate, so we went and bought some stick on jewels and we had some feathers and Lizzy pretty much did the whole thing herself. She did a really good job I thought.

Nellie let Lizzy borrow her special Jaguar coat to complete the outfit. She looked very fancy.

At the dance Lizzy and her little friend Kylee had fun dancing, then they found all of their other friends and just had a blast. Lizzy and Kevin got to dance a bunch of times too. I told her I was jealous because Kevin and I have only danced once, at our reception. That just doesn't seem right.

This girl is just way too social! Where did she come from because certainly not from me. It just goes to show that each person has their own spirit they are born with.

Jumpers

I love jumpers on little girls. And they are super easy to make so I thought, hey why not make the girls each a cute jumper. The fabric store had the cutest corduroy on sale so we went and picked it out last fall and I was going to make them. Well I made Jane's around Halloween, but then I just couldn't get motivated to make the other two. Then I realized that out here it is pretty warm so they aren't going to want to wear them as long as they would in Kansas, so I better get cracking so I made Nellie's. All I had left was Lizzy's and she didn't seem all that excited about it. Lately she just is too grown up and doesn't want to have anything to do with little girl stuff. So I was worried she would think it was too babyish. So while I was cutting it out I asked her if she was even going to wear it, thinking she would say "Of course Mom!" even just to make me feel better, but I should know better coming from a 6 year old. She looked at it for a minute and said "I think maybe I will." So I was thinking "Great the kid isn't even going to wear it." But I finished it anyway and she was excited to wear it, thank goodness. I put them all in their jumpers for Sunday and I even did all of their hair the same that day. (Something I rarely do.) They looked so cute.

That Sunday Lizzy got the Spotlight in her primary and it said that she liked to sing, so they asked her if she would sing. I guess she sang a solo of "I am a child of God" for the Primary, and it is a big primary. I am just so sad that I didn't get to see it. I would have loved that. She is my little singer girl. It was funny because I asked her about it and she said " I was really shy so I sang it really loud." No Lizzy that is the opposite of shy, that is called loving the spotlight.

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?