Happy Birthday to Marc...

So today Marc turned 32 years old! He didn't seem to care much. He has never been big on birthdays although when he turned 30, that was a BIG deal!! Anyway a few days ago he came across a recipe for Chocolate Malted Mousse and requested that I make it for his birthday! With Ava's birthday 2 days earlier by the time we get to his birthday we are cake-d out! So for the last couple days I knew what the dessert would be for the day but no clue on dinner! He isn't much of a picky eater so I could have made just about anything but I wanted to pick something he would REALLY ENJOY! So this morning we woke up, said Happy Birthday to him, headed to church, then home! Marc went with my dad and had a fun afternoon golfing. Once home it was time for me to start on dinner. I decided to make him his favorite asian dishes one being lumpia and the other being pansit. Lumpia for those that don't know are these fried eggrolls filled with veggies and meat. Pansit is a veggie and string noodle dish. He was very happy to hear what was on the menu but he definitely kept checking out the mousse I made earlier in the afternoon! While I made dinner, Marc rocked it in the theater room with Dillon to a LOOOOOONG LOUUUUUUUUUD game of Rock Band. Marc sang while Dillon (pretended) played the drums! It was very funny and entertaining, not to mention nice to see them having a nice male bonding moment without the girls bugging them! I will note that Garrison was in the next room over (far enough away to not hurt his little ears, and was DEEP ASLEEP the entire time) We ate dinner (which turned out great as expected) then had cake and the fabulous mousse I made! All in all I would say it was a fun day! May next year be just as fun!

Two Days of Birthday Fun...

Yesterday kicked off the start of two days of birthday celebration! Ava woke up and immediately told everyone to say "Happy Birthday Me"! She had her birthday breakfast and pretty much made requests throughout the day which were granted within reason! Later in the day Papa and Grandma came over and brought her a bag full of presents! After opening all her gifts, daddy came home with 6 birthday balloons (she LOVES helium filled balloons)! We then decided it was a good time to give her another present... it was a brand new Dora the Explorer scooter! She couldn't get the box open fast enough! After dinner, we sang Happy Birthday to her and ate some cupcakes! It was so funny because while we sang to her she was singing to herself as well!! She had a very fun day but the celebrations were not over with plans for the whole family to come over for dinner the following day!

So this morning we all woke up, did our normal daily routines, and awaited everyones arrival! Ava patiently watched as I decorated her tinkerbell cake. A couple weeks ago she picked out the pan and insisted that I make her cake in that pan with a specific cake mix (funfetti)! She was so anxious to see it all frosted! Once I finished decorating the cake her face just lit up! The doorbell soon rang and all the family finally arrived. Ava opened her gifts and she definitely LOVED them ALL! After dinner it was time to light the candles and sing Happy Birthday! I was so happy to get her on video while we all sang to her. The smile on her face was PRICELESS! She LOVED all the attention and that everyone was singing to her! She only needed to blow twice before all the candles were out! She ended the night rocking out with her daddy and cousins in the movie room singing to a fun game of Rock Band! At 7PM she was beyond tired, cranky, and rubbing those pretty little eyes of hers so off to bed she went! Despite my sadness that she is another year older, I am very happy that she had such a fun and eventful birthday!

Happy Birthday to AVA!!

Yes everyone, thats right Ava turned 3 years old today! I know... crazy since it seems like only yesterday that she was born! Time really has been flying by!! I am amazed at how much she has grown up this past year! She tries so hard to be just like her older sister and brother. She is rough and tough yet sensitive and emotional! Since Garrison's arrival she continues to tell us she is no longer a big girl but a big sister! She enjoys helping me with anything and everything. Most of all she enjoys every single day she wakes up! She is my pleasant morning child! She wakes up with a big smile on her face and a very hungry belly, always asking "Mommy get me food downstairs pease"! From the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to bed she is a big ball of endless energy! She makes us smile each and every day!

Its Been Busy Around Here...

Boy oh boy, if 4 isn't a handful!! I haven't had all that much happen around here in the last week or so. But I thought I would post a few more random pictures of the kids that I took! Enjoy...
Liliana and Garrison
"I am thinking"
A new diaper I made for Garrison! Isn't it cute!!
I swear he liked it after I buttoned him back up and fed him!!

The girls playing a game of My Little Pony Memory!

Liliana won and Ava was told she lost! Poor Ava!!

I love these funny little facial expressions he makes!!

See even when Dillon is grumpy Ava still loves him!!

Kid Entertainment...

So obviously there is only 1 of me and 4 of them... so when I am busy with 1 or 2 the others have to entertain themselves.

The other morning Garrison was a tad bit grumpy and I think just wanted some cuddle time so that left Dillon and Ava looking for something to do! After eating their lunches, they were thrilled to hear that Beethoven was on TV. It was nap time for Ava, so I managed to get both kids to calm down and relax while watching Beethoven. Instead of sitting on the nice comfy couch they decided the floor was a much better option! Here they are totally into that big ol dog Beethoven!!

Later that evening while cooking dinner with Dillon (he is my helper with most meals), the girls decided they wanted to entertain Dillon, Garrison (who was in his swing), and myself. Their choice... their musical dance mats. Liliana's is a High School Musical 3 dance mat and Ava's is a Wiggles dance mat. It was quite entertaining and the same time quite NOISY!! Very funny to watch though!

I am glad to see that when my hands are full and busy the kids are still finding ways to entertain themselves and not bugging me with those words that all moms HATE "Mom we're bored what can we do"!!

15 Days Old Already...

Yes Garrison is already 15 days old already! Just like all my other babies he is growing so fast!

His 2 week appointment was this afternoon. I am happy to report his is growing like a weed... he is 19 1/2 inches long (he was 18 1/2 inches long when he was born) and weighs 6 lbs 9 oz (he was 6 lbs and 2 oz when born). The dr said he looks great and is growing at an excellant rate. Here are a few photos of him I took in the last day or so!

Is 4 Enough??

Ok so you all know I LOVE BABIES! As the "appointment" approaches I find myself wondering if 4 is enough? Not that I am wondering enough to NOT go to the appointment but just when my mind is in one of those wandering moods and thinks about the what ifs. Let me put it this way...in order for the appointment to get canceled 2 things would have to be... 1) my body would need to accept pregnancy and let me have a nice normal 9 months instead of all the misery and "issues" I usually have and 2) we need to win the lottery! As Liliana gets older its a constant reminder of how expensive kids are!!LOL So with those 2 things definitely not EVER going to happen we are good with 4 kids! But its still fun to let my brain think about "what if" those 2 things weren't the hindering factors... would I be ok with having a large family like the famous Duggars?? I seriously think I would!! How could I not with the cute little angelic children we have had so far!!!
I have figured out, though, how I will get my "baby fix" when Garrison gets older and I have no more babies in this house... I will volunteer at the hospital in the nursery and help hold and feed babies! Solution found!! LOL
But for now, until Garrison gets older and bigger I will just enjoy each and every day of his baby days as I have with all the other kids and be content that we have 4 healthy, happy (well most of the time anyway), beautiful children!

First Few Pictures Of The New Year...

Garrison sleeping! He LOVES his hands near his face!

Dillon having a chat with his little bro.

Garrison enjoying his bouncer chair.

Ava showing off her tinkerbell jacket! She loves her tinkerbell!

Daddy and Garrison hanging out!

Garrison making 1 of his many funny faces while sleeping!

Dillon AGAIN holding his buddy!

There isn't much to blog about after the post prior to this one!! My days are busy, hectic, busy, but VERY FUN!

A Day In The Life...

Yesterday I picked up Liliana from school as I do every school day, when she turned to me and was VERY UPSET that "I MAKE HER GO TO SCHOOL". I know such a mean mom I am! I looked at her with the most serious face and said "I am sorry to tell you this but you have many more years of school to go!" She, of course did NOT like hearing that and asked why she has to go to school. I informed her that she needs to go to school to learn and that the things she learns in school she will need when she gets bigger and gets a job. She then informed me that she would NOT be getting a job. I looked at her again and replied that she could NOT live with us forever and in order to live on her own she would need a job to have money to pay for things she would want later in life. So she then says "I won't need a job". I despise these conversations, because she reminds me of how I used to be as a little girl, a KNOW IT ALL. But weren't we all know it alls back in the day??!!
So later that night she was getting ready for bed and had a nice little conversation with Marc. It was similar to the one she had with me afterschool. She told Marc she does NOT like going to school and so he replied the same way I did about needing a job and money to live on her own. She replied differently to what he told her though... She told him she wouldn't need a job because she would get a "daddy"! Marc didn't understand what she meant by a "daddy" so he told her she can't have 2 daddy's just one and that he is her daddy! She replied with the most serious face "No daddy I mean I am gonna get a daddy like mommy got you"! She then went on to say that she was gonna get a "daddy" and she would stay home like I do!
Marc came downstairs to tell me about this conversation and we both just stood in the kitchen laughing. I soon realized that not only Marc looks at my "staying home with the kids" as an easy job but so does Liliana (from all the things she told Marc). Don't get me wrong, Marc does respect that I do-do a lot around the house on a daily basis but in his eyes going to work is much harder than being home with the kids. I am not into arguing this matter since I believe both staying home and going out and being the sole bread winner are equal in difficulty just really different jobs overall.

So this reminded me of how tough some days are. I was also reminded that from the outside looking in that some think its "EASY BEING AN AT HOME MOM". So I wanted to document my "typical mom" day!

Currently I am a stay at home mom with a 7 1/2 yr old, 4 1/2 yr old, 3 yr old, and brand new baby. Heres what my daily routine looks like...

6AM- wake up, shower, get dressed and ready for the day

7AM- wake up any and all kids not already awake
Liliana and Dillon take showers
Ava gets a bath if she didn't receive one the night before
Garrison is bathed if needed as well
Make 4 beds, pick out 4 outfits for the kids to wear, collect all dirty clothes to stay on top of laundry, help those needing help to get dressed

8AM-be downstairs with all kids to eat breakfast, brush teeth, pack lunches, get shoes and jackets on

8:45AM-walk Liliana to school

8:55AM-back home, clean up from breakfast, and get Dillon ready for school

9:25AM-walk Dillon to school

9:30AM-12PM tend to Ava and Garrison and run any and all errands possible so that I only have 2 kids with me instead of 3 or 4

12PM-walk to pick up Dillon from preschool

12:15PM-make lunch and have kids 100% fed by 1PM

1PM-naptime for Ava (if I am lucky sometimes for me too)

1PM-3:45PM- dishes, laundry, dinner prep, cleaning, sewing, basically anything that needs to be done must get done during this time or else it won't get done until the next day, and don't forget while doing all this I must keep Dillon occupied since he doesn't nap much these days!

3:45PM- walk and get Liliana from school

4PM- Help with homework

Mondays and Wednesdays( I must help with homework while making dinner because we must eat and be cleaned up by 5:45pm the latest so Liliana can get to dance class and religion class)

4:30PM-5PM- Make dinner, I like to make sure we eat by 6PM the latest

6PM- Dinner and clean up

7PM- Baths/showers when not taking them in the AM, nighties on, brush hair, and eat dessert on nights they earn it

7:45PM- Upstairs brushing teeth and in bed waiting for kisses

8PM- Liliana, Dillon, and Ava are all in bed

8PM-10PM- BREATHE
Marc I try to enjoy some non-kid tv whether it be a movie or just night time cable. We then call it a night since we both get up so early these days.

10PM-6AM- Fun times feeding and changing Garrison.

Then do it all again the next day. Oh and keep in mind that while my day progresses I have to plan it around lots of diaper changes and frequent feedings.

Now I didn't type this to complain about how busy my life is these days because I wouldn't trade any of this for anything different but to show how much really does go on around here on a daily basis! But, also to show this to my children when they are all grown up and have children of their own...especially Liliana!!!!

I want to end this entry by saying that I truely am blessed and so very lucky that in this hard economy Marc and I have so far figured out a successful way for me to stay home so we can raise our children the way we want them to be raised. I really am a very lucky lady to have all that I have and don't take any of it for granted!

One Week Today...

Today Garrison is 1 week old! Today also was Liliana and Dillon's first day back from winter break. It was also the first night Ava wore underwear to bed and didn't pee in them and the first day I had to get ALL 4 kids ready for the day by myself. Marc had to leave just as we all were waking up. I have to admit I was VERY NERVOUS about how the morning would go. Nervous that the kids would end up late to school, Garrison would have a schedule conflict with his feedings, or that we would be rushed by the time we got downstairs for breakfast! I don't know why I was so nervous though because all went very smoothly.

This last week flew by. Everyday since Tuesday I have been to the local labs for Bilirubin Testing. A bilirubin test is done when a baby is jaundice. The Dr is being OVERLY cautious and having me take Garrison daily! I say overly cautious because his levels aren't technically considered "high". They are NEAR the "high" levels but NOT high. I do not mind an overly cautious doctor HOWEVER, I DO MIND having to take a brand new baby to an infectious lab EVERY SINGLE DAY for an entire week for the sake of being extra cautious. Not to mention that all my other babies were really jaundice. I am RH negative which I guess equals really jaundice babies! I am just hoping that tomorrow morning his levels have dropped enough for this doctor to say "You don't have to take him anymore"! This poor little guy has 5 holes in the bottom of his feet and tomorrow they will make hole #6! Good thing he won't remember this when he gets older.

So even though this last week flew by I am trying to take it all in with a smile! I keep reminding myself that Garrison is our last baby and I need to enjoy all this craziness. I look at Liliana and think "Gosh she will be 8 years old in May, where have all the years gone?" Its amazing how fast time goes by.

"Mommy I Want To Hold Him"

"Mommy I want to hold Baby Garrison", "No I want to hold him", "No I want to hold my baby"!

These are the sentences Marc and I hear NON-STOP!

I LOVE that Liliana, Dillon, and Ava are thrilled to have Garrison home. But it sure is tiring taking care of all around here along with 3 jealous older siblings that want to constantly hold him!!

1 Baby was not enough to satisfy the older siblings baby fever!! Even though I LOVE having little babies in the house again I assure you all Garrison is our last baby! 4 kiddos is plenty these days!

Cloth Diapers Only...

Ok I am so darn proud of myself... I planned to cloth diaper Garrison from the start but had mixed feelings on cloth diapering him in the hospital! After many questions asked and answered I decided to do it. Marc was supportive about it but then again its known that I usually ALWAYS change diapers in this house so why would it be any different in the hospital!

Sadly I have to admit 1 pampers did go on Garrison's bootie but after that 1 diaper and a nice fresh bath he was from that moment on sporting his cloth!!

The funny thing about my newborn babies... they are so dang tiny even preemie diapers look big on them! Well its no different with cloth. I am using a prefold with a prorap cover that is size small, which is suppose to fit babies 6lbs-10lbs! As you can see it still looks awfully big on his little body.