The Bastian Buzz

Family Photo Spring2011

2011-09-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

Kayley Belle

2011-07-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

Well, our little girl arrived late as usual! I was induced at 42 weeks and was able to have a mostly unmedicated birth (had to have pitocin, but made it without an epidural! I know, I'm a superstar :) at least I felt like one) ! She was born at 9 lbs and 3 oz and has been such a joy! She is a good sleeper and eater and is growing really well. All of her sisters absolutely LOVE her! Ginny likes to carry her around and talk with her to see if she can elicit a smile. Audrey loves to be close to her and around her. Lily loves to hug and kiss her and Sydney tries really hard to take care of her (not-so-gently giving her a paci). She is already able to roll over (she started that at 2 months old). She gets really excited when it's time to eat and loves to be bundled up to sleep. She is particular about who holds her and can always tell when Mommy or Daddy isn't holding her. We've taken her to the pool a few times and she seems really calm in the water. She LOVES her bath time and will kick and kick to her hearts content. She does wait until the waters done pouring to have her fun, though! She calms down really easily when I talk softly with her; I think she knows we will do our best to help her. I feel so grateful to have her as part of our eternal family! Here are a few pictures of her first three months....enjoy!

The Science Fair

2011-03-24T07:13:00.000-07:00

The girls had a fun opportunity to participate in their school's science fair. I don't remember much about science fairs as a kid, so I let Robert take charge of this one. They experimented with soda and candy to see how big of a geyser they could get. He worked out the whole plan with the kids and was such a trooper in helping them gather their information. I had a fun time making the display with them. I think they both had a ball and it was such a fun thing for them to do. They gave every kid a medal, which totally made their day.

38 weeks

2011-03-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a preggo picture of me at 38 weeks. In case you're curious I am currently at 41 weeks...induction is scheduled for my 42 week mark - this coming monday. And lest you think I always put myself together, this was a rare day I had to go somewhere, so I actually got dressed. Wonder how much bigger I can get by Monday...

Fall 2010

2011-03-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

Fall 2010

2011-03-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

Lily at her Super-Why party. Despite the picture, I think she had a good time.

Ginny insisted on having a snake party - and she wanted it to be a rainbow snake cake!
I can't believe how big she is getting!

Here are our little super-women at Halloween. Lily wanted to make sure that everyone knew she was Super MAN, not super-girl! Audrey is Word-Girl and Sydney is her side-kick (Captain Huggie-Face).

First Day of School 2010

2011-03-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

Ginny and Audrey on the first day of 1st grade and Kindergarten! Lily and Sydney hung out together all day and here's where I found them just before lunch!

The Big Move

2011-03-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well, here's a few pics of all of our stuff loaded into one big truck to drive across the country. Last June, we packed up and said a sad goodbye to Texas and headed to the East Coast!

December 2009 and 2010

2010-12-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

Well, are you all surprised I'm actually still alive? I am a seriously delinquent blogger! Anyway, since I'm so far behind, I thought I would post what was going on a year ago and what's happening now. Maybe between that all and my intermittent blog posts you might feel like you still know us even if we are on the other side of the country!

December 2009, our last Previa bit the dust...or should I say pavement?? I was driving to pick the kids up and the drive shaft dislodged from the car, locking the back wheels up while I was driving freeway speeds! I spun around and this is where I ended up:

Side of the road, nearly tipped over and totally stranded. The best part of this story is the miracles we saw in our lives to help us along. First of all, what a miracle that I was not hurt, the kids weren't in the car, and that there weren't any cars around me. Second is that we were able to find a van that suited our needs and was such a good deal and that we were actually able to purchase it before the scary slugs did that showed up as we were negotiating with the sellers. We decided to finally part from our Previa days and purchased a Honda Odyssey. It's really weird blending in for a change...Finally, what a miracle and blessing it was to have Rob's parents to help us through the time we were without a van. We appreciate you so much! I feel so grateful for the Lord's hand in our lives and how mindful He is of our needs.

And here's December 2010:

This is the DC temple and it's Festival of Lights. We stopped by for the Handbell Choir beforehand and browsed the light display afterwards while sipping "hot" chocolate. Mostly the kids guzzled the lukewarm chocolate while Rob and I tried to keep the kids from blocking the path, but it was a memorable day. I hope the kids were able to feel the peace and beauty that surrounds the temple and the love our Savior has for us.

As of late

2010-06-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been very busy around here! I can't believe my last post was Spring Break! It's hot in Texas now and it feels like summer is in full swing! We have a contract on our house and will soon be leaving the great state of Texas! Look for posts on that to come!

Here's a summary of what we've done the last few months:

Managed to get everyone dressed up and hair done for Easter Sunday! I am so grateful for our Savior and His eternal Atonement that enables all of us to be better people.

Had a few weekends with Rob around! I am so amazed at how much his presence influences the girls! They were little angels with him around. Other times, not so much. We've had bouts of "ice skating" on the kitchen floor, snacking that ended up all over the kitchen, time out and more time outs, teething, whining, etc.. I'm sure some of those would have made great pictures, but I was too mad to want to remember those moments. I'd much rather remember these...

Celebrated Sydney's first birthday! She has been so fun to have around! She is standing up on her own and LOVES when we praise her. She is the world's biggest graham cracker fan and is probably the toughest baby I know. Her sisters love her and sometimes show her a little too zealously, but she has learned to voice her concern and stick up for herself.

Here's a list of a few of the words she can say (doesn't always mean she'll say them, but we have heard them come from her mouth!):
Dada, Mama, Sisters, Cracker, Bubble, Audrey, Uh-oh, Paci
We love you Sydney!

More time with Daddy! We sure miss that guy!

And we generally just hung out!

Lots of big changes are coming our way! We'll keep you posted!

Slammin' Spring Break!

2010-03-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

Here's what we did over Spring Break in Texas:

Went to the Dollar Movies and enjoyed Disney's latest fairy tale:

Spent all day jumping and bouncing at "Jump For Fun". That was the best!

The kids had a great time and took GREAT naps when we got home! Thanks Grandma!

Bytheway, the pigtails this week on Lily are momentous! Her first ones since we chopped the mullet! Hooray!

Stopped in to enjoy the Dallas Nature and Science Museum - HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!

Came home and celebrated the holiday with our 2nd annual Shamrock Shakes!

Played outside ALL day! The weather was beautiful and sunny! The kids rode their bikes all day while I spent nearly 4 hours cleaning out, vacuuming, washing and waxing every surface of my car and anything inside of it! I should have taken a picture of that, who knows how long it will last!

We had a nice visit with Rob's sister and even took a nice bike ride/jog to the park for a picnic lunch and some sickening tire-swing spinning! Luckily no hurling took place!

We welcomed the first official day of Spring with a cold rainy day inside with movies and nail painting that ended in this:

Anyone think we've had enough Texas snow for one year ???

Belated Buzz!

2010-03-08T08:53:00.000-08:00

Hello all! Many of you may be wondering why Robert is jumping off decks in Maryland and where the rest of us are on this long lost blog! Here's the scoop: Rob got a job in the DC area and has moved up there while we hang out until we sell the house. I am working hard to keep the house up and the kids happy for the most part and owe all my success to the blessings of the Lord. I can feel his strength sustaining me in what would be a difficult time. I am so grateful for our Heavenly Father blessing us to be able to bear our burdens! Rob has come home to visit a bit, which the girls LOVED! I don't think we've played that much tag or hide and seek in all of the time he's been gone! Here's a snapshot of Robert hanging out with the girls!

More Snow!!!

2010-02-10T15:39:00.000-08:00

Rob got more snow in MD and so went back to Deck Diving!

Fun in the Snow!

2010-02-07T14:53:00.001-08:00

Robert got 34 inches of snow in Maryland, and in true Robert style he took advantage of it:

Family Pictures

2009-11-16T16:30:00.000-08:00

Thank you to TOMAS MENDOZA PHOTOGRAPHY for the great pictures. Please visit www.kntmendoza.net to see his other work and set up a photo shoot.

Batter Up!

2009-11-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

We signed Gin up for T-ball this Fall. At first I think she was pretty bored - she was more interested in finding grasshoppers than watching for the ball! I thought it would be a dud when her favorite part of T-Ball was the snacks at the end! But, as the season drew to a close she really seemed to enjoy it and expresses interest in playing in the Spring. She really did great and even made contact with the ball without the tee a few times at the end!

First Days of School '09

2009-11-07T05:44:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know, this happened like 3 months ago, but here I am dutifully posting a pic of my FIRST KINDERGARTNER! Doesn't she look cute? She is having the best time in school and I love hearing about all her adventures. We started a tradition of sharing snacks right when we get home and telling all about our days. I absolutely love it! One of my favorite comments from Gin was that her teacher had gotten mad at everyone in the class, everyone except Ginny. Funny!

And here is our sweet Audrey on her first day of Preschool this year! We do a co-op preschool with some mom's from church and I think it's the best! Audrey really loves going to preschool and she is doing so well at all her projects and is really improving in her ability to write!

Summer Snapshots

2009-11-03T09:21:00.000-08:00

Well, all of these things really deserve a post of their own, but who am I kidding? It's November for crying out loud! So, here's a Reader's Digest version of our summer:

Swimming lessons: Ginny and Audrey had a blast with their swim lessons. They loved the last day when they got to go down the waterslide over and over again

Cabin weekend with Gandy's:

We went to stay at a cabin down by Dinosaur Valley this summer. It was BLAZING hot, but we did manage to see some cool dinosaur tracks and take a dip in a swimming hole. We played a lot of games inside and ate some yummy food. Good times!

Trip to Utah Take 1:

We took a quick trip to visit Rob's Grandma who was very sick. We had such a nice visit with her and had a chance to say good-bye before she left this earth. She was an elect lady and I am so grateful to have known her and partaken of her spunky spirit!

Zoo with Chris and Tara:

Our friends took us to the zoo while we were up there (thanks again!) We had a blast with them and especially enjoyed the little cart thing we rented - I think that was my most memorable zoo trip!

Dance Classes:

The girls took a dance class from my friend Wendy. They really enjoyed it and Audrey still loves for me to turn on "ballet music" (aka - classical) as she sways and romps around the living room.

Trip to Utah Take 2:

We headed up again to Utah for Grandma's funeral. It was a wonderful service that strengthened my testimony of God's love for each of us and the true miracle of the atonement of Christ.

We had a full and fun summer and feel so grateful to have such great family and friends!

I NEED CANDY!!!!

2009-11-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

So, those of you who know me know how much I LOVE candy and sweets! What you may not know is how I've resolved to be healthier. I made this resolve once before I was pregnant with Sydney, but when I was pregnent I let myself eat in moderation the sweets I had restricted before. So, now that Sydney is 6 months old (yes, time flies), I am again making my no sweet resolve. I do allow some sweets on the weekend, but M-F I'm sugar free. So, after the Halloween weekend, it's been extra difficult. I had to tell the kids I couldn't get them any candy for fear of eating some myself, so they have to wait for Daddy to dispense the goods. Well, yesterday Lily really wanted some candy. She's also a very hard girl to say no to. She just won't take no for an answer. So, she persisted asking for candy after I had told her no many times . She started getting really upset and angrily yelling over and over again "I NEED CANDY!" I had to laugh because that's exactly how I felt, too! I hear ya!

4 months already?

2009-08-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't believe it's been 4 months! Sydney is such a delight to have around. By far she has been my trickiest baby! She has such a small window to get to sleep before she melts down. It sure is a little more stressed around here! But, she's a GREAT sleeper at night which makes the days so much easier. And I do have to say we are in quite a good routine now.

Sydney has made a lot of developmental leaps in her short 4 months of life! She can roll over and pretty much does as soon as you lay her down! This girl sure can get around! She is always ready with a smile if you can just catch her eye! She's always looking around trying to take in every detail of her surroundings. She is such a "talker", too. She doesn't really babble, but she'll coo for quite a while if you catch her in the right mood.

We feel so blessed to have such wonderful children and to have added this sweet little angel to our family!

No More Diaper Ditching!

2009-08-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's duct tape holding Lily's diaper on (bet you can't guess who's idea that was!). My days had been full of finding random diapers throughout the house, which of course led to the hunt for it's owner. I'm not fond of bare bottoms hanging around here. I do have to give the girl credit, though. She finally got to the point when she ditched her diaper, she went to the toilet. Was it a sign? Who knows, but the girl is potty trained now. We do have a few accidents, but it's much better than the panic of finding a stinky diaper on the floor without knowing where the other half of the mess is!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-08-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

9 years ago I married my love in the Salt Lake Temple. Life sure has changed for us through the years but our love has only gotten stronger. I am so grateful for Robert and for his efforts to make me happy and take care of me. He is always on my mind and I love him greater every day. Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!

Audrey's Birthday!

2009-08-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Audrey's fourth birthday last month - what a big girl she is! I wasn't sure what kind of a party we would have - she kept dreaming up these ideas - a rock star party, a princess party with makeup and such. I don't know why, but she finally decided on a Little Mermaid party. We had a ton of fun with a bunch of kids! We are so glad to have Audrey in our family. She adds such spunk and smiles and is so giving and affectionate. She sure is wonderful!

The cake - the fabric underneath was used later for her new personalized pillowcase!

All the kiddos - it sure was wild!

This is Audrey and Rob getting ready to go on their Daddy-Daughter birthday date.

Fourth of July

2009-08-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

We had a great Fourth of July at Rob's parent's house. Good old brisket and fun times! Rob is always a good sport about playing with the kids- they had a blast in the sprinklers!

We really enjoyed the fireworks show!

Catch -up

2009-08-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hey all- It's been a busy and fun summer, but I have totally slacked off in the blogging department! So prepare yourself for quite the catch up! I'll try and space it out over the next little bit!

Another one bites the dust!

2009-06-22T13:08:00.001-07:00

So, if you haven't noticed, we're Previa People. That's what we drive. When we upgraded from a sedan, we "purchased" our white van from Rob's parents. It was kind of a dud - it leaked oil like no tomorrow and there was always something to fix. But, we enjoyed it and loved having all that space! We drove it for 2 years when over Thanksgiving at Rob's parents house it just quit.

So, Rob's parents came to the rescue with our next family car. Rob's mom had driven this for a while and was trying to figure out what to do with it since she had bought another Previa to replace this one. We started driving this in December with 323,000 miles on it. Sad to say that it finally bit the dust this weekend. I drove it home and was pulling in the driveway when the "dreaded white smoke" started consuming my yard. Sigh. It was half-way in the driveway and half in the street. My good neighbor lent me a hand pushing it into the driveway. That car had earned it's rest - it had 325,000 miles on it. So, Friday afternoon our search for a new family car began...

...and ended Saturday morning with this:

Sydney's Blessing

2009-06-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

We blessed Sydney last Sunday. It was such a sweet occasion and I feel so grateful for my husband holding and being worthy of the Priesthood - the true power of God. I know our children and their children will be blessed because of it. I'm also grateful for my beautiful daughter. Even though my life is full of restless sleep and chaos at times, there is nothing more important for me than to love and care for my children. I feel so grateful to be a mother and can't wait to see how this new little girl turns out!

This blanket was made by my great-grandmother and was finished just months before I was born. Since then it has been passed through countless numbers of new babies in my father's family. I feel honored to continue this tradition by blessing my fourth girl with this blanket.

Her blessing gown was made by my dear mother. All of my girls have been blessed in this outfit and I am so glad that regardless of the miles between us it still felt like she was here.

My grandparents made the trip from Utah for the occasion. We had such a nice time visiting with them and want to thank them for making time for this event. Rob's parents came up too and his sister was there (thanks for enduring 2 church sessions!). I missed my family but know they would have been here if they could. I love you all and am so grateful for eternal families!

Too tired!

2009-06-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

Lily gets really tired. She tries to stay awake but sometimes just can't resist the temptation to fall asleep wherever she is. Shortly after I had Sydney, Rob's mom was watching the kids and noticed how tired Lily was. It was close to lunch time, so she tried to feed her real quick before naps. I guess Lily was too tired to even eat - she fell asleep right in the middle of a bite of yogurt! Once after she had fallen asleep in a chair, I stood her up and took her hand to walk her to bed and she just gave up, plopped down on the floor and fell back asleep.

First Bath

2009-06-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

This is Sydney's first sponge bath. This is the look she was born with - a little confused and mad all at the same time. It wasn't a pleasant experience and she still freaks out when I bathe her. Hopefully it will turn into a more pleasant experience for her soon!

Another Church pic

2009-06-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

I just thougth she looked too cute to not take a picture. Here we go into the world of ridiculously large bows - I can't seem to get enough of them!

First Day of Church

2009-06-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

So I'm 3 weeks behind, but this was Sydney's first day of church. She's wearing a dress that I had when I was a baby. All my girls have worn this dress in their debut Sunday. These are her "big eyes" that she puts on when she's got a lot to look at.

Aspirations for Awesome-ness

2009-06-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I do something CRAZY with Ginny's long hair - like not put it in a normal pony-tail. Wow, now that's adventurous! Today I put it in crazy and she's pouting about it.

Ginny: Could you make my pony-tail straight? I look terrible!
Me: You don't look terrible, you look AWESOME!
Ginny: I just don't want to be awesome.

So much for my aspirations of AWESOMENESS.

Is it Time Yet?

2009-05-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

After we had Lily, I was so anxious to potty train Audrey. We did it about a month after Lily was born which felt like forever. But I think it was too close, Audrey got really stressed and it ended up taking a lot longer than expected. I just hate having to buy diapers for more than one kid. Anyway, fast forward a few years and here we are again. I vowed I'd wait until Sydney is 6 months old, but seriously, Lily is SO ready. I'm not ready yet, but I'm not sure if I want to wait for 6 months. I'm getting really tired of our little Houdini always finding a way out of her diaper! So, tell me - how soon after a new baby have you potty trained? Any words of wisdom?

Ode to Grandma Bastian

2009-05-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

Rob's mom has been a lifesaver. She has come to my house (or taken my kids to hers) nearly every day since Sydney was born. She has done loads of laundry and dishes, vacuumed my floors, cleaned the girls room, took care of the baby while I slept, swept and mopped my floors and brought a craft or something fun to do with my kids. These are pictures of them making bottles of sand art. I appreciate all the help I've received and wanted to put a special message in about my Mother-in-law. I am so grateful for her and her unyielding efforts to serve. Thank you!!!!

Hungry?

2009-05-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

One of the many things I hate about hospital stays is the food. Especially right after giving birth when you haven't eaten for hours, but still have an appetite like you need to eat every 2 or 3. Not to mention you are exhausted and famished from expelling a tiny body out of your own! Needless to say the thing I always want most after labor is a good meal! I'm afraid the hospital food is...ummm...less than appetizing. Yes, this really was a meal from the hospital. And sadly, I did eat most of it (I couldn't gag down the spinach). Robert was the champ of my day when he went out to 2 different places and picked up some pizza and a milkshake! We're not usually so spendy, but man it really was worth it for me!

Welcome Sydney Lynn!

2009-05-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

She's Finally Here!

2009-04-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

We welcomed our new little girl into the world this week! We did end up getting induced (I know, surprise, surprise!) and after 6 short hours (which weren't quite so short at the time...) we have our newest angel.

She weighed in at 7 lbs and 11 ounces. Her hair is a nice red color. I am humbled by the experience of caring for another one of our Heavenly Father's children and am so grateful that He has trusted us with another sweet girl. Every time we welcome a little one in our family my testimony of where they came from is renewed. What a sweet experience!

Update

2009-04-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone-

I know you've all been waiting for some baby news! In typical fashion, there is none! I am just approaching my 42 week mark according to my most conservative due date. So, this is the week! We're going in for an induction tomorrow! We'll post pictures as soon as we can - and thank you for all your support!

My Obsession

2009-04-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

So this has been my latest obsession. I've totally procrastinated getting everything ready for the baby. One of our projects was to turn our office into a nursery. At first I had not planned on decorating it, but realized we had some leftover paint and we could probably find some cute way to decorate... The result? One full week of working every day on this tedious wall! Of course I should have known it would have taken longer than expected...but what is reality for anyway? Despite the crazy amount of time I spent on this, I am pretty pleased. So, we've cleaned out the office/junk room (including the closet that has always been packed so high you never know what might fall out when you open the door), painted, decorated and now all we have left is the crib and changing table to stick in there. All I have to say is it's really great this baby isn't on time!

Baby Shower

2009-04-20T14:02:00.000-07:00

We had a meal shower for me this last week and I have to THANK all of you that put this on for me! I am so grateful to have my freezer stocked up! Thank you! And for those of you that have been requesting preggo pics, this is me so far. I know I'm technically past my "due date" but that's pretty normal for me. We'll try and keep you all posted when our little lady arrives!

Don't Touch the Toad

2009-04-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

After discovering this toad peacefully hiding away in our overgrown weeds, I instructed the girls to leave the toad be. Here's an example at how obedient they are when irresistible temptation arises!

The Tooth Fairy

2009-04-15T06:08:00.000-07:00

We had an early visit from the Tooth Fairy this week! Ginny was trying to open a tupperware with her teeth and pulled her first baby tooth out. She came running in to me pretty freaked out. I was a little freaked out too when I noticed a big hole where her tooth should be. I knew they were supposed to lose their baby teeth, but surely I didn't think we were ready for that! So, after some inquiry as to where the tooth was, I found that Ginny had noticed it in her mouth, took it out, and chucked it across the room! Luckily we found it and after a visit to the dentist were much relieved to find that it was close to coming out anyway. So, we sent it to the tooth fairy (who nearly forgot!). Here's to growing up!

I never did the tooth fairy growing up, so I was wonderif what memories do you have of your tooth fairy? What made it special/memorable for you?

Inside Cat vs. a Dad

2009-03-19T12:55:00.002-07:00

Rob has pretty bad allergies. The kids really love pets and pine for a dog or a cat. Audrey told me the other day "Mom, I really want an inside cat instead of a Dad".

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2009-03-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

Here we are having our "Shamrock Shakes" - I can always find an excuse for ice cream!

Too tired for time out

2009-03-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

Poor Audrey was having a really hard day. I didn't really leave her in time out that long! She must have reached her wits end! Thought it was funny!

Valentine's 2009

2009-03-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

I absolutely LOVE Valentines day! What a great time to tell those you love how much you care. Rob and I made breakfast in bed for the girls and they LOVED it! Audrey woke up all sleepy-eyed and asked if it was her birthday. How cute. Lily kept giggling over the food she got to eat in her bed. Rob and I were able to go out and celebrate with an all you can eat pizza buffet - does it get any better than that?

Christmas 2008

2009-03-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

Our Christmas was wonderful. We had a great time celebrating at home with the usual matching pajamas and hot chocolate on Christmas Eve. We stayed up late doing all the things we shouldn't have procrastinated, got up early to the kids' amazement of all the gifts and tied it all up at Grandma and Grandpa Bastian's with a wonderful meal and good times.

THANK YOU to our secret Christmas Elves! We were so surprised and wish we could thank you in person for your thoughtfulness and generousity. The girls loved their gift and use it all the time. THANK YOU!

NOV -2008 Audrey's unfortunate incident

2009-03-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

Ah, the benefits of being a little sister....first the buzz cut in July, now this. Ginny pushed Audrey off the bunk bed and lo and behold...the broken leg. Audrey survived this well and took it all in stride. She got the cast off the beginning of this year and is back to normal! Hopefully there aren't too many emotional scars lingering...

Still here

2009-03-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone-

I know it's been forever since I posted. I keep putting it off because I'm so far behind! Anyway, I thought I'd better just start so I actually keep this updated! Here's a Reader's Digest of our life:

I'm about 33 weeks along and am expecting a little girl coming this April (so they say...). I am still feeling good and getting huge. The girls are so excited to have another little girl and always talk about all the babies we'll have and having to have a bigger house to fit them all in. I think it's pretty cute.

Lily is saying a ton of words and even putting a few together. I will post some pics of her and how much she's grown.

Audrey's hair is really growing. I think it actually looks pretty stylish!

Ginny's been sick this last week with a fever and stuffy nose, but has been such a trooper. She seems to be doing a little better.

So, that's the quick update on what's happening right now. Hopefully I'll be able to fill in the last 4 months of our lives soon!

2008-12-07T18:48:00.000-08:00

Well Shauna finally went and saw the doctor, in case you haven't been following the blog - we are (well she is) pregnant. Very exciting news I know, we are quite happy about it! The doctor went ahead and did an ultrasound and determined we are 20 weeks along. For those of you not in the know - an ultrasound at 20 weeks means you can determine the sex of the baby - so without further ado... It's a GIRL! Most of you probably have a smile on, it seems my little boy swimmers are a bit slow - guess we have to keep trying (That makes me smile).

We Are very happy about it - and the process of determining a name starts all over again. We have gotten into a trend with names ending in a "y", at least it narrows our list down a bit.

Other news, Audrey has a cast on her foot. And if you ask her what happened, she puts on her serious sad face and points at her sister. Ginny was kind enough to push her off the top bunk - which ended in giving Audrey a beautiful purple cast. At the rate Ginny is going with Audrey I am really worried about Lily's well being...

Announcing #4

2008-11-02T12:31:00.001-08:00

Lily's first Year

2008-11-02T12:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Halloween this week. I don't know what it is, but Halloween seems to last all week long! We had Preschool here this week and had all the kids wear their costumes. We played some games and had a great time!

Thursday we went to our Trunk or Treat. They had a ton of fun things to do - petting zoo, bounce house, hot dogs, hamburgers, cotton candy, and the YM even put on a Haunted House. The kids undoubtedly had a great time! Friday, Robert took the kids around Trick or Treating and then we had our annual Halloween Dinner. Here's what the table looked like:

We had some really frightful food. I made tortilla chips in the shape of ghosts (pictures didn't turn our on that one), and we served some of the V8 we had from when my family was here as "monster blood". Ginny almost didn't want to try it b/c it look so real. They both tried it and said they really hate Monster Blood. Funny.

We also had:

Roasted Mummies

Troll Brains -

Robert's creation

We had a great time and are really looking forward to the Holiday's when Rob's family can all be here! We love you guys!

Happy Birthday Ginny!

2008-11-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

Ginny wanted to have her birthday at the pumpkin patch this year. She chose pumpkin pie instead of a cake, which I'm sure made Rob's heart burst with pride. He's never had birthday cake as long as I've known him....

Anyway, thanks to all who made the trip out - we had a great time celebrating with you!

Here are a few pics from the party at the patch:

Robert took Ginny out for a Sundae later and she still talks about what a special treat that was for her to get a Sundae with a cherry on top. Good times!

We are so proud of Ginny and how responsible she's getting. 5 years ago we welcomed her into the world and knew the moment she was born how important she is and what an amazing little girl she is. We love her so much and appreciate every minute we have with her!

Fall Greetings

2008-11-02T08:54:00.001-08:00

Hello all! We've officially gotten into the autumn spirit around here! We've had a busy couple of weeks and have had a blast with my family here! They were only here for a few days, but I loved having my house full of people we love!

We celebrated Ginny's birthday at the pumpkin patch - I'll post on that next.

Our Primary Program went without a hitch and I really felt the Spirit. I was so glad that it tunred out so well and the kids sang so well! I was so proud.

It's so fun to watch the kids grow! I wish Ginny and Audrey would not provoke each other so much, but hey, what are siblings for, anyway? Lily is pretty great just toddling around and running full speed into whatever she deems worthy of her exuberance. I've decided to call her the Kamakazi baby. We've all had pretty nasty colds/coughs (except Rob and Ginny) that seem to last forever. So, we're doing a lot of resting and not a lot of work....

We had a great Halloween that deserves a post of it's own!

We are still here

2008-10-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since I posted, so I thought I'd try to update everyone on our lives...

Rob and I have been busy working on our house to get everything spic and span for my family - we have 5 (plus 2 babies) house guests coming this week! I am so excited to have them here (Mom, Kevin and family, and Grandpa+ma). Plus, we get the added benefit of not having any clutter in the house (which is a huge feat for me!). Seriously, After tomorrow I won't have any clutter piles littering my home. And most of my closets will be clear and organized. Can life get any better than that??? Wow!

Ginny is really growing up. I can hardly believe it. We are looking forward to celebrate her birthday coming up. I'll keep you posted on the events! Our Primary program is coming up in a few weeks (which I'm the chorister for). I've been so focused on getting myself ready that I totally forgot to help Gin with her part until last night. We spent 5 minutes going over it and I was so proud to hear her recite it in practice today flawlessly and totally memorized. What a girl!

Audrey gets more confident every day! We really had a hard time with her getting frustrated so quickly when something was hard for her. But, talking to her we told her that even if something's hard, we knew she could do it. Her personal motto is now "Audrey can do hard things". She tells me nearly every day that she can do hard things. I am so proud of her and her breakthrough in confidence!

Lily just turned 1! I can't believe it! She is walking and expanding her vocabulary more every day. Every time we open the door, she says "Go, go" over and over again. She "runs" to the door to make sure we don't leave her. I think her personal motto is to not get left out of anything. Whatever we are all doing, she needs to do it too. I love to watch her when Rob gets home from work. She drops whatever she's doing and gets really excited and makes a bee-line to the door. I think it's her favorite time of day (mine too!).

Well, that's it for now. Maybe I'll get up to posting more frequently and add some pictures if I can get into the swing of things.

Our week

2008-09-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

the girls started Preschool this week and are both loving it! We have been really busy just doing our thing! We had a great Labor Day weekend with Ryan and Amanda visiting. Despite the terrible hotness of the weekend, we did have some fun! We played some Hand and Foot and a little Ticket to Ride. The boys went outside and destroyed an old moniter for fun. Rob and I were also ab le to go to the dollar movies with the kids (nothing like 50 cent movie night!). Poor Ginny must have a really bad outlook on our situation right now. While waitning in line to buy the tickets, she turned to Rob and said: "Aren't the movies to expensive for us?". I've been trying to teach her that we stick to a plan when it comes to money, but I guess it's turning into a "we're poor" lesson. I'll have to work on that!

We had a chance to take a walk around our neighborhood and to our little park. Rob decided to let Ginny try her bike without training wheels. She actually did really well at it and I can't wait to see her keep up her good work.

Audrey is such a talker! That girl will just come up to you and tell you what's going on with her life. Ever since shewas small she would come in and tell on herself when she had gotten into something she knew she wasn't supposed to. We had some graham crakckers this week that her and Ginny had dutifully devoured and she was so prompt at telling me about it as soon as I came into the kitchen. I sure love that little talker!

Lily is really growing up! She really wants to have you walk around everyhere and throw what we call a baby tantrum if you let go of her hands when she wants to walk. I'm convinced she is capable of walking on her own and has even taken a few steps, but just lacks the confidence or the desire to do it on her own. She is also getting pretty efficient at communicating. She knows a bunch of signs including: food, milk, music, dog, and something thatshe uses as a general sing that is a mix between dad and all done. haven't quite figured that one out yet. We'll see as she gets older. SHe has also started to speak definable words at appropriate times, mostly just dada and mama, which dada was first on.

Utah Details

2008-08-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally got settled in from our long vacation! It was a blast in Utah and we really miss the friends, family, and the wonderful weather! Seriously, sitting out on the patio on an early afternoon and chatting the evening away is one of my favorite things! So, in honor of my trip, now that I've had a few days to recuperate, I'm posting some of the notable events of the trip:

High school Reunion: Such a blast to touch base with good friends! I've missed you guys!

POCAHONTAS: Seriously, I think Ginny watched that at least once every day we were there! we did watch a lot of movies while I did the cake, but that was by far the most frequented. Others we enjoyed together: Calamity Jane, Lion King, Guys and Dolls, and Cinderella.

Hanging out with Chris and Tara: I loved chatting with you when we all should have been sleeping/working/taking care of my kids (I really hope we didn't destroy your house!).

Girls' weekend in Park City: I got together with my best girls, minus Alyssa :( We had a surprise baby shower for the 2 pregos and stayed up all night talking and chatting about old times and new times. I loved the girl time!

Never on time to church, even though it was just a few blocks away. Somehow out here I manage to make it at least 10 minutes early when it takes about 40 minutes drive time to get there. I don't know what it was, but for the life of me I was about 10 minutes late every time! Go figure!

Making the biggest cake ever! Wow, what an opportunity! I officially made my first wedding cake. Thanks, Mike and Camille, for letting me use your wedding for my trial run! I hope you liked it! I still can't get the pics off my camera, so if any of you have some, please send them my way.

Catching up with my family: It was so great to see virtually all of my family (we missed you, Dwayne!). I loved the time we had together and can't wait until we can spend more time together!

Hanging out with the Bastian's: Even though it was a madhouse trying to get ready for the wedding and all the keys locked in the cars and even the transmission going out, what a blast!

Wedding Festivities: I loved meeting Mike's family and getting to know them better. The wedding breakfast was great - Lily ate an entire chicken breast by herself! She sure loves food! And, of course, the reception - what a great turnout! I was so glad to celebrate such an exciting event! I asked Ginny and Audrey what they loved about the reception:
Audrey: Camille was a princess!
Gin: I loved Camille's beautiful dress.
Camille was as always, gorgeous!

Well, that's a quick rundown on my activities for the month! I am so glad to be home and miss the Utahns already!

How is she ever going to get anything done...

2008-08-21T17:16:00.000-07:00

Well that's it you all are fired. My wife is now addicted to this blogging thing and my kids are going hungry (mostly me going hungry - we had Mac and cheese for dinner... need I say more?)

Well I hope this venture of ours brings you enlightenment, because it has certainly helped us learn a thing or 2 - Shauna is very good at figuring things out and she did all of this herself. I'll chime in here and there to give you my side of the story as it usually differs from hers. Leave comments have fun and let us know what you all are up to.

Pictures from Utah

2008-08-21T09:59:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from Utah. My camera is freaking out about some pictures, so this is just the first half of the trip. More to come. Enjoy!

Peer Pressure

2008-08-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've finally given in. I just returned from my LONG trip to Utah. It was a fun, exciting, busy, adventure filled trip. I was so glad to see all my friends and celebrate Camille and Mike's wedding! I'm just figuring out how to post pictures, so please be patient....