Where'd they get that hair!

Welcome to Connecticut

2011-11-27T19:05:00.001-08:00

I have had the following conversation many, many time over the last few weeks.

"So you just moved here?"

"Yes, we just moved here from California."

"How long have you been here?"

"Just a few weeks."

"Were you here for the storm?"

"Yeah, we arrived the Thursday before the snowstorm."

Then the person I am speaking to will either laugh, shake their heads, roll their eyes, gasp, sigh, but no matter what they ALWAYS say,

"Welome to Connecticut!"

Yikes!

It has been so, so crazy. But, I haven't felt the urge to beeline it to the airport and head back to D-Ville just yet. I'm just too excited.

I can't wait!!!!!!

A Special Gift

2011-10-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

When Madison was a baby she was like a dream. She was so happy and smiley- and she drew people in with her sweet spirit. She has never been afraid of people. Actually quite the opposite could be said of her. She seeks out others, showers them with affection and wins over everyone she meets.

EXCEPT- when she is at home, and in a mood- which seems to be quite often. Abby might be hyper and impulsive, Chase can be stubborn and sensitvie, but Madi...oh Madi, she takes the cake when it comes to sassiness.

That's why I am so grateful for the experience I had with her at her school last week. The kids all had doctor's appointments in the morning so I was taking Madi to school late. We checked her in at the office, she was happily chatting with the office staff, talking about her flu shot and other activities of the morning. She was delightful, and it's always heart warming to see people react to her. As we made our way down to her classroom we passed by one of the other classrooms where the children were coming out of the room and walking to another building to use the bathroom.

Now, Madison is in a Special Day class (a self-contained special education class) for children with mild to moderate disabilities. Her school also has Special day classes for moderately to severely disabled children, as well as a county program for the more severely disabled children.

The classroom that we passed was one of the classes for children with moderate to severe disabilities. There were children in wheel chairs, children who couldn't speak, children who were making loud noises. I saw them coming out the their classroom and smiled at the teachers and continued walking to get Madi to her class.

Madison, however, just lit up when she saw these kids. She smiled her sweet smile and went directly to a girl in a wheel chair. She called her by name, put her hand on her shoulder and asked, "How are you doing today..." The girl did not respond, or even look up at Madi- her caregiver explained that the girl was tired today. That did not deter Madi, she just smiled and said, "Have a nice day, " and moved on to the next child.

I was so impressed that my little Madison, knew every. single. child. in that class. She knew their names and she clearly cared for them. My little Madison, with disabilities and challenges of her own, knows how to love. She is a valiant defender of the underdog and anyone who is sad or lonely. She has a natural gift to lift people's spirits and bring them happiness.

I am always impressed with Madison's ability to reach out to others. She seems to have no awareness of her own disabilities, which is a real blessing. But, even if she was aware, I'm not sure it would make any difference to her.

She is certainly giving us a run for our money at home with the talking back and attitude, but we are lucky to have such an incredible, sweet, sassy, firey, and loving little red head in our family.

We love you Madison Ann!

Funny Chase

2011-10-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

I was laying in bed with Chase tonight talking about his day. He told me he had music at school with the music teacher, Mr. Gates. We sang some of the songs that he learned at school and then I started singing "Praise to the Man" (a hymn from church that the young children are learning this year). I was teasing Chase by asking him if he sang that song with Mr. Gates.

Chase: No, mom. Mr. Gates doesn't go to church. That's a church song.

Me: Well, Mr. Gates doesn't go to our church, but he still may go to his own church.

Chase was quiet for a minute.

Chase: Yeah, he goes to Teacher Church.

Ha ha ha. So cute.

Stage fright....what's that?

2011-09-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

Our children have an enormous amount of confidence about their ability to perform. Whether it be dancing, singing or stand up comedy...they have no fear. And it's not because they are super talented. They just don't get embarrassed.

At least not YET.....

Some day, in the future, there will be a good time to pull these memories out, and then see how they react! Mason just pulled out the flip camera and I was looking at the videos on it over the last year. These are two that were taken at Aspen Grove (a BYU alumni family camp) I was dying watching Chase up on stage. He got a big thumbs up from the Teenage/Young Adult group at camp.

Yes, that's him. Blue baseball cap, red jacket.

What a character.

I didn't see Madison at the family dance on the last night of camp, but apparently she had a whole group of teenagers following her sweet dance moves. She wants to be a rock star when she grows up.

Enough said.

Kindergarten!

2011-09-28T23:00:00.001-07:00

I wish I could remember to take my camera around with me and take cute pictures of my cute kids doing cute things. Like the first day of Kindergarten. That is one of the cutest things you get to witness as a parent. Chase is a great Kindergartener. He is curious, fun-loving, excited, affectionate, and sometimes a little bit impulsive. In his class, when kids get a little impulsive, they have to "re-set" He has had to "re-set" a couple of times, but even with that, this Kindergarten year has started out as our easiest one yet! Phew! Our biggest problem is that he won't eat anything. He is too excited to play with his friends. Oh well.

Maybe by the time Mason starts school I will actually remember to bring the good camera with me instead of the iphone. And maybe I will start to remember when show and tell day is, and that I don't need to pack a lunch on Wacky Wednesdays, and that library books need to be there the day before library, and so on and so forth....... I seriously doubt it, but one can hope.....

Easily Pleased

2011-09-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

Madison was lamenting our move to Connecticut the other day.

Madi: Why do we have to move to Connecticut?

Me: Because Daddy got a new job there. It will be great, don't worry.

Madi: Why did Daddy have to get a new job.

Me: Daddy wanted to do something different so he got a new job. Really, it will be great.

Madi: I don't want to go to Connecticut.

Me: Madi, it will be great. We will have so much fun. You can join a basketball team, there will be snow and you can build a snowman. We can go skiing, we will be near the ocean......

Madi: I don't want to go to Connecticut.

Me: Madi, you can have hot chocolate there every day during the winter.

Madi: Really???

Me: Yes, really...

Madi: Hot Chocolate with marshmallows?

Me: Yes, with marshmallows.

Madi: That is SO AWESOME. I love hot chocolate with marshmallows. I am SO excited. Connecticut is the BEST!!!!!!!!

Funny girl. Always easily won over with sweet treats!

Changes

2011-09-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

This picture has nothing to do with this post, but I thought it was cute.

It's been a while, I know. We have been busy. We are making some big changes in our lives, and we have been focused on preparing for these changes. It's exhausting, but exciting too.

Gordon decided to take a new job. He decided to leave public accounting and go in house with a large company. That in and of itself is a huge change. Gordon was a partner at Deloitte, which is kind of a big deal. It was a very hard decision, but we are hoping that this change allows us the opportunity to spend more time as a family.

The company Gordon is going to, UTC, just happens to be in Connecticut. So, we are moving.... Cross country.... with 4 kids and a dog (the fish is not going to make the journey....Sorry Petey, or Goldie, or whatever your name is....) Our home in California is on the market, and we have decided to build a home in Connecticut. We are really excited about that, but the problem is we don't have anywhere to live in the meantime. We are looking for a rental, but haven't been too successful.

So this afternoon the kids and I are going to take Gordon to the airport, wave goodbye and send him off to Connecticut to start his new job. We are going on faith that is will all work out and we won't have to be apart for an extended period of time. In the meantime we will be busy keeping the house picture perfect, keeping up with schoolwork and soccer, and trying to stay sane! Wish us luck!

2011-05-01T20:43:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Nana and Josh

We are thinking of you both today.

Seagull #8

2011-02-06T22:31:00.000-08:00

Abby was in the play "Treasure Island" a few weeks ago. Her elementary school has worked with the Missoula Children's Theater company the last two years to put on musical productions. The most interesting part is that the whole process takes just one week. They being with auditions on Monday and by Friday morning they are ready to do a dress rehearsal for the student body. They have two performances on Saturday and then they are done! It was very cute and very well done (for just one week!). We were proud of Abby and she was very excited to be part of the action.

The Best Thing About Our Christmas Vacation

2011-01-06T16:45:00.000-08:00

Watching my kids learn to ski from the cozy comfort of the Brighton Lodge was by far the most exciting and awesome thing I have done in a long time. They were amazing! We got a private lesson for the three of them with Dave. They loved him. They loved skiing. I couldn't have been more proud! Can't wait to do it again.

To Sum it Up

2011-01-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

I believe I told you that it was a bad idea to invite us over. Some of you didn't listen and invited us anyway. Luckily, you are family and have to like us even when.....

A police officer shows up during Christmas Dinner because some little person dialed 911.

Hmmm.. Maybe she wanted another ride.

A pencil is found and some little person decides a door is a great place to color.

Always looking so innocent..... Or freezing. Hard to tell.

A cute, glass, snowman cup holding hershey kisses crashes to the floor and shatters when some little person tries to get if off the counter.

It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. But not very much fun to get nothing at all.

A glass picture frame is broken and a little cousin is injured (not by the picture frame, but by a toy being thrown at him) when some little person gets very hyper when babysitters are in charge.

He does look rather menacing in this picture. He was very sorry. I promise.

A toilet overflows and FLOODS a bathroom when some little person uses WAY too much toilet paper - GROSS!

Yay- that was just GROSS Madi. Let's not do that again, ok?

I need another vacation - by myself- to recover from the vacation we just took. I think vacation is the wrong word to use when traveling with kids. It's probably a good thing the damage and destruction was shared among three houses rather than all piled on one household.

I know they will grow up and it will get easier. It would just be nice if someone could tell me WHEN!!!!!

And, interestingly enough, our oldest and generally most difficult child didn't do anything on the list above. Hmmmm... maybe she actually is growing up!!!!

What Chase Learned about High School Today

2010-11-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

We frequently see the high school cross country team running through town after school. Today we saw them running through the neighborhood. Since we have discussed the team before and who they are and what they are doing, today Madison said, "Those are high schooler, right?" They were slowing down and they all looked wiped out- so I made some comment about how they looked tired and hot. Most of the boys were shirtless and sweaty. Apparently, Chase was studying them carefully.

As we drove past Chase declared, "Mom, you know I know all about high schoolers."

I said, "Really, what do you know Chase."

"High schoolers only have pants."

It took me just a few seconds to burst out laughing. I am sure Chase is looking forward to those carefree shirtless high school days. I don't even think he noticed the fully clothed girls.

Don't invite us over....

2010-10-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

'Cause we're just trouble.

Last night, at a Halloween Party, I heard a crash, breaking glass, and then silence. The whole party stopped to look at the cutest little one year old stinker who had just knocked over a large vase. Sad part is, when I saw the large vases on the floor earlier I thought "Mason's going to get a hold of those..." Gotta learn to listen to that voice a little better!

"What? I didn't know it would do that, Mom! I don't want to apologize to the Bishop!"

Almost an exact quote. At about 11:58 am this morning, at the Danville LDS Stake Center, a very LOUD alarm stopped everyone in their tracks. We all just froze in the Primary room and then looked to the Bishop, now Stake President, who just happened to be visiting Primary. He left the room, at which time someone else came into the room and announced, "Mr. Beckstead has found the fire alarm handle." I instructed the Primary to listen to the closing prayer and then leave, but once the prayer was done they all still stayed in their seats. It was LOUD! I went and found Chase, who was with his Dad, and had a little conversation.

He never did apologize to the Bishop/Stake President (hard to know what to call him - I guess technically he still has both callings.) Luckily the Bishop/Stake President is a very loving, understanding man, with children of his own. Chase will probably never do it again. (hopefully)

It's just another day in the life around here. I wonder when we will stop bringing havoc, destruction and chaos with us wherever we go? Someday I am sure. But for now, I need a nap.

Today

2010-10-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

This little baby threw my phone in the toilet this afternoon, then swirled it around with the toilet brush. Ugh.

This little girl got to go on a field trip to In-N-Out today. We are trying out a new plan with her medication and today was a great day! But you know when one calms down the others start to go crazy. They just take turns.

Don't be deceived by the smile. This one gave the dentist such a hard time this morning. She kept pulling off the nitrous (aka happy air) and would refuse to open her mouth. I love the kids Dentist. She is AWESOME. I, on the other hand, was not awesome and had to leave the room because I was getting so mad at Madi's antics.

And like most days, this little guy was just along for the ride. I'm glad he's so good natured. Most of the time. He spent the afternoon carrying around a "pumpkin lantern" he made out of a paper bag, stuffed with newspaper, painted orange. He has the best preschool teacher. Really, she's awesome. They made apple pie today, but aren't going to eat it until tomorrow. Can't wait to hear how our carnivore enjoys a pie made out of a fruit he refuses to eat.

Picture Post

2010-10-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was looking at some of the pictures I had on my computer and I decided to do a random picture post. And, because I am not a very sophisticated blogger, they happened to load from most recent to oldest.

So here is a picture of Chase, taken at Chili's on Friday night. He was the lucky student who got to bring "Sparky Squirrel" home for the weekend. We are glad Sparky is returning to the classroom on Monday. It is stressful to have to keep track of a beloved classroom mascot when I can hardly keep track of my own children.

The girls were pretty excited for the first day of school. Abby is in 2nd and Madison is in 1st. They go to different schools, but they both get to ride the bus. I LOVE the bus!

Over the summer we spent a few weeks in Utah visiting family. Madison got to spend a few days with her Nana and Grandpa Cobb by herself while the rest of us stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Beckstead. During that time she was able to fishing with Grandpa, her cousin Ben and Grandpa's neighbor Rich. Madison and Ben both caught fish, but couldn't understand why the fish died. I think they both thought they were catching their future pets.

Mason turned 1 on July 18th and we had a little party. He wasn't all that excited to eat his GIANT Costco cupcake (which, sadly, they don't have anymore at our Costco.) I had to kind of shove some in his mouth. He was a little interested in mushing the frosting around, but not too interested in eating it. I look at these pictures now, and already he seems so much bigger.

This cute picture was taken just a few weeks before his birthday. We spent an afternoon at the Oakland Temple and snapped this picture in the car on the way home. It was one of the rare hot days we had this summer.

This last picture of Madison was taken at the end of the school year last year. Her class got an AWESOME tour of a local fire station. The dad of one of the children in the afternoon program works at this station (and is a Chief or Captain or some in-charge kind of guy). The kids got to see everything and even got a ride in the fire truck. It was really amazing. I'm glad I got to go with her.

I need to be better about taking pictures. It's so fun to look back and remember!

Pants-less....

2010-10-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

I should be asleep. I am going to be so mad at myself in the morning for being awake right now. This early morning routine I've got going is getting harder, but I'm sticking with it because there's been a lot less yelling right before the bus comes, and that's a good thing.

My children are all so different. Today they all brought out different things in me. I have a son, who is just 5 years old. He kind of lives in his own little world. He is stubborn, and today his stubbornness and naughtiness gave me such a laughing fit, I embarrassed myself on the phone with the pediatricians office.

Lately, Chase has been refusing to put his pants back on after using the bathroom. Underwear, yes (thank goodness), pants no. Today, I didn't have time to argue. We had to go to Madison's appointment - being late was not an option. It would begin a domino effect of lateness and I hate being late! Too many things to do today - so the pants-less Chase climbed in his booster seat, white t-shirt, white undies, little white legs, white socks and green camo crocs. (Even some colored undies would have made it better- but, no, they were white.) I figured we'd be fine, he didn't have to get out of the car at all. Who cares if he stays in the van pants-less?

I thought it would be a good time to make some phone calls- you know, sitting in the van waiting for Madison (we do that a lot). I called one doctor, texted my husband, played a game of Sudoku, then decided to call the pediatrician to set up appointments for flu shots. As I was listening to the automatic greeting, Chase starts doing his "potty, potty, potty , POTTY...." routine. There isn't much time to spare when he starts jumping up and down. And he was still pants-less. I didn't see much hope in getting his pants on so we could go inside, so I did something I NEVER do- I told him to pee in the bushes in front of the car. He thought that was such a fabulous idea! What a great mommy- he still didn't have to put his pants on. So out he went. I should know better than to let a 5 year old out of the van when waiting for a 50 minute appointment.

After he did his business, there was no way he was getting back in the car. So he began dancing around the parking lot- a little white thing bobbing all around. (it's at a church so there's not much going on in the parking lot) Still on the phone I got out of the car and tried to corral him back in. It was hopeless, and I was was getting nowhere with it. I got back in the car and then spotted him in my rearview mirror. The little stinker was climbing up the back of the van holding on to the rear windshield wiper, and he thought he was doing it on the sly.

Still on the phone, just about to talk to the receptionist, I decided to teach that kid a lesson. Unfortunately I don't use the rear wipers very often so it took me a few seconds to get to the right controls. You should have seen his face as the wipers began to magically move! His face was exactly what I was looking at the moment the receptionist answered at the dr's office. He had such a look of shock. He slid down the windshield and disappeared for a moment. I was laughing so hard I could hardly breathe. Speaking was out of the questions. I kept saying, "I'm sorry... I'm just....Oh, I'm sorry....give me a second...." I'm sure she thought I was crying. She kept saying, "It's ok, it's ok....." Chase's head popped back into view. He was cautiously eyeing the wipers. I finally was able to say "I'm sorry- I'm just laughing so hard... I'm calling about flu shots for the Becksteads..." (they totally know us by name at the doctors- we make quite an impression) I was barely able to keep from busting up again during my phone call, and meanwhile Chase decided that dancing in the parking lot was probably better than taking his chances with those crazy moving wiper things.

Oh goodness- I am still laughing about it. Maybe you had to be there! I'm glad I was.

And just for the record, he never did put his pants back on. He, did however, put basketball shorts on when we had to go out later to deliver treats to the ladies I visit teach. Thank goodness. I've got to remember to only put the colored undies on him from now on. At least they look a little bit more like shorts. LOVE that kid! Wow- I'm still laughing. And now I've got to get some sleep. I have to take 3 littles to the dentist first thing in the morning. WHAT was I THINKING!!!!! Maybe I'll still be laughing about our pants-less afternoon. That would help.

Tonight

2010-10-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I picked up my sleeping baby from his crib just so I could rock his warm little body in my arms. It was an answer to a prayer.

It was a desperately hard night. Tantrums, tears, chaos, pain, frustration and endless noise all coming from one child. I was praying for patience, restraint, mercy and forgiveness all at the same time, and all evening long. I didn't feel very good about my parenting and I was pretty sure the neighbors were wishing I'd shut the windows, or shut my mouth. I really was trying- that's the sad part. Really, truly. We had a home cooked dinner, a run to the park for soccer, treats, showers, scriptures and prayer. Dad is out of town- we were on our own tonight.

After the lights were out, and the noise was quieted, I turned to the computer and did hours of research. There has to be a better way, a better solution. New meds? Alternative Therapy? Private School? No Meds? Diets? I've read it all before, but I read it all again. Praying, pondering and hoping that something would just jump off the screen and scream - "Here is the answer!" ..... Nothing jumped.

Looking at the clock, I hurried into bed, knowing that my new morning routine affords me one less hour of sleep every morning in a grand effort to get one. single. child. ready for school before any one else wakes up.

But I couldn't sleep. In fact my thoughts and prayers became more desperate than earlier. My mind swirled. I hate that feeling. It feels so ungrounded and dangerous. I forced my mind to rest on one thought. Joy. The joy that I feel is eluding me. I want to feel joy. I want to feel joy in my role as a mother. I pled in my prayers- and my mind instantly went back to my days of infertility. Those were painful days. All I wanted was a baby to hold in my arms.

I was given 4.

I almost spoke out loud - "I need to hold my baby." I went to the baby's crib and with gratitude that he's a sound sleeper, I picked him up and then sat with him in the rocking chair. He slept peacefully in my arms, and my whole body calmed down. He's a beautiful boy, and I just looked at him.

I have no answers to my problem, but after I put the baby back in his crib, I went to the beds of my easiest child and my hardest child and gave them both a long hug. My heart was softened towards the one by the warm touch and peace of the other.

Holding my baby was an answer to my prayer. My prayer from long ago and my prayer from tonight. Babies are magic, aren't they?

I am still praying for an answer to our special needs problems. I have a feeling it will be long in coming, but I do have hope. And, at least for now, when my mind starts to swirl, and desperation creeps in, I need to remember the magical little baby, who sleeps so soundly, who is mine, all mine. I need to remember to go in an rock him and let the little bit of heaven that is still in him calm my soul. It won't be long till he's all grown up. And there won't be anymore babies for us, so I will enjoy it while I can!

6 months?

2010-09-13T23:12:00.000-07:00

Has it been six months since I posted last? Really? Wow. Well it's probably about time that I get rid of the yucky stitches picture anyway.

Everybody is doing fine. I will have to post pictures later, but for now a quick update.

Mason is walking. It's so cute. He is one determined little boy. He doesn't say any real words yet, but boy, he likes to yell at you in gibberish. He is very stubborn and has no patience, but he is a beautiful baby, with a killer smile and we all love him to pieces. He is almost 14 months old and he had cut 12 teeth in the last 4 months. Ouch! Maybe that's why he's yelling at us all the time!

Chase keeps us all laughing. He just comes up with the funniest things. He is in his last year of preschool and loves it. He is a very happy child. We spent almost three weeks in Utah this summer and he loved being with his grandparents and cousins. We even went to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point just for him. His passion is Dinosaurs.

Madison started 1st grade this year and we decided to keep her in a Special Education classroom. She is in a 1st/2nd grade combo class with 12 students. 10 of them are 2nd graders so hopefully she will do ok. She still does a ton of speech therapy and occupational therapy and we also added some private reading classes to her schedule. She is pretty tired at the end of each day. She remains our very sensitive child and is easily brought to tears, but she is also our friendliest child. She will talk to anybody and has a genuine interest in other people.

Abby is still a little tornado. She is in constant motion and is constantly making noise. She just turned 8 and was baptized this last weekend. It was a great moment for us, and we are very proud of her. Especially since she spent many years saying she would never get baptized because she didn't want to go under the water. She is in 2nd grade and seems to be doing well. She is playing soccer again, but we think her real talent might be running track. She is so fast and has a lot of endurance.

We enjoyed our time in Utah, especially the week we spent at Aspen Grove Family camp. Our kids loved every minute of it, and while I didn't love the food, it was a great to spend time as a family. We want to go again next year. I will probably bring more snacks though!

It's been a busy few months. We remodeled our kitchen and fixed up our house to sell so we could buy a "dream home." We did actually get a contract on our house, but things unraveled and we didn't end up moving. So we are still here and still plugging along. Life is getting busier and I am getting older. We are doing well though. Now I just have to dig out the camera and post some pictures!

I promise I won't wait another six months to do that though.

Did I Ever Tell You About That One Day....

2010-03-11T21:11:00.000-08:00

So, I was going through some pictures when I happened upon a series of photos I took documenting one of the craziest days ever in our family. And, since this blog is for posterity sake I probably should document it while it is still in my memory. And notice, I didn't say fresh in my memory, because it's already fading. So with my post (4) baby brain, which brain should excuse any and all craziness on my part, I will attempt to recreate this miserable, awful, no good, very bad day.

But first a little timeline, just so you can understand the depth of the miserableness.

Saturday, July 18th, 2009- Mason was born.

Monday- Mason and I came home from the hospital.

Tuesday- we had to take Mason to Oakland Children's Hospital for a check with a Cardiologist. (He was born with a small hole in his heart. It's still there, but not a big problem. But a stressful experience nonetheless- wait... is that a real word?)

That brings us to Wednesday.

Oh, Wednesday.....

It all started out fine, until Chase decided to be a good big brother and open a toy for Mason that was all nice and tight in it's packaging. Even with 4 adults standing inches away, rather than asking for help he decided that with his amazing (really, truly amazing) scissor skills he would DO IT HIMSELF. First, we hear Chase scream. Then we hear Gordon yell. Then the girls panic. Then the blood came. I handed the baby to my mother in law, grabbed some towels and immediately got in the car and told Gordon to drive to Urgent Care. After an hour long scream fest wrestling match we emerged with a little finger looking so sad like this.

It had to be wrapped for days like this.

Chase called it his poor finger. We would ask him to do something like shut a door, or clear his plate and he would make a sad face and say, "I can't because of my poo-uh poo-uh fing-uh."

We got home from Urgent Care and I was exhausted. I was sitting on the couch and Madi was in the kitchen. I don't know what possessed the child to do it, but she decided to go ahead and see if the stove just happened to be hot. Well, it was. And I thought she was just being dramatic to get attention. You know, because Chase had gotten a lot of attention so it was just her turn. So I told her to stop crying and that she was ok. When I finally got around to really looking at her finger (yes.. a few days later - I had a newborn!!!) this is what I saw. Can I just say- Mommy guilt galore!

So a few hours after the Madi drama, we had a check up with a home health nurse. Besides all the wounds that had happened earlier in the morning, I was pretty sure everything was fine with the baby and I wasn't too worried about it. The nurse was friendly and kind and very sweet as she explained to me that I was UNDER-FEEDING my baby.

I was ready to cry.

I guess it's true what they say. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!

Just Kidding- Abby is feeding a plump and healthy 1 month old Mason in this picture!

Aye, Aye, Aye .... Stitches, burns and starvation. That's what we are all about here.

I am relieved to say that 7 months later all signs of that day are almost completely gone. Chase and Madison hardly have any scars and I am pretty sure Mason recovered from the earlier diet that he was apparently on.

He's a cute little chubby guy!

So, I won't feel bad if you never want me to watch your kids. I think I would understand. Days like this make it easier to feel good about the fact that Mason is our last baby. What would one more baby do to my brain? It's probably better not to find out!

The Family

2010-02-21T21:46:00.000-08:00

Since we didn't do a Christmas Card, here's a little update.

Mason is growing so fast- it makes me sad. He's eating solids, sleeping through the night, teething, and he spends a good amount of time laughing hysterically at the antics of his siblings. The girls call him "Mr. Chubby" and they work very hard to keep him entertained. Unless of course they are watching something on TV and then when he gets fussy they can't understand why I can't keep him quiet!

Chase keeps me laughing with the funny things he says. He loves making projects at school and for Valentines day he painted a Cupid. When he got into the car with his lovely sparkly purple and pink Cupid, he exclaimed, "Mom, Cupid is so cool, he flies in the air and shoots arrows!" I think he totally missed the point. But you know, arrows are way cool- no matter who is shooting them. Chase loves dinosaurs, swords and race cars. He is all boy, even when singing along with songs from "Enchanted," and when he proudly tells his teachers he was watching "Tinkerbell" in the car. Ah, older sisters. What can you do?

Madison LOVES to watch movies. She would watch all day long if allowed. She is such a social butterfly, she just likes to be around people. Recently we had a little puppy named Leo living with us for a short time. He was very cute and Madison carried him around like a baby. She slept with him at night and I was a bit worried she wouldn't let go of him all night long! She loved having him here and she can't wait until we get another small dog for her to carry around all day long.

Abby...., well, Abby is all over the place! She is has more energy, more passion, more intensity, more temper, more everything and anything that anyone I have ever met. It's been an intense Abby day today. She is a great artist and has really done some beautiful work at school. She is doing well in soccer and scored two goals for her indoor team on Saturday. She loves to play and she loves to move. She keeps us on our toes!

Gordon is still busy at work and at church. He is serving in the Young Men's as the Secretary. I was recently called to be the Primary President, so Gordon really has Mason duty on Sundays. We are busy, but doing well. Everyone is growing up and changing so fast. Some of it is welcome change and some of it is changing too fast. I look at Mason and it makes me sad that he will be our last baby. I know it's crazy, but it's hard to let go of that stage of your life.

Hope you all are doing well this Sunday night! Now, I'm off to bed!

Change is Good

2010-02-12T13:40:00.000-08:00

Kindergarten has been hard for Madison. She has spent most of her time crying and avoiding anything resembling academic work. It has all been a little overwhelming for her, and really beyond her abilities. Finally at the end of November, after reports of her running out of her classroom and her speech therapy room, I was spurred into action. I felt like something significant had to change so I wrote a letter to her IEP team and layed out three options. Special Day Class, 1:1 aide, or private school. I have to say, I feel like we are very lucky with the response we got. The morning after I sent the letter out I heard from the school and listened to their plan to try some more interventions at the school. We also had a date for an IEP meeting where we would make some final decisions. In the meantime I got to visit the Special Day Classes in the district and explore the private school option.

By the time the meeting came, it seemed clear to us that the best option at this time would be the district Special Day Class. It's a little class with 8 other students and a fabulous teaching team. There is one teacher and two full time aides. Before the meeting we let everyone know that is what we were going to advocate for and by the time we met the whole team was in agreement. So, Madison started at her new school in her new class this past Monday. We have had a whole week with only two crying episodes! Amazing, considering she was crying 6-8 times a day in her traditional Kindergarten class. She seems to be happy and loves taking her little bus to school.

We hope that someday, in a couple of years- or maybe sooner, that Madison will be able to transition back into general education classes. But, for now, we feel blessed to have the chance to try this option. Life can be tough when your ability to communicate is so limited. It was hard to see her so unhappy. Private school may be a more appropriate option down the road, but with all the schools being so far away, we almost feel like we would have to move to make that work.

I love the saying "The only constant is change." I can't think of anything more appropriate when raising kids. You get one stage figured out and they have grown out of it. You buy bunch of cute clothes and suddenly they are two inches taller. You make their favorite dinner to find out now they hate it! You make your favorite dish, knowing you won't have to share, and they eat the whole thing! We feel like this class is good for Madison now, but know that things can change and always do. So for now this change is a good one, and we feel blessed. But down the line, we worry about this girl. Her path to adulthood and independence will be a lot more work for her than others and we hope we can give her what she needs to be successful.

So here's to a good change! Yay! Let's hope we keep on seeing a happy girl at school.

Mason James- Blessing Day

2009-10-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

We blessed baby Mason a few weeks ago here in our ward in Danville. Gordon did a beautiful job and it was a really nice day. Uncle Troy, Vince, Jared Christensen, Jeff Myers and Bishop Stone stood in the circle with Gordon and Mason was a champ- no crying! We didn't get many pictures. Acutally we only took a few before church and just of me holding Mason. We are SO bad about taking pictures. Oh well. Here are the few that we have.

Where does she get this stuff?

2009-09-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

Abby said to me the other day, "Mom, isn't Christmas the greatest. We get all these new toys and stuff and because Santa brings it you don't have to use any of your own money!"

She is a thinker, that one!

She is trying all kinds of tricks to get to stay up later. She just recently started the "I'm hungry!" routine at bedtime. Tonight she tried that, and when it failed she tried the "I'm scared!" routine. Being in a better mood than usual at bedtime, I indulged her momentarily by asking, "What are you scared of?" She hesitated briefly, probably shocked that I didn't immediately bark "Get in to bed" at her, and then, in the most pathetic voice you can imagine said, "What if a tiger breaks through my window and comes to get me?"

What!! Seriously? A tiger? She obviously wasn't prepared with a more believable "fear". But, she recovered quickly saying, "I keep having bad dreams that I don't have a family anymore." I looked at her and she continued, "because of a fire." Ugh!!! For those of you that don't know her well, she is miss drama queen extraordinaire with an incredible imagination. She used to be scared of fires, but that was a few years ago. But, she knows we took it seriously, so now she is digging it up in a vain attempt at a few more minutes at bedtime.

She's seven. She should know by now, bedtime is the one thing in this family that is absolutely non-negotiable. But you've got to give the girl credit. She keeps trying- almost every night!

She's a thinker and a persistent excuse creator! And hopefully she's asleep.

Oh how I love my boys!

2009-09-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

Brotherly bonding. Are they not just the cutest things around? I think so.

One Burrito Baby - To Go, Please

2009-09-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

I have a special talent. Swaddling babies is my special talent. I can even do it, "to go." It's probably not the safest, but I am not one to wake a soundly sleeping baby just because we need to go pick up kids from school. Besides, he's in there so tight, he's not going anywhere. And an added bonus is that he is much happier now that his naps are not being interrupted by the shuttle service we have going on here with three kids on different school schedules. (it's not as bad as it sounds thanks to a wonderful, amazing, marvelous thing called the BUS, but we still do preschool and kindergarten pick up.)

Happy napping everyone!

For Gordon

2009-08-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

Gordon is out of town right now. He is in Texas, and apparently his client is having serious doubts about the fact that we have children. Gordon has no pictures with him, on his computer, in his wallet or anywhere else. Not only that, but he doesn't know how to access this blog, facebook or anywhere else that I have posted pictures of the baby. It's not that he couldn't figure it out, he just isn't interested. And the fact that he has no pictures with him is really due to the fact that we are horrible picture takers, not that he doesn't adore his kids (because he does.) So these pictures are for Gordon and his client, and anyone else who is interested. And hopefully the link that I email Gordon will work, otherwise these pics are just for you!

(below) Pre-baby pictures. Gordon and the kids making pizza. What a good dad!

(above) Amanda, Madi, Abby and Chase on the 4th of July. This is one of only two pictures that we took of me pregnant. I felt huge, and this picture does not really do justice to just how big I felt!

(above) Chase, Madi and Abby watching with great wonder at Mommy getting her blood pressure checked in the hospital. Baby Mason didn't hold a candle to the noisy automatic contraption velcroed tightly around Mommy's arm.

(below) I think Abby was pretty nervous to hold the baby. She has such a serious expression.

(above) Madi on the other hand was all smiles and very excited to be a new big sister.

(below) Chase wanted to hold the baby mostly because the girls were doing it. He was really more interested in getting drinks from the "refreshment room" in the hospital.

(below) Cute baby Mason sleeping peacefully.

(below) Those hospital binkys are huge and a little strange. You can see here the scratches Mason gave himself. It's amazing how long their fingernails are when they are born! What a cutie! It's been so fun having him here. We all just love him so much!

A New Baby

2009-07-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

It was Friday, (July 17th), and I was determined. I had an appointment in the morning, my membranes were stripped, and I was off and walking in 100+ degree weather up in the hills of Walnut Creek. It was so hot. I came home got on the treadmill and walked for an hour. I walked up and down the stairs. I walked all around the house. I bent over a lot and picked stuff up off the floor (an activity sure to give me contractions). And by 7pm I was having irregular contractions every 10 minutes. Not really labor, but I was impatient and tired of being pregnant. We decided to take the kids to their Aunts house for the night and on the drive over I decided to call my doctor just to see what he would say about my irregular 10 minute contractions. Can I just say, I love my doctor! The answering service lady told me that he said to come on in to Labor and Delivery. I knew by the way she said it he was already at the hospital, and that I would be having the baby that night.

We went in and I actually was contracting every 4 minutes, but I could only feel every other one. My dr broke my water and started Pitocin and at 7:58am baby Mason was born. He was a little stuck and after 1.5 hrs of pushing he came into the world with a little help from a vacuum(sounds worse that it actually is.)

He weighed 8lbs 4oz and was 20.5 inches long. He has dark hair and looks nothing like Chase did as a newborn. He is so cute*** and we are all having so much fun with him.

*** Chase was also very cute as a newborn, just to clarify- they just look so different to me, but both very cute!

The Ever Shrinking World

2009-07-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

First of all, no baby yet. I need to get some serious walking going on! Too bad is was 104 degrees today. We are going to try and walk around the Lafayette Resevoir tonight when it cools down a bit. Do you think if I have Gordon push our three kids in the triple jogger (which we are trying to get rid of by the way) that it will slow him down to my 9 month pregnant pace?

isn't it lovely? would you like to buy it, or do you know anyone who would?

So I just made a phone call to the hospital which struck me as really funny. My parents are in Africa serving a mission for our church. They have been there for about 20 months and have about 3.5 months to go, so they will miss being here for the birth of our baby. We have been able to communicate frequently with my parents using Skype and they love watching the antics of my crazy kids on the webcam. I was feeling bad that they were not going to be able to participate when our baby is born, then it struck me that we could just use skype on a laptop at the hospital (with the webcam appropriately directed at my head!) So today I downloaded Skype on my sister-in-law's laptop, located an old webcam we had, found the software and made sure everything was working. Then I realized we needed Internet access. I don't know why, but it struck me as so funny to call the hospital and ask if I could get wireless Internet access in my room when I come in to deliver my baby. And then, when I found out I could get Internet access, I just sat amazed for a moment that my parents in Africa could actually participate, in real time, in this amazing event in our life. Wow- how amazing. The world is getting so small. Don't you think?

The Update

2009-07-12T16:59:00.000-07:00

Today I am exactly 39 weeks pregnant. I was scheduled to be induced on Wednesday, the 15th, but got a call on Friday that I was bumped for another pregnant woman with more medical needs?!?! I was near tears the rest of the day! They were able to reschedule my induction for the 20th- ugh! I am due on the 19th. So that is the scoop. I am ready, and my doctor comes back in to town tomorrow night, so from Tuesday on I will be walking, eating spicy foods and praying that this little boy comes soon.

"Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"

2009-06-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

This witch was last seen on 6/8/09 at approximately 6:30pm Pacific Time. This witch was going to "rescue the girls and fight them with my big sword." The jury is still out on the good witch vs. bad witch controversy.Oh WAIT- you're not a witch at all!!

This particular Cinderella was last seen 3/3/09 at approximately 3:00pm. Just like the witch above, Cinderella was also, "going to rescue the girls..." but I think a rescue rope was involved rather than a sword. I wonder how much the girls enjoy being rescued?

They probably enjoy this much more. The Witch/Cinderella did not enjoy this quite as much as the girls and stood in that exact position for most of the afternoon, wanting to try but just lacking a little bit of courage.Isn't it great that they make 3 lane slip and slides? Anything that comes in 3's is a good thing in our house. Taking turns HAPPILY (is that a word?) isn't always the easiest task in our home. Now we are just waiting for the weather to heat up again so we can slip and slide the summer away!!!!!!!!!!

Nanny needed now!!!

2009-06-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

Ok - so I've come to the realization that several things about my summer, when added up are not likely to equal a very fun or happy summer for our little family.

Tired, anemic, pregnant mommy + Apraxic kid + ADHD kid + no meds + intensive speech and OT therapy for one kid+ art therapy for another kid + one kid with a thyroid disorder + daddy working late, but hopefully not traveling + Nana and Grandpa on a mission in Africa + a desire to maintain a schedule and a decently clean house + A NEW BABY = Nanny needed now!!!!

I am on a search for a nanny for the summer. We have a cleaning lady, so that part is ok. So, if you know anyone who might be interested let me know. I am thinking around 30 hours a week through the summer. I know it sounds like a lot, but that's what I am going to need after the baby comes to get everyone everywhere they need to be! So we'll do it for a few weeks before the baby comes too.

Now I am going to make yummy mac and cheese for my two kids who have been watching way too much Noggin and my one child who just practically impaled herself with a very long stick while pretending it was a trumpet and now has some nice gashes on the roof of her mouth and tonsils. Gross huh! Why would a long stick be in her mouth you wonder? Ahh- if you knew her you would not wonder. You would tell me to get a Nanny!

It's all tied up now.

2009-03-09T11:08:00.001-07:00

The line can be drawn, the big room repainted, the teams are now equal. Yes, the future holds many boys vs. girls activities for us, 3 on one side, 3 on the other. The baby is a BOY!!!! I am so excited. I wanted a boy, and believe me there is no mistaking it, this baby is a boy. Even I could tell. He was not being shy, or modest for that matter. He was wiggling all around, and isn't it the cutest thing when you see the baby inside of you sucking on his little itty bitty hand! You can hardly feel he is there, but boy oh boy he is sucking, swallowing, practice breathing, and doing all kinds of acrobatic feats inside you! What a truly amazing thing. What a blessing- one I truly doubted I would ever get to experience - way back when. Now I just have to convince Gordon that the name I like is the one and only perfect name for our new baby boy. I'll let you know if my powers of persuasion are successful.

Our Favorite Things

2009-03-03T09:15:00.000-08:00

Life has been a little trying lately and whenever I feel like posting I am afraid I will just end up complaining. So, I have decided to think positively and pull the good out of the last few weeks.

Chase- his favorites right now are scissors and knives, "Don't Break the Ice" game, sleeping on the floor in Mommy and Daddy's room, wormy worms (gummy worms) and calling everyone stinky. He loves to be part of the group and can easily convince his sisters to play Captain Hook with him using clothes hangers as his hooks. He as a pretty cool scar from the cut on his head that required 4 staples to close up. He looked like Frankenstein for a few days, but didn't cry a bit when the staples were removed. And, no, he didn't get the cut from the scissors or knives he is obsessed with (we strictly limit him to plastic play knives, and we take the scissors away when ever he gets his little hands on them.) He actually cut his head while colliding with a corner of the cinder block wall at church while I was getting the gym set up for the Blue and Gold dinner. Lots of blood, not much fun!

Madi- she has always loved stuffed animals and cuddly things. She seems to have a split personality and can be sweet and affectionate one minute and then screaming like a crazy person the next minute (and she's not upset, just playing!) She loves oatmeal, and wearing her jacket all day long. She has a BFF at school named Drew, but she is good friends with most of the boys in her class. She loved coming to the Blue and Gold dinner because her BFF at church is one of our scouts names Ryan. We are a little worried about her teenage years given her propensity to befriend the boys.

Abby- have you ever read the book "Raising your Spirited Child"? This is Abby in a nutshell. She loves everyone and everything, but if you tell her no she will let you know you have "ruined her life forever!" She is one of the most creative beings I have ever been around and sees potential for fun and excitement in every thing she sees. She likes to get messy and she adores her sister and brother. In the past few weeks her favorite things have been going out to dinner at Benihana with just mom and dad, making scrambled eggs all by herself almost every morning, helping daddy take care of Dutch by taking him to the vet, and teaching us an impromptu lesson all about temples at FHE (apparently you get to have a party in the temple when you get adopted or married, but at the party you have to sit still, be reverent and fold your arms.)

My favorite thing right now is Peanut Butter Cup Perfection Ice Cream from Cold Stone. Yum! And I am so excited for my 20 week (I will actually be 21 weeks) ultrasound next week. We will share the news- what do you think- boy or girl? My obgyn keeps saying its a girl based on the heartbeat range, but I don't know. (He doesn't either, he is just teasing me.)

Gordon's favorite things- right now he's pretty happy that he still has lots of work. Given the economy, we are all happy about that! He is in Miami right now, so I can't ask him his favorite things. Here's a short list- sushi, the tv show "Chuck", dreaming about a new truck, and his beautiful and incredibly talented wife! Hee Hee.

Happy Tuesday to all of you!

Interesting Information and Issues

2009-02-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

Last night Gordon and I had a big long discussion about some serious issues with our children. Yes, they all have issues (some more serious than others). Anyway- he shared a tidbit of information with me. He said he has worked more in the last month in a half than than he ever has in the same amount of time at any time in his career. Never before has he had such a busy January and February. Yikes- that's scary considering how much he does work in general. No wonder we all have issues! Remarkably, for me at least, I never would have come to that realization on my own. And usually I am the first to notice how much he is working. Maybe my issues with his workload are being replaced by the issues of my children. Ah, life is all about issues!!! Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. How can such little kids have such serious issues. Maybe they just feel serious because I am their mom. When I have more time I can explain a little better, let's just say therapists, doctors and trips to the principals office are not always fun!

Now I am off to prepare for the big Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet tonight. Let's hope there are no issues with that!

Catching up!

2009-02-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I have been in such a blogging slump. It's not like things haven't been happening. I mean what could be more exciting than being 14 weeks pregnant, having your husband out of town and having kidney stones! Not much, let me tell you.....

Now I am 16 weeks pregnant, no longer have a kidney stone, my husband is back in town and life is pretty much back to normal. So I guess I can resume blogging since nothing interesting is going on now! Life did get pretty stressful there for a while, but we are doing great now. Except for the small fact that I have not yet gained a single pound in this pregnancy and am a little worried about a teeny tiny underweight baby. I was kind of in the same position with Chase, but I think by now I had gained a few pounds (maybe three or four). By the end I gained almost 30 lbs, so maybe I am just a "late" gainer. And Chase was perfectly average- 7lbs 50z. But, I was told that if I don't gain in the next four weeks I will have to aggressively eat ice cream, cheese and fruit smoothies. So sad, huh? Except those things really don't sound very good at all to me right now. Isn't that the sad irony of pregnancy. You don't have to worry too much about what you are eating, but not everything sounds good. I haven't been too sick, I don't throw up, and I just can't quite figure out why I can easily gain weight when I am not pregnant unfortunately, but can't seem to do it when I need to.

We will find out in four weeks the gender of this baby. We are all so excited. Since the moment I found out I was pregnant I have been thinking a lot about the journey we have been through to have a family. Going from infertility, to a planned adoption, to a surprise adoption, to a surprise pregnancy to a planned pregnancy, certainly has been a journey. We've been able to experience a little bit of everything. Each child has come to us under such amazingly different circumstances, and our reaction to each has been so different. From absolute excitement (Abby) to absolute terror (Chase) and emotions in between.

We believe this will be our last child and I am so grateful that we have been given this chance to have one more. Our journey has certainly strengthened our testimony that Heavenly Father has a plan for us. We believe more than ever that Abby and Madison were meant to be our daughters. We've had lots of conversations lately about birthmothers and adoption. Madison is still kind of figuring it out. We were watching the food network together yesterday and she asked me if Ina Garten (is that her name? The Barefoot Contessa) was her birthmother. I had to laugh. Abby got impatient and said, "No, Emily is our birthmother." Then Madi gets a confused look on her face because her teacher is Miss Emily. Like I said, she is still trying to get it all straight in her head. Half the time they still call their birthmother their Godmother. Like they are Cinderella with a fairy godmother. Wishful thinking.

We still have several months (I am due mid July) but we are excited to see what #4 brings to our family!

And now, I will try to be a better blogger!

Funny boy.

2009-01-05T13:51:00.000-08:00

Chase went to his very first day of preschool this morning. There were about 5 other kids starting this morning too. I felt like a bad mom because I didn't bring my camera along. All the other moms (and dads- oops I guess we messed up there too) were snapping pictures left and right of their little ones rolling playdough or playing with puzzles. I helped Chase find a seat at the playdough table, gave him a kiss and ran for the door. Ok - not really, but I didn't hesitate to leave once he seemed thoroughly engaged in whapping his playdough with a hammer. I guess since we have been going to this preschool for the last 4 years it just seemed like normal to take him and leave him there. I drove away with a little smile on my face and a few hours of NO KIDS ahead of me.

Speaking of Chase-he is such a funny boy. He is our best sleeper and we sometimes have to wake him up to go places. This last Sunday it was around 9:15am and he was still asleep. He had gone to bed at 8pm the night before so we were a little worried. Gordon went into his room and layed down next to him to try and coax him awake. I peeked my head in to see how it was going and Chase saw me. He kind of yawned, put his head back down and the first thing out of his mouth that morning was, "Momma will you help me to get Daddy out of my bed." I started cracking up.

Gotta love him!

We had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2009-01-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Fun- we made pizzas and they were delicious. We also made Snickerdoodles for Santa and all the kids got new pj's and slippers.

Christmas Morning was pretty exciting. We had to wake Chase up, but once he heard Santa had come he was ok with getting out of bed.

Madison's face is so classic in this picture. My kids are the best to give gifts to. They love everything and act like every present is the coolest thing in the world. It makes Christmas and birthdays very fun!

Christmas Traditions

2008-12-18T13:45:00.000-08:00

I used to think that we weren't very good at doing Christmas traditions, but as I listened to my kids talk (well, actually just Abby talk) about all the things we do at Christmas I realized that we do have some traditions.

We decorate outside. Granted, it doesn't take much effort, but the kids love it. (I think I warned all of you about this at Halloween.)

We go to the same tree lot every year and pick out a tree. The kids always get a picture in front of the giant Santa and the picture is always washed out because of the sun.

We always go to the ward christmas party and the kids sit with Santa. Madison has always been fascinated by Santa and she sat on his lap about 6 times this year at the ward party. It helped that we were right on time and there was only one other family there. Whenever we couldn't find Madison we looked over by Santa and there she was either on his lap or watching his every move from about three feet away. When Santa left and we started to eat dinner Madison was very curious about where he was.

madison and her BFF, aka- Santa.

We have some other traditions too, like Gordon's work Christmas party (where Santa comes to visit too), neighbor gift delivering and Christmas eve pizza. But those things haven't happened yet.

If I get any good pictures I will post about those things too. So far it's been pretty fun and the kids are getting excited. I am excited too. I think I did pretty good on gifts this year, especially for Gordon. I think I might even see him excited! It's hard for Gordon to show excitement about gifts, but I think I might have done it this year- and no, it's not a Caribou Hunt or a Ford F-150, although those would be guaranteed to elicit some excitement from him. I'll let you know how I did. What are you most excited for this Christmas?

Helpless!

2008-12-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

So, I have been lucky enough to have a nanny helping me out for the last year and a half or so. I wish every mom could be so lucky. A few months after Chase was born we had Mimi come and work for us. She came every day for a few hours, which was great because she was able to stay with the kids when Gordon and I went on a trip together, and she came when I had surgery to have my tonsils taken out. She was just what we needed at the time, but we knew it would just be for a few months. After Mimi we had Courtney come to work for us. Again, Courtney was just what we needed at the time. Courtney is married and lives close by. She started by coming two days a week, and then she just started coming one day a week. She is wonderful, amazing and she provided the sanity I desperately needed. She took care of the kids, cleaned, did the laundry, made their meals, took them to the park (all in one day). I swear that girl never takes a rest!

BUT, guess what! Yesterday was Courtney's last day. So, so , so Sad!!!! I have to hand it to her though. She worked until she was 37 weeks pregnant. And she continued to work hard through her whole pregnancy. We will miss her, but are totally excited to meet her daughter Kristen when she makes her way into the world (hopefully not on Christmas day- even though she is due Dec 24th!)

So now I am totally help-less!!!! (I did used to have a cleaning lady too- I know I'm spoiled, but I swear my kids are HARD!!!) Life is much easier now though. Madison's therapy session are still 4 days a week, but are here at Abby's elementary school instead of in Walnut Creek. The kids are doing chores, which actually really helps out. We have gotten used to Gordon's travel schedule and long hours.

Anyway- we just wanted to give a shout out to our wonderful nannies, without whom I would have for sure had a nervous breakdown. Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping our family when we needed it most!

Madison, our daredevil.

2008-12-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

Madison's birthday was on November 15th. She turned 5. 5 is a big deal at our house because it is the first year we do a "big" birthday party. Madison got to choose where she wanted to have her party and our little redhead chose the "rock climbing place."

She has been to a couple of parties at this place and has been on the rock wall almost the whole time. There are also big jump houses and slides, foosball tables, and other activities, but Madison loves the Wall!

That's her up there on the right. She mostly just liked the freefall off the wall.

So on Friday November 14th, twenty of her friends, neighbors, cousins and classmates joined us at her favorite party place to celebrate her 5th birthday.

She had a blast. Can you tell? She totally deserved an amazing over the top birthday party and we are just so glad so many of her friends were able to come and celebrate with her. She works so hard in all her therapy and she has made so much improvement. We love her so much and are happy she is part of our family.

The Halloween Edition- only 11 days late!

2008-11-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

So, I am a little late. But, here are our Halloween cuties. Princess Fiona, Tinkerbell and Thomas the Tank Engine all hope that you had a great Halloween too. Princess Fiona did not know her own name, only that she was the Shrek Princess (a movie which she has never seen by the way.)

Tinkerbell acutally picked out a Daphne (from Scooby-Doo) costume, but decided at the last minute that grabbing something from the dress up box was just easier than a wig and weird shoe things. Thomas the Tank Engine didn't want to wear a costume, including the hat, but once the candy thing got going he completely forgot about it and was just about as excited as a three year old can get.

This is the best picture I could get of the three of them. Seriously. They had a great time on Halloween and loved every minute of the few pieces of candy they got to eat. What's even better is they rarely asked for the candy after Halloween. I had to get rid of most of it just so I wouldn't eat it myself. My favorites this year were twizzlers, milk duds and kit-kats. I think I overdid it on Butterfingers last year, as they held no appeal for me this year. We do need to train Chase a little better though, he ended up with about a dozen almond joys a handful of mounds. No one in this house will eat those! But, if any of you out there enjoy them let me know and I will save them just for you next year!

Who potty trained that kid?

2008-11-05T14:38:00.000-08:00

This is how to thoroughly confuse a little boy when potty training.

1) insist that he sit backwards on the potty when first learning to go.

2) realize that he has to completely strip from the waist down to sit on the potty backwards

3) realize that stripping from the waist down will not go over so well in preschool.

4) insist that he stand up to pee, but of course with the seat up

5) bribe and beg him to stand up to pee so he can go to preschool

6) try to have him sit forwards on the potty so he doesn't have to strip and can still go to preschool

7) have him pee all over you, the nanny and the floor while sitting forward on the potty

8) bribe and beg again for him to stand up to pee - preschool is really important people!

9) let him decide how he wants to use the potty

10) be happy that now he stands up to pee, but still sits backwards to go #2

I can just imagine the thoughts in poor Chase's head.

Chase thinking- "I need to pee, so I stand up and put this seat thingy up. Wait, I actually need to go #2, so I guess I'll just sit down. Wow, this feels different and what is this seat doing here in front of me. I thought I was supposed to sit on it. I guess I still can sit on it , if I can just get it over my head. Oh now what do I do? I thought my legs were supposed to be under this thing. I guess I just put it back up. Oh great, I think I am......."

Chase screaming- " Mooooommmmmyyyy, I is stuck!!!!!"

He's not going to preschool until January. I guess we still have some time.

Behind the Scenes

2008-10-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

In an effort to reveal what life is like here at the Beckstead's I thought I would give you a quick peek into our life.

Every morning after the girls are at school Chase and I come home to a kitchen that looks like this.

About half of the time, I decide the Kitchen takes priority and we turn it into this

But, sometimes the car takes priority, especially since one of my children (I won't name names.... mostly because I don't really know who did it.... but I have two guesses) decided to do this.

and this....

So we get out the hairspray and now we have this.

Most of the days we have faces that look like this. Especially, when one of them gets caught doing something like what we have above.

And most days we have silliness that looks like this. Which is a stage that I know won't last forever, but sure does create mountains of laundry.

So basically we have daily messes, frequent art in unwanted places, multiple emotional meltdowns, and excessive silliness. Someday I will have to post the movie I made of the day the girls dumped out all the rice, cereal and noodles all over the kitchen floor and then moved on to pull out all the tinfoil and saran wrap and leave it in a heap in the living room. Unfortunately, I don't have a movie of the time the girls decided to have a picnic in the kitchen and got out all the pots and pans, filled them with water and then took out ALL the spices and started making "soup."

The thing that still amazes me is how fast they are in their naughtiness. Someday they will be amazing artists, chef's, actresses or whatever they choose, but getting through the NOW is the challenge.

It's been a long, full day here- school, Occupational Therapy, a two hour IEP meeting, stress and worry about our little Madi, playing in the cul-de-sac with neighbors, dinner out as a family, the ever difficult bedtime routine, the one child still awake refusing to go to bed.... I think I am ready to give in to the fatigue and say goodnight.

I've been tagged!

2008-10-27T21:51:00.001-07:00

I've never been tagged before. It's such an honor (I think!). I didn't actually think my friend Stacey in Washington was referring to me when I read that she tagged Amanda at the end of her post. I figured she had another friend Amanda. So, Stacey- thanks for thinking of me and thanks for the email that let me know that you did mean me!

So here goes. I am supposed to post the fourth picture in my fourth folder in my pictures file.

Wouldn't you know that this little guy's mom is the link between me and Stacey! This is my little nephew Hunter. His mom, Heather, is my sister in law and one of Stacey's friends. This picture was taken when Hunter was about 5-6 months old and was admitted to the hospital for respiratory issues. He was in the hospital for a few days, and now, 3 1/2 years later he is just as cute as he was then. Hunter is such a funny kid. He is the youngest of three boys, and he is the youngest by four years, but Hunter believes he is just as old and big as his older brother. The last time he spent the night here I had to convince him that the pj's I was going to have him wear were not actually Chase's pj's- because of course Chasey's jammies would naturally be waaay to small for him seeing that Chase is a whole year younger than than him (a whole year younger and just little bit bigger!) So I convinced him that they were actually left at our house by Owen (a mutual friend, much older and much bigger than both Chase and Hunter) so they would fit him perfectly! He was satisfied and slept cozy and comfy in Chasey's rocket jammies. Ooops, I mean Owen's jammies. Sorry, Heather, for lying to you child. He is just too cute and funny!

I tag April. You're it!

We like Halloween!

2008-10-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

We decorated a few weeks ago and the kids were so excited. It was very fun. What do you think of our pumpkin heads?

Yes, we do have a tacky big blow up thing in our front yard. But, it seems to have developed a big hole in the top, that only keeps getting bigger (with help from the kids) so we may have to retire the big blow up thing in the yard. Chase will be crushed. He loves that thing.

Don't worry though. We do have another big tacky blow up thing for Christmas. We love them- oh, I mean the kids love them! What we love is seeing the kids so excited!

Lightning McABBY

2008-10-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

It has been a lot of fun watching Abby play soccer this year. For about half the time she is on the field she looking at the clouds, doing pirouettes, or lost in some deep thoughts. The other half of the time she is amazingly focused, FAST and very skilled at getting the ball in the net. She just waits until the ball is somehow kicked out the pack of girls, then she takes off with it and no one can catch her.

She's been scoring around 3 goals a game (of course last time two were for our team and one was for the other team- oh well, you can't win them all!) She really is fast, but that isn't much of a surprise. There isn't much that Abby does that isn't done in hyperspeed!

We are excited to see how Madison does next year. My guess, she will either be crying because she doesn't have the ball, or she will be trying to hug everyone of the field. Cute Madi!

The little man is 3!

2008-10-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Chase turned 3 on Saturday. On the agenda for the day- Breakfast at Country Waffles with all his best friends- Abby, Madison, Mommy, Daddy and Hunter. Cheering at Abby's soccer game - his favorite part is kicking the ball with Daddy during half time. Toys R Us - to pick out new Thomas trains and tracks. Dinner - Steak, steak, steak (that is all he ate! it is his very favorite food.) Cupcakes and presents! What more could a little guy want. He is in absolute Thomas Train heaven!

(this is Chase's warning look- the girls better beware if they get too close to the tracks!)

(there really are 3 candles, you just can't see the third one)

Happy Birthday Chase! We love you!

The Report

2008-10-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

First, DC.

It was amazing! The weather was perfect, the time alone was relaxing, being back in the city was exciting. I even rode my old commuter bus from Foggy Bottom to my old stop and then walked to my apartment. I stood in front of my building, in awe that I actually owned and lived in this cute apartment just a mile up the road from the heart of Georgetown. It brought back so many memories, especially of when Gordon and I were dating. Going back to the old stomping grounds was a highlight of the trip, but all the yummy food, good company and book reading time wasn't too bad either.

Second, camping.

Yes- they did it. I even left my camera here for them to take photos of their adventure, but Gordon didn't take it and I have yet to see any proof that they actually went. I am pretty sure they did, but I will have to wait to see the pictures that his friend Jeff took. They went with Jeff and his son Matthew (who apparently was a little overwhelmed by the noise and commotion our three bring!), and luckily for my family's sake, Jeff provided all the food and cooking equipment. So with that taken care of, along with the fact that I laid out clothes for the kids for every day, Gordon had it pretty easy, but even so, Kudos to him for taking them. I'm pretty sure I would have just stayed home!

I'm off to Oz, the Emerald City

2008-10-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

That's right - I'm DC bound this afternoon. What? You didn't know that the Wizard of Oz was just one big metaphor about the Gold Standard Debate in 1896? You didn't know that the Emerald City represented Washington DC and that the wizard was supposed to represent the President? Well, if you didn't- just know that I am lucky to have a big brother who has filled my head with all sorts of useful knowledge over the years- some of it based on fact and some of it based on his own unique way of thinking about things. Such as his conviction that you should brush your teeth with warm or hot water because they will get cleaner.

I am just about to burst from excitement for 4 days without the gang! Just me! How lucky am I? I am heading out with my sister-in-law. We just hope the husbands can handle it. Gordon is planning on taking the kids camping! WHAT! Without me, for the first time ever. Yes, that's right. Our children have never been camping before, and Gordon is going to try it solo! Wish him luck! I think his biggest challenge is not really the camping part, it will be getting everything ready to go camping!

I'll report back about DC and the much anticipated camping trip when I return on Monday.

The 5 Senses

2008-09-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

We all remember the five senses right? Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. (an embarrassing confession - I had to look them up, I kept forgetting taste.) I was just thinking this afternoon how useful the sense of smell has become in my day to day parenting experience. For example...

This afternoon:

Abby-"Mom, Madison ate all of the cinnamon bread. She did, she ate it all gone."

Me- "Let me smell your mouth."

Abby - (without letting me near her face) "Well, I just had one piece, and Madison had like five pieces."

This morning:

Me-"Madison, did you brush your teeth and hands?"

Madison- "Yes."

Me -"Let me smell your mouth and hands."

Madison- (as she runs back to the bathroom) "Ok, ok, ok, ok..."

A few days ago:

I smelled the ominous smell of some sort of cleaning supply, and I was clearly not cleaning. I ran upstairs.

Me- huge gasp, "Chase, what are you doing spraying Goo Gone all over your feet." and all over the carpet by the way...

Chase - "I'n just cleaning them."

Me- (in a panic, how on earth did he get that!) "Did you put it in your mouth?"

Chase- "Um no, um yes, um no."

Me- throwing him in the bath tub "Open your mouth this instant and let me smell"

Chase - "Ok"

He opened his mouth wide and I was more than relieved to smell nothing more than Cinnamon Toast Crunch on his sweet breath! What a relief. Time to childproof everything again, especially since Chase has a certain attraction to knives, scissors (see the following pic), sticks and, apparently, cleaning products. He looks so innocent. Do not be deceived!

Anyone else have close calls with cleaning products, unwanted haircuts, or tricky ways to get the truth out of their little ones? Please share.

Hello blogland!

2008-09-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

(aren't Madi and Chase cute holding hands!)

Well, after months of spending countless hours reading all about the lives of strangers in blogland, I finally decided to take the plunge and start my own blog. My husband will laugh and say he knew it was just a matter of time. My kids will be further neglected, and someday they will probably be embarassed that their crazy adventures will be posted for all to see. But, there is often too much humor and craziness in our life to keep to ourselves- we just need to share!

You are probably wondering- why the title -"Where'd they get that hair?" When I think about how the general public responds to us as a family when we are out and about, this is by far the most frequently asked question we get. Do all families get asked questions by perfect strangers when they are out? Maybe or maybe not, but we certainly do. When we are out together (with or without Gordon) we generally get one of three responses by many people we come in contact with. The most frequent is the question, "Where'd they get that hair- you have one of each. Brown, Red and Blonde" Why yes we do! The second is, "Where did they get those curls?" Poor Chase just gets forgotten in those moments. The last is "Boy, you have your hands full." And, most of the time I literally do. Full of two curly topped girls, one red head and one brown, and one blonde little boy!

What questions/comments do you get when you are out?