Milan's Wedding

What a gorgeous wedding it was! The weather in Monterey is VERY temperamental, you are more likely to get a foggy rainy day than a sunny one. Well it was sunny and warm and just perfect for a wedding. We all think she paid someone for the weather :)

A wedding at the beach is great for kids! During the ceremony the girls were playing and being noisy and no one heard a thing because of the waves crashing. Here they are enjoying the wedding :)

We tried so hard to get Amanda to smile for a picture. Ava did great but Amanda was too interested in the sand and seaweed.

This was Justin's attempt to get Amanda to smile. No luck. He looked really good though!

After the ceremony, I wanted to get my feet wet because who can go to the beach without getting their feet in. Yeah, the water was freezing!!

The girls thought it was pretty cold too.

This is how Brie enjoyed her first trip to the beach. Thank goodness she was good through the ceremony though. She did end up waking up for a few photos with the bride.

Here is the beautiful bride. She is so gorgeous!!!

Here is her groom, Chad.

The Three Musketeers. This is the first time all three of us have been together since Lisa's wedding. Lisa is the woman in orange. My bestest buds.

We love her!!
Milan and Chad are off to Tahiti for an awesome honeymoon. Did you know you can have a honeymoon registry? Thats what they did and let me tell you they are going to have a rockin' time!!

Great Grandparents

My grandparents came to see us yesterday. This is the first time they got to meet Brie.


My dad borrowed this swing from one of the ladies at his work. Brie just loves it! There is this little red button she stares at and smiles constantly.

Here is Great Grandma Liz holding Brie for the first time. This is who Brie was named after (her middle name is Elizabeth).

Justin taught (Great) Grandpa Ed how to play the Wii. Here he is Practicing his bowling skills. And no he didn't hold Brie but he will be come Sunday :)

Justin and grandpa had a bowling match...

Justin lost...twice... Here is the score board to prove it. My grandpa is the ghetto guy with the beanie. Did I mention my 29 year old husband lost to an 83 year old man...twice?

We are off to Milan's wedding in about an hour. I can't wait. She is going to be just gorgeous!!! And the wedding is on the beach so entertaining the kids will not be an issue :)

I heart my family

Here are some pictures from yesterday and today:

This is my brother Eric holding Brie. He really is a natural with kids.

My mom was getting some Brie time in as well.

The game of choice here is the Wii. Justin is playing golf while holding Brie. What talent!
The guy in the background in the picture is Paul. We have known him forever. He is pretty much my moms adopted son.

This is my Mexican brother (brotha for all you gangstas out there) Fred. He has two kids so he knew how to handle Brie.

My parents run fans all over the house and most of them are huge industrial strength things. This one was on so I decided to teach the girls how to talk into the fan to make their voices sound funny. They thought it was hilarious. I thought their wind blown hair was cute.

This is what Brie was doing while the girls were playing with the fan. By the way that fan is about 50 years old. I remember it at my grandparents house when I was little.

This is my brother Dan. This was taken after a wrestling session between him and Ava. I think Ava won. She was bouncing on his belly. He did say he needed an ab workout :)

This is one of my best friends in the whole world Lisa. She is down here the wedding as well. I haven't seen her since I was 6 months pregnant with Ava. She has a little boy that I finally got to meet. I love her.

Here is Lisa's little boy Myles. He is a carbon copy of his dad. So cute and all boy.

For as long as I can remember my parents have had a cuckoo clock. Today Justin showed Amanda the little bird that pops out when a new hour comes. She was very impressed.

We made it!

We arrived safely here in CA last night late. The girls did really well on the airplane. Ava didn't sleep one wink on the airplane. Amanda didn't sleep until the flight from Las Vagas to San Jose. Brie was on and off the whole time. She got a little cranky at times but all in all it wasn't too bad. Both flights went fairly quickly and were wide open so everyone got their own seat.

Things have changed a little bit since I was here last. This morning my dad mentioned that the toilet seat is always up. I didn't think anything of it because my brothers and my dad only use that bathroom. But my dad explained, Harley, my parents dog who is about 15 years old who has arthritis really bad, uses the toilet as his water bowl. Yeah I know its pretty disgusting but before you think my parents are negligent dog owners let me explain... Apparently when Harley had his water dish on the floor he would sink down and fall over while drinking. So now I really need to remember to flush and leave the seat up. Some ones life depend on the toilet. Oh did I mention the dog also eats cat food. he is spoiled but Hey he is 15 who really cares so long as he is happy. I love my dad, as he was saying this he had this little smirk on his face because he knows how weird it is.

On a totally unrelated note, we got a quote for insurance the other day and it was $10 more than we were expecting because Justin is under weight. Our insurance agent said this is the first time he has ever seen this. My husband is now on a weight gaining rampage. He's a little mad :) What a nice problem to have right?

Let me just say that I really wish my family lived closer. Watching the girls interact with my brothers is the best in the world. They are so happy and loved. I wish I lived closer to family so my kids could have this everyday. I hate knowing that this won't happen but maybe once or twice a year. Seriously, what I wouldn't give to be close to family...

Off to California

We are headed to CA today at around 5:45. This is the first time I have had to pack for all three kids and surprisingly it wasn't too difficult. We have two big suitcases, Ava's little suitcase, a backpack, computer bag and Bries car seat. We are planning on checking the two suitcases. This will be the first time in the 6 years Justin and I have been married that we are checking our bags. Its so weird to do that. This is also the first time in six years we have tickets. Adding to the list of firsts, it's Brie's first time on an airplane. I hope she does well. The youngest I have ever had a kid on an airplane is 6 months.

We have a layover in Las Vegas and I am armed with about a dollar in quarters. I really think I am going to hit it big this time :) Wish me luck!

Nursery and Naps

Today at church I finally decided to go ahead and put Brie in the nursery. What the heck right, if they call my number no big deal. Well they didn't call my number and I enjoyed an entire church service alone for the first time since Brie was born. That one hour on Sundays is so nice to be totally free responsibility. Honestly I wish I could just go to the ladies lounge and take a nap on the couch. The couch in there is soft and cushy and the lights are dim. Perfect for a snooze. Oh well. I just enjoy my hour any way I can get it.

Speaking of naps, I think Ava is about ready to give up hers. She hasn't taken a nap the last two days and she hasn't shown extra signs of crankiness either. Today while Amanda and Brie were sleeping Ava and I went shopping. It was really fun actually. It was like girl bonding time. I need to do that more often with her. She really is a good shopping companion. So now I need to figure out what to do with her during naps. I think I will just make her have a quiet time for about an hour or so.

Bangs

I have been contemplating giving Ava bangs for a couple weeks now. My cousin just got some bangs and she looks really cute so I thought I would finally do it. She looks like a totally different. Just as cute if not cuter though :)

Dinner Dilemma

So I am not sure what to do about dinner time anymore. The past couple of weeks Ava and Amanda have not really eaten much dinner. When they do this we give it to them for breakfast. They don't eat it for breakfast either. We also don't give any snacks on days like this to encourage them to be hungry and eat dinner. We do however give them lunch because we feel bad not giving them anything all day long.

Now they take one look at dinner maybe eat a bite or two and say they want it for breakfast. So of course they go hungry and the same cycle starts again. My question is this, when can we make them go all day without food or until they eat their dinner? I just think Amada is too young for this but I am not sure how else to teach them that they need to eat their dinner. It's not like I make totally non kid friendly food. I just don't know what to do.

Does anyone have any advice because I am at a loss? On the plus side though I have instituted a go to your room policy if you don't eat. It's quite nice. Both girls are there now.

I never thought I would say this but...

I REALLY don't want Brie to get bigger. I am really liking her as a little baby. She is just so tiny and sweet. Mind you I am not really a baby person at all so this is huge coming from me. I am just afraid she is going to grow up and I will have to discipline her and she will lose her sweet yummy goodness. Now I really know what toddlers/preschoolers are capable of and...well...yikes. Three of those running around may prove to be tough.

The girls

This was my attempt at getting all three girls in the same picture, looking the same direction. I think it turned out pretty cute.


And how cute is Brie?!?!

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Ava and Amanda singing their favorite song :)

The Microwave

I love being married to a handyman! Justin just finished installing the microwave and its pretty freakin' cool. It does more stuff than I will ever use but who cares it's pretty :) But really though there is a whole set of buttons just for heating up kids food (hot dogs, oatmeal, babyfood, and soup). Not to mention automatic buttons for just about everything else. I think I will be having oatmeal for breakfast just so I can test it out.

So here are the before and after pictures. The shiny new microwave kinda makes our stove look like crap...

Whats happening here

A couple things have happened over the last couple of days but I was waiting for a website link and a picture to actually update you all. Since it's been a couple days I will just tell y ou what happened and when I get the link and pictures I'll get those to you as well. So here goes:

1. I came down with mastitis yet again. Thankfully I caught it early and got an antibiotic before it kicked my butt. Last time I waited to see if it would go away and I paid for it. Thank goodness for modern medicine otherwise I swear I would be dead by now. If I am counting right this is my fifth time total with mastitis. Oh and this is why I didn't blog for the past couple days. I was resting and frankly nothing seems all that exciting when I am in pain.

2. Ava was named Mr. Mack's Super Star Swimmer for the third swim session!! She was the most improved out of all his students. She got her picture taken with Mack and he also wrote a little blurb about her. This should be posted on the Atlantis swim school website soon. When it is I will make sure you all get the link. I am SO proud of Ava!

3. My microwave broke on Monday as I was heating up some corn. I was a little bummed because I use the microwave a lot. I called Justin to let him know and now we are getting a brand new over the range microwave!!!! Justin is on his way to pick it up right now. The coolest part about this microwave is that is has a baby food button!!! Who knew LG would be this intuitive when it comes to mothers and their needs. So hopefully the microwave will be installed tonight and I will have those pictures up by the time I go to bed tonight.

Backyard Olympics

We went to a party, in honor of the Olympics, at our friend Ken's house tonight. Just another excuse to get together and have fun! We all competed in three different events to see who would get the gold medal. The first event was who could make the tallest Jenga tower. I placed second. I must say though that I had flawless technique that everyone copied! I went first so I was at the disadvantage. Justin didn't place.

The next event was very creative. Ken froze whistles in a cup of water. The first person to whistle won. I placed second again. Justin actually had the good technique in this game. He broke the whistle and got the ice out that way. Then he held the whistle together and it worked! very smart. Way to go honey! Justin placed third.

The third event was an obstacle course. First you had to kick a soccer ball through three goals, then go through a hula hoop and across a balance beam type thing, and last you had to hit three cups off this table with tennis balls. That was the hardest part for me. Justin and I ran the course together. I admit we both played a little dirty but I think that was the most fun part for me. We both didn't place.

In the end Ken added up the scores and I ended up winning the gold!! I bet you didn't know I was an Olympian. My talent just seems endless.

Brie Rolled!!

Yes, you read that right!! At first I thought it was a fluke and maybe I positioned her just right and she rolled. It has happened before. But no, she did it about 5 times in a row. Then she got mad and wouldn't do it anymore.

Maybe she'll be walking by next month!

New Toy

Last night my neighbors daughter came over and dropped off this wonderful new toy. Her sons had all out grown it so she wanted to give it to us. Talk about a really fun toy!! Everyone has been having a ball with it. Justin said we need to buy a bunch of add ons to make it go all over the house. That would keep them busy for hours. When I reminded him that it would cost money to do that.
He said "ok lets wrap all the tunnels in a circle".
To that I relpied "How will they get out?"
He said, "we'll just tell them to keep looking until they find it. It will be fun."

I really wonder about him sometimes :)

Brie's First Bath

Finally! I think she enjoyed it.

Morning Visitor

Ava found a pretty good sized frog this morning and decided to teach Amanda how to catch it. Amanda wouldn't touch it but she definitely thought it was cool.

First day of Preschool

Today was Ava's first day of preschool and she just loved it! I dropped her off and she didn't look back once. I got a hug and a kiss and that was it. Justin picked her up when it was over and she just talked his ear off. She learned how to say "bonjour", learned about the letter A, she made a nest out of playdough and I am sure there was lots more but this was the big stuff. All in all a pretty good day I reckon.

Ava is ready to go out the door to preschool! You'll notice the shoes that totally don't go with her dress. Well, she isn't allowed to wear flip flops, just close toed shoes. I need to find her cuter shoes...

Ava's friend Lex is in her class with her. Here they are waiting to go inside. Oh if you talk to Ava on the phone and she is talking about the boy she wants to marry, this would be the boy she is talking about :) I am not sure if he is aware of her plans however...

I very much enjoyed the time with just two kids. Brie slept the whole time and Amanda just wanted to sit and cuddle when I was finished on the phone. Very relaxing for me. I am looking forward to the next time. And on a great note, I got to go back to my Tuesday lunch today!! YAY!! I couldn't see bringing three kids to a restaurant for lunch. I shudder just thinking about it.

Brie's 2 month check up

She is pretty tiny!

Weight: 9lbs 15 oz
Length: 22 in

She is in the 30 percentile for both of these. I thought she might at least be 10 lbs but I guess not :) So petite and cute I just love it. The doc said she is doing great and looks healthy as can be.

The shots were awful as usual but thankfully Justin was there and I got to leave the room while it was happening. It didn't stop me from getting sick in the pit of my stomach and tearing up a bit. I really really hate shots.

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks 6 years married to Justin. I am learning each and every day how lucky I am to have found a husband like Justin. I am blessed beyond belief! Besides that thank God I found a man that can help me make really cute babies!! :)

I love you honey, and here's to the next 6! :)

At long last...

Brie's umbilical cord FINALLY came off this morning. I am glad to be rid of that thing.

Pre-pregnancy Pants!

I was able to fit (read: squeeze) into some pre-pregnancy pants today!! I am so excited because right now all I have to wear are a couple pairs of capri's that are starting to get a little baggy. They were a bit tight to pull over my thighs and rear end but they stretched a bit and fit just fine. I still have about 13 pounds of baby weight to get rid of though. If I lay off the sugar and garbage like that I bet I would lose it faster :)

So here you go. Me in my pre-pregnancy pants. I wish they made me look skinnier but I guess light color jeans aren't the most flattering. Oh and Ava thought it was really funny to pull her hat over her face and get in the picture. Ah, kids.

Smile Brie

We caught Brie on a good day the other day. She was in a very smily mood and it was so cute. I really can't get enough of her smiles. What a cute little face!!!



She was doing tummy time and pulled this look.

I am pretty sure Brie is destined to be a thumb/finger sucker. Today she just started pretty much chewing on her entire fist trying to find anything to suck on. She didn't figure out that she needs to unclench her fists in order to get a finger to suck on. Hopefully she'll figure it out soon. I am ready for this paci to be gone. You can tell she was getting a little frustrated at the end of this video, she had been trying for about 5 or 10 minutes already...

Ava's Radio Show Debut

The radio show today was about teaching kids about money. So Justin thought it would be cool to have Ava on the show with him. Unfortunately, Ava gets shy in new situations so she didn't say anything. Either way she got to see Justin on the radio. She was very well behaved.

Here is Justin talking live on air. Doesn't Ava look so fascinated :)

This is the Lukas Coaching crew. Justin, Ava, Derek and Preston.

Leapster

A couple days ago Ava's new Leapster came in the mail. Let me just tell you, I love it! It has kept her very busy the past couple days and it has been a welcome relief because Brie has been a bit of a crab. I feel much better about Ava playing a game rather than watching a movie. At least she is learning something this way.


Amanda is playing the old Pixter we got for the trip to Europe. It was cheap and looks like the Leapster so Amanda is happy :)

This is usually what Amanda does while Ava is playing the Leapster. Isn't she cute?

This is why I like it when Justin makes breakfast. Just look at the presentation!!!