Change in venue...

For those of you who don't already know, our plans have changed. Instead of going to Hawaii, we will be moving to Maryland. This makes Eric sad because it means less time in the ocean spearfishing but it is good news for me since it makes coming home just that much easier. We don't know where we will live yet. Somewhere close to Columbia so that Eric doesn't spend eons traveling each day. Any suggestions for a cute suburbian neighborhood? I know that some of you will be disappointed as well since you won't be able to visit us in the tropics but you are still welcome to visit, just come to see the capitol of our nation instead!

feel the love

Have you all taken the Love Language test? If you haven't, you need to. Go HERE to take the 30 second, readers digest version. Anyhow. I am an even split between "Acts of Service" and "Gifts". In other words, I am bi-lingual. I am most likely to show my love an appreciation to you by giving you a gift or doing something for you. These are also the ways I need to be shown appreciation.

My favorite part of the Christmas Season is getting cards in the mail. I LOVE IT!! There is something about mail that gives me the hugest warm and fuzzy feeling. Not only is it a "gift" but it is an "act of service" since it takes time to write it out and send it in the post. Here are all of the cards we got this holiday season. Can you find yours?

I have to say that Mandy's made me laugh the hardest with Sara's coming in a close second. Who doesn't laugh at a doggie wearing a Santa hat? Warren's was probley the most heartfelt and I loved getting a card from my Dad.

Thank you everyone who thought of us. It made my month of December THAT MUCH BETTER!!

Things we give up to be a mom...

This post is a little on the confessional side. Maybe I should keep this stuff to myself but as I have afore mentioned, I don't really filter myself.

Being a mom of three I do my best. That is all I can do. My house is usually in decent shape, only rarely do my kids skip a daily bath, they always have clean underwear (diapers) and clothes. I on the other hand, suffer a little more. I try really really hard to shower everyday. Honestly, I never go longer than 2 days but even after 5 months of having 3 kids, I still am not used to not being able to shower everyday and take my time in a nice steamy, relaxing shower. So, that being said, it is an even bigger deal when I wash my hair. If I wash it, it takes at least 30 min for me to do (blow dry, put in rollers, flat iron). It isn't so much that I don't have the 30 min to spare each day, but more about what Neelah can get into in that same 30 min. The child is out of control. For real. Not a day goes by without her falling off something that she isn't supposed to be climbing on. I love her dearly but she is a mess and that is exactly what she makes when I take my 5 min shower and try to do my hair.

This is what she walked around in for the entire 30 min yesterday morning. Seriously. It's the bag that I keep my velcro rollers in. She decided that a ziplock would go nicely with her pj's and dumped the rollers on the floor to add this to her ensamble.

Savvy Laughing

Finn is the only one who can get Savvy to laugh on a regular basis. And she always laughs hardest when Finn is around. I am so blessed to have happy babies. SO BLESSED!! If Savvy was a hard, colicky baby I just wouldn't make it. She is so much FUN!

Maryland

Like I said in my last post, I loved being with Eric in Maryland. It was so much fun to just do whatever I/we wanted to do!!

This was as close as I got to The Pentagon. Here we are driving to the airport to drop me off to head back to SLC.
And here is as close as I got to the Washington Memorial. It was a pretty cool sight from the freeway, I can't imagine what it must be like to actually be there. Maybe next time....

Can anyone say "VAY-KAY!!"

I am currently in Maryland visiting Eric. I left all 3 kids at home. Some of you may be thinking, "how could she leave her 4 month old???" It's okay if you are thinking that, I think the same thing about myself at least once an hour. But after the last year, I NEED A RESET. It has been way hard being away from my kids. This is the first time in 4 years that I have been without at least one child in tow.

Eric and I are having the TIME OF OUR LIVES!!

I had this whole agenda planned for my 3 days here. That immediately went out the window. I soon realized that what I REALLY wanted to do was WHATEVER I WANTED!! If I wanted to get back in bed after breakfast, that is exactly what I would do (and what I DID do).

Eric and I have gone out to see some sights. We went to Annapolis today and walked around and shopped. We ate at this cute little pub and shivered as the sea winds blew. I love the old 1800's architecture and seeing all the sailboats. It is all so very QUAINT.

We have roamed the mall and plan on dinner and a movie tonight. What more can I ask for? This quality time with my husband is GOLD!! So even though I am judging myself for leaving my babies, I will be a better mom when I get home tomorrow.

I must be stupid

Today I took Savvy for her 4 month check up. The day started out relatively okay, all the kids were dressed and in the car...even the girls had their hair done! I knew that Savvy was going to have to get some shots today and since Neelah never got her 12month shots I thought to myself that I might as well get them done so that I don't have to make another trip.

We get to the Dr.'s office and just as they call us back Finn announces that he needs to go to the bathroom. The catch is that he doesn't want to go by himself. After working it out with the nurse, she stays to watch Savvy and Finn, Neelah and I go into the bathroom. Finn remembers his 4 year checkup and decides that it was GREAT FUN to pee in a cup! He insists on peeing in a cup. I am trying to get him to quickly pee in the toilet while holding Neelah so that she doesn't put her hand in his stream. Seriously.

Then comes the fun part of keeping all 3 kids locked in the room while not allowing Finn or Neelah to break anything or make a mess. So Savvy gets all checked out and she weighs a whopping 16lbs 4oz and is 25 1/4 inches long. Then come the shots. She gets 4. OUCH! I work on getting her settled down and then it is Neelah's turn. She gets 4 too! Double ouch. I take my two crying girls out and all the while Finn is asking about when he gets a treat. To top it off, I just realized that Neelah has 3 incisors coming in!! 3!!!

Yay for me. Today is going to be a REAL picknic!

Holiday Beginnings

Today, being the last day that Eric was in town, we decided to try to get a shot for our family Christmas Card. Thanks so much to Amy who was my very own personal shopper for the shoot, coordinating all the different outfits. And thanks to Melissa who came over last minuet with her super new, super NICE camera. These are some of the cute shots that didn't make it to winner but that just were too cute to file away and never be seen. Most of them included Neelah since she was the one who was thrilled to have her picture taken.

Love those freckles on my little Finners!

I wish I could duplicate the gene that gave her these eyes and somehow mutate it to my own face.

Savvy was feeling a bit under the weather today. She has caught the cold that I had last week. Poor thing. But her chubby cheeks will always be DARLING!

American Music Awards

Was anyone else as disturbed as I was tonight by Annie Lennox's performance? I like the Eurythmics as much as then next person but tonight was just....very strange.

Finn: "MOM LOOK!!!"
Me: "what am I looking at?"
Finn: "A CEMENT CASTLE!"


Conversations that occur when the kids don't watch movies while driving in the car. Apparently there are all sorts of interesting things to see!

updates

Okay, so I began the process of "privatizing" my blog. If anyone knows of anyone who got left out, let me know. Dang it takes a long time to enter in all those email addresses!! But since I have never been one to censor myself, it is best for all involved.

This picture didn't turn out very well, it was taken through the window with my phone. Finn decided that he needed to "shovel" the leaves up so that he had an un-obstructed path for his scooter. My son is a genius!

Rainy afternoon activities

Where is my prince??? Eric needs to come home quick!
Today we spent a fraction of the afternoon putting together these animal puppets. I bought the kit at JoAnn's for 11bucks. What a deal!! Finn has been flying the bird around for like 30 min. Neelah just wants to eat the sticker backs. This girl puts everything in her mouth. Yes, she is one of THOSE kids.

When I worked in the ER in Hawaii, we were always getting kiddies who had swallowed something, usually a penny. I always enjoyed looking at those xray films of lungs, spine oh and THERE IS THE PENNY!! Luckily, she doesn't swallow things, she just sucks on them. What an odd child.

Speaking of odd...this is random...I saw a little preview for 20/20 this coming up Friday. Some dude who is PREGNANT!! Anyone else see that? I am SO watching that one.

Join the club

Hey guys, I am joining the club and taking my blog private. I am totally open to anyone who wants to read it, you just need to tell me and I will authorize you. I seriously put too much personal info on the web for any wack-job to read and need to be a little more careful. Post a comment or email me if you want access.

just a few more....

Just a few more shots from today. Neelah and Savvy. My precious girls. I am telling myself tonight that that is what they are....trying to convince myself really while Neelah is screeching at me as I type this. ULGH!

Brrrrrr.......

This morning we awoke to a world covered in white. Finn has been waiting patiently for the snow to come so he can make "snow tracks". Very exciting. We went to the store this am to pick up some winter gear and then we went out to play. Above is Finn making "snow tracks" for his scooter.
Neelah didn't much like the snow. She didn't mind standing there but when it was too deep for her to walk in, she cried.
Of course they helped me shovel the driveway for about 30 seconds. Where is Eric when I need him!!
Check out my little abominable snowmen! Does this remind any of you of the movie A Christmas Story!!? I love it!!

last of the halloween shots!

Here are the kids doing the actual trick or treat. Neelah insisted on walking in the gutter and kept falling because she was off balance by her heavy bag of candy!

Impromptu Photo Shoot

Now that I have 3 kids, I have had to RE-LEARN how to divvy up my time. I just feel like I don't give each of them enough time. Savvy got some one-on-one today while Finn was at school and Neelah had a nap. We decided to take some pictures.

Trunk or Treat

Last night we went to a trunk or treat. The kids get so excited about putting their costumes on.

This skeleton would laugh and move its jaws telling jokes and whatnot. Neelah loved to touch his teeth.

hmmmm

So I recently opened myself a facebook account. Big mistake. That thing will SUCK THE TIME RIGHT FROM YOUR BONES!! It is worse than this blogger. As a mommy of 3 my internet time is precious and Facebook is monopolizing it. I see all these people who I once knew and wonder what they are up to.

I have a tendency to hold on to memories from years ago. Good and Bad. Along with this facebook thing, I have wondered about past boyfriends and what they are up to, past childhood friends and if they are married with kids of their own, people I worked with back in the day...that kind of thing. Some of these individuals I think about more than others. I can't help it. You spend so much of your life with certain people and then BAM! you never hear from them again.

I wonder what they are REALLY doing. I wonder if they think of me or if I am the weird one, looking up random old friends on facebook.

3rd child syndrome

I feel pretty crappy about the fact that I haven't even begun a baby book for Savvy. Finn has this entire scrapbook of the first year of his life, Neelah has a scrapbook that is in the process of being completed (for her first year) and Savvy has nothing...well, nothing more than this blog.
Today I am thankful for this quiet moment where Savvy and I had together. I am still trying to get her to giggle on a regular basis. Finn was at school, Neelah was asleep and Savvy and I bonded. Now she is also asleep and I plan on finishing my book.

Tonight I am feeling very lonely and well just .... BLAH! I haven't blogged much lately, not much real insight into my life. Mostly just pictures. When I was younger I used to journal a TON but not so much anymore. I still find journaling very therapeutic though. So here I am, seeking therapy, without the slightest clue what to write about. Amie Tagged me and I should follow through but I don't have the drive right now (sorry Amie, thanks for thinking of me).

I guess I will share some irony with all of you.

Some of you know that my dad wasn't around for most of my life. He left the state when I was 6 and I didn't see him again until I was 28. We have been working the past 2 years to develop a relationship and I am grateful for that. We talk about once a month and although I was angry at him for a VERY long time, I am happy with what we have now. Anyhow. I was talking to him this last week and we were discussing Eric's new job and our move to Hawaii. He said to me that he was going to give me one piece of advice...that he never took the "dad" role of telling me what to do until now and I had better listen up. He told me to support my husband and move to wherever it was that he could provide for our family. He told me that Eric and I and the kids are the "family" that are most important now. Basically he told me to be loyal to Eric and in turn to my kids. Hmmm.... coming from someone who split on his "family" so long ago....

Ironic isn't it.

I am not excited to move back to Hawaii. Each day that passes makes me a tiny bit less enthusiastic. Nevertheless, we are moving to Hawaii. Eric and I can't do the APART thing very well. It scares me how easy it is to not have anyone to whom I am accountable. I do whatever I want and don't have to okay it by anyone. What I say goes. My kids have my way and my way only. I can eat all the chocolate ice cream and no one will know but me. Giving up this is going to be hard but OH SO WORTH IT TO HAVE ERIC AROUND.

What's Eric up to?

The beach of course...I stole these pics from the Vensko's blog. Eric is hanging out with their cute little boy Jake who is 2 weeks older than Savvy. He has to get his baby fix somewhere.
Off Surfing. Eric said that he spent the majority of the time paddling his way out but didn't catch any great waves. Practice makes perfect honey!

Scarecrow Festival 2008

Here we are at Thanksgiving Point with friends from the ward. We had such a good time today. Again the weather was wonderful. The kids enjoyed the bouncy houses, games and food. The best part was the train, for some reason my kids ADORE the train. Maybe because we have a BILLION of them to play with.

This is one of the main reasons I don't want to move from Utah. The family-oriented activities are such a great part of being in this state. I love Utah.

Accident prone

I have discovered that Neelah is accident prone. Yesterday she took a flying leap off the trampoline (not my tramp). She seriously relocated one of her bottom teeth. It is still in her mouth, albeit not in the same spot it was before she just RAN off the tramp. So after we got the bleeding stopped she seemed to be fine, at least not in much pain.

Skip to tonight.

She crawled up to the table (she climbs where ever she feels the need, I can't stop her), and is playing nicely by herself while I make dinner. Then just as I am about to set the table, she falls off the chair while trying to get down. She seriously bit straight through her tongue folks.

More blood. More crying. More pain.

Poor girl! She has her first dentist appointment tomorrow and I am expecting more drama. How they are going to get her to open her mouth, I don't know. It should be interesting.

These pictures are from tonight. She has bananna squash and blood all over her shirt.

So last night after the first incident we distracted Neelah with books. But she wanted to read Grandpa's deer hunting magazine instead. I thought that it made for a good picture for Eric since he is missing out on hunting season this year.

Free Fall Fun!

Yesterday my sister Lyndsay came over with her hubby Jon and their kids. We went for lunch at Cafe Rio ( thanks Mom!) and then we stopped by Maceys Grocery Store for their annual "Harvest Fest". Isn't my sis so pretty?!
Here is Lynds helping Neelah color her picture frame.
Lyndsay's kiddies Felicity, Reagan and Gabe. Crazy Kids.
Felicity and Gabe hamming it up.
And of course Lyndsay and I had to be silly too.