tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55853384810287740252024-03-12T23:37:55.588-07:00Peterson FamilyJenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.comBlogger254125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-29155252813556947752015-02-25T10:31:00.000-08:002015-02-25T10:31:57.932-08:00The Birth Story of Ruth AinaLittle Ruth Aina turns one in just a few days! I decided that in honor of that event I'd post this story which I typed up almost six months ago. This has to be one of those 'better late than never' cases, right? I have loved looking back at the stories I wrote of <a href="http://petersonfamily23.blogspot.com/2010/06/sarah-megumi.html">Sarah's birth</a> and of <a href="http://petersonfamily23.blogspot.com/2013/04/samuel-kenji-birth-story.html">Sam's birth</a> (and have wished for one of James' birth), so I'm glad I have this one, too. Here it is:<br />
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Six and a half months can leave the memories somewhat fuzzy, but I'll do my best to recreate the day our beautiful Ruth Aina joined our family.<br />
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<u>'Good Parts' Version (for those who would like to be spared the not-so-pretty details)</u>:</div>
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I was induced on my due date, February 28th, because I was suddenly measuring big at my appointment the day before. Big turned out to be an understatement, and "little" Ruth made her grand entrance at 6:05pm amid gasps from all the nurses. She weighed 10 pounds 8 ounces and was 21 inches long.</div>
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<u>The Whole Story (I won't get too gory, but if you don't like birth stories, now's your chance to stop reading. Also, it's long. Like super long.)</u>:</div>
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Overall, this pregnancy went more smoothly than my previous one. I didn't have nearly as much back pain (with Sam, I had physical therapy every week for the whole second half of the pregnancy) or swelling. I just felt huge. And heavy. Really huge and heavy. As the end of the pregnancy approached, I prepared myself to once again go past my due date. Although I was definitely ready physically to not be pregnant anymore, I was definitely NOT ready to be a mother of four. The house was a disaster, I hadn't really gotten any of the baby stuff ready, and I was sort of panicky about being responsible for four little humans.</div>
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On Thursday, February 27th, I headed to my 40 week check up. This is the appointment where I usually set my induction date, and I was preparing myself for that discussion. What I wasn't prepared for was, "I'm not comfortable with how big you are measuring. If you had gestational diabetes, we'd be talking c-section right now, but since you don't, we can get you in to be induced tomorrow morning." Whaaaaa?!? I had just had an ultrasound to verify that I was measuring big, and they estimated that she was 9 lbs 13 oz. (Side story - As you can see from above, they were off in their estimate. All night after my appointment I told myself that they were probably off. I'd heard that ultrasound measurements can be off up to 2 pounds in either direction. I figured the baby would end up being right around Sam's size (8lbs 15oz). I never dreamed they would have UNDER-estimated her size.) </div>
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I'm not quite sure how I got home from that appointment, but I was pretty much freaking out by that time. I was worried about everything. The state of the house. The size and health of the baby. The idea of going natural--as was my plan--even while being induced. The fact that I no longer had 5 more days (ish) to prepare myself physically and mentally. On and on and on.</div>
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Two people saved me from spiraling out of control. The first one is Paul, who hugged me about a million times that night and told me everything would be ok. The second one is my mom, who got online and bought a plane ticket as soon as she heard the news and landed in Portland that night at 11:00pm. Knowing Paul would be with me every second of the process and my mom would be with my kids back at home helped me forge on, not exactly bravely, but forge on nonetheless.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biggest belly ever! Yikes.</td></tr>
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The next morning we needed to check in at the hospital at 9:30am. I was grateful it wasn't too early. This gave us a chance to drop James off at school, go to the store for hospital snacks, pick up our traditional pre-baby Jamba Juice (usually I'm in labor during that part), and head to the hospital. </div>
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Issues popped up almost immediately when upon getting me all set up and hooked up to monitors the nurse discovered that the only pregnancy I was connected to in my records was Samuel. I guess they aren't used to patients having babies so close together...heh. We couldn't really get started with anything until they got that figured out, so Paul and I ended up watching shows on my laptop while being serenaded by the sweet sound of our baby's heartbeat on the monitor for about an hour and a half.</div>
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Once the nurse and several tech guys figured out the glitch, the doctor came in to break my water. I really hoped to avoid pitocin if I could, so the plan was to start things off this way. All morning, the nurse had been saying things like, "Oh, you'll definitely have this baby by noon." If only. Because the baby had not engaged yet, the doctor couldn't reach to break my water. Pitocin it was. </div>
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Now I know that for some women pitocin brings on contractions hard and strong and fast, but that wasn't the case for me. I just got a few wimpy contractions every 10-15 minutes or so. They kept upping the dose, but nothing really changed. The contractions hurt, but I could tell they weren't real ones. Sure enough, after several hours on pitocin, I had progressed roughly half a centimeter. Sigh. So much for having a baby by noon!<br />
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I should make a small note at this point regarding monitoring. One of the things I like about going natural is that I can be monitored intermittently. I don't have to be attached to any machines. Unfortunately, as soon as pitocin entered the picture, the hospital required me to be on the monitors continuously. Despite the nurse's assurance that I should move around however I wanted and that she'd worry about the monitoring, I just felt tied to the bed. Every time I even shifted my position in bed, the monitor would get messed up and the nurse would have to come in and fix it. I didn't like that part at all. So yeah, here is my unsolicited advice to you future pregnant ladies contemplating childbirth without an epidural: don't be induced if you can help it.</div>
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At about 3:15pm, the doctor came back in to see me and to actually for reals break my water. It was incredibly painful, but she was ultimately successful. **GROSSNESS ALERT** And boy was there a lot. Part of why I had been measuring big the day before on my ultrasound was because my fluid levels were a bit higher than normal (this was another reason why I suspected their weight estimate was high). The water just kept flowing out of me. It was comical. The nurse would come over to help clean me up a bit, but then she'd check and it would still be coming out. I swear, it lasted a solid 5 minutes. Paul and I both got a good laugh out of that.</div>
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It was about this point when the nurse started saying things like, "Now we're moving. I'm sure you'll have a baby in your arms within the hour." Please note: never say this to a woman in labor. If you're following along with our timeline, you'll know that Ruth was born just under three hours from the time the doctor broke my water. Those three hours were the LONGEST of my life.</div>
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I was in so much pain. Just when I was convinced I couldn't handle another contraction, another one would hit and prove me wrong. It was so frustrating to be hearing the nurse say, "You'll be done within the hour, I promise!" while at the same time progressing (what felt to me to be) agonizingly slowly. Each time I was checked, I'd only be one more centimeter dilated.<br />
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After one of these depressing checks, I asked if the baby was posterior. The doctor said, "Oh, I didn't check, would you like me to?" I was getting pretty angry by this point, so I'm pretty proud that I kept myself from yelling at her, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T CHECK?!" and instead calmly said, "Yes, please." This same thing happened when I was in labor with Sam (with a different doctor). I'm not sure why doctors don't check for this automatically, especially with women who don't have epidurals. There are positions women can use to help move the baby. Knowing the position of the baby is valuable information!<br />
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Ruth wasn't completely posterior, but she was basically sideways and stuck against my pelvic bone. This was keeping her from engaging and slowing my labor. At this point a few things happened: 1. I got pretty depressed and started crying and asking everyone to stop lying to me (I know I was being irrational, but basically every time anyone said something about how soon it was going to be over, I said, "Stop lying to me!"). 2. I made a deal with my nurse that if I was still only one centimeter more dilated in a half hour (at 5:45pm), she'd call the anesthesiologist. And 3. I asked the nurse if there was anything I could to to encourage the baby to move and engage.<br />
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Worst 30 minutes EVER. The nurse's tricks for moving the baby, while effective, were incredibly painful. The only good thing about it was that I has happy to be taking some action. I was also very happy to have a deadline for the pain.<br />
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Thirty minutes passed. It was 5:45pm. The nurse checked, and sure enough, I had only progressed one more centimeter. Here's roughly how our conversation went:<br />
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Me: "Okay, call the anesthesiologist."<br />
Nurse: "I know I said I would, but I promise you are SO close to being done this ti..."<br />
Me: "No. You promised. Call the anesthesiologist."<br />
Nurse: "You are so close. You are just so close to being done."<br />
Me: "No. You are lying to me. Call the anesthesiologist."<br />
Nurse: "I know I've been saying this the whole time, but it really is different this time."<br />
Me: "No. Call."<br />
Nurse: "Okay."<br />
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But (as you may have guessed if you are following along with our timeline), the nurse was right. It was different this time. The next contraction completed my dilating, and the room burst into action. Suddenly, the bed was broken down, tables of tools were uncovered, nurses swarmed, and a new doctor came in. Apparently, the anesthesiologist came to the door, saw that it was too late, and left somewhere during that time.<br />
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Turns out, six women gave birth that hour at the hospital. This was a stroke of luck on my part because the doctor that was supposed to be on call for me was the same one that delivered Sarah. And I didn't like him one bit. Thankfully, he was busy delivering another baby at the moment I needed a doctor, so a different one came in. This one is affectionately known as the "Mommy Whisperer" around the hospital. He was amazing. He was just what I needed to get through the next 15 minutes.<br />
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At 6:05pm, Ruth made her entrance into the world. I think my chart says that there were officially 9 minutes of pushing. Normally they put babies straight onto the mommy's tummy and then measure and weigh after an hour of skin to skin time. When Ruth appeared, the doctor and nurses all audibly gasped. Someone said, "Umm...we need to weigh her." Our beautiful baby weighed 10 and a half pounds! I couldn't believe it. When they put her on my belly I was shocked at how heavy she felt.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The proof!</td></tr>
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With Sarah and Sam, I felt amazing immediately after giving birth. This time I felt like I had been turned inside out. My body was shaking, and I felt like it was on fire. The nurse offered some IV meds, and I accepted. They kicked in almost immediately, and I was able to fully enjoy my new, beautiful daughter.<br />
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It took us a little while to figure out her name. We hadn't been able to find a middle name we liked before she was born, so once we got to our recovery room, Paul sat down to really find one. Aina means love and harmony. We both loved it right away, and announced to our families that Ruth Aina was here and we were all happy and healthy.<br />
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Paul and I look back at those couple of days in the hospital very fondly. We were relaxed and peaceful. We enjoyed our one on one time with Baby Ruth before we brought her home to the chaos of three older siblings. It was a huge blessing to have those happy days of calm following two of the most stressful days I've ever had.<br />
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A happy family of SIX!<br />
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Her older siblings loved her immediately:</div>
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I can't believe it has been a year since our Ruth Aina became part of our family! She is a joyful baby girl, and I can't imagine life without her.<br />
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Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-89235336720959413802014-09-08T13:24:00.001-07:002014-09-08T13:24:39.530-07:00Back to School for James - Then and NowThere are certain moments in family life that are perfect for starting new traditions. One of these moments was last fall when James was getting ready to start kindergarten. Paul and I had several conversations about what we wanted "back to school" to feel like in the Peterson family. Some things were a given: back to school father's blessings, new school supplies, new clothes. <div>
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Other than the obvious, though, we thought we'd start a couple simple but fun traditions that the kids could look forward to each fall. One thing we started was dates with mommy and daddy. Separately, Paul and I each took James out on a little one-on-one date to do something fun. We know as the kids grow up, special time alone with them will be something they remember. And having this tradition means it will happen at least once a year. </div>
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The other thing we decided on were video interviews that we can look back on over the years and watch them grow up.</div>
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Here is James as a little kindergartner last September:</div>
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And here he is now! James starting first grade:</div>
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I sure love this boy.</div>
Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-28010527450629399052014-09-05T10:40:00.000-07:002014-09-05T10:49:05.783-07:00A Video Filled UpdateHello family and friends!<br />
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Well, at least this time it was less than 10 months between updates! We had a pretty good summer filled with ups (finally getting our back yard finished!) and downs (a solid month in there where at least one of us was sick). Perhaps I'll get back on the blogging train and update on some of that stuff.<br />
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For today, here's an update on each of my kids:<br />
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Ruth is a happy, chubby baby. She's already six months old (what?!), and is still near the top of the charts in weight and height. In the last couple weeks she has pretty well mastered scooting. Now if only she'd stay still long enough to figure out how to sit up!<br />
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Sam is hilarious when he is in a good mood. He babbles all the time, but hasn't really started talking much yet. He started nursery in May. He loves milk and Pentatonix videos. He's a true mommy's boy, and I can't get enough of his cuddles.<br />
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Sarah suddenly seems all grown up. She is thrilled to be starting preschool in a couple weeks, and loves to tell everyone--strangers at the store included--about it. She still loves dancing. One of her favorite things to do is make up songs and then dance around while singing them. I'll have to get a video of that sometime.<br />
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James...is in first grade. (Whaaaa?!) We're just finishing up the first week of school, and he is adjusting wonderfully. Unlike his mother, who has to resist the urge to hold on to him and not let go every morning. He loves school, and so far is handling the transition to his Spanish Immersion school quite well! I have a video interview we did of him a couple days before school started, but I realized that it's on Paul's phone instead of mine. I'll have to post that one separately. For now, here are a couple first day of school pics that most of you have already seen on Facebook:<br />
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Time continues to pass too quickly. The daily struggle of trying to live and cherish these precious moments while fulfilling all the mundane day to day requirements of four little people is ongoing. I sure love them, though. The heart's capacity to love is awesome.Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-57457930726039566082014-04-03T10:54:00.001-07:002014-04-03T10:54:57.644-07:00Some Stuff HappenedWow. I fell off the blogging train in a major way. Our life suddenly turned pretty crazy after I last posted in June of last year. So many things happened in the last ten months. See for yourself:<br />
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First, this happened:<br />
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So, I spent the summer battling first trimester fatigue and yuckiness. Dealing with an unexpected pregnancy while still nursing a 7 month old baby is a whole different experience than my other pregnancies. We'll just leave it at that.<br />
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Meanwhile, this happened:<br />
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It was the first time we attempted the drive down to Southern California, and it was certainly long, but we had a good time. We visited family, checked off two more baseball stadiums (San Diego and San Francisco), met Kathleen, went to a very special Angels game, visited Grace's grave site, went to Disneyland, and enjoyed our time together.<br />
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After a summer filled with good intentions and not a lot of adventure (see first picture), this happened:<br />
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I'm still not sure how it's possible that I have a kindergartner! James has absolutely loved school, and continues to blow us away with the progress he's made with his math and reading.<br />
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Also, because of previously mentioned kindergartner and impending baby #4, this happened:<br />
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Paul was hesitant to make this particular jump, but I can say now after having it for six months, it is pretty awesome. Yep. I've embraced the minivan.<br />
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In October, this happened:<br />
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It was a happy day! It was wonderful to be together as a family, and see the love and support coming to the Petersons and the Westbrooks as John and Kathleen got married.<br />
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Also this little guy turned one:<br />
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He liked his cake a little bit. ;) Samuel has been so joyful to have in our family. He is a happy and loving little boy.<br />
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And we had a band of little pirates for Halloween:<br />
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We had a nice holiday season where this happened:<br />
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I was grateful to have the opportunity to direct a piece at the PECO Christmas concert. It was so much fun, and I hope to be able to do it again.<br />
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We spent Christmas in Colorado:<br />
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I love being with my family. We had a wonderful Christmas full of good company, games, puzzles, food, and fun.<br />
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We came back to Oregon and this happened:<br />
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It hasn't snowed this much in Oregon for five years. School, work, and church all got canceled. It was lots of fun.<br />
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And then, on February 28th, this happened:<br />
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This is Ruth Aina Peterson. Our beautiful, not-so-little (10 lbs 8 oz!) girl joined our family on her due date. Detailed story to come. Time continues to fly by, and she's already been part of our family for a month! We have had many wonderful visits from family since she was born, and there are still more to come. We are a happy family of six!<br />
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I know I've left things out. And I know it's impossible for me to catch up on all this lost time. This little snapshot into our last ten months will have to do for now! Here's to renewed efforts at recording our life!Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-41349160624010811642013-06-18T10:20:00.001-07:002013-06-18T10:20:56.409-07:00Opening Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you know us at all, you know that we are a baseball family. If you know us more than a little bit, you've probably heard us complain that a soccer team took over the stadium in Portland and kicked out the Triple-A baseball team we used to have (We miss you, Beavers!). </div>
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This year, baseball--albeit Single-A, not Triple-A--returned to the area! The Hillsboro Hops are the Single-A team for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and they had their Opening Day in their brand new stadium last night. Of course we were there!</div>
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It was a fun game. They killed their opponents, the Eugene Emeralds, 12-0. There was even a fireworks show afterword. Thanks to the Belnaps for inviting us and using your city connections to get tickets early!<br />
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So yeah...they may have a silly name (Hops, as in what goes into beer), and the concession lines may have taken longer than your average line at Disneyland (I'm not exaggerating)...but we are going to be loyal fans! Gotta keep baseball here! Go Hops!Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-828615085378244542013-06-17T10:42:00.000-07:002013-06-17T10:42:20.029-07:00Father's DayOur Father's Day didn't go exactly as planned because both James and Sam were sick. We made the most of it, though! We all stayed home together and spent the day relaxing as a family and eating good food (if I do say so myself ;) ).<br />
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The kids gave Paul their funny little (dollar store) gifts that they picked out and paid for themselves. Everyone took naps except mom. We read books together. Paul and I talked to our own fathers.<br />
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I made a <a href="http://kitchensimplicity.com/southwestern-breakfast-skillet/">southwestern skillet</a> for breakfast, which ended up being more like brunch. I made <a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/2013/02/cranberry-cola-glazed-babyback-ribs/">cranberry cola glazed ribs</a> with brown rice, corn on the cob, and strawberries for dinner. And finally, I made <a href="http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/07/08/vanilla-bean-ice-cream-two-ways-and-ice-cream-basics/">french vanilla bean ice cream</a> and brownies for dessert. The skillet was delicious. The ribs were tasty but dry (I'm pretty sure I overcooked them). And the ice cream was my best vanilla yet! I used a real vanilla bean for the first time. Thank you, Amazon, for the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Madagascar-Vanilla-JR-Mushrooms/dp/B000CR1ELU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371490423&sr=8-1&keywords=vanilla+beans">decently priced vanilla beans</a>!<br />
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Ha ha, I'm link happy today. Too funny.<br />
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We asked James if he knew the song the primary kids were going to sing in sacrament meeting for Father's Day, and he said, "Yes! And I can sing it!" Here's a video of our little at-home performance since he was sick and missed the real thing (sorry to our family that has already heard him sing this):<br />
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Anyway, it was a wonderful day celebrating a wonderful daddy!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Sam had a banana for dinner and he got it all over his clothes. But just look at that cute belly! :)</td></tr>
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Thank you for all you do for our family, Paul! We love you!Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-80587898621390156122013-06-12T16:45:00.001-07:002013-06-12T16:45:02.702-07:00Sam Crawls!It's been rough catching a video of Sam crawling. So far, he doesn't really love performing for the camera. However, I just seized the moment when I realized that both Sarah and James were sleeping and Sam was in a good mood. The conditions were perfect!<br />
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And guess what? Sam performed for the camera!<br />
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He was so proud of his accomplishment that he ended the video with a triumphant burp. Silly boy.<br />
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But like I said in my last post, Sam is definitely growing up way too fast!Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-66282947115342353082013-06-06T14:50:00.001-07:002013-06-06T14:50:37.780-07:00Growing Up All at OnceSkills Sam has decided to perfect (or in some cases attempt to perfect) in the last 48 hours or so:<br />
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1. Sitting<br />
2. Scooting<br />
3. Crawling (belly off the ground)<br />
4. Pushing up to sitting from all fours<br />
5. Growing his first two teeth<br />
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He's still working on the teeth growing one. I swear they are going to poke through any minute now. (PLEASE poke through any minute now!!)</div>
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It has been a crazy few days with this little guy. How many times do I have to yell at the clock to slow down before it will actually happen?Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-65356555192331086202013-06-04T12:04:00.001-07:002013-06-04T12:04:29.996-07:00The Cutest Ponytail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Over Memorial Day weekend I got to go to a good friend's wedding in Phoenix. On Sunday morning, Paul sent me these pictures. Apparently Sarah asked Paul to put her hair in a ponytail for church. </div>
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In case you don't know Paul very well, he definitely isn't accustomed to doing hair. I'm pretty sure this was his first pigtail ever. He did a pretty dang good job, no? :) Way to go, Dad!</div>
<br />Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-15170206183202104512013-06-03T10:50:00.001-07:002013-06-03T11:11:47.082-07:00Sarah Turns Three!My little girl is already three years old. I'm not sure how it happened. I need to figure out how to slow down the clock. Seriously.<br />
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Sarah had a great birthday! It was especially fun because grandma was here to celebrate. We started the day out with the traditional treasure hunt. She got "pink clothes". (We asked Sarah what she wanted for her birthday, and she said, "Pink clothes!")<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She was a very excited little birthday girl!</td></tr>
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Her breakfast cereal of choice for her special day was Marshmallow Mateys. And for lunch we made a trip to McDonald's. (Thanks for the lunch, Bum!) While we were there, we reenacted a photo from more than two years ago:<br />
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First french fry...101st french fry? (Who am I kidding? The girl's clearly had more than 100 french fries.) The cheeks aren't so perfectly round anymore, but she's still got the bright, beautiful blue eyes!<br />
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For dinner, Sarah requested something with rice, so we had sweet and sour stir fry (Sarah especially loves the pineapple). Then, we had some friends over for dessert and present opening.<br />
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Sarah chose white cupcakes with pink frosting and sprinkles, as well as homemade chocolate ice cream.<br />
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Like most three year olds, Sarah was thrilled about opening presents. She especially liked the clothes.</div>
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One of Sarah's favorite things is singing Happy Birthday to people. You should have seen her grin when we sang it to her!<br />
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Happy birthday, my beautiful little girl!Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-78794107912719058952013-05-20T14:09:00.002-07:002013-05-20T14:09:44.342-07:00Our Week of Fun with NatalieNatalie has been living up here in Oregon for the last three years going to optometry school at Pacific University. Unfortunately for us, her schooling here came to an end at the beginning of May and she moved on to her rotating internships (starting with Salt Lake City). We loved having her close by. She came over for Sunday dinner almost every week. She watched my kids countless times (one year almost every Tuesday night while I went to choir practice and Paul went to scouts!). She practiced her new skills on us. She came to hang out even when she was busy with school. We will miss her SO much.<br />
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Natalie finished her classes at the beginning of May, but she didn't need to leave right away, so she made us very happy by spending her last week in Oregon staying at our house and hanging out with us! We didn't go very many places or do anything crazy, but we had a lot of fun. I'm so glad we got to have one last week together before she started her next adventure.<br />
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Now, if I were cooler, this post would be full of awesome pictures depicting all the things we did during the week. Unfortunately, as I have mentioned multiple times before, I'm terrible at taking pictures when I should, so instead I just have a few really random ones.<br />
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We started our week with <a href="http://petersonfamily23.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-this-very-white-family-celebrates.html">Cinco de Mayo</a> and then a morning <a href="http://petersonfamily23.blogspot.com/2013/05/sarahs-first-dentist-appointment.html">at the dentist</a>. At least I took pictures of those days!<br />
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Over the rest of the week, we ate some tasty food including Regina Bunker's pancakes (of course!), half-priced "happy hour" donuts from Krispy Kreme, teriyaki meatballs (one of Natalie's favorites), mini M&M chocolate chip cookies, and homemade patty melts that I enjoyed more than anyone else.<br />
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We saved the princess over and over (that dang princess just keeps getting kidnapped! ;) ), and Natalie accomplished her goal of beating me at Dr. Mario. We watched a few hilarious episodes of Boy Meets World and a so-bad-it-became-hilarious movie.<br />
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We ran some mundane errands that were turned into fun ones simply because Natalie was there. Natalie even came to my choir practice since she won't be able to come to our concert in a couple weeks.<br />
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Natalie found out on Wednesday that week that she passed the first part of boards with flying colors. She is well on her way to officially being Dr. Natalie! It was fun to be together to celebrate. We went to Cold Stone for milkshakes. :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Natalie's White Coat Ceremony last year. She looks dang good in her white coat! :)</td></tr>
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Jamie joined us on Thursday night and the three of us stayed up laughing and talking until about 3:00 in the morning. Can't remember the last time I did that! (Yes, Natalie, you have power over me. But real.)<br />
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Over the weekend, in between playing games and eating junk food, we went through Natalie's belongings and packed up her car to the brim for the long trek to Utah. Jamie, Natalie, James, and Sarah washed our cars on Saturday afternoon.<br />
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We had one last "Sunday" family dinner on Saturday night, and then they were off bright and early Sunday morning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtzxjnxH_g0Zu5X_2DSA8ofEWowr3b3lD95ZxZOPmy28CIb86anQmJBfO86V0NPD08MLQ-CgM6Wm2y_k-AdXg8K7x0xWn-xnmRVzlthEkV6Qgvm1jCrLXyX98RUQ0xDzPqiruvOg6C7Qs/s1600/Natalie+and+Sarah+and+James.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtzxjnxH_g0Zu5X_2DSA8ofEWowr3b3lD95ZxZOPmy28CIb86anQmJBfO86V0NPD08MLQ-CgM6Wm2y_k-AdXg8K7x0xWn-xnmRVzlthEkV6Qgvm1jCrLXyX98RUQ0xDzPqiruvOg6C7Qs/s400/Natalie+and+Sarah+and+James.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah and James' last piggyback up the stairs for bedtime. What a fun aunt!</td></tr>
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We'll miss you, Natalie! Good luck with your first day today!Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-62483111354363046082013-05-17T12:12:00.002-07:002013-05-17T12:12:12.578-07:00Mother's DayIt was a pretty busy but happy Mother's Day for me.<div>
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I made 72 cupcakes for Relief Society.</div>
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Paul and the kids made fried rice for me for breakfast, and then they presented me with letters:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Translation: "Dear Mommy, Thank you for the present you gave me for my birthday. I love that you sing and that you teach me stuff. Happy Mother's Day. Love, James"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqwOE3nZqSMmlbjidq_WdIKF_YQf6VdAuBzHTQkR8VgJF1S0yK4p6wmhvMVld8PZgmLZVCWxQYcKI0tb0HzUjSt1gxFsps0waQ8LTKNExay4uI8oo5KchQXPog2QVn3jBIVyDCqnDlutC/s1600/IMG_6761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqwOE3nZqSMmlbjidq_WdIKF_YQf6VdAuBzHTQkR8VgJF1S0yK4p6wmhvMVld8PZgmLZVCWxQYcKI0tb0HzUjSt1gxFsps0waQ8LTKNExay4uI8oo5KchQXPog2QVn3jBIVyDCqnDlutC/s400/IMG_6761.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Sarah's first attempt at drawing people. I can't get over how cute they are. (It's me and her, of course.)<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQG-cYIK4A0py6uyBd_MBA3uv9TLZ_wlo23t044QeQpmM90q24DLI4OPvQblbPpPAQf0K3K41ODGfvJASllN8azK7ERoN1sJi0xQTaoSVI1c21yPCzdWAiJ7ZE1vFAJLqGlWdXcpqK-ru/s1600/IMG_6759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQG-cYIK4A0py6uyBd_MBA3uv9TLZ_wlo23t044QeQpmM90q24DLI4OPvQblbPpPAQf0K3K41ODGfvJASllN8azK7ERoN1sJi0xQTaoSVI1c21yPCzdWAiJ7ZE1vFAJLqGlWdXcpqK-ru/s400/IMG_6759.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to see, but those are the cutest little hands in the whole world. I may be a little biased, though. :)</td></tr>
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James sang with the primary during sacrament meeting and then we had a wonderful (and emotional) Relief Society meeting where each of us in the presidency talked about what we have learned from our mothers.</div>
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When we came home, Paul cleaned up the whole kitchen (which was quite a mess after the cupcake project) while I got to do something really fun:</div>
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A Google Hangout with my WHOLE family! It was really fun to talk to Michael (who is currently serving his mission in Tooele, Utah). We had representation from all over the country: my mom in Colorado, my dad on a business trip in Florida, Jamie and Natalie in Tremonton, UT (they weren't all the way done with their trip yet, so they stopped at a McDonald's to use their free wifi. :) ), me in Oregon, Paula in South Jordan, UT, and Elder Michael in Tooele, UT! We had a great time talking.</div>
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After that, the Harrises came over and Jeff and Paul made tonkatsu for us for dinner and then strawberry shortcake for dessert. It was so nice! A Happy Mother's Day, indeed!</div>
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Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-64769753303862146972013-05-15T10:47:00.000-07:002013-05-15T10:47:15.698-07:00Father and Sons CampoutLast weekend Paul and James were so excited to go on the ward father and sons campout. It was James' second time, and he just couldn't wait. Every day of the week leading up to it he'd ask me how many days were left.<br />
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The two of them had a blast at the campout and even stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory before heading home. Here are a few pictures from the adventure:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James is all, "ICE CREEEEEEEAM!"</td></tr>
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Sarah can't wait for her turn!Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-85656002611367310942013-05-14T09:42:00.001-07:002013-05-14T09:42:48.583-07:00Root, root, root for the....Yankees?!Last night was Paul's Opening Night! Even though it was clear across Portland and would mean quite a late bedtime for the kids, we couldn't miss it! Paul was so excited, and so were we.<br />
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It was a tad chilly after the sun went down, and James required us to make not one but THREE trips to one of the nastiest port-a-potties I have ever encountered, but all in all we had a great time cheering on Paul and the rest of the Portland *gulp* Yankees.<br />
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I'm not sure it will get easier to cheer for the Yankees! We'll keep on trying, though. Around when it would have been the 7th inning stretch (which actually ended up being the end of the game), James and Sarah and I sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", and it was so unnatural to sing, "Root, root, root for the Yankees". It was definitely a first for me.<br />
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Paul went 1 for 2, with a single that ended up scoring the only run for their team. They ended up losing 3-1, but it was a good game!Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-88278871736682169252013-05-07T09:53:00.001-07:002013-05-07T10:03:03.039-07:00Sarah's First Dentist AppointmentYesterday we packed up all the kids into the back of Natalie's little Honda Civic and made a big trip to the dentist. Sarah, James, and I all had cleanings, but for Sarah it was special because it was her first time! She was so excited to have her turn in the big chair like she has seen her brother do.<br />
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And she did such a good job! On James' first visit (which you can see pictures of <a href="http://petersonfamily23.blogspot.com/2011/03/growing-up-too-fast.html">here</a>), he was very timid and wouldn't let them come anywhere near him with the suction tube. Sarah let them do everything! They cleaned her teeth and put fluoride foam on them. She was a very brave little girl!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to get started!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So happy to be in the big chair.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little bit concerned...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All clean!</td></tr>
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James did very well, too! He let them take four great x-rays (the hygienist didn't even use the pediatric sized tools), and he did his fluoride foam in a tray! What a trooper!<br />
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We won't talk about how my cleaning went. Let's just say pregnancy does a number on your teeth, and I've had three of them. Also, I hadn't had x-rays done for a year and a half (due to some unavoidable delays and being pregnant with Sam). It wasn't a pretty picture. Yikes.</div>
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A big thank you to Natalie, who sat in the waiting area the whole time and took care of Sam and the other two kids when it wasn't their turn! I am so glad you were with us!</div>
Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-33494455963849544422013-05-06T14:52:00.000-07:002013-05-06T14:52:41.174-07:00How this (very white) family celebrates Cinco de Mayo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, we may have absolutely no Mexican blood in our bones. And we may not even really know why the holiday exists in the first place. But we sure love Mexican food!</div>
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This is how we celebrated the day.</div>
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Cafe Rio style pulled pork taco salads:</div>
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And homemade churros!</div>
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Happy Cinco de Mayo!</div>
<br />Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-14688112370818349482013-05-03T15:36:00.001-07:002013-05-03T15:36:26.706-07:00It's Friday!Today is Friday, and it's currently 75 degrees outside and sunny. In my world, that is perfect weather. We walked to the park today and met up with some good friends. We ended up spending close to three hours there, and I may have stayed longer except I didn't bring lunch! I just wanted to stay outside. I could practically feel my body soaking up the Vitamin D (we're pretty deprived of it up here in the Pacific NW).<br />
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Thank goodness for days like these!<br />
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Oh, and of course I didn't take any pictures. Silly me! So, since a blog post without pictures is kinda depressing, here's a cute one of James and Sarah from a couple weeks ago:<br />
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Now I'm off to figure out how to spend the rest of this glorious day outside. :)</div>
<br />Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-52744914438165452372013-05-01T10:38:00.000-07:002013-05-01T10:38:12.361-07:00Sam is Six Months Old!How this is possible, I will never know. But the calendar doesn't lie, and somehow our little Samuel Kenji has already lived for half of a year in our family! He is a sweet and easy going baby, and I can't imagine our family without him.<br />
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A few things about Sam at six months:</div>
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<li>He is finally sleeping in his own room, and he seems to enjoy it. Last night he slept for almost 12 hours!</li>
<li>He loves to be included in the action, especially when his older siblings are involved.</li>
<li>He gets super frustrated that he isn't mobile yet. A few months ago, he'd get mad whenever we put him on his tummy because he hadn't mastered rolling over. Now that he rolls all over the place, he just gets frustrated that he can't figure out how to get himself to where he wants to go!</li>
<li>He is a drool machine. Hopefully the teeth he's working on growing will poke through soon so that he can get some relief in that department.</li>
<li>He's quite ticklish, and we can almost always get some good laughs out of him by tickling his tummy, neck, or legs.</li>
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We love our Baby Sam!<br />
<br />Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-66742720151781653562013-04-29T11:04:00.000-07:002013-04-29T12:19:12.224-07:00Paul On DrugsLast week Paul had the first of two major dental procedures he is having to fix his implant from the bike accident he had on his mission (TEN years ago!). This was the worst part (a bone graft), and we made the decision that he should be put under anesthesia for it. I was overwhelmed when Paul told me everything that was going to be involved with his care that day. He had to take the first pills for the anesthesia at home, and I had to somehow get him into the car while he was way out of it. Yikes. One thing I was hoping to gain from the ordeal were some funny videos.<br />
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Well...I got a couple videos, but they weren't quite as awesome as I hoped. If you know Paul at all, you will probably find them pretty funny. Mostly Paul just ended up being really tired and forgetful all day long.<br />
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This first video is from the parking lot at the dentist right before we left to come home. Poor guy. He was so tired. In the video he says he remembers the drive to the dentist, but later when I asked him about some of the things he said, he couldn't remember a thing. Funny Paul.<br />
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The second video is from our driveway before we went inside the house. Paul told me some awesome and random stories while we were on our way home! Unfortunately, I couldn't film him and still drive safely, so I had to try and get him to repeat the stories once we got home. The stories were completely different the second time around. What's funniest to me about this video is that you can tell he's sort of trying to be funny for the video. Also, pretty much all of Paul's dreams involve fighting and baseball...which probably surprises precisely no one. :)<br />
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That night after the kids were in bed, he was finally lucid and remembering things. I turned to him and threw my arms around him and said, "You're back! I'm so glad you're back!" He really doesn't remember much of anything from the whole day! I'm pretty sure I'll remember it for a long time.Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-64049003608712439102013-04-26T12:54:00.000-07:002013-04-26T12:54:23.130-07:00A Dollar Store Quest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When you have three kids and no car during the day, any outing is quite an ordeal. But we can't just stay home all the time! Especially when the weather is as gorgeous as it has been the last few days. </div>
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Today, Sarah and James each took a dollar from their piggy banks (OK, so I took two from James' bank because Sarah didn't quite have a dollar in hers...shh! Don't tell him!), and we walked to the dollar store.</div>
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They loved being able to pick whatever they wanted and then they especially loved paying for their choices all by themselves.</div>
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I'd say it was a successful quest.<br />
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James is getting better at walking longer distances. This one was 1.4 miles round trip, not including walking the aisles at the store. And he only traded places with Sarah in the stroller for a couple minutes on the way back. Hooray for getting outside!Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-70786675845425721022013-04-24T10:37:00.000-07:002013-04-24T10:37:06.572-07:00Paul Faces His Fear<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Until last week, Paul had never been to an eye doctor. Having had perfect vision his whole life, he never needed to. After much urging and encouraging from me and Natalie, Paul finally reluctantly agreed to let Natalie take a look.</div>
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And guess what? It wasn't bad at all! Natalie is a great doctor, and Paul still has 20/20 vision!<br />
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I can't believe Natalie's third year of Optometry School is coming to an end. It seems like just yesterday she was getting settled in and starting out. We have loved having her nearby. I knew from the beginning it was only temporary, but now that the end has come...well, I don't want to think about it!Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-51361037752431965002013-04-23T10:45:00.002-07:002013-04-23T10:45:47.085-07:00Oh, to have the confidence of a two year old!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The other day Sarah came running up to me bursting with excitement.</div>
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Sarah: "Mommy! Mommy! I figured it out!"</div>
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Me: (After taking a moment to realize what she was talking about) "Your headband?"</div>
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Sarah: "YES! I put it on and I looked in the mirror and it looked good!!"</div>
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It sure does, Sarah. :)<br />
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(Thank you to Diana for the adorable headband. Sarah absolutely loves it!)Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-36051151877371087862013-04-22T13:29:00.001-07:002013-04-22T13:29:38.604-07:00We should change the title of the blog to "My Kids' Artwork"I can't help it. I'm a proud mom. It also doesn't help that every time I resolve to wait a while before posting another picture of artwork, James draws something ridiculously awesome. <div>
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Yesterday in church, James had Angry Birds on his mind. He said, "Hey mom, wouldn't it be cool if I could have an Angry Birds coloring book?" I said, "Yep, but you know, you could just draw some Angry Birds." "Oh, I couldn't do that unless I looked at a picture." So then his Aunty Diana came to the rescue with her iPhone and looked up some pictures for him to look at.</div>
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Are you all ready for this?</div>
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First was the basic red one:</div>
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Then, he drew the black one:</div>
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And then the yellow one:</div>
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And finally, the best one of all...the pig:</div>
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I mean, seriously. I just have no words.</div>
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I sure love this creative and talented little boy!<br />
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Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-5707090670825468102013-04-19T12:48:00.000-07:002013-04-19T13:00:41.146-07:00A Colorado WeddingLast weekend I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend a quick weekend in Colorado with my parents and attend the wedding of a good friend from high school.<br />
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I was sad that it had to be such a short trip, but so happy that I got to go! Sam was a great travel buddy. My parents were wonderful hosts (as always!). And the wedding was beautiful!<br />
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I'm so terrible at picture taking (I didn't even take my camera out of my backpack), but my dad took some great pictures on his phone:<br />
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The wedding was at Red Rocks, and the whole thing was gorgeous and a lot of fun. Thank you to Cat and her family for having us!</div>
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In spite of it being such a short trip, we did squeeze in an amazing breakfast of my dad's should-be-world-famous waffles before I had to head to the airport. Thanks to some high winds in Denver, my flight was two hours delayed, but Sam was a trooper, and we eventually made it home in one piece.</div>
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Meanwhile, back in Oregon, Sarah and James had a blast with their Daddy. He took them to Krispy Kreme for breakfast on Saturday and then to a Little League baseball game.</div>
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On Sunday, I came home to a clean house (thanks to Paul!) and a tasty home cooked dinner (thanks to Natalie!). It was a nice welcome after spending too long at the airport.<br />
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It should be noted that the weather in Colorado over the weekend was wonderful, and that by Monday afternoon (after I left) it looked like this:<br />
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Silly, Colorado!</div>
<br />Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585338481028774025.post-26641054950756813482013-04-16T09:28:00.000-07:002013-04-16T09:28:04.430-07:00Sam Laughs!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's hard to get a good video of a baby laughing. Either they stop as soon as they see the camera, or you can't keep up whatever shenanigans you were having to perform to make the baby laugh while simultaneously manning the camera. Yesterday afternoon, I enlisted the help of my little five year old camera man to capture this wonderful clip:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/SyeKFkj4NQE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Ah, there's not much better in this world than baby laughs! They are a good reminder that we can still be happy even when terrible things happen in the world.Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08068892989714561112noreply@blogger.com2