Story Time

Greg reads to the girls every night, usually while I'm feeding the baby. Recently though, Isaac's gotten really interested when I read to the girls during the day, so tonight Greg did books with all three kids. Everyone enjoyed it, although Ellie typically loses interest in the group's book about 3 minutes in, and bounces around with a book of her own while Greg continues to read to Annie (and now Isaac). It was all so cute, I had to get some pictures . . .

Craziness & Baby Smiles

Recently, Annie has taken temporary leave of her sanity and has gone full blown four year old crazy. This, by far, has been the most challenging stage (I'm gonna say that a lot over the next 15 years, aren't I?) She's just so defiant and snotty and it's a shock to my mothering system to watch her treat her sister and I so rotten. Ellie, the brunt of much of Annie's moodiness, responds by being a mean little tease and pushing every last one of her buttons. Ellie is a ball of energy and personality -- when used for good, this makes for the single most adorable two year old in human history -- when used for evil, it's a force to be reckoned with. And combinet that with Annie's drama and attitude, and it's like the perfect storm of moodiness. Well, this all culminated yesterday, in a mess of tears and screaming (mostly the girls, but I wasn't immune), that landed both of the girls in their room at noon, with a strict 'you will not leave this room until you take the nap we all so need for you to take!' mandate. There was much screaming in protest ("Ellie! I didn't even know Mom could be this mean!" and "I don't even know if I love Mommy anymore!"), but I stuck to my guns (and also went for a walk outside with Isaac for awhile, just around the circle repeatedly, so that I didn't lose it with them), and almost THREE HOURS LATER they both finally crashed and slept. Ellie for a total of 45 minutes (so guess who was grumpy all evening?), and Annie for a blissful two hours or so. Which, of course, meant she was wide awake until about 10PM last night. I still haven't decided if it was worth it or not.
With the girls screaming in their room, I hid out in mine and made goofy faces and cooed and chatted with Isaac for hours. It was a really nice break, to just hang out the two of us without anyone wanting or needing anything else. Plus, a smiling baby was just what my beaten down mood needed! It was a nice break from an angry, ranting, dramatic, possibly-hormonal, four year old girl. That baby is so cute, and I could just sit there and smile and coo with him all day. Well, if I didn't have two other kids and a house to take care of . . .

Today he's 7 weeks old, and I was taking pictures of him and Ellie this morning. (Annie was downstairs watching 'Mickey Mouse Club', and we weren't gonna mess with that.) Ellie was a little cheese ball, per usual, and Isaac was fairly smiley . . .

Ellie was sporting sunglasses with her pajamas, bright and early this morning.

They're just so cute! And lovable! And today better go better than yesterday!

Blast From the Past (1981-1991)

Early Spring of 1981, Chrystal (my very first best friend) and me holding my puppies

May 1981 - My 2nd Birthday

Me - 2 1/2 years old, 1981 Christmas

1983 - me holding my sister April when she was 3 days old (she passed away a few weeks later).

Star, Hilary & April, November 1983

March 1984 - Me, Star and my Mom whale watching.
My Mom got so sea sick, that she was heaving over the side of the boat while my Dad and I were happily sight seeing. Star, on the other hand, was gleefully running around the boat (since 'her' parent was currently throwing up). An announcement was made over the boat's P.A. that the parents of the girl in the yellow rain coat needed to rein her in. I see this happening with my girls now -- Annie sweetly taking in everything her Dad is teaching her, while I'm in charge of Ellie who's running around like a chicken with her head cut off. :-)

Lacy turns 2. August 1990.

Adorable 2 year old Lacy pictures.
If you only knew. :-)
The photographer had asked her to fold her arms -- thus the cute 'hands over her head' pose. Lacy always looked adorable while being defiant. :-)

Lacy, Hilary, Star & Talina at Universal Studios in 1990.
Notice my socks are red and white on one side, and white and red on the other. SOOOO cool. (Why in heavens name would I want to DOUBLE up socks in summer in Southern California!?)

Star, Lacy, Hilary & Talina (Universal, summer of 1990).

August 1991, Cody's born. Me, Talina, Lacy, Mom, Cody and Star. You can't really see it in this picture -- but us girls are wearing coordinating outfits, with M.C. Hammer pants. Mine and Lacy's are stripes on one leg and polka dots on the other. The late 80s-early 90s really were a great time for fashion, right!? :-)
Talina and Lacy holding baby Cody. In not quite so ridiculous outfits.
1991, Cody on his blessing tux.

August 1991, Lacy turns 3.

She Only LOOKS Too Young

Pictured below is my sister Talina (and brother, Cody).

I want you to look at sweet, young Talina in this picture, then imagine . . .

. . . walking into your college Chemistry class and her standing at the front of the room, announcing she was your professor!

Trippy, huh! :-)

Talina just accepted (a mini version of) her dream job. (Fitting, since she is my mini-me and all). Starting this semester, she'll be teaching Chemistry at the college level. One class, at least. (It's a start -- that'll likely lead to more classes and a full time teaching career. For now it's just a part time side thing in addition to her day job as a molecular biologist.)

I'm so excited for her. For as long as I can remember, Talina's wanted to be a college professor (or a Marine Biologist . . . all of us sisters wanted to be a Marine Biologist at one point or another, given that we were all obsessed with Sea World. That is, until we realized it would be awfully hard to live in Utah AND be a sea life professional, so each of us gave up the dream to stay close to family. Or as I like to call them, "Dream Killers". Kidding!)

Anyway, Talina, who has a freakish love of learning, has always liked school more than the average person. Even more than me, and I was a teacher's pet kinda kid who rather enjoyed school! Talina loved it so much that she was working on her Master's by her ridiculously early-20s, and has been done for quite awhile now, and is working in a lab up at the University of Utah doing research. Even working she doesn't make it far from a school! Clear back in High School (which actually wasn't that long ago for her) Talina told our (less than stellar) guidance counselor about how she wanted to teach college. She got an idiotic 'you realize you'll need to go to college for that' kinda response, as he informed her that she'd need to go to an actual University and get like a Master's Degree. (The "and you're only a girl!" was merely implied, not outright stated.) I still wonder if he even checked his charts first, to realize he was looking at the school's salutatorian, sporting a perfect GPA with SEVERAL AP classes on her schedule, and someone who scored nearly perfectly on her ACT test, putting her in the top one percent of the top one percent of the country. (That's right, not the top 1%, like 99th percentile, but the top 1% of 1%, so like in the top 99.9% percentile -- and the dude's waffling about her wanting to be a college professor 'cause she'd have to spend some time in school and receive an upper education. Idiot. Full disclosure here: I was NOT a huge fan of my guidance counselor (who was also Talina's.) Quite possibly due to the sheer idiocy. "You'll need to go to college to be a college professor." Seriously, dude. Way to be encouraging!")

So anyway (forget my whole above rant about idiot school counselors), I just wanted to say . . .

Congratulations Beans!
or make that Professor Beans

You'll be amazing!

Señor Chunk

According to our bathroom scale, Isaac's weighing in around 13 pounds.

Ellie weighed 13 lbs 9 ounces at her six MONTH appointment.

Isaac was 6 weeks yesterday. I'm gonna be busting out those 3-6 month clothes before I know it!

Man, this kid is SOLID! (And yet, still looks less chubby at this age than his sisters did -- just way longer and 'bigger', just not as 'round'.)

Pictures of all three kids around this age:

Annie

Ellie

Isaac -- although in this picture he does look much bigger here than he does in person. :-)

Sunday Dinner

Yesterday we had another family party at my Mom's house. Cody was ordained an Elder, preparatory for him leaving on his mission in October . . . so the family (all my grandparents, and several Aunts and Uncles) gathered together for that and to celebrate the FOUR birthdays we have in my immediate family this month -- my Mom, my Dad, my little sister Lacy and my baby brother Cody. (Well, Lacy didn't end up making it down for the party in time, but made it into town for today and tomorrow.)

Uncle David successfully learned and mastered the football hold, getting my overly tired 5 week old to sleep. Yay David!

A better shot of their hands . . .

Ellie & Star

Great Grandma holding a sleeping (GINORMOUS) Isaac.

Uncle Karl with Star and Annie.

Cody juggling -- two inflatable rings and a birth ball. The kid is seriously a very talented juggler.

Cody sporting the new Oakley's Star gave him for his birthday/mission.

Grandpa trying them out.
I assume having a little brother isn't much different than having a trained seal :-)

Why I wig out a little whenever Greg throws Ellie into the air . . .

Daddy & Annie chillin' in the new patio chairs Grandma got for her birthday . . .

More Pictures

I know I've already posted a bunch of the photos from our photo shoot with Gianne . . . but here were some more that I liked that haven't been posted yet (with one or two possible exceptions -- I tried to go with all 'first time on the blog' pictures, but I didn't completely double check 'em to last posts, who there could've been some that slipped through a second time . . . )