Thanksgiving

Although I didn't post anything right at Thanksgiving time, I thought a lot about the many things I am thankful for. I think like most people, I am most thankful for my family. I am so grateful and relieved each night when I climb into bed that all my babies are at home safe in their beds, and that they are healthy and (most of the time) happy.

I am very grateful for a wonderful husband who works hard to provide for our family. I am grateful that we both have parents who love us and continue to provide guidance and support to us.

It is truly the basic and simple things in life that bring me the most joy.

Another First

Ryan went to his first day of pre-school today. He has been so excited for this long-awaited event. He already has some friends in his class and his teacher is so nice. He wore his favorite color - orange, and took his beloved backpack with him.

Where Does the Time Go?

Our baby girl is 6 months old! She already crawls all over the house, and I think it is so cute that she follows me around wherever I go. She is usually smiling and if her brothers are playing with her or around her, she is in heaven. In fact, that is what she has brought to our home - a little bit of Heaven!

I've Been Tagged!

This is the first time I have ever been tagged in a blog. My kids were actually napping when I discovered this, so I decided to do it!







#1 Self Portrait.

I could go on for hours about what is wrong with this picture. But, the kids could wake up at any time, so I will put vanity aside and move forward.

#2 What Are My Kids Doing?

Trent is at kindergarten. This is his first week at school and he has loved it!

As I mentioned before, Ryan and Keira are both napping, thus allowing me to post this. Yes, it is summer in Arizona, but Ryan wakes up every morning and insists on putting on his "Big Pants" and his long-sleeved shirt so he can "stay warm". (I think he gets cold in the air conditioning drafts inside.) But, you can see the poor baby Keira is sweating in her sleep.

#3 My Fridge. It seems to be always half-empty, although I am always stocking it.

#4 Kitchen Sink. I usually try to keep this empty, but sometimes I have to decide what is more important. Today, I decided to look at the grocery ads while watching 'Alias' and then post this to my Blog. As long as it is empty before I go to bed...

#5 Favorite Shoes. My running shoes. I just bought these at the Adidas outlet on our way home from California. (We used to have one right next door to us in Draper, and I miss it!) These shoes are awesome! It is almost just like wearing a pair of socks. I just wish I got to use them more. Since I work from home in the mornings until 7 or 8, it is too hot to take the kids out after that. I am just waiting for the mornings to cool off and get my double jogging stroller fixed so I can take Ryan and Keira out running every day.

#6 Favorite Room. I guess it is the boys' room since it is the only one with decent furniture and half-way decent wall hangings.

#7 Dream vacation. I would love to go back to Portugal. I served in the north, Porto, so I want to go back there. But I would love to see the south, Lisbon, as well!

#8 Bathroom . This is the kids' bathroom. It is kind of fun with Turtle bath mats and mongrammed towels. I guess I should start thinking about getting Keira a towel as well...

#9 The room I spend the most time in. The office. As I mentioned before, I work from home from 3:15 - 7:15 am (It's not as bad as it sounds) and then I check my email in here periodically thoughout the day. However, Keira does not like it when i sit down in the office chair as she knows my attention is about to be diverted from her.

Now I am supposed to tag 4 people. Since most of my family was tagged with me, I will tag my sister-in-law, Aquamarine, Mikell, Stephanie and Laurie. Have fun girls (and I won't be mad if you don't do it).

Tent City

Trent and Ryan LOVE to build tents: tents at our house, tents at Grandma's house, tents out of cushions, tents out of tables and blankets. any type of tent will do. Well, Keira was sitting in the high chair in the kitchen watching me work. I left the room just for a minute and came back and found Keira in a custom tent that Trent had built for her. He must have figured that if he and Ryan like tents so much, then so would Keira. (She actually didn't mind it for a while, but then she wanted out!)

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

It is HOT in AZ right now! So what have we been doing? Trent and Ryan are taking swimming lessons, and Keira and I get to sit for an hour to watch them. I finally gave up showering before lessons because I need another shower afterwards. However, it is fun to watch the boys' confidence grow as they learn to swim like "little" fish (I know I use that play on words too much). Trent and Ryan have also learned that water + dirt = MUD, and that a run through the sprinklers will wash the mud off nicely.

Park Daze

One of my very favorite things to do is to go the "Park By Our New House" with my kids. There is a covered playground there and usually there are other kids for the boys to play with and other moms for me to visit with. Granted, it can be a lot of work getting there what with making sure to pack enough water, diapers, wipes, snacks, etc. to keep us nourished for the journey. But it is always worth it.
We found out that Trent's school will not be offering half-day kindergarten as we had hoped, and so Trent will be attending kindergarten ALL DAY starting July 28th. I cried myself to sleep for about 2 nights after we found out, because I kept thinking that it will be the end of our Park Daze. I know, I know, I can still take Trent to the park when he gets home from school, but he won't be just mine anymore. I'll have to share him with his teacher and his new friends at school. I even get emotional thinking about it as I write this. The time does go by so quickly, just like everyone says it does. For now, I am just trying to enjoy each day with my kids at home and be grateful when we all fall into our beds safely each night.

3 "Little" Cuties

When Trent was 3 months old, we got his picture taken. This one (the photo at the top) became a family classic with that smirk on his face and his hair sticking up everywhere. So, when Ryan turned 3 months old, I took him to get his pictures taken in the same outfit, just to see if we might replicate the picture. As luck would have it, his also turned out with a cute little smirk on his face and his hair sticking up everywhere (see middle photo). Recently, I took Keira to get her pictures taken when she was 3 months old (to the day), and we got this darling photo - without the smirk but with her hair sticking up everywhere in classic "Little" baby style. Although they have all started out looking very similar, they all have unique personalities and character traits that make us love them not a "Little", but a whole lot!

Keira's Blessing

We had a wonderful weekend as many of our family members from out-of-town came to participate in Keira's baby blessing. It was so nice of them to drive so far to make this weekend special for us.

Keira's Aunt Jenny was so nice to let us use the dress they used for Lexi, and she looked beautiful in it.

We enjoyed having everyone here, and we are so grateful for all of the love and support we receive from our families.

Ryan's 3rd Birthday

Ryan turned 3 on Sunday, the 6th of April. He was so excited for his birthday, as he has patiently waited through Trent's, Russ' and my birthday. Ryan said that he wanted an orange bike for his birthday (orange is his favorite color), but we couldn't find an orange bike, so he settled for the cool green one he saw at Toys 'R Us. He also got a Diego Helmet, knee pads and elbow pads from Grandpa and Grandma to protect him while riding his bike, and he got a cool Diego scooter from his aunts and uncles. He loved each card that he received - expecially the one that came all the way from California that had money in it.

We love having Ryan in our family. He is a big tease, but also very sweet and tender-hearted. He ADORES his baby sister, Keira, and is constantly giving her kisses and hugs, and he wants to be present for each on of her diaper changes and baths . He still likes to crawl in bed and snuggle with Mom and Dad in the mornings when he wakes up.

Ryan can talk very well for his age. He is learning his letters and numbers. His favorite color is orange. His favorite things to wear are his "Big Pants" (his jeans). He loves to play at the park with his brother, Trent, and any other kids that may be at the park. He enjoys watching Dora the Explorer, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and most recently, Scooby Doo DVD's.

We love you Ryan and hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Where we are now

I am way behind the times when it comes to blogging, but I wanted to start one so that I was motivated to keep some kind of family journal. There is no way I can catch up on 8 years, so I will just start from where we are at now.

Keira Shae Little was born on February 9, 2008. She weighed 8 lbs, 0 oz and was 20 inches long. It's funny, before she was born, I wondered what she would look like. I was born with white hair, but both Trent and Ryan were born with a full head of dark hair. Well, so was Keira. Now that she is here, I said to Russ, "What else did we think she would look like?" She definitely fits the mold of a "Little baby". It has been so much fun to have a girl and Keira is such a sweet baby. She is our best sleeper yet. I almost feel like I am cheating somehow, because I actually feel more rested now than before she was born. Keira has started smiling and talking, which of course, endears her even more to us all. Her big brothers love her. Ryan can't stop giving her hugs and kisses and he likes to be present for every diaper change and bath.

Another piece of exciting news is that Trent successfully rode a 2-wheeled bicycle with no training wheels on April 2, 2008. He has been asking us for weeks to take his training wheels off, but we just haven't gotten to it with the new baby and all. A friend in our neighborhood kindly brought over a bike they weren't using so that Trent could practice with that. Trent went outside, got on the bike, and just took off. I think he must have been practicing in his mind all this time he has been waiting to get his training wheels off. Great job Trent!