Eric!

I've been going though some of Jacobs clothes (a never ending task, it seems). Anyway, apparently Eric found the pile I set aside to be put away. Eric has been wearing this outfit (minus the hat) all day. He loves it!

What a nut! :)

Another up-date

It's pretty sad when my last two posts have been titled "up-date" (both created months apart)! Oh well, that's my life I guess. I barley have time to think anymore, so taking time to record my thoughts has been out of the question.

Its hard to believe that it's almost September! Callie and Tyler both have pigs again for the fair. They are counting down the days until they can get rid of them. It's been a good experience for them, but it will be nice to not have the responsibility.

Callie is playing softball. I watched her first game yesterday, and they did really good. Callie pitched for part of the game. In Tyler/Brian's words, she didn't get her athletic abilities from me. I love that she is athletic, I wish I were more so ;).

Tyler loves going to school at CAPPS (4th grade). He likes being able to walk to school and come home for lunch.

Eric, Jacob and I are at home trying to get a routine back. I'm teaching Eric pre-school. (Finally my 20,000 student loan is paying off!)

I am pregnant! I am 13 weeks along and doing really good (other than being tired). It was not planned, but we are all really excited.

Brian is coaching JH football again. He loves it, but its hard to have him gone so much! We will both be happy when football season is over.

I have a ton of pictures. I need to post about birthdays, and a lot of other stuff. I look at other blogs and feel like a bad record keeper. I'll be better!

Hopefully..........

Up-date

Its been awhile since my last post, so I thought I'd do a little up-date.

Brian & Ginger-
-Brian got a new road bike and is planning on doing a BIG week long bike ride with another teacher this summer.
-I got a new sewing machine! I'm so excited to start some projects (note that I said START.... I haven't had a chance to do much with it :)
-I started working on my garden. I planted a few spring plants, like peas, spinach and onions.... I'm looking forward to planting more when it warms up.
-We both recently started working for the 2010 Census. It will only last for a few weeks, but we are excited to earn a little extra summer money. It's also nice that we get to work together.

Callie-
-Callie's room got a makeover. Its not quite done yet.... I'll post some pictures of it after its done.
-Callie got braces! They look so cute on her.
-Callie is doing 4-H again this year and will be getting her pig this Friday.

Tyler-
-Baseball season just started, so Tyler is busy with practices. He will be playing his first game tomorrow.
-Tyler is going to do a pig for 4-H also. This is his first time being in 4-H, so he is really excited. He is quite the busy boy now, with the pressure of having to pick out the perfect pig name and all ;)

Eric-
-Eric is obsessed with the movie, Sandlot. So he spends a lot of his time wearing cleats that are 5 sizes to big, a batting helmet, and a baseball glove. When he's mad, he tells me that I play ball like a girl! He also tells almost everybody he talks to that, "Chaw is yucky"......It makes you throw-up, like this see, oolllwww". Probably not the best thing he has ever learned from a movie!
-Last week I took Eric to a pre-school screening. It was fun to watch him do all of his little "tests". Today I found out that he didn't qualify because he did so well. Which is fine with me. I'm planning on starting a little preschool program for him this fall at our house. I might do it for one of the kids I babysit too. I'm excited to use some of the things I learned while in the teaching program.
-Eris had a birthday! He is three now! I'll post more about that later with some pictures.

Jacob-
-Jacob has six teeth! Four on top and two on the bottom.
- Brian and I took Jacob to a specialist in Tucson about three weeks ago to find out why he has had so many breathing problems. I really liked the Doctor we saw. Jacob was given some medication that has really helped. In a few weeks we will go back for some more tests. I'm so grateful for modern medicine!
-Jacob is still really chubby, but he has finally started to stretch out a bit. So to me, he looks a little less chubby.... (He's still huge though!)
-Jacob has finally started to sleep though the night! I was starting to think this day would never come.... Now that it's here I couldn't be happier!

Well if you are still reading.... I'm sure I've bored you to tears :) but that's what happens when you are a slacker like me and you only blog once every few months!

Jacob has a tooth!

He is growing up so fast! We love you Jakey pie!

Look what I've been making!

CINNAMON ROLLS! THE OTHER NIGHT I DOUBLED THE BATCH. IT MADE A TON. WE PLANNED ON GIVING THEM AWAY, BUT ERIC WOKE UP SICK THE NEXT MORNING, SO WE DECIDED THAT WE BETTER NOT. GUESS WHO GAINED 5 LBS?

I've also been sewing. This is the top to my first quilt. I've made quite a few blankets, but up until now I had never made a quilt. It was so much fun! It only took me one day to make the top. I cant wait to make more!

Sick

For the past few weeks we have had a lot of sick kids in our home......

It started with Jacob getting bronchitis. He even had to stay in the hospital for a few days because of it. He still has to have oxygen while he sleeps. This is scary because I'm always afraid that he is going to get tangled in the tubing in the middle of the night. To ease my worries, I have been sleeping by him. He has had some respiratory problems for the past few months. So his doctor is going to have a specialist check him out. Hopefully we will get to the bottom of his problems soon. I hate having sick babies!

The day we came home from the hospital, this is what I found -Tyler with strep throat! It was the first time he had ever had it. He was so miserable for a few days. Poor guy!

Then, a few days later....... Eric got sick too. It started with a very long night, in which he complained of ear aches. But after taking him to the doctor we found that Eric had strep throat too!

So, hopefully we are done with being sick for awhile. I'd say we've had our fair share.

~Another Year~

Today is our Anniversary! I cant believe that another year has already slipped by. We had big plans this year..... We were going to go to the Vally, stay the night, eat good food, and do some shopping (would have been sooo nice). But we had to postpone those plans because of a sick baby. darn
Instead I skipped church (so that I could take care of Jacob (who just got out of the hospital yesterday) and Tyler who I'm pretty sure has strep throat). Then we went and ate a yummy dinner at a friends (who was forewarned that we were all sick). (Thanks Tiff it was better than Ruth's Chris:)

So, now to by wonderful husband:

Dear Brian,
Thanks for choosing me to be your wife. Thanks for hanging in there when times got rough during those first few months. Thanks for always making me laugh, even when I'm mad at you. Thanks for doing spontaneous things with me (even when we end up spending way more money than we would have if we would have planned it out). Thanks for being a good dad. Thanks for making me so happy. Thanks for being such a good example to me. Thanks for loving me!
I love you,
Ginger

From the mouth of Eric

I love the stage Eric is in right now. It seems as if he is making the big transition from toddler to kid. To him, it seems as if the world is spinning for him and him alone, and he has the task of figuring it all out.
The other day as I was feeding him breakfast, he turned to me and said:

"Mom, I want to be dirt."
"Dirt?" I question.
"Yes, dirt. So that a bobcat can pick me up."

I thought I was going to die laughing! I questioned him a few times, just to make sure I understood him.

Later on that day I heard him say to himself, "I want to be a bat..... no I want to be dirt".

Today the pore little guy is a tad bit under the weather. Its probably just a cold, but it has given him all sorts of aches and pains. As I was making lunch he told me that his toes hurt. Poor guy. Shortly after that I told him to come and eat his lunch. He came into the kitchen with the saddest look on his face and said, "my piggies are broken!". (piggies = toes)

He is so cute, even when he's sick.

My Pity Party

So, I'm having a little pity party for myself. The reason for such an occasion you might ask?

I'm starving!

Now let me explain. Jacob has been REALLY congested for the past three months. So after his good doctor ruled out a few other things, she decided to see if he has a food allergy. So that means I cant eat any dairy, eggs, nuts, or soy. It is so hard because I LOVE food! And almost everything has at least one of these ingredients.

I had been keeping a fairly good attitude about it up until a few hours ago when I found myself at a bridal shower, surrounded by a LOT of really yummy looking food. I wasn't able to stay at the shower for long because I needed to get home to my cranky kids.

But I have a secret to share..... After I got them all taken care of, I snuck off to circle K and read the labels to all the junk food in the store and found something I could eat! It was like a little beckon of light in a otherwise very dark night!

Oh, I cant wait to find out what is going on with my chubby little baby so that I can get back to enjoying food the way it was meant to be enjoyed!

Funny!

These words are ones I'm going to live by from here on out.... (excluding the alcohol portions)
This is from a Chinese Doctor so it must be true. Right?:

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Heart only good for so many beats, and that it... Don't waste on exercise. Everything wear out eventually. Speed up heart not make live longer; that like say you can extend life of car by driving faster. Want live longer? Take nap.


Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does cow eat? Hay and corn. What are these? Vegetables. So, steak nothing more than efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef also good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And pork chop can give 100% recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.


Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine. That means they take water out of fruity bit; get even more of goodness that way. Beer also made out of grain. Bottoms up!


Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: If you have body and you have fat, ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, ratio is two to one, etc.


Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Cannot think of single one, sorry. My philosophy: No Pain...Good!


Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU NOT LISTENING!!! .... Foods fried in vegetable oil. How getting more vegetables be bad for you?


Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise muscle, it get bigger. You should only do sit-ups if want bigger stomach.


Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: You crazy? HELLO ... Cocoa beans! Vegetable!!! Cocoa beans best feel-good food around!


Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming good for figure, explain whales to me.


Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is shape!


Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.


AND.....


For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies:


1. The Japanese eat very little fat
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.


2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.


3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.


4 The Italians drink a lot of red wine
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.


5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.


CONCLUSION.....


Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Eric

For the past few months we have been working on potty training Eric. I know he is capable of being totally potty trained by now. But because of lack of desire on his part, and lack of not being in to big of a hurry on my part, we haven't quite gotten the job done. We have been working on it though.

Yesterday he went to his Grandma and Grandpa Biglers house for a few hours to play, and when I picked him up he had a Pull-Up on. Well, shortly after we left I noticed he had pooped in his Pull-Up. Our conversation that fallowed went something like this:

Me: Eric did you poop in your Pull-Up?
Eric: Yep
Me: You are not suppose to poop in your Pull-Up!
Eric: I didn't poop in MY Pull-Up! I pooped in Pappo's (aka Grandpa's) Pull-Up.

Capability: 100% Desire: Not so much :)

Poor Brian

Monday was such a crazy day! It started out with my sweet husband surprising me by bringing me home lunch. (He dropped it off and then went back to work.) About 20 minutes after he left I was at the sink washing my hands when I noticed there were emergency vehicles at the school where he teaches. (Its just down the road from our house.) So I decided to call Brian and and ask him if everything was okay. As I reached for the phone, it started to ring. It was the school calling to inform ME that Brian had choked on his lunch, and that he still had some food stuck in his throat, and they were getting ready to transport him to the hospital. Poor Brian, he told me later that he was eating alone in the teachers lounge when it happened. So he stumbled out and motioned to some kids for help, but they thought he was teasing and ran off. (He is normally so sarcastic; even the first teacher who saw him didn't believe he was really in distress!) Anyway, while he was being transported to the hospital I quickly found a couple really great people to help with the kids so that I could go to the hospital too.

Shortly after Brian arrived he was given some medication under his tongue which helped relax his esophagus mussels, which in turn made it so that he could clear his airway. Up until this point he was not able to swallow, and for part of the time he was only able to breath out of his nose. Then the Doctors decided to put a scope down his throat to see why he has such a hard time swallowing. They found that he has scar tissue built up around his esophagus due to acid reflux (which he didn't know he had). They also stretched out his esophagus so that his food can pass easier. Then they did a biopsy to make sure that the extra tissue was really only scar tissue.

Needless to say it was a very scary ordeal. I'm so glad everything turned out okay. From what I hear he will be getting a hard time from his co-workers. I guess he deserves it, especially because as I was trying to let everyone know that he was okay, he was in the background saying, "tell them that I passed".

Dumb

Lately I have been saying the dumbest things. It seems like nearly every conversation I walk away from I am left with my foot in my mouth.

My goal for the week: Keep my foot on the floor where it belongs.

What a snow! I cant believe how much we got. I have never seen so much in my life! Last week the kids had a late start on Tuesday, then the fallowing three days school was canceled, all because of the snow! It was so fun to watch it come down. The kids had a blast playing in it. My sisters kids came for a two day visit so that they could play in it too. We have a hill by our house that the kids had fun sledding down. Brian and I even spent a morning sledding down it. I will be so sad if anyone ever builds a house on the lot at the base of it! I'm sure one day it is bound to happen, but for now we are enjoying it!

Christmas 2009

This was my gift from Brian! I love it! So far I've made rolls, bread (both white and wheat) and cinnamon rolls. All of this has added to my own rolls! Next year he will have to get me a gym membership to go with it!

Christmas day 2009

Wow! Christmas went by so fast this year! It seems like we had just put up our tree and BAM it was over! It was good though. We went to a few Christmas parties (one week we had three in a row). We spent time with people we love. We enjoyed having our tree up and the warm feeling we had in our home because of it. We shopped and shopped and shopped. But most of all we felt the spirit of Christmas, which is love. I love Christmas. I hope I can fell it all year as I (hopefully) keep my new years resolution and make some homemade gifts throughout the year in preparation for next year.

Christmas Eve 2009

On Christmas Eve, Keith and Donna came over to see us. They got ALL of us a pair of PJ's. I was especially excited because normally I get the kids PJ's for Christmas, and this is the first year I forgot. I love Keith and Donna. I could never fully express my appreciation toward them. They are so good to us!

Callie and Jacob

Callie and I had fun putting this hat on Jacob. He started sitting up by him self when he was about 4 1/2 months. So he was able to pose for these pictures without being held up. Every time I look at him without clothes on I crack up. HE IS SO CHUBBY!

Look at me and.... SMILE!

Eric loves to play with my camera. Lately I've had to hide it so that he doesn't play with it when I'm not looking. On this particular day, I let him take some pictures. He decided to take one of this snowman. Before he did, he said to the snowman, "Look at me, look at me." (so I turned the snowman toward him) "Now smile!"

What an obedient snowman!

Eric took this picture

Then he asked me to take this one of him.

Happy baby

Jacob is such a happy baby! He smiles for almost anyone who looks his way.

Three reasons why I love his smile:

1. His chubby little face almost swallows his eyes when he smiles really big.

2. His sweet little dimple shows.

4. He makes cute little noises when he smiles.

I am so lucky that I get to see his smile every day..... It makes my day brighter. Just knowing its there waiting to come out makes the sleepless nights (a little) easier! That's right sleepless nights. This boy is not sleeping at night. He is the first baby I've had to not be sleeping all night by now. Oh well, as long as he smiles at me during the day I think I can get through the night!

Jacob's 4 month check

Jacob's 4 month health check found him to be a healthy 19.1 lb boy. He is a BIG baby!

Halloween 2009

I'm not sure where the time has gone.... but here I am trying to play catch-up with my blog again!

Halloween was a blast! Eric was soooo excited to be a tiger, we got his costume about a month before Halloween, so he had a lot of time to play with it and get pumped up about the big day. Jakey was a monkey..... He looked so cute with his BIG cheeks filling out the hood of his costume. Tyler was a vampire (again) I think he looked even better than he did last year (practice makes perfect)! And Callie didn't really want to dress up... It was the first year in her life that she didn't. She is growing up way to fast..... it makes me sad! In the end though she, along with her friend, Emma wore masks and went trick-or-treating together.

Chubby, Chubby, Chubby

My name is chubby!
My mom is chubby!
My dad is chubby!
Even my dog is chubby!
One day my mom said,
"Jakey, you are so chubby,
I bet you can't even smile"!
I said, "yes I can....SEE"!

He is the biggest baby I have ever seen! Brian is starting to get a bit worried about him... but I love it! His cheeks stick out farther than his nose does! I wonder what he is going to look like when he thins out...

Career day/ wacky hair day

Today was career day/wacky hair day. Brian went as a bum. Callie went as a snowboarder. Then I did Tyler's hair wacky. I also did Paula's hair (the kindergarten teacher I babysit for). Fun times...

My fat little baby :)

I love fat babies! Jacob is chunky from head to toe, and I think its so cute! Last time we went to the doctor he was in the 50% for his height, and the 98% for his weight. He is 10 weeks old now and weighs almost 16 lbs.

Never turn your back... not even for five min.

The other day I learned a big lesson.... NEVER leave your kids unattended for even five minutes. I was on the phone, nursing Jacob and watching the kids play in Eric's room. Then they decided to go down stairs, so I stayed up a little longer to finish feeding Jacob. When I went down I found this horrible mess....

I wanted to cry...


But I instead I took this picture and ate some chocolate :).

Hammy The Pig

Poor, poor Hammy! Here he is, livin' life. Being fed and cared for by this cute girl (aka Calllie) and before he knows it BAM he finds himself at the fair being sold to the highest bidder. So sad... But on a brighter note, Callie did a great job with her pig this year. Hammy won third place in his class. Then was sold for 2.75 a lb. He weighed 249 lbs. Callie is going to put her earnings toward her collage fund. Good job Callie!