Tonight's the Night!

Here we go again!  Induction Day (Night) is here!  I'm nearly a week overdue (this picture was taken last Wednesday, on my due date).  I'm still feeling great--amazing, I know!  Went to my last Zumba class this morning and tore it up!  But, the time has come for this little girl to just.come.OUT!  (My doctor doesn't like to let anyone go over 41 weeks--especially since my babies tend to be rather large!)  So, they'll start me out with some meds tonight to get the labor process going and, if all goes to plan (as it has with the other three) we'll get to meet our sweet little Juliana tomorrow! 

Happy May Day!!!

Father-Son Time

Christian really enjoys the weekend.  Why?  Quality bonding time with his "old man."  And what do these boys like to do once the work of the day is done?

Mario on the Wii!  Christian LIVES to play Mario with his Daddy.  This is especially helpful when we need to ensure some good behavior from him!  (Oh, and as a side note to this picture, Cubby's not really asleep while playing, he just didn't want the camera's flash to blind him :-).)

And, after a little Mario-time, they follow up by...

Watching the Three Stooges!  (Soooo cute to listen to Christian giggling while watching!)

(Christian snapped this picture--apparently, he wanted to capture the moment.)

Preschool Zoo Trip

 Last week I went with Christian and his preschool class on a field trip to the zoo!  It was a GORGEOUS day.  Kari came along too and we had a fun time seeing the big cats, orangutans, the newly renovated aquarium and the jungle.  The kids all did very well--and they have a fantastic teacher, Mr. Joey.  Christian really likes Mr. Joey and the rest of the kids seem to as well.  If a couple of the kids were starting to run off, he didn't have to yell or even speak sharply.  He'd just firmly call them back and they listened!  Amazing feat to accomplish with 10 active four and five year olds!

It was a short trip (as preschool only lasts from 9-11:30),  but by the time it was time to head back at 11:00, both Kari and Christian were tired out and ready for a rest!  (I even think that was the day Kari took an almost 4 hr nap!)

Again, it was great to be able to spend a little extra time with my big boy!  I had been hopeful that walking around the zoo would jump start my labor, but hey, if Zumba doesn't do it, I wasn't terribly surprised that it didn't :-).

Zumba Therapy

This pregnancy brought about the need for a new form of exercise.  It started to get cold in October and that's about the time that it got too uncomfortable for me to keep running (plus the fatigue of running at 6 a.m. was wearing on me!).  So, I tried out out local YMCA's Zumba class.  Talk about a good decision!

For anyone not yet brave enough to try it out, please find a good instructor (it makes ALL the difference in the world) and go to a couple of classes!  (I say a couple b/c it sometimes takes a few times before you start to "get" the moves and it stops being mentally hard and starts being more physically challenging...and a LOT of fun!)

So, since October I've been going to Zumba class 3-4 times per week.  It helps that class is held while the kids are in school and Kari can go to either Toddler Art or Tottercise classes that she really enjoys (or early Saturday morning before anything gets going at home).  There are quite a few gals from my ward, neighbors, and other friends in the class and we all enjoy shaking what our Mama's gave us!

Our instructor, Jennifer (black pants, blue jacket), is amazing.  She is also expecting and it has been great to Zumba together while our bellies (and other parts of our bodies) expand!  Jennifer also teaches Body Pump (which, up until last week, I did once a week).  Let me just say that to be able to teach/talk through both BP and Zumba (back to back on Saturday mornings) while pregnant is no easy task and she continues to amaze me!  Her craziness, intensity, and fun music packs the class and makes everyone want to come back for more!  To say that I'm saddened by the fact that she's moving this summer (just after having her baby!) is an understatement.  We'll all miss Jennifer!

I'll finish up by saying that Zumba has not only kept me physically active throughout this pregnancy, it gives me such a mental release as well.  The days I get to go to class seem to go smoother and I know I'm a happier mommy when I'm done!  As of today, I've got two classes left before my induction Monday night.  Needless to say, I'll be thrilled not to be pregnant anymore (yes, I've reached that point!), but missing "my" class for the next 6 weeks will be tough!  Am I slightly ridiculous or what?!  Ha!

Egg Hunt w/the Neighbors

Over Spring Break, we had a fun evening BBQing with some of our wonderful neighbors. The food was yummy and the company was even better! We also had a little egg hunt for the kiddos--it was Kari's first hunt and she LOVED it. It was so cute to watch all of the kids running like crazy to find the 12 dozen eggs that my friend, Bridget, had put together for everyone! (Yes, 12 dozen. Bridget rocks.) Here are a couple of shots from "the hunt" itself :-).

Emily and Christian were very focused.

Ballgame with Daddy

The Saturday before Easter, Cubby and Emily got to go out to a ballgame together! Emily had read and reviewed a certain number of books through school which earned her a free ticket to a Stormchaser's game. She was up for a Daddy-daughter date and the rest is history! They had a great time together and got to hang out with our friends, Ella and Brooklynn, and their Dad too.

We've really enjoyed having the new ball park so close by and hope to be able to take the rest of the family this summer!

Sibling Rivalry

So, remember how Emily recently learned how to ride her bike (see here)? Well, about two weeks later, Christian decides he doesn't want to be left behind, and asks Daddy to take his training wheels off. One week later, he's riding it. He is very proud of himself; "I'm so excited I can ride a two-wheeler!!!"






Go Christian!!!

Easter Morning 2012

Easter 2012 was pretty low-key. Still fun, but nothing over the top--mostly b/c I was in the midst of a horrible sinus infection and just didn't have the energy to do anything fancy. (Funny how being super pregnant and sick does that to you, eh?)

The Easter bunny did come to our home though and left lots of candy-filled eggs for the kids to find! He also left a small toy in each of the kids' baskets. Christian was over-the-rainbow happy that he received an Angry Bird; it is now one of his "lovies."

Emily, though one of our top egg-finders, was ever-helpful to her younger siblings, making sure they got to find their fair share of goodies as well.

Kari LOVED the whole egg hunting process. She even tried a piece of candy! However, it was not to be and she then gave her candy to Daddy, Mommy (who wasn't even well enough to indulge!) or Christian. (Emily doesn't really care for candy either--silly girl!)

Since I was sick and we were going to my Grandma's for dinner, we put Kari down for her nap at regular time so that she wouldn't be too tired later that evening. So, she and I stayed home from church while Cubby took Emily and Christian for the first hour. (Not my ideal Easter Sunday, but hey, it couldn't be helped.)

Here are Emily and Christian, though, all dolled up. Such a sweet pair.

I'll do a post about our evening another day. I didn't want this one to be any longer :-).

Love It...

I love it when my children all play together! (And when it doesn't turn into an all-out brawl I'm especially thankful :-).)

One morning over Spring Break they built a fort of sorts and went "camping." Emily made sure everyone had their bed and Christian made sure his boots were close at hand.

Here they are all pretending to sleep. Being a stay-at-home mom is challenging, but boy-oh-boy, I wouldn't trade it for the world. (Make sure I reference this post when everyone is crying, hungry and the house is a disaster.)

Cubby's Trip to NYC

Cubby's new job requires a bit of travel. Not too much, just once a month or so he'll be gone for 1-3 days. Like I said, not much. This past month he had to go meet with clients in New York City. I thought a 3 day trip to New York would be awesome. ALONE in NEW YORK?? The shopping possibilities....But, alas, Cubby is a guy. When I asked him what he was going to do in the evenings, he said, "Well, the Knicks aren't playing at Madison Square Garden while I'm there and the Big East tournament was here last week, so, I'll probably just watch the games from my hotel room." Which, he did. (Cubby is not what you would call a "Broadway Baby." And, honestly, I'm not much of one either so I don't blame him!)

However, he did get out a bit and see a few things. Here's the pictures he brought home:

Lego Land

NBC Studios (he didn't go over and say "hello" to Matt Lauer or Al Roker)

Cubby's dinner...both nights he was there. Two pieces of pizza and a soda, x2 nights: $6.75. Cubby insists this was the BEST pizza he's ever had.

Rockefeller Center

In Grand Central Station, they had this display of the "Titana Boa"--this 40 ft long snake fossil scientists have recently discovered. This was the molding of what they think the snake looked like.

And, finally, the LDS temple in NYC. Cubby didn't bring his temple bag along, but he was allowed to go in to the church part of it (b/c in this temple a regular chapel is on another floor of the building). So, he went in there and looked around.

So, this was basically the non-business part of his trip. I was happy to hear that he would have had more fun had I been able to come along :-). (But, that goes without saying, right?!)

First Haircut

This morning I took the kiddos to get hair cuts. (Well, for Emily it was just a trim b/c we can't get it really cut for summer until after her dance recital; it needs to be long enough to get up into a bun.) In anycase, we went to where I get my hair cut, Stephen's Hair Studio. There is a VERY sweet woman named Kelly who actually began cutting Emily's hair back when she was Kari's age! She is wonderful and does such a good job, both on hair and with the children.


This was Kari's first time getting her hair cut! (She was getting the "mullet" and the ends all needed to get trimmed up.) She was SUCH a big girl and sat so still in the big-girl chair. And, I got some great pictures of the whole event. So, where are they? Well, to make a long explanation short, Cubby erased them (on accident). I was/am not happy about it. But, here are the end results--Kari's sweet little head...mullet-free!
Next time we go in, maybe I'll try and "recreate" the moment so Kari won't be too bitter about this erased event of her childhood 20 years from now. I did save a bit of her hair so at least she'll have that!

Happy April Fool's Day!

It's April 1st, and, this is no joke--it's 90 degrees here! We're living it up...is it really 2 months until the pool opens??