The LaRoe Family

Hello Again!

2010-08-29T23:38:00.000-07:00

Wow! My first post of 2010! I'm a little behind. There is no way I can catch up from my last post so I figured I'd start over highlighting our Summer. I guess technically it's still summer, but school has been in for 2 1/2 weeks already and we are in full swing of homeschooling so summer for us has pretty much ended. Preston started 1st grade and is doing so well thus far. He really is a great student and loves to learn. There is no way to survive homeschooling one while taking care of two other little ones without a strict schedule! I learned this the hard way last year, so this year (so far) I'm on top of it and our schedule has worked out wonderfully. Ella and Aaden have been really good while I'm working with Preston. They play really well together and entertain each other while Preston is in "school". Lots of work, but I love being with my babies all day. =) Here are pics from a few of our fun summer excursions....

Me and my Aaden at the zoo for his 2nd b-day

Yummy Birthday cake!

The kids and I went cherry picking with my parents in July. It was seriously one of the highlights of the whole summer for me. It was soooo much fun. The weather was perfect and the trees were beautiful. We ended up with 21 lbs of cherries by the time we were done. Needless to say I made A LOT of cherry pie this summer. =)

Aaden showing off his bucket of cherries

Bumpa and Aaden

Ella in the cherry trees

Our neighborhood has a swim team and this was Preston's first year on the team. It turns out we have a fast little swimmer on our hands! At the very first meet he beat everyone in his races by so much, they moved him up to the next division of kids for the rest of the meets. He absolutely loved his swim season and can't wait until next summer!

The start of his freestyle

This was right after the gun went off for his backstroke. There were 4 other swimmers in this race (you can't see all of them in the pic) and.....

Preston left them all in the dust!!! He won by a huge margin and Mike and I would have definitely won the award for most loud and obnoxious parents. =) We were so proud of him!

Ella started ballet and tap and here she is trying on her brand new tap shoes

All dressed and ready for her first class!

Preston trying on his brand new sparring gear. Preston, Ella and I all started Tae Kwon Do. Yep, me too! We absolutely love it and it is really great for the kids to learn such discipline.

This was Aaden trying on my sparring gear. Yes I spar too and yes I wear that fabulous helmet. =) Aaden wanted to spar Daddy...

The tackle....

....and the take down!!

Ella riding her big girl bike out front

We went boating with our good friends and had so much fun. Ella and Preston loved jumping off the back of the boat

Swimmin' in the lake.

Preston tubing

and little Ella tubing!!

Ella and her girlfriends

Kisses for Daddy. So sweet =)

A bit blurry, but this is Preston crossing the finish line of his race. Every Thursday for about 7 weeks the local college held a 5k race in the evening for the adults and a kiddie k for the kids. I raced in the 5k's with the running club that I have been training with and the whole family would come to cheer me on. Around the 4th Thursday race Preston and Ella decided they wanted to race in the kiddie k. After running their first one, they loved it and wanted to race in the rest of them. They even competed in the series final and each received a medal at the end (that's the picture of them at the top with their medals). Preston was a really good little runner and finished near the front of the pack every time! Ella was a ham and literally smiled the whole race and crossed the finish line giggling...she makes me laugh.

And of course our Summer wouldn't be complete without a trip to our favorite place...Disneyland! We had a great summer , but I'm really looking forward to this fall and the upcoming holidays (they are just around the corner!!) Preston started AYSO so I'm sure I'll be posting pics of his soccer games soon!!

Finally

2009-12-18T14:33:00.001-08:00

Wow! It's been a long time since my last post. This move paired with learning the ropes of homeschooling has turned my life upside down. I am busy every minute of the day and have had a hard time trying to balance everything and everyone. We finally finished having all of our flooring put in our house about a week and a half ago so now at least I'm not trying to do everything with workers in the house all the time. That was HARD. Mike finally had time to hook the computer up so now I can post pictures (yay!) and I feel like I'm maybe starting to get a hold of balancing my days as a mommy, teacher, wife, housekeeper and cook (wow, it only took the whole first half of the school year for me to figure things out...). It's been amazing to watch my precious Preston learn and grow before my eyes. That is one of the perks of homeschooling, being so involved in his development is priceless. Preston absolutely loves school and loves to learn. We have the best teacher, Mrs. Kacmar, to guide us both in this journey and I am so thankful for her. The program we are in through the school district is really amazing and would recommend it to anyone out there who is interested in homeschooling. Ella loves to sit at the table and do her "work" (coloring in her coloring books...hehe!) while I work with Preston. The tricky part was figuring out what to do with Aaden while the other two are at the table. It still is tricky and our schedule changes daily. When Aaden naps on time, the day flows really smoothly. The days that he doesn't want to nap, or only naps for 45 minutes (because Aaden is NOT a good sleeper) are the harder days. Even though these last 4 months have been the craziest months of my life, I'm so thankful for all God has provided for us. I love our little home we have created and am thrilled to finally watch my kids play in their very own backyard! =)

So much has happened over the last 4 months there are tons of pictures....so hard to choose which ones to post since I take pictures of everything! So here are some that highlight the last 4 months of our life.....

Right before we moved out of our townhouse Preston lost his first 2 teeth!

He was soooo excited for the tooth fairy to come. He was a little sad to give away his teeth though, so I suggested we write her a letter thanking her for visiting and asking if she could please leave the teeth. The next morning Preston was happy to see she left some money for a toy AND let Preston keep the teeth... ;)

When we sold our townhouse there was about a month of not knowing when exactly the day would be that we were to be out, so we ended up having to move all of our furniture out so we would be ready to leave when escrow closed (because the market is weird now and they literally give you a few days notice to leave). This meant that we were living in our place with 3 kids and no furniture. Not fun. Anyhow, we had the kids sleeping on air mattresses and this particular day I put P and E upstairs for their nap. When I went to check on them this is what I found.....
I guess that's what happens when you have a little sister....=)

Yes, when I say no furniture, I mean NO FURNITURE. We lived like that for about a month. I don't recommend it to anyone. This picture just makes me smile. This was Guncle (my brother) babysitting.

Our last moments at our townhouse...bye little house. It was so sad leaving....so many memories there. All my kids were babies there!

After we moved out of our townhouse there were about 2 1/2 weeks where we were homeless. We stayed the majority of the time at my parents house and visited Mike's parents in Lompoc. Of course we had to take a trip to our favorite beach!

Pismo!

This was the morning of Preston's first day of school. He was soooo excited to meet his teacher!

Does he not look so cute with his spider-man backpack? Yes, I was a blubbering mess.

Preston meeting his fabulous teacher and seeing his classroom for the first time!

FINALLY...WE GET THE KEYS!!! We didn't move in right away, instead we removed flooring and painted the whole place. About a week later we moved in. =)

I started painting right away while Mike and a bunch of friends helped remove flooring. This picture shows the lovely flooring that was through the ENTIRE house. Bedrooms and all. Needless to say, it is finally all gone!

This was the kids first climb to the top of our hill. It doesn't look like much until you see this pic....

Our hill is GIANT. It needs landscaping, but Mike and I are actually excited to turn it into what we want it to be. Oh yes, we have big plans for our big hill. =)

The first month that we lived in our house the air conditioner broke, the electrical panel went out, the dishwasher flooded, the kitchen sink backed up, the front yard flooded (sprinkler broke), and the water main burst. This was Mike and his Dad trying to fix the original broken sprinkler, which turned into breaking the water main, which then turned into another broken sprinkler pipe. It was about 105 degrees on this day and Mike and Chuck were out there all day. I took these pics because I thought maybe we would laugh about it later....

Mike's still not laughing.

Aaden helping Daddy mow the front lawn

Halloween! They had a blast trick-or-treating with their cousins!!

Of course another Disneyland trip!

Ella LOVES pickles. She asks for them everyday. We never thought to get her one of those giant pickles from Dland until this last trip. We showed her the pickle and her eyes were huge! She LOVED her giant pickle and ate the whole thing! She asks all the time if we can go to Disneyland to get a pickle. =)

Woody!!

Our living room after the tile was removed....

...and our living room after the wood was installed!

My friend and I ran the Malibu half marathon. It was beautiful, but tough. Insane hills on that run!

Yay!! We're done! Good job Jess!!

On Nov. 20 our Preston turned SIX!! I cannot believe I have a six year old. What a blessing that little boy is.....

Opening his DS game that he asked for

Blowing out his candle on his birthday pizookie. (A giant cookie with ice cream. He asks for one every year) =)

And as tradition on the eve of Preston's birthday......

The Christmas lights go up!!!

This pic just made me laugh. This was Mike and I attempting homemade doughnuts. The kids had a ball making them and Aaden wouldn't stop eating them. He cracks me up...my little monkey. Yes, Ella has a giant bandage on her forehead because she tripped over a toy, fell and bashed her head right on the corner of our guest bed. She was the first stitches incident in our family. She was so brave when she got them and hardly cried at all during the stitches. My brave little girl!

Picking out our Christmas tree in the rain

My babies

He-he..=)

Mike in his spider-man beanie. My silly husband...=)

Me and my babies

Time to decorate!

We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Still Exhausted....

2009-10-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

Moving is terrible. Don't get me wrong...I am soooooo thankful for our little house. However, moving in and unpacking with 3 small kids and homeschooling for 3 hrs. a day ISN'T EASY. I'm so tired. Mike and I have decided that we are not moving again for a loooong time. Unless we win the lottery and can pay for other people to do all the work for us, it's not happening again anytime soon. AND I still can't find the darn cord for my camera to post pictures so pics of our place still have to wait...but I had to write a post on this special day....Mike's Birthday!!! We love you, Mike, soooo very much and are so thankful for all that you do for us. You are an awesome Daddy to our babies and a fantastic hubby. We love you "as high as the sky and deep as the sea" (as the kids say) =). I am so excited to continue on this life adventure with you. Today we celebrate YOU!!! Cheers, Babe!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Exhausted.......

2009-08-26T01:05:00.000-07:00

Well, the good news is.....WE OWN A HOUSE!!!! We got the keys last Sunday and I am in LOVE with my little house. =) However....Mike and I had a few projects that we need to complete before we can move in. So, as soon as we got the keys, Mike and a group of very awesome and helpful guys began removing the tile from our house. The entire house was tiled and with three little ones all I could imagine were all the bumped heads from slipping or falling out of bed. Oh, and not to mention, the tile was insanely ugly. Well guess what? IT'S GONE!!! Well not all of it, but most of it. At least it's not in the bedrooms anymore. Yuck. Thanks to everyone who helped out! Our carpet was installed today and looks so good!

My job these past few days has been the painting. I've been painting for 3 days straight. I do love to paint, but this time I can honestly say I could live the rest of my life very happily without ever having to paint another room again. My brother has been such a help...thanks Chris. Couldn't have survived these last few days without you. =) Thanks Mom for painting help! Thanks Chuck and Hildie!! REALLY couldn't have done this without you. I'm hoping our first night in our house will be this Thurs. We'll see.

It's way too late and I'm way too tired so I can't post pics tonight, but I will hopefully soon. Can't wait to show pics of our house and of course...(drumroll)...PRESTON'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!! Well, home school, but it is through the public school system so he does have a teacher and a classroom and he was sooooo excited to start. It was too cute to watch him get so excited with his spider-man backpack on. I cried and I didn't even have to leave him. Just so precious. Pics will come soon.....

July Fun

2009-07-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

I LOVE July! It's one of my favorite months. I love beach trips, bbq's, fireworks...all the fun Summer stuff. This July has been so busy! It started out with us selling our house. Yep...we're moving! We bought a house just around the corner from our townhouse and we are so excited! I have LONGED for a backyard for my kids for soooo long and now we have one! And a great one too. Our new house is small, but we fell in love with the yard and the fact that it is still in our neighborhood so we don't have to give up all the fun stuff that our kids love about our community. The bummer is that we don't move in until Aug. 20th and we leave our townhouse July 29th. So we will be staying with Grandma and Grandpa G. for a bit. =) The kids are so excited to stay at Grandma's house. It will be an adventure for sure. =)

Next was Alice's wedding! It was such a fun day and a beautiful wedding! We all had so much fun just having the family together and watching the kids have fun and DANCE! The kids LOVED DANCING! It was so cute to watch. Conner was the dancing king, I think he gets the award for most energy spent on the dance floor. Once he started, he never stopped. It was a great day. Congrats Alice and Nick!

We spent the 4th having a BBQ and swimming at Aunty and Uncle's house (Alex and Margaret). Then back to our mall for fireworks with Grandma and Grandpa G. It has been our tradition since the kids were born to watch fireworks at the mall. Preston and Ella loved the show. Aaden wasn't sure if he liked it or not...he liked it one moment and then was scared the next. Overall, it was a great evening of fireworks.

The following week we left for our annual Pismo beach camping trip. I love camping at the beach! I hope everyone had as much fun as I did! Uncle Trent taught Preston how to boogie board and he was awesome at it! He did better than any of the other kids...I think he's a natural. =) Thanks again Grandma and Grandpa for letting us use your camper. We had so much fun!!

Great picture of my Sister/brother-in-law and kids

The handsome boys...minus Aaden

The flower girls!

I love this picture! You can see Emma and Ella watching in awe...=)

First dance as Husband and Wife!

Father/Daughter dances.....

The Bride and her Dad

Trent and Emma

I love this picture! So precious =)

Alex and his girls

Dancing pics.....

So much fun!

Family pic

Congrats to the happy couple! Nick, there's no escaping us now. =)

The 4th

Pismo!

The kids love looking for shells

Conner found a crab!

Not so sure about this finding

Playing ball with Daddy

Our Ella is so beautiful! =)

Grandma and Ella

Searching for shells

Uncle Trent and Preston off to boogie board

Cousins Conner, Bradley, Vanessa and Ella

Cousins Brianna and Ella

The boy cousins...minus Aaden

The girl cousins...precious =)

More boogie boarding...this time with Daddy

I love this pic. He loves it!

Grandpa and Peanut

Twins!

My sleepy beach baby

Sand castles with Uncle Trent

So, when I go to the beach, my hair turns into a huge puff, frizz, fro situation....

I think Aaden inherited my trait

All the cousins!

One thing we've learned about our packing experience.....

a cardboard box will keep kids entertained for hours!!!

Aaden's Birthday!

2009-06-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

Oh my word, we have been so busy! We put our house up for sale just today so we have been CRAZY trying to get the house ready with 3 little ones that just tear it to shreds in the blink of an eye. I don't think I've sat down on the couch for a week. In all the craziness I haven't posted Aaden's Birthday blog!! His Birthday was May 22. My sweet baby is already one! I really can't believe that. It feels like just yesterday I was pregnant and walking laps around our townhome complex trying to spur on labor. I ended up having to be induced because the doctors were afraid I was going to have a huge enormous baby again, so they induced me a little early.

I can't write about my Aaden without writing first about the unforgettable story behind my pregnancy with Aaden. Even before Mike and I had even thought about having another baby, Preston knew we would. When I put the kids down for their naps we have a prayer time. I pray and then I let the kids pray for whatever they feel the need to pray about. Sometimes it can be pretty funny watching the kids pray fervently for a baby doll or healing for an "owie" so small you can barely see it. One day in the summer of '07 I was putting a then 3 yr. old Preston down for his nap. I prayed my prayer and then Preston prayed his. I had my eyes closed until Preston prayed these words "Jesus, please send me a baby brother". What!?! We had never even mentioned anything about a baby brother or baby sister for that matter. My eyes flew open so fast. Ella was only around 15 months old and still not sleeping through the night. She was about 10 lbs. when she was born and birthing another 10 pounder wasn't high on my "really want to do again soon" list. I decided to not say anything about his prayer and just let it go by. Would you believe Preston prayed EVERYDAY from that day forward for a baby brother. Every nap time prayer. I never really addressed it with him. I just let him pray as he felt lead. Kind of letting it be between him and God. Then came the day in September....I found out I was pregnant! I was shocked, but SOOO excited! I couldn't wait to tell Mike and watch him struggle to find words in the midst of pure shock. I met Mike on his lunch break that day and broke the news to him and laughed so hard watching him fumble around in his speechlessness. He of course was happy and excited after the initial bomb drop. Mike and I decided not to tell anyone of the pregnancy until the 12 week mark. Well, Preston knew. I'm not sure how, but he knew. One night I was putting him to bed (I was around 7 weeks prego)and a conversation happened that I will never forget. Preston said,"Mommy. I see a big tummy. That's my baby brother." Those exact words with that much certainty came from the mouth of my 3 yr old babe. Not knowing exactly what to say, I said,"well Mommy has to go to the Dr. to make sure there is a baby in there." Preston's next words, "I'm sure. I'm very sure". Just like that. I was only 7 weeks. I know my belly gets big quick, but geez. It really wasn't THAT big yet! Preston just knew.

Around 15 weeks I went for a 3D ultrasound so we could find out the sex of the baby. Mike and I were in the room with the technician and my Mom was outside with the kids. Next came one of the best moments of my life...the technician said it was a boy!!! I of course wouldn't have cared either way, but knowing Preston's heart was so set on a brother, I was elated. Preston had been praying for his brother for nearly 6 months at that point!

Next came another moment that I will NEVER forget. We were in the car driving home from the ultrasound. There was no conversation going on in the car. No one had said ANYTHING about naming the baby. Mike and I were silent I think because we were still so excited about the thought of our new little boy coming. All of a sudden Preston blurts out "my baby brother's name is Aaden". Again, just like that with just as much certainty. Where Preston heard the name Aaden I have no idea. It was never a name Mike nor I had ever even thought about. From that moment on, Preston no longer referred to his new sibling as his baby brother, but as Aaden. Every night he would kiss my belly and say "good night, Aaden". There was no changing it in my eyes. I knew Preston had a deep, special bond with the baby in my womb from day one. Preston even knew Aaden was coming before any of us did, so the idea of Preston naming him just seemed right. The name Aaden soon grew on me and now I couldn't imagine him being named anything else. Again, Preston just knew.

Aaden was born at 2:45 in the morning of May 22, 2008 (which is another funny story. Preston was Nov. 20, Ella was March 21 and I always joked if we had a third he/she would be born on the 22nd and he was! So weird!). I was shocked when I first laid eyes on him....He was BLONDE. White blonde with the bluest eyes. He was so beautiful I couldn't stand it. Aaden is my cuddle baby. From the moment he was born I've loved snuggling up to my little blonde peanut. Just looking into his eyes melts my heart. He loves making people laugh by making his funny faces and even cracks himself up. =) I just love my little boy and couldn't imagine our family without him. He is the perfect answer to a 3 yr. old boys nap time prayers. =) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MONKEY!!!

Aaden's First Birthday cake

His first cake experience. Notice the very rapid progression from clean baby to complete disaster....

I think he enjoyed it. He seems satisfied. =)

Pool party!!

Aaden and his bud Leo

Picnic at the park. This was the first time we've had a party at a park and it was SO MUCH FUN!! Can't wait to do the next Birthday there.

Jessie and Soph

Sweet Addie enjoying her sandwich

Shhh....look! A picture of my brother without making a weird face!

There we go....that's more like it...

Of course it was a curious George party because Aaden is our Monkey!!

Conner looking out for his little cousin. So cute!

Birthday Boy!

Aaden loves baseball already. I think he's going to be our little slugger. =)

Cupcakes! Yum!

Grandpa and Peanut

I love this picture. Those two are so cute together. They love playing with each other because they are the same age...just 5 months apart!

Our beautiful Isabella.

Wow...That was a LOOONG post!

A Conversation Overheard

2009-05-18T00:28:00.000-07:00

Today we went on a walk as we usually do. We love to go on walks and today we walked around the lake that is across the street from our house. The kids love to go over there and feed the ducks and turtles. So as I was pushing Aaden in the stroller, Mike was next to me and Preston and Ella were walking side by side behind us. This is what we overheard:

Ella: Preston? Do you like my pretty ponytail?

Preston: Yes Ella. You look very pretty.

Ella: Thanks Preston. Preston, you look very handsome.

Preston: Thank you, Ella. That's very nice of you.

He-he. Just one of those precious Mommy moments I just want to always remember. =)

Catch Up!

2009-05-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm averaging about one post a month. Oh well...I'm trying! It's hard to find time. Three kids are a handful!! The big news in the LaRoe house is that Aaden is walking!! He just let go of the couch and walked across the room one day. That was it! He is a bit wobbly still, but I can't believe how quickly he picked it up! He walks everywhere now so of course we had to go buy him some new shoes. My little boy is getting so big!!

In April we went to Disneyland (yes, again!) with Grandma and Grandpa LaRoe and Jenny, Trent, Conner and Emma. This was the kids first time at Dland with their cousins. Preston experienced his first roller coaster and tried out a few other "big boy" rides. He went on splash mountain (really didn't like it much. There is a big drop which freaked him out!), Thunder mountain railroad ( a roller coaster! It doesn't drop, just goes fast) and Star tours. His all time favorite new ride was Star tours. He LOVED it! Ella went on her first little roller coaster. It was a small one, but still went pretty fast for a 3 yr. old. She didn't cry, but I'm not too sure she liked it all that much =). Aaden was just a trooper as always. I don't think he even fussed the whole time...he is such a good boy!

Disneyland!

Ella was helping Aaden walk. I loved the matching diaper butts!! =)

I love buying matching shirts for the boys and I found my absolute favorite two ever! It's hard to tell, but Aaden's shirt says "Mommy's little monkey" and Preston's shirt says "King of the jungle".

He's walking!!

My little monkey

The king of the LaRoe jungle

Aaden's new shoes

Trying out his new kicks at home. He-he. He makes me smile

This pic just made me smile. The kids love to tackle Daddy.

This past weekend we spent at the beach. The weather was beautiful so we went both Saturday and Sunday. The kids love the beach and so do Mike and I. While we were there yesterday Preston said "it's too bad our home isn't here". Uuummm, yeah. Too bad. I told him Daddy and I will start saving up our piggy bank money ;)

Preston's shell collection

Aaden was helping Mike and Preston find shells

The kids LOVED the water. Now that the weather is warmer, the water was just the perfect temp. They had so much fun.

I love that Preston and Ella are in the background.

Preston's seaweed fort

Spring Fun!

2009-04-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't posted in a long time, here are a TON of pictures of our first month of SPRING!!

We made our first beach trip of the year at the end of March. The weather was BEAUTIFUL! We had a picnic with a bunch of our friends...it was so much fun. The kids had a blast and Aaden enjoyed his first ocean experience! =)

Aaden loved crawling around on the grass =)

Aaden loves Daddy hugs! So precious.

I couldn't get Aaden to look up at me because he was so amazed with the water and the wet sand. =)

The LaRoe bunch! I love my sweet family.

Every Easter our family meets at a restaurant for lunch and then we go to someone's house for an egg hunt. This year we had the hunt at my parents house. The kids had a blast with their cousins and I have so much fun watching the kids have fun. Easter is one of my all time favorite holidays. On Good Friday Mike read the story of Christ's death on the cross to Preston and Ella. He was trying to explain why we celebrate Easter. That it's not about bunnies and eggs at all. He was explaining that Christ gave us the greatest gift by dying on the cross for US! And of course that Easter is a day to celebrate that He rose from the grave!!! Well I guess it is sort of a hard story for a 5 yr. old to grasp because Preston was horrified. He is a really sensitive little boy and the story of Jesus dying on the cross was a bit too much for him I guess. What a good Daddy for trying though! =)

They were so excited to find their Easter baskets!

Fun stuff! Since My kids can't eat most of the Easter candy that is out there, we (I mean, the Easter bunny)just fill the baskets with toys and surprises. A little costly, but worth it to see them so excited!

Aaden's first Easter!!

He was more captivated by the grass than the presents...

Our huge party of 18! I wasn't sure how Preston would be in the restaurant, but he was just fine!

The other end of the table

I love how much these girls love each other....priceless.

And of course the silly boys! Next year Aaden will be one of the crazy boys.

At my parents house ready for the egg hunt!

Oh my....

We were so happy that Gigi could join us! (The kids are blessed to have 2 Great Grandma's so we call them Gigi and Geegee)=)

My pretty Easter princess!

Yep. Of course Rod and Ren were there!

Aaden with Grandma....

.....and his other Grandma!

Playing on the balcony!

Last month my Grandma came to visit to celebrate her birthday, my Dad's birthday and Ella's birthday. I just had to include some pictures from her visit because we LOVE her so much!!

Ella loves playing play-doh with Geegee

We love you Geegee!!!

We hope everyone had a BLESSED EASTER!!

Our Princess is 3!!!

2009-03-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

I know this sounds corny to say, but time really does fly by. I can't believe our little Ella turned THREE on the 21st! It seems like just a week ago that I surprised Mike by showing him the positive pregnancy test. A surprise that actually rendered him speechless for a good five minutes. MIKE and SPEECHLESS don't usually go hand in hand, but this was one of the few times he was and it is so much fun watching his mouth hang open in COMPLETE shock. Of course he was excited, but it took a good 24 hrs. for the initial shock period to wear off before excitement set in. We knew we wanted another baby, God's plan was just a little sooner than ours! His timing is most definitely perfect because I couldn't imagine my world without my sweet Isabella.

My pregnancy with Ella was HARD to say the least. At around 7 weeks pregnant I had a complication and I thought for sure I had lost the pregnancy. I called Mike at work (sobbing and scared) and he rushed home to take me in to the ER. Thankfully my parents were able to come watch Preston for us. The whole drive down to the ER I could hear the words FEAR NOT echoing in my mind, but of course I was terrified. When we arrived they wouldn't let Mike come back with me, so I spent 4 hrs. by myself in the room crying and praying. They finally let Mike come back with me when the Dr. arrived. She went to do the ultra sound and my greatest fear unfolded before me....there was no baby. For some reason she decided to try one more time and I threw out one last plea to my God...may YOUR will be done...and like a true miracle...there was our little peanut on the screen! Then in the center of the tiny peanut was a flicker...THE HEARTBEAT!!!! Even the Dr. was surprised to see the heartbeat so clearly at only 7 weeks along. Ella was our miracle!

Soon after, horrid morning sickness set in. Actually, I wish it had been only "morning" sickness. It was more like all day sickness. Some days I couldn't even get off the couch. Then my diabetes went crazy, blood pressure went crazy and my stomach always measured abnormally HUGE so they were always sending me for ultra sounds to make sure Ella was OK. Definitely not an easy pregnancy, but of course worth it for our sweet treasure!

When we found out we were having a girl, I knew I wanted to name her something special. A name that MEANT something. This little girl in my womb fought through so much, I knew she was going to be strong and I knew God's hand was on her. From the moment in the ER, I knew she was special and that God had a real purpose for her life. I wanted her name to reflect her strength and purpose. We searched with no such luck. We found names we liked, but didn't have the meaning I wanted. One day, Mike and I heard the name Ella and we just looked at each other and agreed we loved it. Of course I went straight home and looked up the meaning. It means "she" in Spanish and something about a fairy in Gaelic. Hmmmm. Not exactly the deep meaning I was hoping for. Then I started thinking of names that ended in "ella". Suddenly, the name Isabella popped into my mind. I looked it up....Isabella is ITALIAN for ELIZABETH. Then for the meaning.....CONSECRATED TO GOD. That was it. It was perfect. A salute to my Italian heritage, named after a great woman in the Bible and you can't get a better meaning than that. I knew at that very moment, in my womb was our sweet Isabella.

She was born March 21st at 3:15 in the afternoon. She was 9lbs 14 oz! Our Isabella definitely made an unforgettable entrance into this world! Today our Ella (settled on using 'ella' as her nickname) is every bit the strong little girl we knew she would be. She is always jumping off of things and loves to run. She can run pretty fast for a 3 yr. old! She is beautiful, funny and TOTALLY into fashion. She loves to put her outfits together and has a specific pair of shoes picked for each outfit. She loves to make Preston laugh and is an excellent big sister to Aaden. She can make Aaden laugh harder than any of us can. She is my baby girl, our exquisite princess, our sweet Isabella. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL!!!

Classic Ella "smile" at about 11 months

Learning to walk at 11 months

No hands!!

At her first Birthday party...first taste of cake....

....she loved it!

She was excited about new clothes even at one!

Her second Birthday....Aaden made his debut 2 months later!

Blowing out her candle...what a cute princess =)

Yep, excited about shoes! Total fashion diva from day one =)

For her 2nd Birthday celebration we went to the Aquarium...this picture just makes me laugh. Ella is always a ham for the camera

At her 3rd Bday party this past weekend. We just had a small party with our family. I guess she didn't like our singing..=)

With her best friend and cousin, Emma, on her 3rd Bday! We love our princess!!!

Sooo Busy.....

2009-02-25T09:51:00.000-08:00

Since Aaden has started crawling my life has suddenly become much more hectic! He is into EVERYTHING! Now Mike and I are realizing how much work it is to have 3 children that are constantly each needing attention. We are definitely outnumbered! We wouldn't have it any other way, though. We are so in awe of the three little miracles God has given us....the sources of so much JOY!. It is a lot of work to take care of these three little people, but it is the best and most rewarding work possible and I am so thankful I can stay home with my babies. Work (of all kinds) is exhausting though! Not much time to myself (or to update the blog!), but definitely worth every second. Mike and I were just talking last night that one day we will have 3 teenagers....and we will have only memories to hold onto of when they were teeny tiny. So even though it is a lot of hard, exhausting work, I am just trying to soak up every second of their baby and toddler-hood because I know they grow so fast!!!! I am constantly tired and make-up (most days) is a thing of the past, but never before has my life been filled with so much joy, laughter and FUN! So please forgive that I may not be the best at updating this blog, but it is because I am happily busy wiping tears, kissing "owies", changing diapers and being the recipient of countless goobery kisses from three of my most treasured gifts! =)

So here are some pictures from the last couple weeks...

Valentine's morning!

Digging into their surprises

Preston was excited!

So was Ella, of course!

Aaden just wanted to eat the ribbon....

Silly baby!

faux-hawk!!

So, one evening I was upstairs putting laundry away (so fun, I know) and Mike had the duty of cleaning the kitchen after dinner. When I came downstairs this is what I found.......

Aaden at the dishwasher....

...while Preston and Ella did dishes....

...all while Mike was doing his yoga video. Hhmmm...maybe he's on to something....=)

Go Aaden!

2009-02-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

He's mobile!! Aaden is crawling EVERYWHERE and in the last few weeks he started sitting up on his own and pulling himself up on furniture to stand!

He sits.....

...he crawls....

...and he stands!! Go Aaden!

Ella is completely obsessed with Fantasmic at Disneyland (since we have been there THREE times this month!) and she loves to watch it on Mike's computer. Mike set it up at the table one morning and all three kids were watching...made me smile. They are so cute! =)

Here are a few pictures from our last trip to Dland....

Ella was so excited to see Alice, we chased her down to get a picture with her! Ha! The things you will do for your kids..=)

Preston was STOKED to see Buzz Lightyear!

The race cars! Preston loves this ride and Mike loves taking them on it.....and I love watching them have so much fun! I love my sweet family!!

We are blessed to live right across the street from a beautiful lake so a few times a week I take the kids over to see the ducks. They love walking around the lake and "saying hi to the quacks" as Ella says!

They crack me up!

Sleepy Aaden

Ella is usually the first to wake up in the morning and the other morning she came stumbling out of her bedroom looking like this....

Ha! Silly bedhead girl!!

Christmas Fun.......Finally!

2009-01-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

If you are wondering why I am so late with our Christmas pictures....it's because they were deleted!!! =( Mike has been trying to figure out a way to retrieve deleted pictures off of our camera. He found a program, but the pictures are half blacked out. Sooo sad....hopefully Mike can figure it out, but until then I have a few that we took at our house and a few from my Dad at their house, but none from the LaRoe side!! So Chuck and Hildie, if you have any pics from Aunty's house can you email them to us?? Picture crisis aside, our Christmas was so much fun! It's hard not to have fun on such a joyous holiday celebrating Christ's birth, surrounded by family and watching little eyes light up with excitement at the sight of presents under the tree. I love Christmas and am always a little sad when all the celebration ends. Preston is already looking forward to next Christmas and asked how many "naps" until Christmas comes again (he measures time in how many nighttimes away things are.. ha!) We had so much fun visiting with family. My Grandma (Gee-gee to the kids) and Aunt Susan were both here from Pennsylvania. The kids adore them and can't wait to see them again (maybe in a few months???? Hint, hint Aunt Susan??? =)). Our cousins were also here from Canada and the kids LOVE playing with their cousins!! We wish they lived closer!! Here are a few fun pics of our Christmas....

Christmas morning

Ella's first present..they were sooooo excited to start

Preston helped Aaden open his first

Aaden mostly liked the wrapping paper better than the presents! He actually liked this present though! =)

After all the mayhem at my parents house...what a mess!

My dog Moose!! Every Christmas Moose gets so excited and actually opens his presents by himself.....you can't really tell, but he was opening one of his gifts! Ha!=)

My Aunt Susan and my cute little Grandma....the kids were so excited to see them!!

My parents were unbelievably generous to us and surprised us with a really special gift! Knowing how much Mike and I LOVE Disneyland, they bought us all annual passes!!! We were blown away...thanks Mom and Dad! So a few days after Christmas, we made our first of many trips to one of our favorite places. We took Preston for the first time last year to see how he would handle it (food allergy wise) and he did pretty well. No major reactions, only a few minor ones toward the end of the day. So this time was still a test to see how well he would do and......he was fine!!! We packed food and snacks and treats for the kids and wiped everything down they touched as well as we could (constant hand wiping as well) and he was great! He had a blast and can't wait for our next trip! Ella, on the other hand, wasn't as thrilled. I should have known considering she screamed non-stop when I took her on the carousel at the mall. She's not so into rides......yet. Her highlight was meeting Cinderella and Snow White. It was so cute because she was actually star struck! She also loved Cinderella's castle and It's a Small World. Aaden obviously had no clue what was going on, but he was so good. He went on pretty much all the rides with us including Pirates! He was just happy the whole time....such a good baby! We made this first trip with Rod and Ren which was a lot of fun. I think maybe next weekend we will go check out California Adventure....we've never been!

We waited in line for about an hour and a half to meet the princesses, but it was so worth it to see Ella get so excited! When she was with them she was a little nervous, but was so excited after. =)

Ha! We love these guys!!!

Preston LOVES the Tea cups!! I went in a separate cup with Ella and Aaden.....

Ella was not as excited. I made sure the cup didn't spin at all. After, she actually said it was fun, sort of. Again, not so sure about rides yet!

Ella loved how pretty the castle looked at night!

Waiting in line for Small World....our last ride of the day! This turned out to be Ella's favorite ride. She loved it!!!

This was on the last day of their cousins visit....the kids ADORE their big cousins so it's always sad to see them go home!! We miss them!

Too Funny

2009-01-08T16:09:00.000-08:00

This afternoon while I was feeding Aaden, Preston and Ella were watching cartoons in the family room. This is what went down.....

Ella: charges at Preston as fast as she could and plows him to the floor. As they land, she is on top of him cracking up.

Preston: looks up and realizes he is about to be plowed over by his little sister and braces for the impact. He lands on his back with Ella on top.

Ella: (still laying on top of him) "I love you Preston".

Preston: (still in plowed over position) "I love you too, Ella. Stinky bo-bo head".

He-he. Just made me chuckle. (For those of you that don't speak our LaRoe language, bo-bo is code word for butt) =)

Christmas Lights!!

2008-12-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

I was going through our pictures to post some really cool pictures of Christmas lights that we took on our most favorite street, then I realized I completely skipped over Thanksgiving! Oops. So here are a few from our Thanksgiving we had at Mike's parents house in Lompoc. My parents came up also, so it was a lot of fun having the whole family together! The food was great and the kids had a BLAST playing with their cousins. Thanks Chuck and Hildie for a great Thanksgiving dinner!! We drove home that night (2 1/2 hrs!) so I could shop with my Mom the next morning. It has become a tradition for my Mom and I to wake up early and join all the other crazy, lunatic shoppers. It's actually fun for us, although this year I did something I never before attempted. The Disney store in our mall actually opened at midnight the night of Thanksgiving and yes, I went. My friend Jessie and I braved the crowd and survived. We got some good stuff too! Then I met my Mom at Toys R' Us at 6. I was exhausted, but it was so fun. Then on Saturday, we had another Thanksgiving dinner, this time at my parents house, which was also great. Thanks Mom for our yummy dinner! Here are the Thanksgiving pics....

"Gi-gi" and the kids

I thought this was a cute picture of Conner and Preston playing in the yard

Aaden loves his Uncle Trent!

The cousins building sand castles

Mike eating ham (he-he!)

Swinging on Grandma and Grandpa's swing

Aunt Jenny being smooshed by children

Here are a few pictures of dinner at my parents house...

"Bumpa" and Aaden

My brother is so weird =)

So now for the original reason for the post...Christmas lights!!! Mike and I absolutely love going to look at Christmas lights with the kids (although I think we enjoy it more!). We go out at least every other night to look and of course we bring our mugs of hot chocolate and blast Christmas music in the car...it's so much fun!! There are a handful of streets in our city that go bonkers with lights, but there is one street in particular that is our absolute favorite. We take the kids there all the time! Just about every house is covered in lights and they even string the lights from house to house across the street. I have been going to this street for years and it is so fun for Mike and I to now take our kids there!!

We usually park the car and walk the street because it is so amazing. It has actually been pretty cold here, so the last few times we went the kids really had to be bundled!

My favorite is this beautiful Nativity

Mike's favorite is the shooting star

Ella's favorite is the huge Mickey Mouse behind her

This is our favorite tree...look how many lights are on the tree alone....

So pretty!

From the look on his face, I'm pretty sure Aaden loves his santa hat =)

Of course Rod and Ren had to come!!

Here are just a few fun Christmas pictures....

Picking out our tree in our super cool santa hats!

Me and my babies!!!

The kids decorating our tree...so precious!

Any Suggestions?

2008-12-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

OK, so Aaden is going to be 7 months old on the 22nd and he still wakes up every two to three hours through the night! Is this normal? Preston definitely inherited my sleep gene because he was sleeping through the night at 5 weeks old. That was it. He figured it out and never looked back. Ella, on the other hand, didn't figure out how to sleep through the night until after I was already pregnant with Aaden. She started sleeping through at about 17 months old, but at least she would only wake up once, maybe twice through the night, would want to be rocked and would fall back to sleep without a struggle. By the time she figured out how to put herself back to sleep, I was prego again and awake on and off through the night being sick and uncomfortable. So now I have my precious Aaden who still wakes up ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! I FEEL LIKE I HAVEN'T SLEPT IN YEARS!!! Fortunately for us Mommies, God was gracious to make these babies so darn cute, you forget in the morning (a little) how hard the night was. When I wake up in the morning to my three babies, even in my sleep deprived blur, I can't help but smile at them. I love my little angels so much, but this Mommy needs to figure out how to get more sleep! So if there is anyone out there in this blog world that is reading this and has any suggestions on how to get an adorable little 7 month old to sleep more than three hours at a stretch, please share!! Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

Oops...forgot the Birthday pics!!!

2008-12-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post pictures of Preston's Birthday party! The morning of his party there was a huge fire (fires in California?? Shocking) that shut down the main freeway to get to our house, so a lot of our family couldn't make it to his party =(. Other than that, his party was great considering it was a little last minute! Preston had so much fun with his friends as did Mike and I! We started a tradition that we put our Christmas lights up every year on his actual Birthday(since his Birthday is so close to Thanksgiving, his party is sometimes a week or two before his real Birthday), so about a week after his party we celebrated with another cake and Christmas lights!! Christmas is my absolute most favorite Holiday so it's fun to kick off the Christmas season with the celebration of my baby's birthday!! It's so fun to watch the kids get so excited!! I love it! Enjoy the pics!!

The Birthday Boy!!

Meghan and Caitlin

Sweet Sophie

Little Leo

A LaRoe party is not complete without Rod and Ren!

Our friends Dave and Michele were in town from Buffalo, so they were able to stop by for a bit!

The Dynamic Duo

Mike started a silly string war with the kids...the kids clearly won.

So sweet...Preston loves his friends!

I love these two pictures...I'm so in love with my babies!

Preston's party pals

Cousins!!

On Preston's actual Birthday with Daddy and his Birthday pizookie! (a huge cookie with ice cream. All dairy and egg free, of course)

He was really excited about his spider-man toy!

Time to put up lights!!

Grandma celebrated with us too!

Daddy working hard

Of course Mommy helped too

Since I'm kind of camera crazy, I figured I'd share some random pics....

One weekend we had a thunderstorm which is almost unheard of here, so the kids were baffled by the water falling from the sky. They wanted to sit in the car and watch it fall on the windshield. They are in the van....see, we do these sort of things in California.

One day, I went upstairs to wake the kids up from their naps. When I walked in, I couldn't find Ella! She wasn't in her bed! I looked all through the upstairs and about a second before pure and utter panic set in, I found her......

Can you see her? Silly girl!

Cute Baby

Cute Baby with cup on his head

My Baby is 5!!!!

2008-11-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

Today is Preston's Birthday!!! I can't believe it has been 5 years since he was born, time really does go by fast. I will always have the best memories of Preston as a baby because he was my first baby. I didn't have anyone else to chase around, it was just the three of us. When Mike and I found out that I was pregnant,we were so excited. I had gone through a miscarriage the month before so this pregnancy was an extra special blessing. The beginning of the pregnancy was tough because I was so sick,but by the fourth month I was much better. Around the fifth month we found out that we were going to have a little boy. We were so thrilled!! Mike had a smile glued to his face for a month. =) His first boy. We decided on the name Preston (actually I let Mike decide on the name since it was his first son) and then started shopping!! About the seventh month of my pregnancy I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, so that was tough making sure my blood sugar didn't get too high, no fun following that diet either. Then on Nov. 18, about a week early, I went into labor! After a LONG 46 hrs. (yes, 46 hrs) of labor, Preston was here!! He was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. He weighed 8 lbs. and was 20 inches long. He was such a good baby! He never cried much, although it was probably because he ALWAYS had his pacifier (we call it a nuk) in his mouth. He was attached to that thing from day one. =) I could write a book remembering all the great things about Preston as a baby. I am so blessed to be his Mommy.

Now at 5, Preston is such a love. His smile lights up any room and when he laughs it is contagious and soon we are all laughing! I have watched him grow to be the best big brother Ella and Aaden could ever ask for, he loves them so much. And they love him! Aaden always gets a huge smile on his face when he sees Preston and Ella won't go anywhere without her big brother. Even though Preston has been through some pretty scary moments dealing with his food allergies, he is still the happiest boy I know. He loves playing with his spider-man toys, his legos and he really loves wearing his costumes. He runs around in his spiderman outfit shooting "webs" and has worn his Halloween costume everyday since his Halloween party. Again, I could write a book. I love him so much and am so thankful God entrusted ME with the blessing of being his Mommy! Preston is 5 today, but he will always be my baby. WE LOVE YOU PRESTON MICHAEL!!!!!

Food Allergy Walk!!!!

2008-11-16T22:22:00.001-08:00

I'm so excited to write about this!!! Today we participated in a walk for an organization called FAAN...Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. I have been a member for a few years now and am very passionate about the work they do. They hold fund raisers for food allergy research, publish newsletters for their members, and are advocates for educating people about food allergies. Today they held a walk in Santa Monica and it was so much fun!!!! I put a team together and named it Preston Friendly. In just a short amount of time we were able to raise about 200 dollars for FAAN!! I am so grateful to all our friends that supported us...thanks to The Socha's,The Thomas', The Bedrinana's, The Johansson's, Aunt Susan and her co-workers, The Sutton's, Carole Anderson and everyone else who donated anonymously!!!! We love all of you and are so thankful!! I managed to hold myself together today, but I definitely had to hold back the tears. The walk was a 2 mile walk and a lot of people came out!! Our good friends the Bedrinana's and The Johansson's came and walked with us. This was our first year participating so it was kind of a learning experience for me. Next year I'll try to get more people to come out with us because it was so much fun!! My heart JUMPED with joy watching Preston meet other kids with food allergies. He also ate his first chocolate bar!!! A company called Enjoy Life Foods (an allergy free company, I LOVE them) had a booth there and and they now make chocolate bars completely dairy, egg and gluten free!! And they were GOOD!! I was jumping up and down watching my kids eat chocolate...silly, huh?? When you live with food allergies, little things like that just mean so much. Preston met the sweetest girl named Kendall. Kendall also has EXTREMELY severe food allergies and she was so nice. She talked with Preston about what each of them can and can't eat and Preston was in awe of the fact that she too was allergic to many things. He's never met anyone with quite the same allergies (or someone that is as severely allergic as he is). I could go on and on, but in short it was one of the most special days of my life. There are no words to express how much I love my Preston and seeing him "fit in" with other kids was priceless. I will remember it forever and am looking forward to next year!! Thank you Jessie, Christiam, Jamie and Daniel!! To have you guys there today meant more to me than you will ever know!

Us with Kendall. I really hope we get to see her again soon!

My big boy!! He's the reason we walked!!

Preston and I with the Johansson's, Jamie, Daniel and little Jonah!

Yes, that's Preston eating a CHOCOLATE BAR!!!!

Our team Preston Friendly!!

Me and my boys

They had these signs along the walk route. Every time I read one, I had to choke back tears....

Wait....am I seeing double?? =)

Maybe one day....

Me, Jessie and Mike (in the background)

Hey, even Gary Busey came out to join the fun!!

Some of the walkers

Christiam and cute baby Leo

There's Sophie!!

Jessie dancing with the girls after the walk

Jessie and I being silly with the kids after the walk

Holding his little Bro..

I love my silly boy!!!

Preston's Halloween Party!!

2008-11-16T20:00:00.001-08:00

OK, so I know this is really late, but better late than never, right? Preston had been asking to have a Halloween party for so long, I just had to have one for him. He was so excited for Halloween this year. I'm not exactly sure why because he can't eat most of the candy he gets when he goes trick-or-treating, but he was sure excited to go this year! So we had a little party for him and many of his friends came in their costumes.....so cute! After the party, we went trick-or-treating with our friends (and neighbors) The Hesters and with Grandma LaRoe, Grandma and Bumpa and "Guncle" (not exactly sure how the kids landed with Guncle for my brother, but they did). Our neighborhood goes really crazy with the decorating, so the kids have a lot of fun going through the neighborhood. We walked a long ways! The bummer is that even after all the houses we went to and the full bags of candy, when we came home to separate the candy to safe and unsafe, Preston and Ella were only left with maybe a handful each. Poor things. All that work for such a little return. Most people gave out chocolate this year, but I have a system. For every ten pieces of unsafe candy, they get to pick a prize out of the prize bag. So they do walk away from the whole thing excited and satisfied. Better for their teeth too, I guess (although not so good for the wallet). Buying prizes for both kids gets expensive and soon we will have to buy for three...oh well, it's worth it to make them happy!

Preston and Ella with their friends Abby and Elijah

Preston being spooky...I don't know if you can tell, but Mike bought dry ice for the party...Preston thought that was super cool. He is standing next to the bowl of it.

Grandma with our baby pumpkin

Cute little Addie

Preston enjoying his cupcake

The two princesses...Sophie and Ella

The two babies, Aaden the pumpkin and Leo the.....dog??=)

Trick-or-treating with Elijah

The kiddos with Bumpa!

The spooky house....that's fog from a fog machine

We had to get Grandma and Guncle in one!!

Preston and Addie after lots of trick-or-treating!

The kids all tired out after a long night

Here are just a few cute pictures I wanted to include....

Aaden's first taste of carrot....didn't go so well

Pajama picture!!...take one.....

.....take two........

........take three......

Never mind....

One day I went upstairs to put Aaden down for his nap and when I came back downstairs I found this:

They were jumping on the couch and singing...yes, they both stripped and Preston put on his pirate belt and Ella felt that she needed a headband.

Ella was so focused..I asked what she was doing and she replied "I'm being a rockstar". She was singing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes with Elmo. =)

So now onto my next post.....

Just want to remember....

2008-11-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

So, when I started this blog, I originally did so to update family who live far away (I have family on the East coast) and for family and friends that we just don't get to see as often as we'd like to. Then I realized how awesome technology is...I can use this blog to document my days and look back on them years from now. Maybe my kids will even be able to read them. Could you imagine how cool it would have been if our parents were able to keep a blog? Looking back on fun moments in our lives that, unfortunately,you inevitably forget about as life continues on. I feel so blessed to have my family. My husband is my best friend and my kids are my most treasured gifts. They grow up so fast and sometimes I just want to freeze time, just for a second, to make sure I always remember exactly how they are at this very moment. I love them so much. So, yesterday there was a moment that I hope I always remember (that's why I decided to write about it) and wanted to share with others! I was vacuuming the house yesterday and Ella is always my little helper. She follows me everywhere! Sometimes, when you are just trying to finish a task that is not the most fun thing to do, having a little one right at your feet can be a little bothersome. So I was trying to vacuum the kids bedroom and Ella was always right in the spot I needed to get to. So I sort of sighed and grouchily asked Ella to please get on her bed so I can finish. She climbed onto her bed and I continued vacuuming. Then I heard her little voice over the roar of the vacuum...she was jumping up and down on her bed, shouting in her tiny voice as loud as she could so I could hear, "go Mommy, go! Go Mommy, go! Go Mommy, go!". She was cheering me on! As a stay at home Mommy, you don't very often get a cheering squad for the numerous chores you complete in a day, but there she was. My little 2 yr. old cheerleader. My, how I love my little girl.....

Pumpkins.......and shots

2008-10-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday I had to take Preston and Ella to get their yearly physicals which means they usually get shots also. As soon as Preston heard that we were going to the Dr., he started crying and would not get in the car! I finally had to bribe him with a trip to Toys r' Us to get him in the car. I don't usually bribe with toys, but we were already late for the appointment as it was and I had spent all morning getting three kids fed and dressed (not to mention getting myself ready) and that is a circus by itself! So in that moment I figured a trip to the toy store was worth it! At the appointment we found that Preston weighs 40 pounds and is 3' 6". He also has 20/20 vision in both eyes! Ella is 32 pounds and is 3'2" and is in the 90th percentile for her age in weight and height. Healthy kids!! =) Then came the shots...yuck. Preston screamed so loud I heard ringing in my right ear for the rest of the day. He also lost his voice for the rest of the day. Poor guy did get 3 shots and blood drawn. Ella was just due for one shot. She handled it like a champ! She climbed right up on my lap and let the nurse give her the shot. She cried a little when the needle went in, but that's it! I'm so glad that's over. We then of course ventured off to the toy store.

When Mike came home we ate dinner and......carved pumpkins!! Our friends Rod and Ren (the kids unofficial Uncles) came over and they carved one and Mike and the kids carved the other. I took pictures (although I did help Mike get the pumpkin gook out...but I left the carving to him!). This was the first time we carved pumpkins as a family! Preston was never old enough to really care about carving, but this year he was so excited to! It was so fun to watch the kids have a great time and to watch Mike have fun with the kids. He is such a good Daddy!! We love him! Rod and Ren are always entertaining. The kids adore them. I am so glad they were able to join in the pumpkin carving festivities!! =)

The kids at the pumpkin patch picking their pumpkins.

Cute baby on the haystack!

Mommy and Aaden climbing the haystack

Silly!

We picked our pumpkins!!

The carving begins!!

Aaden watched from his highchair

See...Mommy helped with the gook

Daddy hard at work (Ella doesn't like to wear clothes anymore..she always takes them off, I didn't forget to dress her!! =))

We're finished!! We let Preston draw the face before Mike carved it.

Ha! What dorks!! =)

Here's a better one

How pretty!!

Here are just some cute pictures I took yesterday of the kids playing out front.

Preston playing in our "playroom"....the garage!!

Aaden likes to watch the kids run around from his bouncer!

Ella driving her car while sucking her thumb ...in her heels! =)

Preston's Halloween party is tomorrow night so I will have a bunch of pictures of the kids in their costumes for the next post!

Finally!!!

2008-10-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

Mike is finally home! He has to travel every now and then with his job and he was gone one week to New York, came home long enough for us to go on a weekend camping trip to Shaver Lake and then left again for Texas for another week. UGH. I hate that he has to travel, but thankfully it isn't very often. So now he is back with us! We missed him!

Before Mike left, my Grandma came for a week long visit from Pennsylvania! I love seeing my cute Grandma and the kids adore their "Gee-Gee". It was a fun visit and we can't wait to see her again at Christmas!! We love you Gee-Gee!

While Mike was gone the first week, I took the kids to a pumpkin patch with our good friends the Blues. The kids had a blast! They ran around like crazy with their friends. We have to make another trip though so Mike can come with us next time.

Our trip to Shaver Lake was fun! We went with Mike's parents and my sister-in-law, Jenny and her family. The kids always have fun camping with Grandma and Grandpa and of course their Aunty and Uncle and cousins. We went up to celebrate my nephew's 7th Birthday. Happy Birthday Conner!! It was so nice up in the mountains, but it was FREEZING!! You had to either stay in the camper or sit by the fire pretty much the whole time because it was so cold out! Preston had a lot of fun climbing rocks with Conner and Emma and just running around. Ella had a quick bout with an illness when we were there, but by Sat. afternoon she was running around, back to her old self. She loves playing with Emma! It is so cute to watch the girls be girly together! Poor Aaden was just a big lump of clothing the whole time! I had to layer him up and bundle him to keep him warm. His little cheeks still got all red and chapped though, poor guy! Thanks again, Grandma and Grandpa for your trailer! We look forward to more fun trips with you!!

Here are a few pics of Mike's Birthday dinner also. We went to dinner with my parents, my brother, Chris and our friends Rod and Ren.

Ha! My brother is such a dork!! =)

"Gee-gee" and "Bumpa"!

We love you, Gee-gee!!!

The kids running to the big pumpkin!

The girls.....shopping! (Ella and her girlfriends Emmy and Annie!)

My little pumpkins

The gang. The two babies are missing from the picture...Aaden and Ezra. Our friends have four kids, so when we get together with them there are SEVEN kids all five and under. It's a zoo, but we love it!!

Preston and his best bud, Elijah.

Conner and his presents at Shaver Lake!

Aaden and I trying to stay warm!!

Mike, Trent and Chuck chopped our fire wood. Thanks guys!!

Jenny, Chuck and Mike trying to stay warm by the fire

Grandma and Aaden were smart...they stayed warm in the camper!!

My Ella Bella

All ready for our walk to the store!

The kiddos by the lake

Cousin love..

Aawww...so cute!

Preston and Conner climbed to the top of these really tall rocks!!

P.S. Thanks to both Grandmas for helping us while Mike was gone!! We love you!!

My Big Boy!!

2008-10-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

So I started Aaden on rice cereal a week ago and he loves it! It took awhile for him to learn to swallow it instead of push it out, but now he's a pro! It is so nice because it allows me to get out of the house a bit. Aaden is nursing only (no formula) so that means that wherever I go, he goes. Or if I leave him at home with Mike I can only be gone for an hour. Now that he started cereal, I can leave him with Mike and if he gets hungry, Mike can feed him cereal! So this week I went out with my dear friend Jessie. We went on a run and then to dinner! It was so much fun! I also went to a movie with my Mom! That was fun, I haven't been to a movie in ages....

Aaden also started rolling over a few weeks ago! Now when I put him on the floor on his back, he flips right over onto his tummy! It is so cute! I can't wait until he starts crawling! Wait a minute, then I'll be chasing three children..maybe I can wait a little while! =)

ALSO...It's Mike's birthday today!!! I am so thankful to have such a wonderful husband. He is a terrific Daddy to our kids and he is so good to me. He always offers to watch the kids for me when he gets home from work so I can get out of the house for a bit. I love you, Mike, with all my heart. I am so glad God placed us together! You are my best friend and I love the family we have built together. I am proud of you for all you do for us....HAPPY BIRTHDAY,PAL!

Pismo!!

2008-09-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm really not good at keeping up with this blog! On my last post I had mentioned our camping trip to Pismo Beach. We went with Mike's parents and my sister-in-law and her family. We had so much fun. It was the first time we all camped at the beach. Every summer we usually go to the mountains to a place called Hume Lake. I love it there, but I am more of a beach kinda girl, so I had a blast!! Pismo Beach is so beautiful. Mike's parents have a nice camper and his sister (Jenny) and her husband Trent have a really big camper as well so between the two we all have a bed. The kids love being with their cousins Conner and Emma and of course they love every chance they get to be with their Grandma and Grandpa! The beach is such a special place to me, not just because I absolutely love the ocean, but it is one of the few places that we can just let Preston run and be a kid. We don't have to worry about food or what he's touching or what he's breathing or panicking that at any moment his throat will swell shut (I think most people reading this know about Preston's food allergies). At the beach he's just Preston, and he is doing what everyone else on the beach is doing, digging, running, collecting sea shells. I know Preston struggles with feeling left out a lot because he can't do a lot of things that other kids his age get to do, but not at the beach! He's doing exactly what all the other kids are doing, and he loves it. I could see it on his face when we were there, a look of freedom of sorts. A look of relief that, even if just for a few hours, we don't have to worry about food allergies. That is why I absolutely love the beach! My heart fills with joy watching my little boy just be a little boy. He loved to run up and down the shore collecting shells. Ella helped him get quite a collection going! Mike helped Preston and Ella dig a huge hole which of course the kids thought was so cool! We had so much fun. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for letting us stay in your camper!

Mike, Trent and his dad, Chuck

The whole gang

Grandma and Ella

Mommy and Ella

I just love this picture! I love my husband and my baby girl!

The cousins collecting shells. Pismo has such great shells and sand dollars!

Our Precious Preston! Look at the joy on his face!! I love it!

Conner and Preston

This is my favorite picture! The kids were just running and twirling and laughing...it was so precious to watch (that's Preston, Ella and Emma)

Ella loved the water!

The kids would lay in the sand and wait for the water to get them

Daddy and our three..

The girls

What a mess!

Daddy digging their hole...so precious!

My beach baby!

Sorry For the Silence...

2008-09-16T23:51:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since my last post!! I guess keeping up with my blog is harder than I thought it was going to be! It is a lot of work taking care of three beautiful babies! =) I figured I would give everyone a quick update as to what we have been up to since my last post. We were finally able to make it up to Bakersfield to visit my sister-in-law's family. They live on about an acre of land and have a beautiful, huge swimming pool. The kids love going there to swim with their cousins and we haven't had a chance to get up there this summer until a few weeks ago. The kids had a blast with Conner and Emma. Other than that, we have just been doing things around the house. We recently converted our garage (or half of it) into a play area for the kids since we don't have much of a backyard. They love it although the weather here is still a little too hot to play much in there. Once the weather cools down a bit, they will probably be playing out there more often.

My Dad has also come over a few times to watch all three,yes all three,(go Dad!!) of the kids so I can get out and go for a run. It has been so nice to have even an hour to myself just to clear my head and refuel! Thanks Dad!! The kids have so much fun with their "Bumpa". We are so blessed to have both sets of Grandparents close so the kids get to see them fairly often! So here are just a few fun pictures of the last few weeks!!

Baby Aaden hanging out with his Daddy.

The gang swimming with their cousins

Aaden went swimming too...

....and so did Mommy!!

The kids with their "uncles" Rod and Ren (yes they're twins!!)

Bumpa's babysitting!!

I had a girls night out with my dear friends Jessie and Michelle. We've all been friends since we were 14 yrs. old!!

We also just went on a really fun camping trip this past weekend, but I will write and post pictures of our trip later this week!

P.S. Thanks Chris for helping me to figure all this out! You're the best!=)

Shamu!!

2008-08-26T17:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Sea World! It was so much fun (and a lot of work!) The kids loved it! We arrived in San Diego on Saturday and spent a few hours at Sea World and stayed Saturday night at a hotel and went back to Sea World on Sunday. Preston loved Shamu and the sharks. Ella's favorite were the penguins. Preston also loved touching the sting rays and the starfish. Aaden was such a good baby. He was perfectly happy the whole time!My parents came with us so the kids also loved spending time with their "Mama" and "Bumpa"!! It was a great weekend, but we were all exhausted when we got home. I think we are all still trying to recover!!

The sea lion and otter show

Preston and Ella looking at the flamingo's. Ella loved the "pink birds"!

Grandpa and Ella

Preston ready to see Shamu!!

Mike and Mini Mike =)

The kids and Grandma

Mommy and Ella

The kids asleep at the hotel. I couldn't resist, they're just too cute.

Shamu!!

No more kids for us. After two, you just have to start stacking them....

Our new family of five

Ella kicking back, relaxing, gettin' some sun...

Preston touching a sting ray....

....and a starfish!!

My silly kids!! :)

Our Summer

2008-08-22T19:27:00.000-07:00

I finally decided to start a blog! I'm so excited to be able to share our lives with family and friends. A few of my friends have blogs and I thought it was such a good idea. Especially since we have family all over the place! So here is a quick update on our summer and some fun pictures!

Of course the newest member of our family, Aaden Mark, arrived May 22. He is such a good baby! Preston and Ella are so excited to have a baby brother. It is so much fun to watch them love on him all the time! Preston also went to his first Vacation Bible School! This was huge for him because he doesn't get to be around other kids very often (because of his deadly food allergy).His Grandma went with him to supervise and make sure he was o.k. He made it through the whole week without any major reactions! God definitely had His hand on him! Ella is just adorable. She has enjoyed swimming with her Daddy and Preston. Mike takes them swimming at least three times a week. She loves jumping in to him. Next summer Mike is going to have three little ones to watch!

On the way to the hospital!

The first time I held Aaden!

Grandpa and Aaden

The kiddos and Gee-gee

Daddy swimming with Ella

Our trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house with their cousins Conner and Emma

Grandma and Ella having fun!

Ella with her cousins Brianna and Vanessa

The boys with their cousin Bradley

Preston at his VBS!