Thanksgiving and Christmas Awesomeness

I hope that everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. We were going to be in California during Thanksgiving, but since Chris wasn't able to finish his Masters degree in time, we instead had a quiet Thanksgiving at home. I cooked a lot on Thanksgiving, but since I wasn't in the mood to deal with fighting a huge raw bird, I bought a cooked turkey from Trader Joes that just had to be throw in the oven an hour before. I won't do that again. It was not very good at all, but I guess I shouldn't have had high hopes. It was still a great Thanksgiving, and I don't ever want to take for granted (although I know that I often do) how much I have to be grateful for in my life.

Today we headed out to Kings Valley to Sunrise Christmas Tree Farm to look for and cut down the perfect Christmas tree. It was an awesome little farm, and I think that beginning next weekend, they will have a little petting zoo along with a few other things for kids to do. The kids had so much fun decorating the tree and pulling out our Christmas stuff (which I realized I don't really have that much of). The joy of children during the Holiday season is priceless, and I plan on enjoying every moment of this Holiday season.

Now on to my more random topic of the day. Nesting is in full gear folks. With a little under two months until the arrival of this baby, here are some ways that I know that I am nesting and a hormonal preggo lady:
*I have 90% of my Christmas shopping done. Although I enjoy shopping, I despise it during the Holiday season. I feel like making late night trips to Target, desperately searching for last minute gifts for people who don't really need anything to begin with is big Holiday ruiner for me. By shopping way ahead of time, I was able to put more thought into many of the gifts. I know that I potentially could have saved a lot of money by shopping today, but it is not worth the stress to me. I like the Holidays to be meaningful and low-stress, so having the shopping out of the way lets me put my focus on the more pleasant parts of Christmas.
*I was obsessed with getting a tree as early as possible, and we have already been listening to Christmas music for a week. I love Christmas, but I'm not usually this intense about getting the festivities rolling.
*I got pulled over two days ago and got my first ticket ever (well actually, I got two). I won't tell the whole story, but I would like to mention that I got a $140 ticket for not having my new address on my driver's license. Are you kidding me? Everything is totally current. Did you all know that you can get a ticket for not having your updated address on your driver's license? After being in the middle of a hard day to begin with, I became a sobbing mess after getting my tickets. I sobbed to Chris for a long time, and my sweet kids kept drawing me pictures to cheer me up, but once my raging hormone tears began to fall, there was no stopping them. I felt a little (actually a lot) insane in the membrane for awhile. I can think of a 1,000 ways I would rather spend $300. Hopefully my tickets will be lowered when I go to court.
*Okay, this one is a little weird, but my senses have kicked into high gear, and while at the beginning of pregnancy there are many smells that I can't handle (my kitchen, garlic etc...), at this stage, there are some smells that I love. I love love smelling lavender. I will literally sit and sniff my lavender essential oil bath salts that my friend made me for 5 minutes. I also found this random soap at the grocery outlet that is all natural that was made in Turkey. It is olive oil soap with Laurel, and I have to go smell it every once in awhile. It smells like dirt, and I for some reason am digging earthy smells right now. Okay, so I am admitting too much of my weirdness maybe, but I wasn't into smell as much during my other pregnancies. Are there any other smell obsessed pregnant women out there?
*My friend Adrienne came over the other day to show me how to make homemade yogurt. I am a changed woman, and I can not believe how economical it is to make homemade yogurt. It made me so happy to see my kids eating it up today. For how little patience I feel like I have lately, it is amazing how good I feel when I make things from scratch for my familia.
Okay... enough blabbing for one night. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Isn't it beautiful out there?? I suppose there is no better place to get a Christmas tree than Oregon.

Gabe is such a big boy carrying the Christmas tree the kids got to decorate in the play room.

Homeboy Chris busy at work doing his manly duty.

On a family walk on Thanksgiving down the street on our way to buy some apples at Twedts. I like my (for the most part) simple life.


You can see a little of my preggo belly. I feel like I am looking and feeling now how I usually feel at the very end of pregnancy, but I'm sure that chasing and lifting two other kids may have something to do with that :).

What's on My Mind

*I have gotten my feelings hurt over a couple of different incidents in the last couple of days, and I have been trying to follow the advice my friend Tonya gave me (that she received from a good friend). When you want to vent, you can vent 3 different times to 3 different people (which is easy to do considering I have 4 sisters before I even start counting friends), and then you have to drop it and try to get over it...end of story. I found that this is really helpful. Venting is good, but sometimes when I vent too much, I end up getting more worked up reliving the whole scenario again and again. If I get my venting over with and commit to being done, it is much easier to get my head and heart in a more forgiving place. The thing is.... life is too short to waste your precious time and energy on things that don't really matter, because often the things I get hurt over are not that important in the grand scheme of things. I can sometimes make myself physically sick when I worry about something, and that does not help me be a good mom/wife in the present. I so wish that I was a little less sensitive, but while I continue to work on that, I can at least work on letting go of things a little faster. Have you ever noticed people who are always dwelling on the negative and making little things into big drama? I don't want to be one of those people. I also realized that I am not very good often times at taking my feelings to Heavenly Father to help me heal. I need to be better about that. We are not meant to heal on our own.
What do you all do to help shake things off that bother you? I have to say that I think my pregnant hormones automatically put a few strikes against me. I feel a little more negative/tired/cynical when I am hormonal, so I look forward to a more normal Kara (which will happen when..... since I will be nursing for a long time??).
*Day lights savings time really sucks. My little guy who used to wake up at 6:00, now consistently wakes up between 5:00-5:30, and sometimes earlier. On the positive side, it definitely makes it less painful to wake up early to go walking with my neighbor when I am already up :). I am in such a better mood when I exercise in the morning, and I come home in a happy mood. That is how I need to start my day. I am not so much of an early morning person, but I am realizing that as life gets busier and busier, I will have to make exercising a priority in the morning or it probably won't happen.

*I am happy to say that both of my kids dress themselves almost every day. Sometimes their outfit choices are unique, but most days I don't even fight it, because I want to reinforce the fact that my kids can dress themselves!! Gabe usually ends up with his underwear and pants on backwards, but he doesn't seem to mind, so I guess I shouldn't since I'm not the one with the wedgie :).

*We are taking a break from Sofia's preschool in the winter. Sofia loves her preschool, and although it is a great preschool, it involves a ton of work and coordination from the parents (it is a co-op preschool). For awhile I was feeling kind of crappy like, "What of parent am I not to be able to even handle doing preschool?" My mom was here last Friday and saw how hard it is to get Gabe out of the door in the morning after him waking up at 5:00 (he is a homebody who loves playing at home), and the whole process that includes insane parking, walking with both kids, finding something to do with Gabe since there isn't a ton of time to go home, and then dealing with parking and a tantruming Gabe as I try to peel him away from Sofia's classroom, and all of the volunteering in the classroom and childcare swapping I do with other parents when they are volunteering. My mom (the mother of 6 children) asked me how I planned on adding a baby to that chaos in January. It was so good to hear permission and validation from someone who has raised 6 children, that I was maybe trying to do too much with a new baby thrown into the equation. Thanks mom. Sofia loves preschool, but I will take the kids to an art class once a week so she still has something special, and I can do fun stuff with her at home. I also will be taking a break from teaching in the winter, and I am really feeling like it is best for my family right now to simplify as much as possible so we can all make a smooth transition to new baby Becerra.

*My kids continue to be as cute as ever. Yesterday, I was mean to Gabe when he was trying to wrestle with me and accidentally kicked me in the face. He ran off to his room to cry (he likes to pout in private). Sofia immediately ran to his room to try to comfort him, and I heard her saying, "Are you okay Gabe? You just made a mistake didn't you? We all make mistakes Gabe, but it's okay Gabe, we can all repent." I sat in the other room laughing and amazed. Whose child is that?? Not that we don't try to teach her good things, but I feel like she is more spiritually in tune than I am half of the time. My kids love each other so much, and that is one of the things that brings me the greatest joy. I hope that even when they fight, that they will always love each other this much.
*Speaking of living in the moment, I need to stop this long post, I have a little boy who wants some book reading and snuggling.

Quick Book Reviews

I have read a lot in the last couple of months. Sorry not to share more detail, but with the pregnancy brain and hormones I am experiencing right now, aren't you just impressed that I am reading at all :)??

-I have mixed feelings about this book. It is definitely a quick read and interesting, but I would say that I prefer a couple of the books below if you were going to choose which to start with. It is about a college student who was kidnapped (fictional), and confined in a small room of a shed for several years. During the years, she bears a child from the kidnapper, and the book is actually told from the voice and perspective of the 5 year old son. I don't want to ruin too much, but the book is mostly about their escape and it speaks to me about the love of a mother. Like I said, it is good (and a bit depressing), but read "The Help" first if you are looking for a good book.

-Good old Dr. Sears... you gotta love the dude. Although Dr. Sears can be a fairly predictable dude at times (baby wearing, nursing, good nutrition etc...), this book actually had some very good info in it. Obviously we all know that eating a lot of processed crap would logically affect children's behavior negatively, but it was very interesting to read about what processed foods to do the brains of growing kids (and actually change its' composition). We also hear a lot of high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils being no no's in foods, but I wondered more about other additives and preservatives. It was good to get a list of other additives not to feed kids and some of the specific reasons why. I also really liked how Dr. Sears says that before ever prescribing medicine for a kid for disorders like adhd, he insists on a complete diet and lifestyle change to see how much of the problem behavior is caused by poor health. I feel like we are pretty healthy, but we have a ways to go until I am happy with my family's nutrition. For those of you who have "bad eaters" who are used to a lot of junky foods, it may be harder to change bad habits, but it is not too late. A lot of people talk about how eating healthy is more expensive than eating poorly, but Dr. Sears claims that you will save money in the long run not having to deal with the life long Dr. bills that come with bad health. Good nutrition/health is a wonderful gift to give to our children, and I want to do a better job.

-This was one of the best books that I have read in a really long time. I was worried at first as it is pretty long, but I wanted to spend every spare second I had reading it. The book explores what the lives were like for different black maids in Alabama in the 60's (the book is fictional but realistic). The author gives the best detail and voices to each character. Please oh please read this book and let me know what you think. Loved it!!

-This was another great book. I was skeptical at first wondering if I would like a fiction novel based off of Old Testament characters (Dinah and the wives and posterity of Jacob), but it was actually really interesting. I liked the perspective it gave of what life could possibly be like for the wives of Jacob. I read this one awhile ago, so it is not as fresh in my mind, but it was another stay up late at night read.

5 Years Old!!

I have a five year old. It's true. Sofia actually just informed me that she is almost 6 now. Why are they so anxious to grow up? I swear being a grown up is not that cool :). Here are some things to remember about Sofia right now:
*She is really tall. She is almost always way taller than most of her little friends and playmates.
*She is such a nurturing little gal. I know that she is going to be such a big help when the baby is born, and I have a feeling that I am going to need it! She is always mothering Gabe, which is sweet but I'm sure that it will annoy him someday :).
*This girl has the kindest heart. The other day Gabe last his one allotted piece of Halloween candy for the day because he wouldn't listen to me. Sofia immediately said, "It's okay Gabe, I'll pick something out that I can share with you." She is constantly doing things like this, and she is concerned about how others are feeling.
*Girlfriend has a wonderful zest for life. Yes she is loud and pretty much has no concept of using an indoor voice, but there is no denying that she is a happy girl.
*She is destined for great things. I don't know what her future holds, but I know there are great things to come for this girl.
We love this girl so much and our family wouldn't be complete without her.

My brother and his family stopped by for some birthday fun.


Most of the girl cousins. I love fall here, The leaves are so beautiful right now. Not so excited about having to rake them all up though :).


Sofia opening this beautiful blanket that Grandma Sharon knit for her. Isn't it amazing??


Sofia doing an art project with cousins. I made clear gelatin for the kids, and they played with it and shot colors in with medicine droppers. Fun, but a little messier than I thought :)

Sofia dressed up as Little Bo Peep for Halloween.

If You're Happy and You Know It

We did a quick photo shoot with the kiddos today. Sweet little munchkins. Here are some of my favorites:










Oh, and on another note, I saw this random article on yahoo, and who knows where all of this "research"/info comes from, but I thought it would be fun to assess how things add up for me in the happy department :) according to this article.

1)You were a smiley student

Adults with the biggest grins in their college yearbook pictures were up to 5 times less likely to be divorced decades later than those who looked less happy, according to a new DePauw University study. A smiler’s positive disposition may attract other happy people or rub off on a spouse.
*I was quite smiley in my year books thank you very much.


2)You have a sister

People with at least one female sibling report better social support, more optimism, and better coping abilities, according to a study presented at the British Psychological Society’s annual conference. Sisters appear to encourage communication and cohesion in families.
*I have 4 sisters. Score..... that must give me extra happiness points. It's true, having sisters is the best.


3)You're not glued to the TV

The happiest people spend 30% less time parked in front of the tube, according to a University of Maryland study that analyzed 34 years of data from more than 45,000 Americans. They’re more likely to spend time socializing, reading, or attending religious services—habits that are linked to better moods and health.
*We have no channels in our house, and I rarely watch t.v. shows online. I do however love me an online episode of "modern family."


4)You keep souvenirs on display

People who use mementos or photos to remind themselves of good times better appreciate their lives and are happier, says Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, a professor of psychology at University of California, Riverside. Good memories remind you of your “happiness potential” and promise that soon you can reach it again.
*I do have some souvenirs on display, but I am not much of a knick knack collecting kind of person... so maybe minus points for me? Chris has a lot of souvenirs on display, and he is quite the sentimental dude, so I guess he rules the happiness department in this area for our family.

5)You make exercise a priority

People who exercise more are less likely to be stressed and more likely to be satisfied with life, according to Danish researchers. Compared with sedentary people, joggers are 70% less likely to have high stress levels and life dissatisfaction, the study found. Couch potatoes who start moderate exercise—the equivalent of 17 to 34 minutes a day—experience the greatest happiness lift.
*I have been semi lameo this pregnancy in the exercise deparment, but I go walking with a neighbor, and in general, I am a pretty active person I would say.


6)You have a healthy love life

Physical intimacy is a key contributor to happiness, found a study by Dartmouth economist David Blanchflower, PhD, and Andrew Oswald, PhD, of England's University of Warwick. Married people report 30% more sex than singles, which may be one reason they also report being happier.
*I think I am doing pretty well in this department...especially for being 24 weeks pregnant. Enough (or maybe too much) said.


7)You hang out with happy people

Socializing with a cheerful person in your neighborhood increases the likelihood that you’ll be happy too, according to a new study. How often you get together matters most, say the researchers: People who live within half a mile of a buoyant buddy increase their odds of being happy by 42%. If the friend lives farther away (within a 2-mile radius), the chances drop to 22%—probably due to fewer get-togethers.
*I think I hang out with pretty happy people, and I have made a big effort lately to surround myself with positive happy people.

8)You stay warm with hot cocoa

Clutching a steaming beverage—coffee and tea also do the trick—can elicit a flood of positive feelings, according to a Yale University study. This may be because people associate physical warmth with emotional warmth, say the researchers. Study subjects held cups of either hot or iced coffee; those gripping warm mugs were more appreciative of friendliness in others and also felt more generous and trusting themselves.
*I love curling up at night to a cup of Trader Joe's herbal chai. It is soooo good.

9)You have two best friends

Among 654 married adults, those who said they had at least two “best friends” (not necessarily including one’s spouse) were likelier to have better mental well-being, says a study. But additional friends didn’t lead to any more happiness than just a pair.
*I do have at least a couple of best friends. I think that it is really interesting that having more than two good friends doesn't boost happiness.
There you have it folks. How did you rate your happiness after seeing these standards?

It's Cool to Be Corny

Today the kids and I volunteered at local elementary school for the first time doing "taste tables." The program is sponsored through the Corvallis Environmental Agency, and it is awesome. Basically, once a month, through the help of volunteers, each elementary serves a new produce during lunch grown by a local farmer. The whole idea is to get the kids excited about trying new foods and to teach them about where our food comes from, and I saw today how peer pressure can be a positive thing. Kids who wouldn't try the corn on the cob today eventually came back after they saw that all of their friends were trying and enjoying it. Corn is definitely an easier veggie to get kids to try than some, but I was amazed at how much all of the kids liked it. Kids were eating so much and wanting more and more, so they eventually had to tell the kids no more and that they had to go to recess. The best part is how excited Sofia was about helping. She wanted to make signs and look the part of the veggie and felt so cool when she was complimented on her attire, and she was soooo into helping pass the food out to the big kids. Next months pick is apples, and she is already scheming what she will wear. Gabe was not so into helping, but he just sat on the floor the whole time eating corn and looking at books. We will keep doing this at least until the baby is born, but what a great experience for the whole familia.

Hi, my name is Kara... and I'm a sucky blogger

Amazing how alike my kiddos look with a scowl on their faces. Maybe it is genetic :)??


Tonya and I at Lilith fair this summer. We got to see Sheryl Crow, Erika Badu, Colbie Callait etc... It was so fun.

Tonya's baby shower preparation.

One day Chris took the kiddos to the beach and aquarium so I could get stuff done at home all day.





Hello out there... whoo hoo... anybody there?? After a bit of encouragement, I am ready to come back to the world of blogging. Blogging is kind of like exercising. The more it is habit.. the easier it is, but when you have gone months and months without working out, and you can start to feel your bum jiggle when you run, it is overwhelming to think about getting in shape again. So.. I am not going to even attempt to do detailed catch up. I will just give you a summary, and I will be good to go. Here is what has been going on in our neck of the woods:
Chris:
-Chris is a busy dude as usual. Finishing up his Maters, tons of photography, back to teaching full time now, and trying to cram in every spare second with us.
-Chris was named Oregon Bride Magazine's best photographer south of Portland for the state of Oregon, so that was pretty exciting.
-He is struggling trying to find balance in his life..trying to figure out if there are things that he can cut, and he is loving the time he does have in our house.
-We appreciate Chris so much, and I am hoping that finishing his masters will lighten his load at least a little. He is a great daddy and husband.
Me:
-I am now 22 weeks pregnant with baby numero 3. Ultrasound could not determine sex of baby as his/her legs were closed... so it will be a surprise. I am feeling more girlish vibes... so we shall see if I am correct!
-I have been quite the tired/crazy hormonal gal this pregnancy. I had my normal sickness like I did with my other pregnancies, and now that I am much better... I am trying harder to take care of myself (aka... no more greasy take out and a little exercise).
-I love how with each pregnancy, you can feel baby move earlier and earlier. This little baby is moving all of the time. I was kind of hoping for a more mellow baby this time, but I guess that mellow is not in our gene pool :). I love this little baby so much already, and the kiddos are so excited.
*In between trips and visits from family and friends this summer, I worked on gardening and chicken raising. Our chickens are now laying eggs, and I already have plans of things I will do differently in my garden next year. It was a really cold summer (and seems like it will be a cold fall??), so we had lot's of success with some foods in our garden, and not as much with others. Oh, and I didn't know this before... but rats and mice really love the rainy country of Corvallis. We have been at constant war getting rid of rats that try to eat chicken food. If you want to see pregnant Kara get really crazy.... get me talking about my rat phobias.
*I have also been chilling at home with the kiddos more and staying home reading most nights (another thing keeping me from blogging). I have read a lot of good books, and it has honestly felt really good to be less social and hyper.

Sofia:
-Sofia will start preschool next week, and she is so excited. It is a co-op, so I will be helping out a lot in the classroom. I am also very excited, because since I teach for LBCCC, I didn't have to pay anything for her preschool for the term, so that is very nice.
-I could get all teary eyed thinking about how much Sofia has grown in the last few months, but she is such a great kid. She has her moments of whininess (sometimes much longer than moments usually), but she is such a sensitive and thoughtful little gal. She is really concerned about justice in the world and she is deeply offended when someone litters or does anything to wrong another person. She is also very perceptive, and never forgets anything.
-The other day we were talking about how people used to be really mean to black people and other people who were different from them, and that some people are still like that today. She has been trying so hard to understand this and several times has made comments like: "Mommy, I don't get why people think that they are better than anyone else. I guess that they don't know about Jesus." She is constantly saying things that teach me about the kind of person that I want to be.
-Sofia loves the Beavers. Like a lot. She keeps saying that she is going to trick all of our duck friends/family and have them to come to a "duck party", but really it will be a Beaver party.. and then everyone will love the Beavers as much as her. She is very excited to go some games with Chris and Gabe (and I may even be dragged along to a football game).

Gabe:
-As always, Gabe keeps us on our toes. We are really experimenting with him trying to figure out what to do to get that kiddo to listen more. It is really interesting trying to figure this kiddos personality out.
-He will be 3 in a a few weeks. I can't believe that my baby is going to be 3!! I sometimes fee like I try keeping Gabe in a baby roll... because I know that once the new baby is born, he is going to seem even bigger.
-Gabe is always telling us that he loves us, and he loves Sofia so much. They are starting to fight a lot, which can be frustrating, but they really do play well together overall.
-Gabe is so sweetly sensitive (kind of like his padre). The other day I was talking to him in my mama monster voice, because he refused to help clean up toys, and after running away crying, he immediately asked for a hug and said, "Mama, it makes me sad when you talk in that mean voice." Talking about ripping my heart out.
-Gabe has an crazy active imagination. He is in his own world half or the day running around, reading, or playing make believe. It amazes me how crayons or any object all of a sudden comes to life with Gabe with a voice. It is really amusing to sit and watch him play.
-Gabe is extremely determined. If I put his shirt on when he wanted to do it himself, he will take everything off and put it all on himself again.
-Gabe has been potty trained for a month now.. can I hear an "Hallelujah!!" He is still in a pull up at night, but it feels so luxurious to think that I will have only one kid in diapers when the baby is born.
-I am learning patience from this boy daily, and I am trying hard to savor his sweetness, and it will be fun to have some one on one time with him when Sofia is in preschool.

----That's about is folks. I wlll be back to report again soon!

Motherhood

Some of you have probably seen this already, but take the time to watch it. Touching.

Book Reviews

Hey Friends,
It has been a long time since I have done a book review. I have read many books since my last one, but I have just recently read two books that I really liked, so I thought that I would chat about them for a minute.

Mitten Strings For God-This book should be read by every mom of young children. I was chatting with some friends about how I sometimes commit to too much and overextend myself (like most women). I also sometimes struggle to decide how I want to fill my kid's time and the kinds of experiences I want to share with them. This book is such a sweet reminder to slow down and breathe in the beauty of childhood. The author talks about the many ways that she slowed down with her family and learned to say no to things that weren't best for her family. I so needed to read this book. It really helped recenter me and remind me of the great role I have as a mother. She talks about how taking tv out of the home (or minimizing) is a great gift that we can give to our children. We no longer have channels at our house, so I still have been checking out DVDs from the library. I have become so much more disciplined about how much/when my kids watch tv....and I don't mind if occasionally they watch a little more than usual, but I feel like my kids are way better off when they are engaged in imaginative play. Anyways.. that is just a tangent... that is just a small part of the book.
Seriously ladies... go to half.com and order this (I paid $4.00 for hardcover including shipping). Here is a list of titles of chapters to give you a feel for the book:
Dailiness, Morning, Peace, Quiet, Simplicity, TV, Play, Secret Places, Wants and Needs, Stories, One-on-One Time, Surrender, Breathing, Healing, Listening, Nature, Enchantment, Grace, Rhythm, Truth, Helping, Stretching, Nurturing, Sabbath, Spirit, Balance, Choices, and Wingbeats.
Read and let me know what you think!!!

I actually read the old version and not the revised version of this book, so I would be very interested to see the new additions. The authors of this book take and practice an integrative approach in how they treat patients. Most MD's have a very narrow point of view based off their training that usually includes very little background in homeopathic or herbal remedies. Most MDs are worried about treating the symptoms more than getting down to the root of problems. For example, a child who has chronic stomach pains, may possibly experiencing stress at home or school, so treating the symptoms is important, but getting down to the root of the cause of the stress is more important. An integrative Dr would be more likely to do preventative work and to start with the least invasive treatment first, but also be willing to use modern medicine as necessary. This book REALLY made me think and thinking is good, right :)? In my happy world, I wish that all Drs were more integrative. Obviously there are amazing MDs and probably some crappy integrative doctors, but it just seems like this philosophy is just has the patients well being in mind more. One other example of something from the book that I found very interesting is the overuse of antibiotics in our country. I think they said that in the Netherlands (or one of those Scandinavian countries), that ear infections in children are rarely treated with antibiotics, and that there are more natural remedies used with antibiotics used only in very severe situations. We all probably know that the more that antibiotics are used, the less they work, and the number of prescriptions written today is insane.
Anywho... I could just blab on forever, because now I want to go and do more research on natural remedies. Don't get me wrong, I am very appreciative of modern medicine when it is appropriate, but many times I think that less is more. Okay folks, that is all for now. The next book that I will be reviewing.... "The Wonder of Boys." I really need to start figuring this little wild man of mine out :).

Random Thoughts

-I went to see Nobel Peace Prize Laurette Jody Williams speak. She has done tons of amazing work, but her main work was on getting land mines removed from countries around the world. I am feeling all inspired to think of ways to make the world better. She talked about how in the richest country we make excuses about why we don't have time to help and volunteer, but we have to stop making excuses and start acting. She talked about how the worst kind of people are those who whine about causes or injustices but do nothing to help. I think that I've done some of that in the past, so I'd better make my actions meet my talk.
-I'm getting ready to embark with the kids and I on a crazy quick trip next week to visit family in Oregon and then California. I'm really hoping the kids are up for this adventure.
-Okay, so this is really bugging me. Sofia wears some 4t, but she can also wear 5t. 5t is the last size sold in the "baby" sections of stores. I've been starting to casually look at stores in the "big girl" section to see what my options will be. I am so bummed. My choices went from sweet innocent dresses/leggings/regular clothes to clothes that look like they should be worn by teenagers. I can't believe that starting at size 6, all of the clothes are starting to look like clothes for pre-teen girls. Seriously. Usually I buy most of her clothes at garage sales, but that gets harder to do as they get older. I know this is totally random, but sorry people, I'm not dressing my sweet little girl in Hannah Montana and sparkly mini skirts at the age of 4. Have any of you had luck finding affordable clothes for bigger girls that are still sweet?
-I have a new breakfast discovery that is changing my world :). I always wanted to cook steel cut oats, but found myself too hungry in the morning to make them. Wait no longer my friends. I've starting making them in the crockpot at night and cooking them on low all night. I just add: 1 cup steel cut oats, 2 cups water, 1/2 cup milk, cinnamon, pinch of salt, a little brown sugar, and I've either added fresh diced apples or pureed pumpkin. You wake up with your house smelling like cinnamon and it is so nice to have something healthy for breakfast that took 2 minutes of work on my part.
-I think that I am going to be obsessed with gardening. I can't go to a store without wanting to look at their starts and flowers. My friend and I did a bunch of starts in her greenhouse, so we are anxiously waiting to discover which things are growing best. The weather is going to be great this weekend, so I am excited to hang out and finish our chicken fence!! That's all folks.

Through the eyes of a 4 year old

I thought that since my kids are always saying cute things, that I would start writing things down more! Here is a series of fill in the blank questions that I asked Sofia today:
A Home is.... "A place where you live."
A family is...."People that stay together."
A brother is...."Just a brother."
A mother is...."Moms take care of their children."
A friend is...... "Somebody that you could play with."
What we need to do to be happy.... "Help others."
My favorite things to do are: "Play with my friends a lot, play at the park, spend time with my family."
My favorite color is: "Pink."
My favorite food is: "Strawberries and Celery (not sure how accurate that one is)"
When I grow up, I want to be: "A gymnastics teacher/diver/swimming teacher, a baker with my cousin Kira."

Her Cousin Kira just won a big writing competition writing about her pet, so when I told Sofia about that, she wanted to dictate to me a story about her pets too:

"Chick Supreme" (I thought that was a clever title)
Our chicks are the friendliest chicks, but Roosters are really mean to girls. Our chickens are our pets. We get them fresh food and water. Our chicken coop outside is for when our chicks get big. They could have a bigger chicken coop. We fed them worms by digging them in our back yard.

Spring!!

Hello Everyone,
It has been a busy spring. We have added 8 new additions to our family. I first planned on getting 6 chicks, but when I saw that they ones I ordered all looked very similar, I decided that we needed a little diversity in the coop. The kids have named the chicks, and a few of their names include: Fuzzy Wuzzy, Elizabeth, Rufus, and Orangie. I have a cute video that I will post soon of the kids' first reactions to our new friends :)
I just finally uploaded pictures from my camera, so here are some here are some of the things that we have been up to:

*Here is Sofia with her little friend Tessa at their creative movement dance class. It is a really low key class that she does once a week.

Here is Chris chillin' like a villian. He is actually doing so much better now. He is still walking around with a limp, but he is on to physical therapy now.



We have been spending lots of time with cousins. All of the cousins but Jackson were here during spring break. One day all of the kids came up to hang out in Corvallis. We went swimming, roasted marshmallows in the yard, had an easter egg hunt, and all went on a walk at Jackson Frazier Wetland. It was so good seeing people!!

*A nice day in the park with friends.

*Sofia is obsessed with babies. Here she is with our little friend June. She could seriously sit and hold her for more than 15 minutes if we let her. She is such a sweet nurturing kid.
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRqy9UwSbseisqGGXRnOEZM_jQ1Dvrp3yRhrJBW2NWFCi1lv1VcF1jiz6QwoFi7NeBLdJGuNETCAIPVNBllntGblSgyKxN_5selUgIseZYKL2tkNrcsiwd1F6Sdp3xYqlffnKYIqET4E/s1600/IMG_4229.jpg">
*Here is Grandma Sharon hanging out on the play structure with the kids. That woman is so adored by my little munchkins.


*Aren't these the sweetest kids ever! I have so much fun with them every day. I would not change a thing about my life right now. I would say that for the most part, it is sweetly simple.