family pictures

So these aren't the best pictures in the world, (don't be mad Cass!) but we took a few pictures of our little family of five. I'm hoping my brother in law Johnny got some better ones. But here we are!

my boy and food

Those of you who know Isaac know that he really really likes food. Especially in the morning. He has been known to eat 3 or 4 breakfasts and will sometimes just continue to eat until you tell him no. He's like a hobbit. He's also an early riser and asks for food as soon as he opens his eyes. If you don't respond quickly enough, he will grab your face, turn it toward him and say "Hood!" This is pronounced so that it rhymes with food. Occasionally he will wake up in the middle of the night and ask for food.

The other day, I asked Isaac why he wakes up so early. His answer? "Hood!" I should have known.

Yesterday I was feeding Finley a little before lunchtime, and Isaac came up to me and said "hood." I told him he needed to wait until Finley was done eating, and then I would make him some food. He said "otay," then he pulled on Finley trying to yank her off of me and said "All done!" When that boy wants food, he means business! He's so silly.

Hawaiian Luau

We had a Hawaiian Luau this past weekend at my mom and dad's house. Sareny couldn't wait for the party to start and kept asking all day about it. After we had dinner she asked if the party was over. I said "nope," turned the Hawaiian music up, and started a congo line through the house. The kids thought that was the coolest thing they had ever seen before, and we had to keep the congo line going for a couple of songs. It was pretty hilarious. She seemed to expect something exciting to take place at the party, so we had to oblige her!

Liz, Jake, and Joshie

Lex, Johnny, and Holli Jo

Isaac decided he didn't like kiwi.

Daddy and his baby girl

Sareny ready to party

Valley of Fire

I was lucky enough to grow up near the burnt pink and orange sandstone cliffs of Valley of Fire. I think it truly is one of the most beautiful places around, and I have so many great memories of picnicing there as a kid with relatives and hiking around with family and friends. Sure the desert has its downfalls, but it has the spectacular beauty of places like Valley of Fire as well.

My little sister is moving to Hawaii next month and for our last family get-together in a while at least, she wanted to go out to Valley of Fire one last time before they go. I'm glad she picked that as something she wanted to do! We don't get out there nearly often enough.
I love these cute kids!

If you wonder where Isaac is, just find his Bampa, and you'll find Isaac.


Finley was not happy with all the wind.

I lied...

Okay, so I decided to post a picture of myself after all. Just don't judge me too harshly--I had a baby a week and a half before this picture was taken. I thought it was a cute picture of me and my three kids. I still can't believe I have three kids!

My mom left on Sunday so I have been on my own this week. It was so nice to have her here with me for almost two weeks. She did all my laundry and dishes, took Sareny and Isaac to swimming lessons, got up early with Isaac, cooked lunch and dinner, picked up toys, washed my sheets, etc. etc. I got to have a nap every day while she was here! So now it's back to real life, and I have to say, it hasn't been too bad. My house is falling apart around us and the laundry is already piling up, but we're all doing pretty good other than that. I have had to take all three kids out every day this week, once to swimming lessons and twice to meet people for lunch, and while it is definitely takes more time and preparation, I am proud to report that we did pretty good and were on time to all events! We're slowly figuring this out.

Yesterday I asked Sareny if she was sad that Grammy Jo was gone. She said, "No." Then she went on to say, "I do love her, but I can't be sad when she's not here." She is so grown up and has the perfect attitude! I could learn a few things from her, I think.

Tomorrow we are going out of town, to Southern Nevada where, unfortunately, the weather is pretty darn similar to here. We're having a going away party for my little sister and her husband, who are moving to Hawaii next month. I'm sad they're moving so far away, but we are all looking forward to a fun weekend.

First date

We had our first date after Finley was born on July 8th, Keith's birthday. We went out to dinner to My Big Fat Greek Restaurant. It was pretty good, and it was one of the few times that we ordered an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Their baklava is pretty good, and big enough to share.

Keith and my dad went golfing both Friday and Saturday morning, plus my dad and brother in law John went to Massage Envy last night, so the girls decided it was our turn to do something fun. We went to the nail salon and got pedicures. My mom got her traditional hot pink and I got my usual reddish, and Holl Jo got something in-between. When we got back, Grammy Jo painted Sare's nails too so she wouldn't feel left out. I've decided right now, the only picture of myself I can post is this one with my toes in it.

And here's a cute picture of baby girl, and one with both of my cute girls.

Eyes open, expressions pleasant, this one's a keeper!

Finley finally opened her eyes and was calm, so I snapped a couple of pictures. Usually if she is awake, she is flailing her arms and legs around, and quite possibly screaming. :(

I put her on her tummy and she seemed to like it okay. She looked like she was trying to crawl.

She looked like she was smiling in this picture!

Snuggling with mommy.

Fourth of July

Our fourth of July was pretty uneventful this year, since we started the day off at the hospital waiting to get discharged. Grammy Jo and Bampa were still here, and we barbequed hamburgers and had our traditional 4th of July treat--homemade ice cream sandwiches.

I made the chocolate chip cookies last week and froze them, and Grammy Jo added the mint chocolate chip ice cream. They're pretty messy for the kids to eat so we made them take their shirts off.

Isaac always makes the silliest faces!

Grammy Jo and Bampa took Sareny and Isaac to the church activity and then to watch the Tolleson fireworks. Keith and I stayed home with a sleepy Finley, but we watched some of the fireworks from our front yard. Isaac wasn't too crazy about the noise from the fireworks, so he sat in the car with Bampa. Sareny really enjoyed the fireworks this year, despite the noise and the horrible wind.

Finley Lynn is here!

Our precious little Finley Lynn made her grand entrance into the world at 10:55 am on Wednesday morning. After being sent home from the hospital on Tuesday, I was pretty bummed out. Keith and my dad had plans to go golfing early Wednesday morning, but while Keith was in the shower I felt a real contraction and thought, "Oh yeah, this is what labor feels like!" I was going to tell him maybe he shouldn't go golfing, but I fell back asleep between contractions and they left before I could mention it. After another painful contraction, I decided to go wake up my mom, but before I could get out of bed my water broke! So I called the golfers to come home just as they were about to tee off at around 5:30 am. My mom and I took the time to shower while they came home since we had been swimming the night before.

Thankfully, I was able to get my epidural before the contractions got too unbearable, and I think the worst part of the whole ordeal was getting the IV put in--it took the nurse 3 tries before they finally got it--and those first two tries hurt SO BAD! I got the epidural around 9:00 am, and things progressed pretty fast from there. My doctor had to leave to take his wife to the airport at 11:00 am, so we made it just in time with 5 minutes to spare. I was so glad to have my mom there with me; she was a huge help; and it was also so nice to have my dad at home with Sare and Igits. This was the first birth Grammy Jo was able to be at (other than her own five) and she even got to cut the umbilical cord.

Finley came out looking pretty bruised and beat up around her mouth and nose, but the nurses still all said how beautiful she was. I decided that must be part of their training to make new parents feel good, because I thought it took her a little while before she started looking cute! I think she looks quite a bit like our other two kids, but she has her own look as well.

She weighed 7 pounds 13.4 ounces and was 20 inches long, so she was the biggest of our three babies. She came out with a little round face and a double chin. She has some light brown hair--more than Sareny had but not as much as Isaac. For the first day of her life, Keith and I debated over a bunch of different names before finally settling on Finley Lynn. It was a tough decision!

Sareny and Isaac love their new baby sister and couldn't wait to come and see her. Sareny is continually asking, "Can I hold the little baby?" and she is very good and gentle with Finley. Isaac just loves to give her kisses, but then like a typical boy, he is done and off doing something else. He is acting a little bit crazy right now running around and jumping all over on stuff. I think he just is trying to assert himself a little, but we get a little scared when he dives right at the baby!

So we are home now with our sweet baby girl; hopefully life will return to a semi-normal state in time! I'm not sure how I'm going to handle going to the grocery store or other errands, but I'm not the kind of person who can sit at home all day, so I'll have to figure it out somehow!

Guess What?!

So bad news; this isn't me holding my new baby girl today--sadly this is me holding Isaac two years ago. :( The fact that I am sitting here blogging about this should let you know that apparently I wasn't really in labor, and the hospital sent me home because they didn't have any beds available. Even worse, they said they won't be able to call me to be induced until Thursday. As you can imagine, I am not happy about this. Hopefully we'll have some new pictures and baby stats to report after Thursday.

Wish us luck!

We're still here waiting for the hospital to call to induce labor, but I think I am actually starting labor on my own right now. So, we're about to head off to the Scottsdale Shea hospital to bring our new baby girl into the world. I knew I would start labor on a Tuesday, since I did with both my previous children. So much for being induced! We'll have pictures soon and hopefully a name as well!