Outing

Today I took all four kids to Knotts Berry Farm by myself! It helps that we have seasons passes and that Lauren wouldn't take her afternoon nap. So I kept her up, waited for Hadley to get home from school and then told them that I was thinking about going to Knotts. I reminded Hadley and Vincent that I might need a lot of help and we may not be able to go on or do all of the rides that we want to - they are so awesome and great! It was a successful trip and so fun to just the spend the day having fun - or more like watching them have fun b/c I can't participate with everything since I had Gentry. Seriously though, they are so good at listening, staying close and understanding when they have to fore go a turn. I cannot wait until they are all older and we can go and do more fun adventures all together. My kids are awesome!

Ages & Stages

Hadley still has a love for learning and is curious about so many things. The other night after the others were put to bed, she and I played with her dollhouse and started getting silly. She laughed sooo hard and it was fun being silly/joking around with her. I am glad for her sense of humor.

Vincent (three days shy of turning 4) is such a cute and kind little boy. People always comment on how well he speaks. He loves all things baseball and his cousin Wyatt b/c he loves the Angels too. Tonight we celebrated his birthday and he got Hungry Hungry Hippos game from Grandma and Grandpa Tigger and Chris and I got him an RC car. Sometimes I feel it is difficult having a boy b/c I'm not familiar with their likes/dislikes but other times it is so fun to get him perfect boy gifts.

Lauren is 26 months old and speaks so much! Her sentences have become longer and more complex in the last month or so and she commonly says sentences of five words. She is so cute to put down at naptime: first she gets her blankie and bottle and I let her turn on the overhead fan and pull the chain to turn the light off. Then she climbs into her crib (she is the first child to be able to climb into her crib while she still sleeps in it) *none learned/tried to climb out. She lays down and I cover her up.

Gentry (8 months) has wasted no time trying to keep up with her siblings. She crawls, can still barely sit up though, and kneels and/or stands up at her toys. She can pull herself to kneeling but not quite up to her feet yet. She also likes to climb on anything. Boxes, stools, and yes, the stairs now too.

I am so grateful for healthy and happy children who appear to me to be enjoying their childhood. They are excitable - which I love and really notice is one of the most exciting aspects of parenthood. It is so fun to start and have new traditions and celebrate things with them.

First Christmas

I'll never forget our first Christmas eve in our new home on Yorba street. Chris came home for dinner that evening and we had kielbasa casserole (one of his favorites) while the kids had popcorn chicken. It was memorable because it was our first candlelit dinner. We turned out all the lights and the kids enjoyed the bright flames.

After opening a few gifts that Hadley bought from her school gift shop we read the story of the first Christmas in Luke and tried to have as reverent of an evening as possible with a five, three, almost 2 year old and a sleeping infant. Hadley was so excited to give her gifts - stuffed turtle toys for Vincent and Lauren, a key chain for daddy and a resin teddy bear holding a heart for me. I love that she could have the chance to really feel the true meaning of Christmas - selfless giving. And how excited she was to give and make others happy.

After the kids went to bed I made 'preparations' for the morning and laid down on the couch and found It's A Wonderful Life on television. I can never watch the entire movie but am always amazed at how much I enjoy it and will watch tidbits of it whenever I get the chance. I can't remember what Chris was doing for the most part - I think he was doing work upstairs in his office. I just remember being sooo happy. I don't think life can ever get better than Christmas eve. The tree lights on, gifts under the tree, and sleeping children awaiting the magic of all that Christmas is.

I remember this evening so vividly though and figured there was a reason for this and that I should write it down.