Personality.....

I should be packing up this overstuffed hotel room and getting ready to ditch this joint.

But when Shay asked to hold his sissy, I couldn't pass up the oppurtunity to catch a few pictures.

Only problem is the stinker only wanted to do so for a few short seconds and quickly grew impatient. Which as you can see in this case meant gold..

Looking back I have absolutely no idea how at 21, I raised three kids so close in age. And without the periodic help of older kids hanging around fetching diapers and such. I miss them this week while they visit Grandma but it's nice to get a refreshed view of them after spending so much time couped up in this hotel room.

Meanwhile the little ones are keeping me super busy and reminding me that having those extra hands are a treasure.. :)


Oh and on another note...OMG me and the littles went out to lunch today, since we have the new car and all I refuse to eat in it lol so we went inside. Some grubby man walked up to my sleeping daughter in her car seat. Said she was cute and proceeded to grab her chin and jiggle her..WTF??????? Being alone I didn't want to be too rude and recieve a backlash ( this city can be pretty scary) but I immediately turned her carseat away from him and told him not to wake her. I was in shock, where do you get off touching her let alone trying to wake her up. I just wish hubby was with me so I could have gave him a piece of my mind.
Have you ever had things like that happen? This is a first for me...What did you do??

Dinner and a Show

If you have a little boy who is truly "all boy" take him to Medieval Times :)....Shay absolutely loved it. He was rooting for our appointed knight..(The Green Knight) , and boo'd the other knights. There wasn't a minute that he wasn't captivated. Of course for the adults it isn't the greatest show ever but it is fun and if you can ignore the employee radios sometimes in the background you can somewhat lose yourself in that time period. And who doesn't love beautiful well trained horses, me and my sister found ourselves cheering more for them then the  knights themselves haha...It was worth every penny, especially being half priced :)....

         And of course you couldn't pass up the souvenier swords for all the kids. Thank you Aunt Kim :P

What's in my phone?

A few of my random phone pics from the past week.....



Shay pulling the stroller on our walk, he was having trouble pushing it so the next best option was to pull it. Thank goodness Sophie was asleep or she might have had issue with the bumpy ride her brother took her on.

The best comfort food ever....Del Taco's chicken soft tacos...If there is one major thing that I miss when I am not living in California "other then family" it's my Del Taco.....I can't even begin to tell you how many of these I have had, nor do I want to know haha...

A beautiful view driving down Ft. Irwin road. I really do enjoy this drive, outside of the time it takes up of my day of course. It just seems there is always something new to look at. And one of these days I will not mind looking like a dork standing next to my car taking pictures with something other then the cell phone.

Alexis and Shay being cute........Yes he is almost 3 and yep that's a pacifier. I can practically hear  the "bad mommy" thoughts as I walk by some people when he has that darn thing in his mouth. But if they knew the drama our life is going through right now, hopefully they would understand why we haven't tried to take it away yet. If not, OH WELL...When the time is right we will get to it :)

I think this might have to become a regular in my posts each week. I enjoy the randomness of it and not feeling like every picture has to be perfection...So expect more where these came from :)

Somebody save me....

Still here in this hotel room feeling beyond antsy. I don't know how much longer I can handle this living situation before I go mental. We have been stuck at position 4 on the list for just over a week now, and I can't tell you how many times I have checked the website each day to see that. blah...

The list of complaints and discomforts are way to numerous to even know where to start. The big ones are of course not having personal space from the kids, our obviously cruddy eating habits due to a lack of kitchen, dealing with bare necessities for a baby and of course not wanting to buy anything for her because it's all packed away. A very very huge handful of an almost 3yr old who is testing his limits with the (do it myself) behaviors, knowing my hands are full with baby giving him extra time to get away with things. And then of course spending soooo much money for everything especially the tons of gas we are burning through and Scott having to buy new equipment for work since everything is packed and he needs it "now".  That's just the top of the list....................

Anywho the one positive is that we have been sneaking away to Huntington Beach on the weekends to stay with my sister and give us a break from the hotel. So it's not all bad but I am definitely reaching my limit when it comes to patience, with this whole situation...

I do find time to see the blessings in my life even if it takes a bit to open my eyes to them. The A's are enjoying school and doing well. Me and the littles enjoy some alone time as well as getting a lunch visit with daddy here and there. And of course the beautiful beautiful Southern California weather can't be beat!!!



The biggest thing that brings a smile to my face beyond all others these days. Has to be the growing bond between Shay and Sophie. Shay has been a little standoffish about holding or being too close to his sissy. But yesterday he asked to hold her on his lap and has been holding her hand whenever she is fussy to help calm her. It just makes me so warm and fuzzy to see these two...:)

What's in my phone?

I figured since I am always snapping quick pics of the kids and such with my cell phone. I would share a little of my adventures periodically....The quality is super lacking but you get the point....:)

Girl time, I love this photo mainly the way Sophie is staring at the camera!! Lucy is just a tad jealous of the new addition. But she makes sure to get her loves in any way she can like making me feel guilty with this sad puppy dog look.. :)

Just a bit of swing time for Shay from our Wednesday hang out time on base. He keeps me busy on those days. Between this and bathroom runs I can't tell you how many times we get in and out of the car those days.

Back to the Future.....We were at Knott's Berry Farm and as we left the kids noticed the Back to the Future Car..This thing was cool. It had everything I am guessing it was visiting from Universal studios. Wish I had my Nikon with me but the cell phone had to do.

Oh Brother!!!!

Don't worry, no babies were harmed in the making of this photo. Although as you can imagine my heart skipped a beat there for a second. To explain... Shay was actually being very sweet prior to this shot. He was kissing his baby sissy and being all lovey. Then the monster boy came out and he just couldn't resist the urge to jump. Of course I made sure he wasn't close to her before I took a quick shot. But I have a feeling until she is mobile and capable of avoiding this guy. I have a lot of semi heart attacks headed my way.

And then I think wow she just looks completely in awe of her big brother. Almost like she can't wait to join him. I'm really in trouble then...haha

Upgrades...

We've decided it's finally time for a bed upgrade...I am a bit of a softie when it comes to bedtime and Shay still sleeps with us. Although his crib is set up right next to our bed he almost always ends up beside me before the morning comes. Now with the new addition it's way to cramped to squeeze us all on such a small bed. So King size here we come.....

I know Co-sleeping can be a touchy subject and I believe whatever works best for you and your family is the best choice. I am just one of those mommies who sleeps better with her little ones next to her. Not to mention breastfeeding is so much easier when the little one is already in bed with you. And getting two 4 hour stretches of sleep with a newborn is just marvelous :)....

To further prove my point on needing a bigger bed. (not that I need to) This morning as I squeezed myself out from in between the littles and hubby....Awww

Needed a night out....

Yep I actually got out of the house for an evening. Since there isn't much around these parts it doesn't happen often but I was going a bit stir crazy and Ayden requested Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday dinner which is an hour away so it had to wait til the weekend.

Anywho...I didn't do much but walk around and snap a few cell phone pictures and videos of the little man playing games...But my proudest moment has to be this one....

Look at him, playing skeeball...It makes mommy soooo proud....I am a skeeball addict, and since I obviously couldn't join along tonight (yes I did try haha). Shay was more then happy to take my place and demand to play over and over. That's my boy!!! It was his first time playing and it definitely won't be his last...:)

A few others he enjoyed!!!

Of course the other 3 were nowhere to be found, go figure...

All in all it was a nice distraction, now I get to sit here and deal with pains of being 40weeks preggo..BLAH

The reluctant child....

Thank goodness I have a new little one on the way to devote most of my crazy camera doting time on, because it seems Shay has had enough!!!! I tried to get some cute happy face shots of the stinker this evening as a last hurrah of 2009 and this is what he gave me...



Ok...I'll admit they are still stinking cute, just not what mommy had planned. I guess that's what happens as they grow up.

The Tree is Trimmed

This year was hands off for me since the A's are old enough to be in charge. So I got to sit back and enjoy the show...They did a great job!!

Snow in the South

It's a rarity...And on top of that it's their first time seeing snow fall not to mention Shay's first experience with it all together. Other then the fact that we did not have the right wardrobe for it. They have been having a blast, hopefully there will be some left in the morning!!!

My Creative Space

We've been couped up inside all week due to rainy weather so I have not only done my fair share of pj lounging I have had a bit of a sweet tooth too. :)

I made up some Raspberry sorbet from this MUST HAVE book especially if you have an ice cream maker. And if you don't have one yet get one then get this book. You won't be disappointed. I can totally see myself making everything in it. Even the stuff I am not sure about, just to see how it tastes. Plus it's a fun read because he talks about how he went about creating or gathering each recipe...Love it!!


And then of course who can resist making cookies when stuck inside...Certainly not me!! I found this insanely yummy Chocolate chip cookie recipe Here along with many others but this recipe is just super yummy...My 2yr old literally shoved one in his mouth and cried for the next one and the hubby ate 4 the minute he walked in the door. Give it a try, you will like :P




And of course yet again another uniform creation this piece from the top since the pants are all gone haha...Can you tell what it is? Figured Scott's dad needed something to go along with his hot-pads :)Would have been finished today but I ran out of thread. So it's on hold for a bit....I have time right???



Now that you are drooling.... Don't forget to check out everyone else over at Kirsty's lot's of good stuff going on over there....

My hats and their model...

I am not sure why I am drawn to making hats but I am...So when I indulged in a new book and saw there was a reasonably simple looking hat pattern...I gave it a go!!!!

My first attempt "for the boy" came out a bit big "but still cute", there was a chin strap in the pattern that I did not even bother with. No way would he approve of it. But the shape is simple and cute, I think....Don't mind the bribe sucker, whatever works right???




And of course I had to make a girly version....This one being my second attempt came out the right size and a bit cuter!!! The best thing about these IMO is that they are reversible....I just can't help but imagine how cute this would look with actual girly hair flowing out from under it..:P

Easier then I expected

Well as most of us with multiple children do. I stressed over this year's Christmas Card picture......

Although it wasn't as creative and fancy as I would have preferred. I really needed to get these things ordered so I set out for a simple photo with all the kids looking at the Camera......And within 5 mins. I got it!!!!!!

Go Me.......




I ordered them through Vista Print, used them last year and everyone liked them so I did it again this year :)...30 cards with envelopes $15...Works for me!!

Determined

I have been lost in pattern making world the past few days. I should be done, hubby says I am over thinking it "which I probably am" but on top of that. I was halfway done and a bad girl.....Didn't save it!!!!! As I sat staring at it on my laptop screen it just vanished! Why??? apparently my laptop is set for automatic updates and of course restarts after it is done updating...NOOOOOOOOOOO..

So yeah that's why it has been quiet the past few days around here.....Not to mention yesterday the power went out for about 5 hours, gotta love that. I do think I am close to finishing up the rough draft though..Then I will have to figure out pdf.....Hope it's as easy at it seems. I have so much to do I really shouldn't be stuck on one thing for so long. But that's how it goes I guess, hope it pays off!




And can't forget the cutest messy monster ever...He is very good at distracting me from my craftiness..Just look at that face!!! :P

Costume parade

We had a great night!!! Although I wasn't sure it was going to go that way by the looks of Shay when he first put on his costume. But once he figured out what he could get with each "trick or treat" it was on!!!









No more pictures mom...Let's get a move on!!!

The reluctant child....

Most days I can get Shay to "ham it up" in front of the camera but some days (especially when I want to show something off) he becomes very stubborn. Almost as if he knows I will eventually give in and bribe him. Which is probably indeed the case but as long as I don't believe that I feel like a better mother haha...

Remember that jacket? It came in the mail yesterday and since I was making a hat to go along with it I waited til this morning to try and get some photo's. Yes he was stubborn and yes I did bribe him, seems he is like his daddy and is a sucker for Reese's peanut butter cups..

Anywho on to the pictures already!!!! And how bout that hat??? 1 day YAY ME!!!!!





Yep a mouth full of chocolate and peanut butter...All is right with the world!!!

A "had to have"

Last night we headed out to the closest city and hit up Target. Normally we stroll around buy a few essentials but nothing too fancy. Maybe a clearance item or two etc..

While we were browsing around Scott picked up a cuter the cute jacket for Shay. And tried it on him..OH I just swooned over it, it was just too cute..But of course only had it in Size 5T...Way to big for this 2yr old....

And knowing that I am not in California yet with my option to pick and choose from several Targets I was a bit bummed. Until the preggo brain moment was over and I realized..ONLINE.. So I did it I got Shay the cutest little Faux leather jacket around...I can't wait til it gets here so I can show it off better but here it is pre-Shay...

Cute Right??? There was my splurge for the month...Although it was only $20..:)

Sunday afternoon....

Thankfully we all stay up rather late on Saturdays so Sundays tend to be a slow start..Which usually consists of a few hours of lazing around the living room before the A's disperse outside and I find a few moments to be crafty or run after Shay, you know how it goes...

Sitting in my comfy chair I had one of those...Ahhhh this is family life moments and thought I would share my view :)

Just to my left....Shay tackling Ayden what you can't see is daddy sleeping next to them..I don't think he would like that too much...I don't know he catches a nap in this madness anyways...


Lucy thinking it's playtime. (what's new?)


Andrew doing his chores so he can sneak off and play. Yes I know my boys all need haircuts...Today is the day despite what they think...


On my right...Alexis concentrating hard on her video game.. Any minute Shay will be begging to steal it from her...


And oh I have to brag...A new hat... A slouchy crochet hat, isn't it cute..It was pretty quick and painless to create so I bet if you keep an eye out I will have a pattern posted quick...Maybe even later today :)....