Update-One Month

Baby Anna is over a month old now! Where does a month go? I have to admit, I have the best baby in the land. She has been a dream! She hardly cries except in the evening at times and when I try to go shopping. Allie and AJ are adjusting well to life with a baby. They are definitely pushing every button they can and seeking a little extra attention, but who can blame them??
Here are a few facts about each of our babies:

-Anna-

1. She is a great sleeper. I only have to get up with her once in the night and sometimes she will even sleep until 6:00 am!

2. She loves to be held and she LOVES to eat!

3. She HATES binkies! Occasionally Alberto can get her to take one, but it only lasts a minute or two then she will pop it out with her tongue...it is kind of funny.

4. She looks more like her big sister than anyone else. They have so many features in common! The biggest difference is that Allie had very little hair as a tiny baby and Anna has a whole lot of hair!

5. She does the cutest pouty lip just like Allie and AJ and she has a little fake cry when she wants attention.

6. She loves to be wrapped tight for sleeping.

7. She is starting to smile and it melts your heart.

8. She loves her crib

9. She HATES her car seat and gets really hot and sweaty in there no matter what!

10. She is very strong-she can hold her head up pretty well, she enjoys tummy time and she
has even rolled over a few times when she is upset.

-Allie-

1. Loves to help take care of baby Anna and every other baby she is around.

2. Can't stand for me to not attend to baby Anna crying or if I don't wipe her drool or spit up immediately.

3. Likes to give me directions on how to wrap baby Anna in her blanket.

4. Loves to wear dresses and have her hair in "ponies tails".

5. Loves to play pretend..pretend to: cook, go to work, be Millie from Team Umi Zoomie, sing songs (especially the Beatles, country songs, and songs she learns in nursery).

6. Likes princesses and recognizes most of them, even though the only princess movie she has seen in Snow White.

7. Loves books

8. Is obsessed with Team Umi Zoomie and likes Dora, Elmo and Clifford.

9. When asked who she likes better, Mommy or Daddy, she will always say Mommy.

10. Screams, whines and cries like a true girl over nearly everything if it doesn't go exactly how she wants it to.

-AJ-

1. Loves to ask, "When I be a baby..." meaning when I was a baby did you do that for me? He asks this when we feed Anna, change her, wrap her, put her in her bed or pull out any new interesting baby gear.

2. Is a tough guy...sometimes too tough, but always sweet.

3. Loves cars and trucks and loves to race them, crash them and line them up all around the house.

4. Has a great baseball swing. Nana taught him one day and he is really good.

5. Loves to play pretend..pretend to: cook, go to work, be Geo from Team Umi Zoomie, sing songs (especially the Beatles, Jason Aldean, Lightening McQueen, and songs he learns in nursery). AJ will even combine parts of different songs and make up his own.

6. Loves to say, "Shoot that BANG, BANG" in a really loud and low voice...Don't ask me what it means, but he says "It's only for boys" to say.

7. Loves books

8. Is obsessed with Team Umi Zoomie and likes Dora, Elmo and Clifford.

9. When asked who he likes better, Mommy or Daddy, he will always say Daddy.

10. Loves to tease, torment and pester Allie all day long.

Life so far with baby Anna

Baby Anna has been with us for 12 days now. She is such a good baby and we are all doing well. Allie and AJ have been really good with her. They love her and show interest in what she is doing, but so far have not tried to be overly involved, which has been a relief to me.
It is crazy how quickly Anna is changing and begining to look more and more like our family. She sleeps really well at night and loves to eat during the day. She is remarkably strong for a new born. She will hold up her head at times and can get her arms out of any swaddle if she wants to.
We all love her and we are enjoying having a baby in the house again. Here are a few pictures since we have been home.

Welcome Baby Anna

Our new baby girl finally made her arrival on July 14th at 7:10 am. I ended up going in for a scheduled c-section as the birth process was just not happening and I was 5 days overdue. The c-section went really well and Anna weighed in at 10 pounds even and 21.5 inches long!! She is one big baby and so beautiful and healthy! We took bets the night before on how big she'd be and Uncle Brad was the closest guessing 10lbs 3oz and 21.5 inches. I thought that was a little extreme, but I was wrong.
Anna has been a dream baby so far. She is eating well and sleeping well. She hardly cries. Allie and Aj love her already and are anxious to take her home. Mommy and Daddy are so proud and happy to have such a wonderful family!

Update

Well to start with, I am officially overdue! I never thought this would happen, I am not sure why I never thought this would happen, but I didn't. Watch the papers because I just might give birth to the largest baby ever if she doesn't come soon :) While we wait, I decided I could post a few pictures from some of our recent activities. On Father's Day, we made a quick trip to Pine Valley with my family. It was lots of fun and the weather was PERFECT. I think I love Pine Valley more than any other recreational place. Nana and kids hiking around.

A few weeks ago, we made a spontanious trip out to Quail Lake to ride around in the boat. Alberto and the kids and I got there a bit early, while my family had to figure out some last minute boating dilema's so Alberto and the kids swam in the lake while I watched. We had a little bbq and then once my family got there, we cruised around in the boat for quite a while. The kids just loved it and haven't stopped talking about going out on the boat since. We were all hoping a bumpy boat ride would put me into labor, but clearly it did not.AJ driving the boat with Papa.
Allie driving the boat with Papa.




We (Alberto) continued the follow the World Cup faithfully until the dreaded day that Brasil lost, but we know they will redeem themselves in 2014(???) This is me between 38 and 39 weeks. I wear that outfit everywhere I go :)


As for the 4th of July, I was certain baby Anna would be here, but since she was not, we went to my parent's house, went to the park with friends and then had a bbq and went to our usual spot for fireworks. It was fun. I always think 4th of July is fun. The kids looked cute as ever in there patriotic outfits and we enjoyed the holiday falling on Sunday so we had a whole weekend extravaganza with more fireworks at my parent's house on Sunday and then Hurricane fireworks on Monday night, which were AWESOME. Way to go Hurricane City.

Dangerously Random

Last week our neighborhood was invaded by venomous creatures. To start with, one day early in the week, our next door neighbor opened the door from her house to the garage to find a rattle snake stretch out right in front of her, IN THE GARAGE!! Ever since then, I have been all paranoid that there will be a snake under my car that will get me while I am loading up the kids! To make my fears even worse, a few days later, a family in our ward dropped by our house to return something and while we were talking at the door the husband, who was in front of my house, saw what he called a lizard run from the side of my house and across the neighbors drive way who had the ratttle snake. He came and asked me if I had a pet lizard that got out and after telling him that we didn't he insisted I come out and see this lizard. I was thinking he was kind of weird because who hasn't seen a lizard around here?? So, I decide to humor him and the kids and I head over to the neighbors driveway. Hiding between a bucket and the wall was the largest most unfriendly looking "lizard" I have ever seen. I instantly felt anxious and informed this guy that I did not know what it was, but it was not a lizard. I figured it must be someone's pet because I had never seen anything like it around here and I have lived in the area my whole life. After that, I went in the house and called another neighbor to ask them to check it out. The husband went out and caught it and let us know it was a Gila Monster. Soon after the neighbor whose house we were at came home and informed us that Gila Monster's are very poisonous!!! All my life, I had no idea they were around here or that they were poisonous. It makes sense that we have them, but I just didn't know. Anyway, we put it in a bucket and called the DWR and I guess they took care of it. After these two incidents I don't even want to let me kids out. I took the below picture of the Gila Monster in case others around here don't know about them, check it out and don't touch it!!!
In other news, in case you didn't know, we are currently in the midst of the World Cup and Alberto is planning our whole life around the games. The other day when Brasil played their first game, Alberto and the kids all wore their shirts and Alberto got out the Brasilian flag and they ate popcorn and drank our favorite Brasilian soda.
During the game the kids were playing and Allie drew the picture below and then took it up to Alberto and said, "Look Dad, a flag." She is only 2 and 1/2!! I think it is pretty impressive. Our kid are brilliant!
I am now 37+ weeks pregnant and I am ready for this baby as soon as she wants to come. I have everything I need, Alberto and I have completed most everything on my nesting list and the kids are asking more and more about when baby Anna is coming. I went to the doctor today, but nothing is happening. I am having a lot of Braxton Hicks, but nothing that lasts. I have been so surprised at how bad I have been at being pregnant this last little while. I really thought carrying one baby would be a breeze, but I decided that pregnant is pregnant once you get to the end. Perhaps I was more uncomfortable, swollen and achy with the twins, but I also had no one else to care for or entertain but myself. I am really glad they came first when I could relax and sleep and watch movies in bed without a second thought. I have been getting increasingly emotional and impatient over the past few weeks. The other day, I broke 4 of my nice dishes and had an emotional break down and the next day broke down again after both kids spilled their morning cereal then I knocked a bunch of stuff off a shelf cleaning it up. The sight of tiny potpourri particles sticking in puddles of cereal and milk was more than I could take at 8:30 am. Aside from those few things though, I am blessed with good health and I really feel fine and my kids are really overall well behaved. It is an exciting time and we can't wait for our new little lady to join us.

Spring

I wanted to post some pictures of some of the fun things we have done so far this spring. I have not been good about taking pictures of everything, but I guess some in better than none.
One day earlier in April, we decided to do a quick picnic at Red Cliffs. When we got there, we found a nice spot and set our stuff out on the table only to find the whole place was crawling with caterpillars. The kids were very curious, but very nervous about the whole situation. I have to admit, I was too. The caterpillars were crawling all over the table and ground and falling off the table onto our feet. I can't even say how many we squished accidently just by moving our feet from one place to another. I am always trying to stay calm around bugs and other creepy things, in hopes that I won't pass my irrational fears onto the kids, but it is really hard not to scream when you feel a hairy caterpillar crawl between the arch of your foot and your sandal. GROSS! The campground host told us the caterpillars take over every year at this time. I wish we were there to see them all turn to butterflies!

Isn't this a cute picture??

Checking out a caterpillar up close.

I already wrote a little about Alberto's graduation, but never posted any pictures.
Alberto's classmate, Scott and his family (Leah and Hunter).



Earlier in May, Alberto had a few days off so we packed up on a Wednesday afternoon and decided to take the kids camping. They had been so excited to try out the tent since we gave it to Alberto for his graduation gift. We first attempted to get a spot at Red Cliffs because it is close to home and we thought it would be no trouble considering it was Wednesday, but they were all full so we tried Snow Canyon, it was all full too. After a lot of driving around and some frustration, we ended up at Baker. As soon as we picked our spot and got the tent out, it started raining and blowing. Poor Alberto had to work so hard to set up the tent in the middle of all this and I swear the instant he was done, the rain and wind stopped and the rest of the evening was delightful (minus the part where I forgot to pack jackets for the kids. Luckily I had some wind breakers in the van and we dressed them in all the clothes I brought). At one point Alberto said, "This is turning into a fiasco (sp?)" I couldn't help but laugh because essentially that is what camping is. You think it is going to be a fun, easy get away, but it is really a lot of work and rarely goes as planned. Camping is always fun though. I only took one picture:

For Memorial Day weekend, we were invited to go to Marysvale with our friends and neighbors to their family cabin. It was the such a fun weekend and the cabin was amazing. We even had our own private room and bathroom. Unfortunately I barely took any pictures, again. The kids had a great time playing in the sand box and "riding" the "go-goes" (4-wheelers). We were even on bear watch the whole time because when our friends got up there the day before we came, they found that a bear had been looking in some of the windows (he left snot marks, paw prints and some tears in the screens). The last night we were there, the bear returned although, no one saw or heard him, a couple of the four wheelers had their seats ripped and one had one of the gages smashed. The bear also hauled away a gas can, knocked over a trash barrel and tried to open a pack on the back of a 4-wheeler. I was most afraid that I'd get up to use the restroom and find the bear staring into our window (we were staying in the room he had been looking it before)...Luckily, he didn't give us any trouble. Allie and AJ's best bud, Mason being silly.
AJ and his new friend Copper.

Allie and Daddy riding the go-go.

Family Pictures

When Alberto's family came down for his graduation, Camila suggested we do some family pictures since we won't be altogether until who knows when. It was perhaps the most chaotic photo session imaginable. Our kids were out of control running a muck and we were all trying to get them to look and smile. The photographer kept telling us to stop worrying about the kids and just look at the camera, but that is easier said than done I guess. Anyway, I got the pictures back today and I was super excited to find that she got some really cute ones of the kids. Below are some of the pictures, a little sneak preview for Glauco and Camila, until I can get a CD mailed to you.

Lately...

I have been wanting to update my blog lately for my own sake, but I am too lazy. Here is a run down of what we have been up to:
1. Weekend before Easter- Glauco, Camila and Diogo came to visit. The kids love having company and were happy to spend lots of time with these 3.
2. Easter Weekend- Saturday we took the kids to a local egg hunt, worked in the garden and colored Easter eggs (AJ broke 2 eggs and Allie dropped an unboiled egg, but aside from that, it was fun). On Sunday the kids were thrilled to find the Easter Bunny had come. They loved hunting for eggs and finding their baskets. These two are totally spoiled, they each got 3 Easter baskets (thanks Nana and Great Mama). Later that day, we went on a fun picnic with my family.
3. Potty Training- I finally broke down and decided to get real about potty training this month. The first two days were ROUGH!! By the second afternoon I ended up teary eyed in my room saying a prayer that one of the kids would have even a little success and much to my delight, shortly after that, AJ did a pee in the potty!! Thank goodness he did or I would have given up. Alberto had the next 4 days off in a row and I really think having him home made all the difference. It was great for me to have the support and the kids (especially AJ) loved having daddy their to celebrate their success with them. By day 4 of potty training they were doing great and now we are over 2 weeks into it and doing great overall.
4. This week- Alberto is graduating with his Bachelor Degree from SUU (way to go daddy). We are so proud of all his hard work and his dedication to providing the best for us. Glauco and Camila are here with us spending a few days before they move back to Brasil next week and later this weekend Cecilia and Dale (my in-laws) will be here too. We are so glad that Glauco and Camila could come spend some time with us before they go. We will miss having them around.
5. Baby #3- I am now 31 weeks pregnant and doing great. I feel bad that I have not really said much about this pregnancy. People ask me all the time if I am having twins again. I feel sort of bad because I know my belly is huge and it makes me wonder if I am going to have a giant baby. Aside from the huge belly it has been a good pregnancy. We feel very confident that it is a girl who is coming to our family and the kids are getting more and more interested in her and my belly. I think they are going to be great with the baby. It is definitely different this time around. With two other kids and working at home, I don't have time to sit and day dream and wonder and read like I did with the twins. Overall, I feel really calm, but not completely ready for another child. I have been nesting like crazy and all I want to do is get my house in order, but I am also really tired. People ask me a lot too if it is easier being pregnant with just one baby. I am sure it must be, but I can't really remember the twins pregnancy being too bad. I swear this baby moves just as much or more than they did. My belly doesn't get as distorted with just one rolling around, but she sure can keep me awake at night. At my last appointment I had an ultra sound to check my plecenta (which is fine) and the baby was laying horizontal, just like the twins. My doctor said, most babies would be breech or head down already, but not to worry yet. She said my uterus is probably so stretched out, the baby just has a ton of room to lay however. Lucky baby :)
6. Allie and AJ update- As always, the kids are changing and growing faster than I can believe. They are speaking so well lately. It seems that from day to day their vocabulary grows and they are using more and more sentences. They are also both really into asking questions these days. They are constantly asking "What are you doing?", "What is this?", "What sound that makes?" (What makes that sound?) and "Where's ______?" I can't wait for them to start asking "Why?" :) I have noticed lately that they like to mock me. For example, everyday probably more times than necessary, I complain about my back hurting. So the other day AJ came up to me holding his back and said "Oh, my back hurts. Oh, my back hurts." It was funny. You quickly learn what you say too often when you have two toddlers (I won't share some of the other words and phrases I have taught them). They repeat everything! They are getting really good at pretending too. I love to watch them play together and see how their imaginations are growing. A few of their favorite pretending things are making food for each other, and pretending to be different animals. They are also learning that they can pretend one object is something else. Both Allie and AJ love our cat, Shanaynay. They chase her around all day trying to get her to play with them. They love to give her treats and are always asking where she is when she is out of sight. They will go up to her and say, "Hey little Buddy, Whatchya Doin?" I can't tell if Shanaynay really likes all the attention or if she is just too lazy to hide from them. In the past few months, the kids have started waking up really early in the morning. At first this made me so mad, but I am getting used to it. Allie loves to climb in our bed and get under the covers and snuggle and AJ either wants to watch as show or have someone get up and play with him. He is a morning person like daddy used to be until I taught him to be lazy :). As always the kids still love to be outside (preferably in the dirt at Nana and Papa's), watch their favorite shows, play with their friends, go bye-bye and dance to the Beatles (AJ with his guitar and Allie in her Tutu). They have both become big fans of going to church too. They love nursery because they get to see their friends and will ask several times during the week if we can go to church and "play with the kids." I am glad they love it and hope it lasts. In the last month or so, they have taken over prayer time. I am so surprised at how good they are at praying. AJ likes to say thank you for every wall, light, window etc.. he can see, ("Thank you for my wall, Thank you for the other wall...") and Allie likes to give thanks for hamburger sandwiches.
AJ has become such a mans man. He loves to be with the guys and "fight" with daddy. He has this deep voice and can be super bossy, but he is still such a tender heart. When ever he gets hurt he wants mommy to "Kiss it" and when he is sad he will give me big snuggly hugs. I am glad he lets me do this because aside from that, he doesn't let me love him nearly as much as he used to. I can't believe how good he is getting at teasing Allie. He will take her morning milk or something she is playing with and say "This is my milk or this is my toy" and Allie screams every time, he loves it. He is going to have such a great time when he has 2 little sisters to torment. AJ also loves, loves, loves automobiles of any sort. When we are driving he is always looking out the window trying to spot trucks, race cars and motorcycles. He has to make sure everyone in the car sees and acknowledges every one of them too.
While AJ has taken to all the men in his life, Allie has become more interested in being with us women. It is so funny how that all works out. Just today she came with Camila and I to the grocery store and had to take her "curse" (purse) so she could be like us. A few days ago I was wearing a skirt around the house for comfort sake and so she had to wear a skirt too, not a dress a skirt. Later when I tried to change into jeans before going out, she burst into tears screaming, "NO!! Wear your skirt like Allie." She loves wearing dresses, skirts and pink and being a princess. She also suddenly likes to have her hair in pony tails. Just recently we were at a bbq and Allie got to dress up in princess clothes. She was in heaven parading around with her plastic high heels, tiara, magic wand and Snow White dress. I wish I had my camera because it was so cute. We will have to look into some dress up clothes one of the these days. She has also turned into quite a clingy little thing. She loves to snuggle and will grab my face and say, "I love you mom".

Great Mama's House

In March we decided to go back to Pennsylvania to visit my grandma (Allie calls her Great Mama) and my mom's family. This was the second time we have taken this trip with the kids. We were a bit nervous about going in March with the crazy snow they have had out east this year, but we totally lucked out and had the most beautiful weather the whole time. While we were there, we took the kids to the Pittsburgh Zoo, did some shopping, visited with family, ate a ton, and had a party for my grandma's 86th birthday.
I was a little nervous about this trip because everyone back there has dogs and my kids are afraid of dogs. In the end, we had some panicking, but overall both Allie and AJ did well. We discovered that as long as the dogs aren't in their faces, they are ok with them. The kids ended up really liking my grandma's little dog, Max, and of course they loved her cat, Too-Tia (Tia). While we were there, they enjoyed playing with Ian, playing songs on the organ and playing resturaunt on the ramp in my grandma's garage.

My Uncle Jim and Aunt Nancy have a beautiful home and property with a horse, 4 miniture horses and 5 big dogs. It is always fun to go there and enjoy all the animals and beauty. Allie and AJ loved riding around on the ponies and my uncle's quad with my cousin's little boy, Ian.

A Love of Books

Right now it is nap time, which means work time for me, but instead I am skimming through blogs, essentially avoiding my responsibilities. As I am sure you have all heard me gripe about in recent months, since moving the twins into the same room, nap time has turned into crazy time. I have a new system that is working for the most part. I lay the kids down, shut the door, let them run a muck and make a huge mess for about 20-30 minutes, then go back in, lay them down again and lay by each of them until they fall asleep. Well today, I laid them down, shut the door and came to my computer waiting to hear the sounds of destruction, but they never came. A tiny bit a chit-chat in the beginning and then totally silence for the last 10 minutes. I decided I better get in there because all parents know, silence is not a good sound. There was a small part of me holding out hope that I'd open the door and find them both asleep already; wishful thinking... Much to my surprise however, the kids had found a basket of books I recently shoved under AJ's bed and were each engrossed in their own book. I am so glad my kids love books so much!!