Ainsworth Hot Springs

We took a really quick trip to Anisworth a couple of weekends ago. It was lots of fun and the kids were in heaven! They love the water! I was surprised how well Carson did at swimming. He really took to it. He can hold his breath for an uncomfortably long amount of time so he had no problem making it across the pool in two breaths. Reese had no fear of course. So he was the one that we really had to keep an eye on but he did great too and would grab diving sticks off the bottom of the pool. He didn't mind leaving his eyes open in the water either. Gwen was totally content splashing around in the water. They had these little hats for the babies to wear so that's why she looks like a Rastafarian. The kids did really well on the drive and we made it back into the States with all three so that's good. :) Hopefully we'll go back again soon!

On the ferry

It was Jory's bday!

The best picture in the world!

Nine months old!

Gwen started off as such a shy, timid little girl. Now she is such a ham! I’m not exactly sure what happened in the past nine months but she is just as busy, if not more so, than my boys were/are. How stupid of me to think that I might get a little “break” having a girl! She used to be the easiest, now she’s the hardest. Not that she’s difficult being whiny or needy, she’s just really busy and curious. But always happy! I think she had a continuous ear infection for about three months and once we finally got that taken care of she was a completely different girl. She’s always smiling. It’s so funny because she didn’t even crack a grin until she was like three months old and now she’ll smile at anyone just for looking at her! 

Gwen has officially taken her first steps. She can stand for about five+ seconds on her own. I’m actually a little surprised that she hasn’t started really walking yet. I guess that is one difference I’ve noticed that I think is a girl thing; she’s a little bit more timid letting go to start walking. She thinks about it first and then scares herself so she won’t let go. She’s gotten about three steps in at a time before falling. So far, she’s our earliest walker. She’s gone from sitting to standing a few times because she’s always in her hurdle position so that makes it pretty easy. She’s just not quite sure what to do once she gets up. 

String cheese and goldfish crackers are some of her favorite foods. But Gwen has been our pickiest eater. It’s a texture thing for her. She’s starting to imitate and will say “kiss” and “nigh, night”. She can even do Ensy, Weensy Spider somewhat. Gwen is becoming more of a daddy’s girl and I’m not sure how to feel about it. We are loving our Gwenny Penny more and more every day!

Valentine's Day

We started the day with some awesome heart-shaped lemon poppyseed scones. 

Isn't this picture awesome?! This just says it all!

Reese loves getting his picture taken...

Carson does not...

Gwen wasn't too sure about the scones at first but ended up eating the whole thing!

After breakfast, Ry went to work, I took Carson to school, and the rest of us went to the gym. Reese got a cake pop and some stickers from the daycare which I thought was pretty awesome of them. Then after Carson was done with school, we picked him up and met Ryan at Qdoba for lunch. We got a package from my mom that had a ton of candy that the boys (and me) were really excited about. There was this finger puppet lamb book that you can see on the floor in the picture. Gwen's reaction was so funny! She just couldn't figure out how to feel about that lamb! Any time I would make it move she would kinda laugh/cry/whimper. Now she loves it but she won't turn her back on it! 

Then about a minute after I took these pictures, Reese's chair toppled over and landed on her head. I was pretty worried at first because was really dizzy for a while. She'll be fine but she might have a nice little dent in her head now!

That night we just took it easy and had heart shaped pizza from Papa Murpheys and ice cream cones and watched a movie. It was the perfect way to celebrate!

P.S. I am now accepting donations for a new lens or flash. :)

Reese's Birthday Interview

What this boy lacks in size, he makes up with personality! If you know Reese, he's not afraid of anything! He'll jump off or climb up whatever, he'll sing and dance at the drop of a hat, he'll go right up to a stranger and shake his hand and introduce himself. He's completely carefree and lives life to the fullest! Reese has quite the imagination and is constantly coming up with elaborate stories for his action figures. Being such an avid fan of his older brother, Carson, he's always surprising me with things that he's picked up. Carson asks a lot of detailed questions and Reese is constantly listening. Today, Reese informed me that frogs were amphibians. Pretty big word for a three year old, let alone, correctly understanding the concept. Reese is a real sweetheart and he will be the first to give you a hug. He loves babies and has a real connection with Gwen. He's my independent child and he'll get what he wants if you don't fast enough. I'm excited for his future and what it holds. I'm interested to see what he ends up gravitating towards in sports and school and things like that. I think he'll do great things!

Here's his interview:

Q: What is your name?
A: Reese

Q: How old are you?
A: (adjusts fingers) I’m 3. And 2.

Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Dark green

Q: Who is your best friend?
A: Carson

Q: What is your favorite animal?
A: A donkey

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Chef Pasghetti (from Curious George)

Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: Minja Turtles, Mom.

Q: What is your favorite book?
A: Curious George book

Q: What makes you happy?
A:  Do this (big cheesy grin- see picture above)

Q: What makes you sad?
A: Sad about you and hurt somebody.

Q: What is your most favorite food to eat?
A: Dinner! Spaghetti and meatballs!

Q:What is your favorite song?
A:  Good night

Q: What games do you like to play?
A: Like, uhhh, like Mario Kart Wii!

Reese is 3!!!

Our little monkey-man turned three! We had a little shindig for him to celebrate of course. Lots of our favorite people came to join in on the fun! I didn't go all out for his birthday like I normally do but it actually turned out to be perfect. I didn't do any invitations but there was plenty of friends there and I didn't plan any games which made my life easier. I just had to decorate and make the cake. Pretty easy. It was stress-free and easy going.

Reese Recited

Carson: Mom, you're just cheating me.

Me: No, I'm teasing you.

Reese: No, Mom. You're cheesing me.

Carson Quote of the Day

Hey, my body doesn't like this orange.

Why?

Because it made me sneeze. My body is just allergic to this orange.

Reese Recited

Just plain and simple and completely sweet:

I'm happy.

Reese Recited

I can't wait to be at my party! It's gonna be sweet!

To tube or not to tube, that is the question...

Okay, so here's the deal... At present, all three kids are on antibiotics for ear infections. We have been dealing with ear infections nonstop and it's to (maybe even past) the point of considering putting tubes in. It just comes down to genes. Ryan had to have tubes put in his ears a bunch of times so I'm pretty sure that it's just the way my kids' ears are. They don't just get sick and get over it, they have to suffer afterwards until the infection goes away. The thing is, I hardly know anything about getting tubes put in. The doctor explained the procedure but I would like some real life experiences to go off of. Carson got his tonsils out two years ago because of sleep apnea but we also hoped that it would help with his ear infections ironically. The recovery was really hard and long. Is having tubes put in similar to that? And then if we do decide to go for it, which kid should we do?

After the tonsillectomy, Carson didn't complain of having an ear ache for about a year. That doesn't mean he didn't have one though. Carson's funny that way, he gets embarrassed if he's hurt so he doesn't tell me until it's really bad or if I ask him about it. Just this last time, I noticed that he kept playing with his ears and acting funny and I could tell he couldn't hear me very well. So I asked him if his ears hurt and he said that they just sounded a little "squishy" but then later on he did tell me that they hurt. I have one of those ear checkers that lets you see inside and there was totally puss and blood. He woke up that night screaming that his ears hurt so the next day we took him in and the doctor said that both his ears were very infected.

Reese hasn't really been a problem so far. I think he's had a couple of ear infections but he has had his fair share of health problems. Like the one time he had a fever of 106 and that week we ended up taking him in at least 7 times to see the doctor. We got a summary from the insurance saying pretty much "did you really go in this many times in one week?"

Gwen, on the other hand... her entire life has been just fighting off infection after infection. Is it safe to have her on antibiotics all the time? Is it safe to put tubes in a eight month old's ears?

I don't know. I need some outside opinions.