Laughs

Latest from Jake:

During a prayer: And thank you that we can share our toys, and share all the glory...

Today I hoed the garden area. I don't have seeds to plant, but the overtaking of the weeds was really getting to me and since it was in the 80's today, I decided to work outside. Point being, I really tired myself out. So while Scott was off taking the written part of his Boards Exam part 2 (he feels ok about it), I put on a movie and tried to nap. When Scott came home he asked Jake where I was. Jake looked down, then away, and slyly said, "She went to Target." What? Target? So Scott asked where Alisa was. "She is in the car at Target with mom." Hmm. That boy!

Captain(s) Underpants

Jake got some new undies. Spiderman and Friends undies. He is so thrilled. If he is misbehaving, we just have to take away some of his new undies and he is golden again. Alisa was thrilled, too. She ran around with a pair in her hands saying, "Pants, mama!" until I put them on her. 

My parents sent some Valentine's money so I took the kids to the store and they picked out these sunglasses. Jake's are Spiderman and he LOVES them!

Scott was trying to get some piano time in before the kids went to bed. Poor guy. Jake wouldn't leave him alone and decided to dress him up while he was playing. 

Scott told me a funny story this morning. He was outside the dental school. A lady and her 15 year old daughter came out of the pediatric office. The lady saw him and said, "Hold on!!! This is not my only daughter! I have older ones, just for you!" Well, Scott politely declined the match-making offer, informing her he was married with two kids and a third on the way. Ha! I thought it was hilarious! What a hottie!

Jake climbed into my bed this morning (after running wild around the house in his undies) to inform me that he has a "crockroach in my froat." I guess he had a frog in his throat. He later forgot to tell dad, and insisted on calling him to leave a message that he had the crockroach in the froat. Nice.

He has also become a bit panicked about the toothbugs. If I say it's time to brush, he ALWAYS starts panicking: "Hurry, mom! The toothbugs! They are getting my teeth! Hurry, hurry!" What a silly.

First Haircut

I decided it was time to stimulate some growth, so we buzzed Alisa!

Ha, ha, just kidding. I did trim the two little locks of hair that hung down about 2 inches. It looks much better. And I trimmed up Jake's hair--just the sides and kept the length. We had fun watching Enchanted while we did it. 

Alisa post haircut. I thought she was being so cute until I realized those were pennies she was sucking on! Gross... and dangerous. Mommy of the Year here. No wonder she looks so smug. She has such a funny personality!

Side view.

Back view. Look at those cute curls. I hope they stay. Wish I had one... even a little wave would be nice.

Jake just lounging.

Speaking of Alisa's personality, here are some funnies from her lately. She's become quite the copycat.

• She has learned to follow her brother's example and zest for nakedness, and pulls off her clothes, running around saying "nakie." She thinks it's especially funny when I try to get clothes back on her. She trots/hobbles/skips away yelling "no, nakie!" Nice.
• She has caught on to Jake's latest obsession with Spiderman, and points and says "Spi-ah-man" when she sees one.
• We were in the kitchen the other week and she was doing something she thought was pretty great. All of the sudden, she busts out with "awesome!" as clear as could be. I didn't know she even knew that word. 
• I took Jake into Scott's school to go pee-pee, and she enthusiastically ran to the other stall, stood (boy-style) next to the toilet, and repeated "pee-pee, too, mama! pee-pee, too!" Poor girl. You can't go standing up. I tried when I was five. It didn't work.
• She plays this little game of hitting and immediately wrapping her little arms (and big hands--really, take a closer look. She has huge hands!) around our necks and quickly saying, "sorry" which sounds like "sah-ie, sah-ie, sah-ie." It's funny, except for the hitting. She's started doing it for other things. I was trying to get her to give me a bite of granola bar in church (I know, pathetic. But I was hungry!) and she refused. I tried to act all hurt and pouty. She quickly put her arms around my neck and said, "sahie, sahie, sahie." She still didn't give me a bite.

! Viva, Mexico!

I wish I could go to Mexico right now! Since I'm not there, here's a little taste of some EASY Mexican recipes that I love... and may have mentioned before.

Crockpot Shredded Pork Tacos

1 pork shoulder roast

minced garlic

kosher salt

hot mexican chili powder

Trim off any visible fat--which is a lot (it's a fatty cut). Pierce pork roast with a knife about 6-8 times per side. Stuff a little minced garlic into each hole. Rub with kosher salt. Rub with hot mexican chili powder. Cook in crockpot on low for 8-10 hours. Take out. Shred, removing fat as you go. Return to juice. Serve in warm corn tortillas with fresh lime juice, sour cream, shredded cabbage, and Tapatillo.

Posole (Make it with leftover pork)

3 lbs. boneless pork, cut into chunks (usually shoulder is best, but you have to remove fat when it's done cooking. Lean pork cuts are drier)--or just use leftover pork from above. Can use less than 3 lbs.
6 c. water
5 c. hominy 
1 c. chopped onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. leaf oregano
1 t. cumin (more or less to taste)
3 red chili pods or 3 tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 to 2 tsp. salt, or to taste

Place pork and water in saucepan and cook, covered, about 1 hour. Shred. Add remaining ingredients, tasting for salt. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Tob with shredded cabbage, sliced green onions, cilantro, and lime juice. Can add more red chile to make it hotter. Can top with sliced radishes. 

Telemarketer

Just got a call asking for Leslie. I asked what it was regarding. He asked if I was Leslie. I said no. He said he just wanted to talk to Leslie. I said please tell me what it was regarding. He profoundly replied, "You know what? Just shut up!" and hung up.

Poor telemarketers. You've gotta be hurting to take that job. The rejection must get to you.

Long Travelogue, Friday the 13th Nightmare Edition

My sister and her family came to play with us this weekend. It was so much fun, even though it was a soggy, rainy weekend. Jake and Alisa had a blast with their cousins. They loved sleeping all together in one room and playing all day together. With a family of 6 joining us, our house felt quite a bit smaller--full and fun!

Here are the kids enjoying Scott's delectable pizza on Thursday night. YUM!

The chef and helper. Seriously, yummy pizza (bbq chicken and olive oil, tomato, basil, and mozerella)

Friday started out just fine. We were geared up for a somewhat rainy day at Knott's Berry Farm. The J&J family left early, with Jake in tow (7 in their car) and Scott, Alisa and I were going to meet up with them. Scott got off early. We were about to leave when they called to say that Knott's was CLOSED! With absolutely no advanced notice (the internet said they were open that morning!) they closed due to impending rain. What?! We didn't think they'd do that. At that point, it was only partly cloudy. No rain. We have gone to Disneyland when it rained all day and night. They cancelled the parade, but didn't close the park!

So my sister went in to try to get her money back, thinking Knott's wouldn't be a good idea on a Sat., but they refused. We ran back to campus to get our money back, since we'd just bought our tickets 20 minutes before that. We debated going to Disneyland, but without the refund (and even with it) it was a little too pricey for a family of 6. So we decided to hit the beach for a bit to get some energy out. 

We met up at Newport, but by the time we got there, the wind was whipping up a storm. And it was chilly. Really chilly. They all went to scope it out while I stayed at the car (wrapped in a blanket) with a sleeping babe. In the 10 minutes they were by the ocean, BOTH of my kids had fallen in and gotten soaked. They came back sandy, wet, and freezing. Luckily, we'd brought a change of clothes. At that point it was about 2pm. We'd been in the car on the road for 4 1/2 hours. We didn't know what there was to do around there, but thought of finding a McDonald's playplace and stopping to get some energy out. We didn't find one. It started to rain.

We decided to just hit the road back home, calling friends on the way to get ideas of what to do inside (swimming, bounce house, etc.) when we got back. The Y had family swim for 1 hour (3-4pm) which wasn't promising. The bounce house was only for private birthday parties on weekends. The pizza/game/ride place was too expensive. We were laughing at the bad luck of it all. Even the discovery museum near Anaheim was open only until 5, and we didn't know where it was. 

To make matters worse, traffic was at a standstill. At 2:30pm. It was President's Day weekend. Hm. So we were stuck in crawling traffic, having been in the car much of the day. Scott, Alisa, a niece, and I were doing okay in our car. The other car had some wild times and antsy kids. So in desperation we pulled off at Yorba Linda. It was pouring. We tried to find an indoor play place. SoCal just isn't designed for the few days of inclement weather we have. We FINALLY found one at Burger King. We were cheering out loud. Scott went in to discover that it was closed for repairs. Seriously?!

This was the mini-slide that was open. And thank goodness for this much. Since traffic was at a standstill, we decided to kill a few hours. We spent an hour here on this mini-slide, trying to entertain two toddlers, two 3 year olds, a 7 and a 9 year old. 

This is how we felt:

So after an hour and an appetizer of french fries, we left for Costco, hoping to entertain ourselves for a few more hours until traffic cleared up. We got a pizza (thank you!) and it was so cold and wet we took it in, had the kids sit on cardboard boxed in the soaking carts, and had a picnic by the t.v.'s. We got many dirty and disgusted looks from the customers. Oh, well. We tried to kill time there, but were done after about an hour of climbing on treadmills and ellipticals and couches. We drove around Yorba Linda and saw nothing, so finally braved the creeping traffic around 6:15. 

We got home at 7:30 or so. It was a long, wet, miserable Friday the 13th!

The next day was great and totally made up for it! Knott's was just fine that Saturday. Not too many people. My brother, sis-in-law, and her nephews joined us. It was a romantic Valentine's Day! :)

We loved all the little rides with NO lines. Alisa had fun riding with her cousin on all the ones that we were too big to go on. She's such a big girl! Jake had a blast with his cousins. Thank you so much for a wonderful day, Jacqui and Jeff! 

We ended the day at Pat and Oscar's, which was a very family friendly place to eat and had killer bread sticks (as in, fatty and no good for you--we ate a lot!). It was fun to be with two of my siblings and families! The kids were exhausted and basically fell asleep at the restaurant. What a great Valentine's Day!

On Sunday after church Scott and Jeff took the kids out so I could get a nap (and my sis, too). It was soooo nice of them! They went to the orange groves and to Kimberly Crest Mansion (as in Kimberly-Clark paper goods). We've driven up there 3 or 4 times but never got out. We didn't realize you could walk a few feet and discover these beautiful grounds:

It was a lovely Sunday, even though it was a bit cold and cloudy. We had a good dinner and tried to get the kids to bed early. The next day brought a different adventure for Jacqui and fam, with a horrible driving experience that landed them in Flagstaff, not home in Utah. Closed roads. Again. We just cleaned for the holiday. We were so glad to host them in our small, two bedroom house! Thank you, thank you, thank you for a great weekend!

If you are still reading, you are a real trooper. Or just really bored. Or very into the details, like me.

Rainy Days

What do you do when it's raining? Scott and Jake made an awesome sword and shield. I slept (thanks, hon!) Scott's quite the artist! Jake is thrilled.

Alisa is coloring the remains of the cardboard box. As she colors, she counts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 7! Yes, she is in her pajamas (Jake's old choo-choo boy pj's) and it's 4:30 pm. Do you like her clown hair?

More to come later on our miserable Friday the 13th and our fun but soggy weekend with family!

Many Faces of Alisa

Her mullet is finally getting a bit longer. I actually curled her ponies with my curling iron. Awesome. I LOVE her little heart-shaped mouth and her beautiful smile. She smiles all day long... except when Jake pushes, punches, kicks, or otherwise tortures her (which is often). At least she'll be a tough cookie!

And by the way, Jacqui, she and Jake love the Minnie sippies. Jake insists on having the dark purple one every time.

Kids

Last night, Jake was scared. Again. He was starting to cry in bed as he sqeaked out, "Mom, did Heavenly Father give me the gift of the Holy Ghost?" 

What a sweetie. I wonder if he learned about it in Primary last Sunday? So I told him that Heavenly Father sends the Holy Ghost to us to help us feel happy, to feel His love for us, to help us not be scared, etc. I told him that he could pray to feel those things any time. I love being a mom! He calmed down and fell asleep soon after. He is so precious. 

Lately he will say, "I don't love it." If he doesn't like something. Like when he tried these scrumptious and naughty orange coconut rolls Scott made for some friends of ours. He didn't love the coconut. I guess that's better than saying he hates it. 

Jake's new favorite game is to be Nacho and have Scott be the bull. He cranks his arm, just like that scene in the movie, and Scott charges and throws him over his back. Tonight after they did that twice, Alisa came running/tripping/skipping up (you should see it--it's pretty hilarious!) and threw herself onto Scott saying, "Like Jake." As with everything, she wanted to do it like Jake. So Scott threw her gently over his back, too. She was thrilled. 

I've noticed that many of Alisa's words sound the same. She gets the syllables, but not really the correct sounds. For instance, she says the same thing for blanket, princess, breakfast, and leg lift. Ok, not leg lift, but I forgot the other word. She also does plural words, such as "mores" for more. She is pretty good at saying please: help please, pretzel please, fish please. 

Sorry for lack of pictures. I tucked my camera safely away... somewhere. I don't remember where. Must be the pregnant brain kicking in again. 

Quote of the Day

Today Jake took my grocery list, folded it up, stuck it down his shirt, and said, "They got married instead."

It took me a minute to realize that he was QUOTING Nacho Libre. I was cracking up. I have to admit I felt a little... proud. Ha! He's only seen it once (minus the wrestling scenes because we thought violence might ensue) but has asked to see it every day since then. Yep, he has arrived!

On another note, this week has brought on a slight fear of the dark, although if we are all together, he likes to play "Ghost" and turn out all the lights and run around the front room. Still, he actually came out of bed tonight (this hasn't happened in about a year) and complained that a noise was waking him up. It was a cricket. Whether it was in or outside, I am not sure. Still, a cricket scared him. He didn't want the door shut so I sat by him (with door shut still--I'm so mean!) for a few minutes. How strange. He has never had a night light or anything like that. 

While I sat there, I enjoyed Alisa wrapping and unwrapping a blanket around herself in the crib, playing peek-a-boo with herself, singing parts of the Darth Vador Theme Song, ABC's, Twinkle, Twinkle, and Yo ho yo ho a Pirate's Life for Me. She was cracking me up. 

Lastly, the Dr. office called to say I have placenta previa, and need another ultrasound. I have a dr. appointment in a couple of days. I don't think it's any big deal, since I have to have a c-, but we'll see. Maybe this time that darned lady-like girl will uncross her legs so we can be 100% sure that she is not a he...

Okay, really the last thing is dinner tonight. YUM. If you are looking for something effortless and healthy, try this! Thank you, Jen, for the great recipe! I actually used quinoa since I didn't have couscous, (rinsed and cooked it first) and stuffed 3 huge peppers. I sprayed my crockpot with PAM and cooked it on the 6 hour setting for about 4 hours. It turned out great. Scott got out some tortilla chips and avacado for the kids, and they loved scooping it up and eating it on chips. Jake even said, "Mom, I love this dinner!" How often do I hear that?! Never.

Slow-Cooker Greek Stuffed Peppers

Little Princess...

#2!

We are having a girl! A very lady-like girl who crossed her legs the entire ultrasound until we finally saw what we were pretty sure were 3 white lines and no little boy part...

So, Hooray!!! We would've been happy either way. Now we can know which clothes to keep out and which clothes to pack. Our ultrasound tech would not tell us a thing. No due date, measurements, nothing. So we find out Friday if our babe looks healthy and is measuring normal and if I can deliver before June 23rd (which is a week before due date).