Day with our buddy Willy

Allyson was nice enough to plan William's baby blessing on the weekend we were in California.   Afterwards we were treated to a yummy Salmon dinner at the park.   Due to overbooked flights it was unlikely Bart would get on any flights and he had to get back to work so he rode home with his mom and dad Sunday afternoon.  Emily, Jane and I waited for the next open flight which was scheduled for  Tuesday morning.  So on Monday we got to watch sweet baby Willy while Ally went to work.  My girls just loved doting on him and he seemed to enjoy being malled.   Rocking him to sleep was so divine and got me excited for a little newborn.  I also fell in love with this Bumbo seat.

 
It was so handy to set in on the bar in the kitchen put Willy in it and do the dishes while talking to  Willy as he sat at eye level.  Now I have two things on my wish list.  A bumbo seat and in our future house a kitchen with a bar or island. 

My girls were super helpers.  The best was when Emily held the binki in Willy's mouth while driving.  That will come in handy soon!   Later when Matt came home he had all three kids in competition to lay on their  bellies and hold their heads up.  I think Willy has a competitive streak because he wouldn't let the big girls get the best of him.

It really was a blessing for me to have this day as a trial run because that will be my life in a few months.  I've been told by numerous people that 3 kids sent them over the edge.  I've had a lot of anxiety about having 3 but if it's anything like the day we spent with Willy it's won't be all that bad.  In fact it will be wonderful!

Knottsberry Farm

After walking all over Disneyland we were all up early sore legs and all for another amusement park day at Knottsberry Farm.  Emily a little sick and was not herself and all and spent most of the morning in the stroller while Jane rode some kiddy rides. 
By lunchtime we were all starving so we headed over to a restaurant that specializes in chicken and boysenberry pies.  The kids meal came with a choice of ice cream and both of the girls wanted to boysenberry sherbet.  Guess who liked it the most?  Bart of course.    I know where we will be eating the next time we are in California or "Ally's world" as Emily likes to call it.
The rest of the day was spent standing in lines. Up first was the train ride and then it was over to the log ride (I initiated this one)  I remember going on it as a kid when we came to California and because it was slightly raining, there was no line so we rode it over and over.  It was fun to go on it again even with the long line.
Bart, John, Joe and Sarah stood in very long line for  the "Ghost Rider" which is a huge wooden roller coaster.    I guess it was quite the thrill and rumor has it John told Bart on the ride that he was way to old for a ride like that.  

Disneyland

Friday we were all up and at Disneyland when it opened.  I'm telling you the way to do Disneyland is with a big group.  Especially when the group consists of a Grandma, Grandpa and a couple sets of Aunts and Uncles.  My girls were spoiled with so much attention and love.  Not to mention all the strong arms that held up some very tired little feet.

 Here are the highlights of the day

1.  Watching Jane light up like the 4th of July when she finally got a glimpse of Rapunzel as she rode by in the parade and then later watching her glow as we walked through her house and she held Jane's hand and gave my girls a hug.


2.  The princess luncheon.  Both of my girls loved the anticipation of the announcement of a new princess that would be joining the lunch.  I was misinformed thinking it was only three princesses and Emily was so sad as I told her all the princesses had been announced and Belle was not one of them.   All of the sudden there was another princess announcement and Belle appeared. Oh how excited Emily was.    Each of the princesses came by our table and took a picture with my girls.  Emily and Jane are still dancing, bowing, and floating around our house just like they are one of the princesses

3.  Emily's highlight was the ride Soaring.  She loved feeling like she was flying.  It was the only ride Emily requested we do again.

4.  Spending so much time with Jeff, Melissa, Joe and Sarah. What a special treat since we rarely see Jeff and Melissa.  Now that Joe and Sarah are moving to  Pocatello "sniff" "sniff" it was so fun to have this time with them.

 5.  After we had stood in a long line for Pirates of the Caribbean and were almost ready to board the boat,  Jane told me she had to go to the bathroom.  Knowing the flood that can happen when Jane waits too long to go, I frantically considered options of ways to get out of the line and to the nearest bathroom.  Bart stopped me and told me to give Jane to him.  He then told her if she could hold it really tight and wait until after the ride he would buy her a sucker.  I'm amazed but that little girl held it, even with all the water we were floating in and the waterfalls running around her I'm happy to report no accidents at Disneyland.   Jane also would not let her daddy forget the promise he made her.








6.  Splash mountain was closed in the morning so by the time we got in line it was getting late and a chill had set in.  Max told Emily before we left that she just had to go on Splash Mountain and we couldn't disappoint Max.  The whole time on the ride I kept thinking "I don't want to get wet,  why am I on this ride, I don't want to get wet"  As we descended down the mountain the shock on my face is not fear of the fall but pure fear of getting soaked and freezing to death. (Thanks Joe and Jeff for taking the brunt of the splash)  I still can't figure out how both Bart and Emily look so calm and didn't get a bit wet.








7.  Can I just tell you how much I love this picture of my girls.   Jeff did an amazing job of capturing both of their genuine smiles as they rode the tea cups. 

California

We just got back from a fabulous California vacation with a lot of Bart's immediate family.

In order to fly stand by my girls, Pauline and I left a day early to make sure and make the flight.  It turned out perfect because it allowed us to relax and spend some time at the beach before meeting the rest of the clan at the hotel

One of my favorite parts about the beach were watching Jane overcome her fear of the ocean.  At first she did not want to come even close to the waves but as time progressed she slowly inched her way until finally she was knee deep scooping water and looking for sea shells. 
My other favorite part was when Pauline was helping Emily build a sand castle and she told Emily she just needed a little bit of water so Emily ditched the bucket and took the tiny sand shovel down to get a tiny bit of water.  It took her a good 10 times to keep the water in the shovel but she finally got it to stick and slow and steady came back with the tiny bit of water.  Pauline was laughing so hard at how she took the "tiny bit of water" so literally.

Next up Disneyland.....

Up in the Air

I've always been one that likes the security of a plan.   In college a roommate and I use to talk about how nice it would be to draw up a blue print of life.   With a new baby coming, our house up for sale and figuring out what to do about my career,  I'm feeling like there are a lot of uncertainties going on in my life right now.  My hope is that I'm not as big as an elephant, moving out of this house and homeless because I can't find a house I want to buy.  I've also had a lot of stress knowing how hard it would be to juggle my part time job with 3 kids who will all need to go to different places in the morning.   Yet I just can't quit because I love my job.  It is fulfilling,  family friendly and the extra security in these tough economic times is worth keeping it. 

As I pray that everything will fall into place I find I'm amazingly calm and peaceful about it.  I know the peace comes from faith that things will happen like they should. Looking back on the last few years my faith has grown as I've seen God's hand putting everything in it's perfect place, even when I wanted it to happen differently.  The time I saw it the most was with our decision to start a family.  We'd been married for about a year and a half and both of us felt the promptings to start a family.  It came as a surprised to me because I had always thought we'd start trying after Bart had finished school had a good job and was the main bread winner.  We took a leap of faith and soon Emily was on her way to join our family.  A few weeks before Bart graduated Emily was born.

During my maternity leave I was very stressed with a decision to stay full time or cut back to part time.   I knew I didn't want to go back to work full time but Bart had yet to find a job and like I've said before security is a major thing for me.  As I fretted over my decision, one day while rocking Emily in my quiet house I felt an assurance to tell my boss that I wanted to cut back to part time.  I did this and continued to fret all summer wondering if  I had made the right decision.  The next school year started and I went back to work part time with Bart still looking for a job.  I was constantly worried wondering about what the future held for my new little family and wondering why the blessings were taking so long.  It felt like an eternity but in reality it  was only a couple more months and Bart found a great job.  Looking back I see what a blessing it was for Bart to have that time with Emily.  The two of them became best buds as they bonded while I was at work.  It also was a huge lesson for me in Faith and learning to follow promptings even when the path is not clear.

So now as I don't have a clear blueprint of the future I know things will fall into it's perfect place as it always has.   I'm already seeing these blessings.  For instance I just got approved to take a 1 year's leave of absence from my job.  That means after the baby is born I'll get a year off from work but will be guaranteed my job back without losing any retirement benefits or seniority.  What a relief for me to know I'll get some extra time with my baby as 'hopefully' (cross our fingers) we are settling into a new area to live.

The Reason it is time to Sale

The other day I was out in my front yard and starting talking to my neighbor, Lisa who lives with her aging mother just north of us.  She asked about how the house selling was going and then mentioned that her mother Rosa hasn't seen Bart for a long time.  Lisa told me her mother was convinced that Bart had left me and then when she saw the for sale sign she was sure it was up for sale because he was gone.  She then called him a few foul names because Lisa told me her mother believes a divorce is always the husbands fault.  I laughed and told her to tell her mother Bart does indeed still live here, or at least sleeps here.

So the reason the house is for sale is so we can hopefully move closer to Bart's work and see him a little more.

Oh Boy!!!!!

That's how Bart and I both felt when we found out this little baby in my stomach is a boy.    I know I will love this baby like I do my girls but I wonder what sort of adventures will come with a little boy.   From what I hear plenty of dirt is the trick.  I guess I better start looking for houses with a lot of dirt in the back yard or I'll just have to spend more time in Teasdale. 

The girls were able to be with us at the ultrasound.  They were both excited to hear a boy is coming to our family.  Later Emily gave me this card she had made.  Here is a copy of it. 
In case you need a little help reading kindergarten writing here is the interpretation  1st page:  I like the boy baby  2nd page:  To mom From Emily.  I will like the boy baby when it comes out of your belly"

Jane came home and took off all the pink clothes off her baby and while holding it told me her baby is a boy now.  I asked her what his name is and she said "I don't know.....and then she said I think... Baby Boy Richards". 

I'm touched that my girls are already so concerned with their brother.  I'm sure they will make great sisters.