The New Generation!

julia, originally uploaded by caine975.

Great story! Julia loves playing on the computer. She's 3 1/2 and can do more than we give her credit. She got a Webkinz for Christmas, and she is good! I came in to check on her one day, and she was downloading from iTunes 56 songs. I scream, being 99 cents a song, and freak out! Then I realize she not only was downloading those songs, but had already downloaded $40 worth of songs. It was almost $100 in music!! AUGHHHH! Luckily, they had pity on us, and only made us keep 1 album of $9.99. We now have a 3 step process and a password to buy music. Also, she LOVES to print. She has used more ink printing her Polly Pocket pictures. So, we decided to turn off the printer, so she can't print. (Luckily she hasn't figured that out yet) Well, the other day, I see a file marked "Chelsea" on our desktop. Instantly I had worries of some bad picture I would see. So I clicked on it, to check and delete, when I realized it's a picture from Polly Pocket that Julia had made and saved it to the desktop! I can't believe she figured out how to do that!!! She's too good for a 3 year old! It must be a 3rd child syndrome (hint hint: that's Stew and me). At least that doesn't waste ink!

Living Room

102_5580, originally uploaded by caine975.

We recently redecorated our front living room. I knew I wanted the green walls, but I couldn't quite get it all together. So, with the help of Trisha and Lisa, we moved everything around. The piano used to be where the table is, and vice versa. I love the idea that you walk in and see my gorgeous piano! The piano, we bought from some friends who moved to Hawaii and didn't want to take it with them. This man's grandma was the original owner. It was made in the 1940's. I have always loved the vintage style and 30's and 40's is my favorite. Luckily, Stew and I have the same taste. I had a lady from Chino give me all this old piano music, so we picked our favorites and framed them. The rectangle pictures behind the couch, were from Stew's grandma's. They are from the world's fair in NY, that they went to, in the 50's. My dad had given me an original print (from an antique store) of one of my favorite shows, "A Song is Born," with Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo. So, it all came together with some really cool old things. The couches still need to go and be updated, but that's another paycheck. :) We actually spent $0 on this room. Besides the paint when we moved in, we had all these things in our garage and Trisha and Lisa put it in just the right places to look fabulous!! Stew did all the pottery work too. Anyways. I Love our new room! I always wanted a music room, and I think this looks GREAT! All I want to do now, is hang Stew's and my guitar on the wall, side by side. I think that will top it all off. Enjoy!

Liam's 2 Months Old!

102_5646, originally uploaded by caine975.

Liam is 2 months old! (Jan. 18) Already! He is such a GREAT baby. He's so mellow and calm. We were just told he has RSV (a respiratory virus and very scary for babies) and his ear drum burst a few days ago, and through all that, he's still so HAPPY! The girls love to hold him and play with him! This boy is definitely not short on LOVE! He's already 13 1/2 lbs. CHUBBY!! We love our little boy!

Liam's Blessing Day!

102_5527, originally uploaded by caine975.

Liam was blessed on Sunday. The girls wore their dresses from my sisters wedding and Liam was in cream also. Lynn (my mother-in-law) found her Grandfather's blessing outfit and we were so honored she let us bless Liam in it! It's Liam's Great Great Grandfather's. It's from 1864! Yes, it was a dress (true to the times), and Stew was not happy! I begged for WEEKS! Finally, 6 pm Saturday night, he approved! Lynn brought it over immediately, before Stew changed his mind! It was a very spiritual day! Liam was wonderful during the whole thing. I even had to stop nursing him early to make it in on time. He never cried once! But he was less squirmy when I put him in his pants and flannel!

New Year's Pictures

102_5524, originally uploaded by caine975.

Here is the pictures to go with the video. It's our "toast" to the New Year! I hope it's a good one! We had such a FULL 2007, I don't know if 2008 can match it! A move, a baptism, a birth, and a wedding, and a sad farewell to my Grandma. This all happened between September through December. Can't get bigger than that! I hope 2008 is a little slower. ha ha!

Christmas Morning

102_5481.JPG, originally uploaded by caine975.

Here are the kiddos (can't say 'girls' anymore) on Christmas morning. Stew beat me to the punch getting pics on here, so the holidays are a little out of order. The girls had a great time, and Liam, I'm sure, did too.:) We had a nice, quiet morning, then visited my Grandma at the hospital (who flew in for Lisa's wedding, and had to be in the hospital for 2 weeks from kidney failure. She's home now in Washington and doing better), and then had Christmas dinner with Stew's family. We had dinner with my family on Christmas Eve. It's fun to be able to see both sides of the family for the holidays. The girls loved it and had a wonderful Christmas!

Stew's Artwork

Ok, this is Stew posting. I have created a new blog for my artwork. It has become so hard for me to actually paint or make any type of art that I am trying to force my hand. My goal is to post a new piece of art or any work in progress at least once a week. I am hoping this will force me to be working more and not just plop down on the couch after the kids go to bed. It has long been my goal to paint after they have gone to bed, but it is much, much easier said than done. While I love teaching art, I also want to continue working as an artist and actually make some money at it. I have posted a few pieces, so check it out. The site is iamcaine.blogspot.com. If you didn't know, "Caine" is my middle name and is the name that I sign my artwork under.

Happy New Years 2008!

Julita Performs on the Stage!

Here is Julia performing on her "stage" aka in front of the fireplace. She is a very funny girl. This is what we get to do while the girls are at school and Stew is at work.

Lisa's Married!

The Newlyweds!, originally uploaded by caine975.

Lisa got married on Dec. 18 to Brent Brown. They are a wonderful couple! We couldn't have picked a better match for her! We LOVE him! It was a great day! I didn't have my camera, but Tracey, the prepared one, did. These pictures are thanks to her. It was so much fun! Liam was only 4 weeks old. and was a trooper. The kids had a blast being together. We really partied the day away! Congratulations to the BROWNS!

Kirra Diane

Kirra and Nicki, originally uploaded by caine975.

Here is an update on Kirra! She's 8 now and growing fast. She's so beautiful, inside and out. She is so naturally kind and patient. Of course she has her MOMENTS, but she is so good to me. My HUGE helper! Especially with her siblings! When I can't handle them, I ask her to help me, and she does! Thank you Kirra!!

Malia Lynn

Always dressing up, originally uploaded by caine975.

Malia is almost 6. (In March) She is just beautiful! She loves dressing up and is always dancing everywhere and loves to perform. Only at her call, though. She loves accessories! The other day I needed lotion, and Malia, who always has a purse, had some for me to borrow. She's always prepared with her purse. ie: lotion, jewelry, money, sunglasses, pencil, and paper, are a few of the items she ALWAYS keeps in her purse. She is so much fun! She's a great big sister!

Julia Elizabeth

Dance Class, originally uploaded by caine975.

Here are a few pictures of Julia to, hopefully, capture her little personality. She is always making us laugh. Her famous line is, "Mommy, take my picture," and then do some crazy pose. After I drop off Kirra and Malia at school, she and I have so much fun together playing games and watching videos. I've really been able to enjoy her more, now that we get one on one time.

Liam Caine!

Liam Caine 4 days old, originally uploaded by caine975.

Liam is finally here! He was born Nov. 18 at 12:55 am. He came 3 weeks early and was still 8 lbs. and 20 in. Thank goodness he came early. The Dr. said he'd have been over 10 lbs. Yuck!! He is healthy and very strong. As the nurse was sucking fluid from his lungs, he was pushing against her. She said, "I thought you were 3 weeks early? How can you be so strong!?" His sisters are crazy for him! He gets plenty of love and kisses, and is always being held! We had a scare when he was coming. When they broke my water, it made my uterus contract like crazy, which was causing strain on him. So, they were worried and they never left my side. They were awesome! From the time they broke my water and his delivery, it was 20 min. When he was born, they found the cord wrapped around his neck TWICE! Luckily it wasn't tight. If I had him any later, it would have been very dangerous for him. So, that is why I was crying when I was holding him. I was so relieved and thankful he was here SAFE! Another neat experience was with Kirra. Kirra really wanted to be there for the birth. For the delivery, she had to wait outside. But after he was born, she got to come back in and she was just in awe seeing him. I look over at her, and she's very quiet and I can tell she's trying not to cry. She said, "I didn't know it would feel like this." We were all crying! Such a sweet spirited child! We are all doing great and recovering nicely! YEAH!! He's here!

2 days before delivery

2 days before delivery, originally uploaded by caine975.

I was very fortunate to have 2 showers. Little Liam is well dressed and in BLUE!! Here are some pics of me at the showers, and getting ready for the baby to come! I took castor oil at my family shower, and 6 hours later, I was at the hospital! It really works for me! I was dialated to 3 and 100% e-faced, so why not?!

Kirra's Baptism

My Baptism Dress, originally uploaded by caine975.

Kirra was baptized on Nov. 3. It was such a wonderful day! She was beautiful and so proud. I got to help with most of the program. There are so many children being baptized in our area, that they combine the baptisms. And I was blessed to be involved in the planning. And Kirra got to pick the speakers and the music. Kirra and the other 2 girls being baptized that day, sang "When I Am Baptized." It was so sweet and beautiful! We couldn't be more proud as her parents.

My Belly!

100_4933.JPG, originally uploaded by caine975.

Here are a few pictures of my pregnancy. I have about 6 more weeks to go. Everything is good and healthy, and the same as with the girls. The big jump from 8 weeks to 6 months, was during our moving time. So, hence the lack of pictures. Not bad from the front, until I turn to the side.

School Harvest Festival

100_4912.JPG, originally uploaded by caine975.

The school had a harvest festival for Halloween. The girls were darling. Kirra wore my Snow White dress from when I was 8 and Malia wore her Aunt Lisa's Minnie costume from when Lisa was 5. Julia was Tinker Bell, but was too busy to pose for a photo. Maybe on Halloween.

Big Smiles!

Big Smiles!, originally uploaded by caine975.

Malia lost her first tooth! Out of the blue, she said, "my tooth's loose." A few days later, it was out. It was so fast, the pillow almost wasn't made in time. But the tooth fairy and pillow made it!! She picked her material, which of course it pink and ballerina fairies. Julia wanted to be apart of it. So, I made her a little pillow for her teddy bear.

First Day of School

100_4681.JPG, originally uploaded by caine975.

I was able to stay with Malia on the first day. (Hence the many pictures) Malia was so excited and Kirra couldn't wait to see her friends from kindergarten. Julia was upset she couldn't stay. She's adjusting better now. Kirra is now in 3rd grade and it's much more challenging than the previous years. She loves it! The other 2 kids are my neice and nephew (Trisha's kids). Greyson is actually 3 months YOUNGER than Kirra and in 2nd grade. Crazy.