Easter and Spring Break

On Easter I woke up fairly early with Jane and waited and waited for Dawson to wake up. Brad woke him up at 8:30--I don't ever remember having to be woken up for a holiday growing up. We were always up extra early and I'm sure that drove my parents crazy. He enjoyed going through his fun filled basket and helping Jane go through hers. She was fascinated with her basket and just stared at it and wouldn't look at me to get a picture. Dawson then had a small egg hunt with just himself--not as exciting as an egg hunt with his cousins but he had to spend the majority of the day with his dad so he didn't have time for an egg hunt with his cousins. After Dawson took off we headed over to Brad's sisters house for an amazing brunch and a good time visiting with family and friends. Jane LOVED all the attention and she was as cute as ever all dressed up.
The afternoon we got Dawson back and headed up to Sunriver, OR with Brad's parents. We were not sure if we would make it or not due to the snowy weather. We ended up sitting on I5 right outside of Dunsmiur for 2 hours. It was NO fun at all but Jane was able to get out of her carseat and stretch. The drive to Sunriver usually takes us about 4 1/2 hours--we made it in 8 hours. We were so exhausted and sore from sitting in the car and being on edge driving in the snow. It snowed lightly on and off up there which Dawson loved.
We had a great time in Oregon as usual. I love going to the outlet's to shop. I got a couple great deals on clothes for Jane and some shoes for me. Monday we spent mostly shopping around Bend. On Tuesday we made it a fun filled day for Dawson. We headed back into Bend and took him to a fun center. We went bowling (I scored a 145 which shocked me....maybe those bumpers helped a little the first couple throws.) For whatever reason everyone had bumpers--we couldn't figure out how to change it and it just made the game all that much more fun. After bowling we went to the attached arcade and Dawson played some games and scored tickets to cash in for little prizes. We then went on their bumper cars which was a lot of fun. I love watching Dawson laughing and having a great time. After playing around town we went back to the house we were renting and Dawson went for a walk in the snow with Brad's dad. Brad and Dawson went out and kicked the soccer ball around in the snow and had a snowball fight....Dawson likes throwing snow balls just not having them thrown back at him.
Jane had an okay vacation. She didn't sleep well (she's used to her nice cozy bed not a small travel bed.) So needless to say Brad and I didn't get much sleep. She loved hanging out with Brad's mom (and I enjoyed the break from having to hold her and entertain her all the time.) I am thankful we brought her play mat up because she does love playing with her toys on there.
Our vacation didn't last long enough as usual but we were so happy to get away for a few days. We are enjoying the last couple days of spring break hanging around the house. I can't wait for summer! It is so nice having Dawson and Brad around all day.

Jane-4 Months

My sweet Baby Jane is 4 months old this coming Sunday, the 21st. Where does time go? She goes to the Doctor on Monday to see how big she really is-she looks petitie to me. I can't believe how much she is growing and changing every day. She is the most perfect and beautiful baby and I'm so lucky she is mine. (Can you tell I'm just a little bit proud? I had to wait a long time for her.)

Here are some things that Jane is doing now:
*Holds her head and neck up pretty high and can look all around when laying on her tummy.
*Trying SO hard to roll over. She can get to her side and that's about it.
*Giggles, giggles, and more giggles.
*Full of huge smiles.
*Sleeps most nights from 10:30-6:45 with one wake up for a pacifier.
*Recognizes her toys, Brad, Dawson, and I and gets so excited when she see's us.
*Loves to "talk" to anyone or just herself.
*Loves listening to music.
*Is a fan of TV and her favorite show right now is American Idol.
*Such a great traveler. We have had to take a few day trips to Vacaville and back and she has done a fantastic job
*I think she is pretty nosy-she likes to see what is going on and who is around her. She just might be a social butterfly.

I am sure I am missing some key elements of what she can do by now. It's fairly early in the morning and my mind isn't 100% awake yet.

Cruz's Baptism and St. Patrick's Day

Last Saturday my nephew, Cruz, was baptized. It was a great day and full of fun. We woke up early-or should I say early for a Saturday but normal for a weekday. We drove down to Vacaville for the baptism and went out to a great lunch with all the family after wards. Cruz was so proud to be the center of attention on his very special day. I made Cruz cookies and brownies upon his request for everyone who attended. I also made him a slide show of pictures of him from a baby until present day to play while he was changing his clothes after his baptism. The slide show turned out so cute and I think made many of us teary eyed.
Yesterday was Saint Patrick's Day. It's one of my favorite holidays--actually I love all holidays. It gives me an excuse to have a party. I woke up a few minutes early to surprise Dawson with green pancakes. He thought they were pretty cool but tried to say that I just added food coloring to the batter and leprachon's had nothing to do with it. So while he was at school I ran to the dollar store to get some supplies to decorate the house with. I had streamers everywhere. I had gold balloons and yellow candies on the table (I couldn't find gold-guess that's what I get for waiting until the last minute.) He thought it was so awesome when he got home. Seeing his face light up over a little decorating is what motherhood is all about. To end the day we celebrated with another nephew, Seth, his 5th birthday. He sure is a lucky kid to have his birthday on St. Patty's Day.

Don't forget to say "I love you"

My thoughts and prayers are with a family friend today. He lost his oldest son less than a month ago and lost his wife yesterday. I can't imagine the heartbreak he or his other son are feeling and what they must be going through.
It has made me appreciate my family even more than I already do. You never know when your last hug or chance to say that you love them will be. Make every moment count and cherish all the big and small moments.
I am thankful that I believe that his wife and son are together in Heaven now. I know that this is God's plan and one day we might understand why they were both taken when they were.
My dear friends and family-please know that I love each of you and am so glad that our lives have crossed paths. Please make sure to tell your dear ones how much you love them and how much they mean to you.

Valentine's, Parties, and Babies

We had a pretty low key Valentine's Day. We woke up and exchanged gifts. Brad got me this red water pitcher I really wanted filled with chocolate. It's Le Creuset and I got an e-mail offer from a local store who had it on sale and gave a $10 coupon off that price so we could get it for $15 rather than $45. I kindly forwarded the e-mail to him as a hint. We gave Dawson a couple Lego toys he had been wanting along with a small box of chocolate. He was SO excited. The picture I have of him with the toy isn't the greatest though. Brad got a box of recess chocolates from me. Since Jane is just a baby we didn't do anything for her other than dress her up as a very cute Valentine.
This past weekend Mary, her daughters, Dawson, Jane, and I went down to Vacaville. We celebrated 2 of our nephew's birthdays. Cruz turned 8 (on Valentine's Day) and Josh will be 3 in a couple of days. They had a super hero party and Jillian did an awesome job planning it. The kids all had a blast running around with their super hero capes. After the birthday party we put on a baby shower for my cousin Danielle. She is due with her first baby in mid April. It was a really nice shower. After her shower we headed over to my Aunt Suzi's house for some scrapbooking. It was so nice to get started on Jane's baby album. I didn't get as much done as I wanted since I had Jane with me but I did get a few pages done. It was a very busy day and I was exhausted!
For more family news Lori has officially announced that she is pregnant with baby #2! We are so thrilled for another baby in the family. It is so much fun watching the kids all play together. Hopefully as they get older we can take them all camping and on vacations so that they are all close. Brad's sister Jill just found out that she is having a baby girl (due on my birthday in June.) It's hard to believe that I will have 16 nieces and nephews by the end of summer.

Just Some Pictures

All about Jane

Jane is 10 weeks old now! Time sure is flying by. Yesterday I put away the last of her newborn clothing. It was a bit sad but she still has so many new cute things to wear. I just wonder if I will ever have another daughter that can wear the clothes again since we are storing them away. I took Jane in for her 2 month check up and her first set of shots. She did a great job and wasn't too fussy at all. She weighed 9lbs 10oz and was 22 1/2 inches long. She has gained 3lbs since birth. I looked up how big Dawson was at his 2 month appointment and he was the same length but a little over a pound less so I think Jane just might be a little bigger than him. Jane does not have the same eating issues that Dawson did (thank goodness!) I couldn't handle another puking baby. Jane can hold her head up now and loves to look around. She enjoys "talking" to people and showing off her absolutely adorable smile that would melt anyone's heart. She enjoys hanging out in her swing or laying on her play mat. She has a mirror on it so she can see herself and she gets all excited. She also LOVES her brother and cousins. She gets so happy when she sees them (and her Aunt Mary!) So far she seems to definitely be a momma's girl...which I really enjoy for the most part unless I want to get something done. The best part of all is that she sleeps almost all through the night now. If she does wake up it's only once. I am enjoying my sleep again. I am not a huge fan of waking up every 1 1/2-2 hours and being awake for an hour at a time. The picture of Jane and I wearing hats is at my Grandmother's 80th birthday party. She hosted a tea party for her friends and family (girls only.) It was so much fun!