Where The Creek Blood Flows

Dave Turns 34

2011-07-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

The night before Dave's Birthday he decided to camp in the backyard with the kids. They were so excited! We even mad a fire and roasted marshmallows.

In the morning I made a pancake breakfast an brought it out to the tent. Dave got to blow out a candle while we sang Happy Birthday. Then he opened the presents from the kids and I. He got a Harmonica and a guide on how to play.

Latter that day Dave got to go to Wild Waters with some friends. It was a pretty low key birthday but I think he enjoyed it all the same.

Summer Fun

2011-07-21T09:29:00.001-07:00

Given that we live in Fresno and summers here are brutishly hot, we tend to spend a lot of time near water. One of our favorite parks to go to is a "splash" park. It has all the regular park equipment plus an area with a bunch of sprinkler toys

It takes a long time for Leonard to decide that he actually wants to get wet so he tends to play on the other equipment for awhile. He is extremely brave and climbs all over the equipment making me extremely nervous.

These are some of E's girl friends that we met up with at the park.

When L does finally decided that he wants to get wet he goes for it and he loves it.

She's a monkey and ...

... a fish.
This was latter in the day when we got to go to a friends house and swim.

Leonard turns 2!

2011-03-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

My Baby is 2!

I am utterly smitten with this kid. I don't know exactly what it is about him, but he makes my heart melt.

He loves to give hugs and kisses and he always wants you to look him in the eyes when he is talking to you. If you are not looking at him he will grab your chin and force you to look at him. He is all boy. He loves to wrestle. He likes to point his finger on one hand and hold it with the other like a gun then he does this weird growl and pokes at you. He loves tractors and trucks, infact we spent a porting of his birthday just watching some tractors excavating the land for new construction. Leonard loves electronics. I think he can operate David's I phone better than I can. His newest hobby is climbing on the arm of the couch and then jumping off of it back on to the couch cushions. He gets a great big proud smile as he stands up and prepares to jump.

He is also unbelievably smart. He recognizes all of his letters and numbers 1-8. He knows his colors and his shapes. He is also talking really well, infact he can imitate almost any word you tell him to and he is starting to to put together 3 and 4 word sentences.

I think one of things that really gets me about Leonard is how genuinely happy he is to see you. He gets super excited and does this really cute in take of air to show how excited he is. Every time he sees Evelyn after they have been apart for even a short period of time he gets a huge smile and says "HI EWIN" extremely enthusiastic.

I love to watch them interact. Leonard has so much admiration for Evelyn and when she is in the right mood they will play pretend with each other for hours.
Now if only I could make that happen more often :)

Happy Birthday Leonard!
We Love You More and More Each Day!

No Snow Needed

2011-03-12T17:01:00.000-08:00

2011-02-15T13:19:00.000-08:00

Hugs and Kisses
From Evelyn and Leonard
Happy Valentine's

My New Toy

2011-01-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

So, I didn't win the Silhouette, but I did buy one :) It is so much fun I and supper easy to use. I already made some lables from some orange vinyl that my dad gave me.

Evelyn has been wanting an "I Love Gary" shirt for some time now so I used my silhouette to cut out a stincil and this is what I ended up with.

Isn't it way cute?
I can't wait to do some projects.

Fingers Crossed

2011-01-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

I just entered to win a Silhouette SD from The Shabby Chic Cottage. If you don't know what a Silhouette is you should check it out. It is a crafters dream and I am hoping I might win one for my birthday which is coming soon. Wish me luck :)

Leonard Talks

2011-01-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

Leonard's Vocabulary has exploded in the past few weeks. He is imitating everything we say and he is really enjoying his new skill. He is constantly pointing things out to us and telling us what it is. He also loves to say "come on"and drag us around the house by our finger.

Don't mind Evelyn in the background, she is just really excited that her "poop is not stuck".

Santa

2010-12-21T15:36:00.000-08:00

Santa came to Evelyn's preschool party and read all the children a book an then each child sat on his lap and got a present. Later I asked Evelyn what she asked Santa for, this is what she said, "I asked Santa for a play house...then he gave me a book." The disappointment was evident and she was so cute. Needless to say Dave and I are in the process of building a play house, Santa my disappoint but Mommy and Daddy are on top of it.

CINDERELLA!!!!!!!

2010-09-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

I don't know about anyone else, but I am extremely intimidated by sewing patterns. So, when evelyn decided she wanted to be "Cinderella in the pink dress" I was a little apprehensive. But, after looking at several patterns, I decided to forgo the pattern a simply wing it.

I think I did a pretty good job.

She loves it and she didn't want to take it off and we still a month until Halloween. I hope she doesn't wear it out before then.

We just had to see how it would look with Wings.

Kids Will Be Kids

2010-09-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would post some pictures of the kids having fun.

Preschool

2010-08-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Today was Evelyn's first day at her new preschool. She was very Excited to wear her purple dress and take her princess lunch box full of snacks.

Several of Evelyn's friends from church are in her class so she felt right at home and had no problem letting me go. My friend Michele was aiding today so she took a few pictures for me. Apparently, Evelyn did fine until they sang the "Tip Toe" song at which point she totally freaked out and thought there was a monster coming to get her. She recovered and by the time I came to pick her up she was excited to come back again later this week.

Evelyn Turns 3!

2010-08-29T11:55:00.001-07:00

Evelyn turned three this year and because the temperatures has been near 113 degrees we decided to have a water party.

We set up a temporary fence in our front yard and put up a pool, a slip and slide, and a giant beach ball sprinkler. It took the kids a min to get up the nerve to get wet but soon everyone was running around screaming with joy. I was a blast. We served hotdogs, grapes, and pudding for dinner. Leonard really liked the pudding. We gave everyone a squirt gun and some water balloons. Evelyn was very excited when we pulled out her purple cake and had everyone sing "Happy Birthday!" to her. Then when it was time to open presents she went a little buzerk. She just tore through all of the gifts not even stopping to take a breath.

Now I have got to start thinking about next year.

This was a gift from Grandpa Steve.

Evelyn is supper smart. She knows all of her colors and shapes. She can recognize 90% of upper case letters and she can count to twenty. She just recently learned how to spell her name and the other day when she was coloring she practically wrote it, She wrote ELEVN. I was so shocked! I didn't even know she could write any letters. She surprises me everyday. This week she starts a new preschool and she is so excited about it. She loves the color purple and She prefers to wear dresses if she can. She still loves to pretend. She loves to dance. Often she will ask to put on her princess dress (a puffy purple dress that Grandma creek bought her for easter) so that she can dance around her bedroom. Her favorite princess is Cinderella and she is determined to be her for halloween. We have had so much fun having Evelyn as part of our family and I can't imagine life without her.

Leonard Turns 1!

2010-08-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

We didn't actually get to have a Birthday Party for Leonard on the 17th in fact he didn't get his party until April 2nd. On the 17th, Leonard's actual birthday, we were in the ER because he was having some major trouble breathing. You wouldn't have know by the way he was running up and down the hall way in the hospital but he really had me worried. So, we had to wait until he was feeling better before we celebrated.

We ended up just having a small party and I made a pretty awesome backhoe cake. Leonard didn't really care what it looked like but I am pretty sure he liked how it tasted.

Leonard Has so much personality, most days I can't take my eyes off of him because I want to see all of his goofy expressions. He loves to run around and could spend all day doing it as long as you keep him well supplied with food. He laughs at everything and almost always is smiling. He loves to do what ever Evelyn is doing, and although it does bug her sometimes, Evelyn is a pretty good spot about it. Leonard also loves anything electronic. We have already lost two DVD remotes and we suspect they were lost to the garbage. He is also a very good climber. I can't believe some of the places I have found him. His favorite place is atop the kitchen table. He hasn't really started talking yet but he is very intelligent and understands instructions very well. He is growing up so fast, in-fact he already weighs the same as his big sister and I am sure he is going to surpass her any day. Which might be a problem since he is all boy and likes to tackle an wrestle Evelyn any chance that he gets.

We are totally in Love with this boy and I we are excited to see how he grows in the years to come.

Some of what we have been up to

2010-07-28T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hiking with the kids is one of our favorite things to do. On this particular trip we had our friends Mitch andErin along too. It was a whole lot of fun and a beautiful hike. Evelyn and Leonard loved it and both did very well, Evelyn didn't even pee her pants :)

Evelyn got her first Bicycle and it was amazing how fast she learned to ride.

Evelyn's preschool took a trip to a ranch and we got to see a bunch of animals and Evelyn even got to ride a horse. She was very BRAVE. Leonard was very enthusiastic about all the animals but he didn't want to get too close.

Later that day, David and his father, Leonard, took the kids to our ward's Father and Son campout. Yes, I know Evelyn is not a "son" but David likes to take her anyway and everyone calls her Emilio. While, they were camping in the mountains I was camping at the beach with my Sister, Mom and our friend Amrie. We all had a great weekend. The kids loved playing baseball with Grandpa and sleeping in a tent. And we girls loved shopping and eating clam chowder.

"Potty time is fun time"

2010-03-09T14:07:00.000-08:00

buzz

2010-02-15T22:13:00.000-08:00

Leonard had his first Hair cut and he didn't cry once.

Learning to Walk

2010-02-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

As you know, Leonard has been "cruising" for a while now. Well, on Jan. 9th he decided to let go and took his first real steps. This is a video from that very day.

He gradually got braver.....

This last video is from Jan. 25th when he really took off.

He now proudly walks laps around the house. Walking is definitely his favorite past time. The funny thing is, he still can't stand up without using something to pull himself up and whats worse, he can't just stand which means once he starts going he can't stop until he finds something to hold on to. It really is quite odd but I guess he likes to do things in his own order. He didn't learn to sit up until long after he could crawl and pull himself up to stand. So, I am sure he will at some point learn to stand but for now, he doesn't mind being on the go.

A Bath for 2

2010-01-28T18:24:00.000-08:00

I hate kneeling next to the bathtub, it hurts my knees. So, I opt for the bath time in the sink and it is perfect for 2 kids. They love it and my knees are spared.

ABC's

2010-01-23T22:53:00.000-08:00

Evelyn is constantly singing. She knows "twinkle, twinkle little star." "once there was a snow man." "I'm so glad when daddy comes home." and several others. The newest song she loves to sing is the "ABC's". It is so adorable!!

"Breaking" in the New Kitchen

2010-01-08T22:02:00.000-08:00

As you can see Evelyn wasted no time. It hasn't even been two week since we got the kitchen home and she has already started cooking with real food. Not just anything, real EGGS! Yuck! It was a mess!

A few days later I found a drawing on the refrigerator. this time I made her clean it up.

"Pet Kitty, Please?"

2010-01-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Evelyn loves kitties and she is generally very gentile with them. When ever she sees a cat she always asks "pet kitty, please?" It's really cute. This particular cat was at a pet store and David told Evelyn that she had to ask a worker before she pet the kitty so she went searching for some that worked there and went straight them and asked. She isn't shy at all.

She is so happy with her kitty.

But it doesn't look like the kitty is too happy with her.

The final product

2009-12-24T21:53:00.000-08:00

This is what the Lucky Girl is getting for Christmas. Daddy and Grandpa are just testing it for quality assurance. She will now have a nicer looking kitchen then I do. I'm a little jealous.

9 months

2009-12-17T20:52:00.000-08:00

Yep, he is 9 months now. He is developing so much personality, I love it! He still loves to cruise around the room holding on to furniture and pushing chairs and he has now taken to pushing Evelyn around on a chair. He is going to be a strong boy. He finally learned how to get from crawling to sitting position on his own and he is very proud of himself. We just love this little guy. I am so glad he is a part of our family.

He is also becoming more talkative...

My Handsome Boy (8 Months)

2009-11-24T10:04:00.000-08:00

This one is my Favorite! Look at those AMAZING blue eyes!

8 months (Leonard)

2009-11-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

Leonard is now 8 months old, I am still in denial that he is growing up so fast.

Leonard is a pro at crawling but he prefers to walk every chance that he gets. So, If there is a wall or a piece of furniture or even a person that he can use to climb up and balance himself he will use it. I am constantly finding him clinging to a wall happily walking down the hallway. I am also constantly finding my dinning room chairs in random places because Leonard likes to use them as walking toys. Leonard has been crawling and standing u p since 5 months and "cruising" since 7 months but he just recently learned how to sit himself up. I think it took him awhile to learn this particular skill because he doesn't like to sit still, he is always on the go. That being said, Leonard seems to acquire more bumps and bruise than I ever thought possible for an 8 month old child.

Leonard also loves music and to dance. The other day I put on some Black-eyed Peas and Leonard immediately lit up with a big smile and started rocking back and forth on his feet and bouncing up and down. It was the cutest thing and then I went to check on Evelyn, who was on the potty and she was dancing too, right there on the potty. It was hilarious.

Leonard is such a happy child. He is constantly smiling and he laughs all the time. He loves to be with Evelyn and Evelyn love him . I Love watching them together, you can see in the eyes how much they love each other and Evelyn will randomly say, " I Love Leonard." and she often will hug and kiss him out of the blue.

I am so glad that Leonard is a part of our family and I am glad that I am so grateful that I get to spend so much time with him and Evelyn. They may be tiring at times but they are also the highlight of my day.

In preperation

2009-11-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming and we want to make a kitchen for Evelyn, but since we are going to be celebrating Christmas in the Bay we decided it would be better if we went to Dave's parents and Dave and his dad could work on it together. So, we mad a few trips.

Dave picked up a little something on the way.

David and Len had a whole lot of fun putting this together. I took three trips and some work on the week before Christmas to finish it. Not an easy project, but I turned out beautiful.

We were TRICKED!

2009-10-31T23:18:00.000-07:00

For Halloween Evelyn was a pig, Leonard was a chick, and David and I were Farmers. It was really cute and I have no clue why I didn't get any pictures of us all together.

We spent Halloween night at our ward party where we manned the PLINKO board that david made. Evelyn and Leonard also got to go around to different classrooms and trick or treat. Evelyn is a pro at it and she only got scared once, she is a brave little thing.

When we got home that night I realized that the office door was open and I knew that I had not left it that way. We turned on the light and realized that the door had been kicked in. Firs I checked the TV because I knew that was what someone would steal first, but it was still there. The wires had been pulled out and you could tell someone had tried to get it but Dave ingeniously had put a three dollar master lock on the wall mount and it had thwarted the thief. We then reallized that they had taken our computer instead. Not the whole thing, just the tower. It was a sad day because, although we couldn't care less about the actual computer, we had not yet backed up the pictures or the videos that were saved on it. So, we lost a part of our families memories, it was very sad, but we were safe and we could have lost a lot more.

Pumpkin Guts

2009-10-28T22:59:00.000-07:00

Since we had our pumpkins from the pumpkin patch we had to make Jack-O-Lanturns out of them. So, we invited our new friends, Erin and Mitch, over and we brook out the carving knifes. Evelyn really got into it, Leonard not so much, he didn't really care for the feeling of pumpkin guts. We ended-up busting out the rubber gloves because Leonard's dislike of pumpkin guts is a trait past directly from his dad. We all had a great time and our pumpkins turned out pretty good too.

Our Mini Chef

2009-10-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

5's

2009-10-19T17:19:00.000-07:00

I don't get taged very often so I thought I would play along.

5 Things I Don’t Leave the House Without
1. Evelyn
2. Leonard
3. cell phone
4. Licence
5. Debit card

5 Cartoons I Watched When I was Younger
1. X-Men
2. Gummi Bears
3. Goosebumps
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
5. My little Pony

5 Things that Terrify Me
1. Swimming pools when kids are near
2. Car crashes
3. Flying
4. infidelity
5. Something happening to my children or my husband

5 Things I Hate/Dislike that Everyone Else Seems to Like
1. Touch screen phones
2. Fetta Cheese
3. All sporting events
4. Gardening
5. Cooking

5 Things I Want to Do Before I Die
1. See my children grow up
2. Go on a mission with David
3. be out of debt
4. Get my Masters Degree
5. Build lots of happy memories with my family

5 Friends/Family I’ll Tag
1. Michele C.
2. Rachel S.
3. Krysta M.
4. Lindsey D.
5. Holly G.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

This year Evelyn got to go to the pumpkin patch with her preschool. They painted shirts a few days before and they were all very excited. David, Leonard and I joined Evelyn and it was a lot of fun. At the pumpkin patch we got to go on a hey ride, visit a petting zoo, and pick out our own pumpkins. I had a lot more pictures but sadly I had already down loaded them on to our computer which was stolen a few days latter. But, here is what was on Dave's phone.

Productivity and Poop

2009-10-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling a little down lately. No particular reason just an emotional slump that I am hoping will end soon. So, today I thought i would try the old productivity trick to see if that might be the trick to pick me up. Not that I am not productive everyday, it just gets a little monotonous. So, today I added a little extra to my normal schedule of general cleaning, feeding, and entertaining. I went grocery shopping, mopped the floors, cleaned out the frige and the freezer, cleaned out all my food cabinets, made pumpkin cookies, and pizza. It was a busy day, especially when you remember that between all that i played catch, and Thomas train, drew some flowers on the side walk, changed a few poopy diapers, cleaned up a few accidents, and put Evelyn's hair in pig tails for the first time.

Then there was the POOP! So, Evelyn has been into this new thing of dumping the contence of her potty seat into the big potty and flushing it. As you can imagine, this opens up many opprotunities for some pretty nasty messes (lucky me). Well, a few hours ago we had the best one yet. She had just gone number two and as usual she wanted to "dump it" but I wasn't there to help her so, I call back to see if she is finished and she says she is I go back to the bathroom expecting to see her sitting on the potty waiting. Nope, instead I find a puddle of pee and three large pieces of poo trailing from her potty to the big potty and she is covered in it too. As you can imagine the poductivity and poop combo didn't cure my emotional slump but I am sure I will feel better soon. Tomarrow is the pumpkin patch and I am going to dye my hair tonight, something is bound to pull me out of this slump I just have to be patient.

At the Creek House...

2009-10-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

we play hop scotch...

sometimes we sleep...

we play dress up...

we climb...

we hide and we seek...

we paint...

we sing...

we dance...

we LOVE our friends...

and we LOVE each other!

Standing up Already!!

2009-09-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe my eyes when Leonard did this the first time. He is only 6 months, this not what he is supposed to be doing. If this is any indication of what is to come then I think Leonard is bound to be a trouble maker just like Daddy.

Leonard 6 Months

2009-09-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Leonard is already 6 months and he is proving to be all boy.
He is full on crawling. A little ahead of schedule for my preference.
He can pull himself up to stand on almost everything that will support him and he takes every opportunity to do so.
I finally got him to eat but I have realized that he does not care for puree, he wants real food with consistency. So far he like sweet potatoes the best and he will tolerate peas.
Eating in general is a battle with Leonard, even a bottle. He doesn't want to stop long enough to eat the whole thing, instead he will eat 2 oz then take off until hunger hits again then he will sit still long enough for another 2 oz but no more. It drives me a little crazy.
Leonard is going to be a boy that loves life and that will probably get him into some trouble but he will have fun.

On the move

2009-09-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

Sitting up

2009-09-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

Leonard is sitting up now. Usually this stage is awesome for parents because you can sit your kid up with a bunch toys around them and they will stay in one place and be happy for a while. Not Leonard...he has already learned how to get from sitting to crawling position and after a few minutes of sitting he gets bored of being in one place and he takes off.

He has also learned how to get himself into a half standing position on the fire place but he has yet to figure out how to get out of said position. So, through out the day I will periodically hear him grunting and complaining and I will come into the living room and find him leaned over the fire place with a look of pure concentration on his little face and I know he is stuck.

The Blessing

2009-08-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

We decided that Leonard should be blessed before he was baptized so we finally put down a date and although we could not find a cute white blessing outfit we did come up with this handsome ensemble (thank you Luci for letting us borrow the tie. It really made the look.)

The blessing was given by David and it was beautiful. Leonard, Nick, Preston, Sammy, and Bishop Rynders joined David in the circle.
Sadly a lot ofpeople were unable to make it due to sickness and prior engagements but even though we missed them we had a very nice blessing. Leonard has many blessings in store for him and he is going to be a blessing in many peoples lives.

He already is a huge blessing in ours. He is always smiling and laughing and you can't help but join him which makes the atmosphere in our home so light and fun. I absolutely love Leonard and I am already so proud to be his mom. People are constantly telling me how cute and happy my children are and all I can do is thank them and agree whole heartily.

We are so Blessed!

The beginning stages

2009-08-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

Leonard is 5 months and he is already in the beginning stages of crawling. He not only gets on his hands and knees and rocks but he launches himself forward and pulls himself forward again. That's right, he is mobile. What stinks is that he totally skipped the sitting up stage. You know, the one where they sit in one place and play for a significant period of time. Yep, he skipped that so now I have two mobile children on my hands, YIKES!!

That being said, it is a lot of fun watching him focus on a destination and the determination he has to get there. He is a very strong and coordinated little guy he surprises me everyday with some new skill. Personally I think he is growing up entirely too fast but I guess there is nothing to do about that but make sure i am there to see it.

2 Years Old

2009-08-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

Evelyn turned 2 this month and we decided to celebrate with a BBQ, some cupcakes, some friends, and lots of presents.
3

Evelyn was so excited about the cupcakes she talked about them all day then when we got home she stuck her finger in several to make sure they were OK to serve to her friends.
She also sang "Happy Birthday" (well at least her version of it) all day and several days later.

For some reason she refused to pick the cupcake up.

Leonard and his wanting eyes.

The loot

It was so much fun watching Evelyn open all her presents this year. She got so excited about everything. Well, almost every thing. She opened a present from grandpa Steve toward the end and apparently after getting a ton of toys she had no interest in the clothes that she found in the bag, regardless of how cute they were. She just tossed the clothes aside like it was tissue paper and looked really deep in the bag to find the toy that wasn't there. It was absolutely hilarious!!! We all cracked up laughing.

I got her a little minerature tea set and to my surprise that was one of the things she was most excited about. Now we can have "hot chocolate parties"

This is a singing card. Evelyn still carries it around and dances with it.

The baby. She had to get one. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Creek.

This is the Grandfanally! Daddy and Grandpa Creek spent 2 days making this beautiful table for Evelyn. She loved it! All the girls automatically were drawn to it. I am so excited for all the things she will be able to do at that tablle and it will be a great hierloom someday.

Happy Birthday Evelyn!!
We LOVE you!

Water Paint

2009-08-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

She is still our little artist, she is just trying out some new mediums.

She absolutely loves to paint. And I love to let her.

Leonard at 5 months

2009-08-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

He is such a happy boy.
Always smiling or laughing and very active.
He is rolling and scooting all over the place.
He sat unsupported for the first time.
He refuses to eat solids, he gags every time I try to feed him.
He loves to play peek -a-boo with Evelyn.
He loves to jump in the jump-a-roo.
He likes to be sung to and to watch people dance.
He Weighs 16 lbs and 12 oz.
and he is 24 1/2" long.

TRAIN!!! CHOO! CHOO!

2009-08-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

Evelyn has recently found a love for trains. David put up a little electric train set in the spare room. Then Evelyn's cousin mason gave her this really awesome Thomas the Train set with tons of tracks and all the magical transportation devices you can imagine. She also got to put money on the train track and find it after it had been squished by the train. Now every time she hears or sees a train she yells "TRAIN!!! CHOO CHOO!" So we decide to take her on the train to Hanford, a 30 minute trip. Its so worth the mere $21 round trip.

Leonard was prett chill the whole time.

This Evelyn's excited face.

We went to Supreme Dairy and we had obviously forgotten how big the scoops are there because we totally over ordered. But, Evelyn didn't mind one bit.

After ice cream we hung out at the city park for a minute then checked out some of the local shops. By the time we got back to the train we were all pretty pooped.

Evelyn playing with the ticket machine. Right before this she had fallen and hit her head pretty hard, but it didn't phase her for long.

Back home. It was a great little family adventure and it was a first for both Leonard and Evelyn but I am sure it won't be the last.

Gerber cookies

2009-08-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

Leonard refuses to eat solids. He either locks his mouth shut to the point that water wouldn't ever penetrate it let alone a spoon full of rice cereal or he gags and looks as though he is going to die once I get the rice cereal into his mouth. But, there is one thing no child can resist....
The Gerber Cookie.

I am not sure if it is the fact that they can feed themselves or the undeniable fun of making a huge mess.

Any way you look at it the Gerber cookie is a winner every time.

Peek - A - Boo

2009-08-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

Spontaneous Camping Trip

2009-06-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

Dave got off work at 7:30 that morning and had been sleeping, it was about noon that I woke him up and said "lets go camping" Dave: "when" Me: "now" Dave: "OK". So we packed up and were off to Pfeiffer State park, in Big Sur, by 3pm. Dave grossly underestimated the time it would take to get there so AJ and I were bugging him about it the whole time. When we finally got there we saw several signs posted that said the site was FULL. As you could imagine we were a bit nervous. But then we asked one of the rangers and they said that there were plenty of sites available and booked us one, phew!!

We set up camp, made dinner, and then sat around the camp fire singing songs.

The next day we decided to hike to Buzzard's Roost, after we packed up camp and move to a different spot, AARRR.
Evelyn was supper excited and then ended up sleeping the entire way.

AJ and I took turns wearing Leonard in the Baby Bjorn. It is a quite difficult carrying a chubby baby up a 2000 foot incline.

When we finally reached the top we were annoyed to find not only an ugly brown shack and a metal tower, but also a road that lead up there. You hike to get to places that cars can't go not to work that hard and find out you could have driven there.

Oh well, the hike was beautiful and challenging and we had some good quality time together.

When we got back we took a quick nap, then we were off to the beach.

The weather was gorgeous and the beach wasn't that crowed so it was great.
The beach was really nice especially because there is this large shallow pool of water in the middle of the beach that stays pretty warm. It was perfect for Evelyn to play in. The Ocean on the other hand was freezing, beautiful, but Freezing.

That night we built another fire, made smores, and sang more camp songs.

The next day we packed up a headed to Santa Cruz.

Evelyn saw the rides and got supper excited, she wanted to ride everything. But then David made the mistake of taking her on a fairly big ride to start and from that point on she wasn't so sure she wanted to ride.

We got her to go on the little whales and she pretended to be excited but then it started to go and she wanted off!!

AJ rode a Farris wheel that also is a game. You have to try and throw these metal rings threw the clowns mouth as you go around. AJ was the first one to get it.

On our way home we made several little stops at fruit stands to get cherries and then at Sonic to get ice cream. You should have seen Evelyn, she was a Mess!

It ended up being a pretty awesome trip even though it was planed in 3 hours.
We will definitely be doing it again.

Talking

2009-06-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

I had an actual conversation with Evelyn, it went like this...

E: "Ready?"

Me: "ready for what?"

E: "go"

Me: "go where?"

E: "car"

Me: "where do you want to go in the car?

E: "Jacob!!"

Me: "you want to go in the car to see Jacob?"

E: "YES!!!!"

My Smart Girl

2009-06-10T21:41:00.000-07:00

Warning: Long but very Cute videos ahead.
If you notice, Evelyn has a fat lip. She fell on a chair at Grandma and Grandpa Creeks. No serious damage was done just a bit of a bloody lip.

Evelyn is learning her alphabet so sometimes I will go through the letters with her, slowly. Many times instead of repeating the letter that I say she will skip to the next letter. In the middle of this video I had to flip the screen so she could see herself in order to keep her interested so you will notice her flirting with the camera a lot after that. Enjoy!

Here She is doing the motions to the wheels on the bus.

Here she does all the animal sounds. I forgot to do penguin though, and that is my favorite so I will have to get it another time.

Leonard Laughing

2009-06-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

I finally got Leonard to Laugh on video, he is sooo sooo CUTE!

Entertaining a one year old

2009-06-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

Give Evelyn a blanket and she will be endlessly entertained.
She gets that from her Dad.

Giggles and Sleep

2009-05-26T20:54:00.001-07:00

Leonard Laughed today for the first time. I was changing his onesie and decided to tickle his little armpits and he cracked up laughing. I ran to get the camera and tried to get it on video but apparently his ticklish moment had come and gone. Hopefully, I will catch his cute little giggle on video soon.

Also, Leonard has begun sleeping better. He now only wakes up once all night. I haven't been able to truly enjoy the extra sleep yet. The first night I was half awake all night just waiting for him to wake up. Then the last few nights Evelyn has been waking up in the middle of the night and having a hard time getting back to sleep. Last night was the worst. I didn't get to bed until midnight then at 3:30am Leonard wakes up...4am Evelyn wakes up...6am I finally get Evelyn to sleep...6:30am Leonard wakes up. I got a total of three and a half hours of sleep, I cried and then I sucked it up and had a great day. I love my sleep, but I love my kids more.

2 month pics

2009-05-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

I love his expression in the one on the right.

this one, on the left, is my favorite.

Swimming

2009-04-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

It's April and we are already having temperatures hit the hundreds, is Fresno Amazing! What would you do if it hit a hundred in April?......SWIM Duh! So, that is exactly what Evelyn and I did.

And Evelyn did it with style.

We had a lot of fun. We played with bubbles, danced, and did a lot of splashing. Then Evelyn decided we needed some toys in the pool... A full sized towel... A hat.... Some ripped up paper... and all of the bubble making tools, including the bottle.

Aunt A.J.

2009-04-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

David had a poison oak rash that got out of hand so I went with him to urgent care. Meanwhile, A.J. and Evelyn hung out together.
Evelyn absolutely LOVES A.J.
Here is what they did while we were gone...

They are so Cute!

1 month pics

2009-04-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

One Month

2009-04-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

Leonard is about 10lbs now.
He is growing so much faster than I am used to.
He has already rolled over from front to back on 5 separate occasions.
He is very alert and observant.
He could definitely sleep better.
He still has no hair but I doubt he will get the typical baby bald spot on the back of his head because he won't let me put him down.
He loves the baby bjorn.
He is a perfect addition to our family and we are enjoying most minutes.

Cement Slide Park

2009-04-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

David took us to a park where he used to hangout as a teenager, a park that was most definitely built before lawsuits and safety regulations, a park with a cement slide.

This slide was huge and most definitely dangerous therefore it was a whole lot of fun!

We spent the afternoon playing in the sand....

...hanging out with Aunt Julie...

...climbing and swing.

Leonard pretty much just slept and ate.

Oh, and don't forget the slide.

We had a great time. We may make this park a regular part of our visits to the Bay area.

Chillin' with Grandma Creek

2009-04-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

Eating cheerios and watching cartoons...
I thought this was so cute!!

Bed Head

2009-03-29T02:07:00.000-07:00

This is what a nap can do to your hair...

The Doctor

2009-03-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Nine Days later. Still sore but healing well.

this is Doctor Reddington. She delivered both Leonard and Evelyn. I have really enjoyed having her as my doctor. She was very supportive of my decision to try a VBAC and was very compassionate when I ended up needing a C-Section in the end. I hope that, if we stay in Fresno long enough, she is able to deliver the rest of my children (however many that might be). Thank you Doctor Reddington for my two beautiful and healthy babies.

Being a Big Sister

2009-03-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

Leonard and Leonard

2009-03-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

Three Generations

Grandpa Leonard and his name sake, our Little Leonard.

Evo meets Leo

2009-03-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

As you can see, Leonard was so excited to meet Evelyn that he pooped out before we even got there.

Evelyn is already borrowing Leonard's clothes (notice the pants).
They are going to be great friends.

Lucky Leonard

2009-03-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

Born March 17, 2009 at 12:15pm
Wieght: 7 lbs 1 ounce
Length: 19 1/2 in.

I will be post a full account of his birth later but for now here's the short version.
I was induced and labored for over 12 hours I dilated to about 4 cm and 60% effaced but Leonard's heart rate kept dropping with each contraction. So, after 2 hours of his heart rate dropping and me making very little progress we decided that we needed to do a C-section. I was pretty tired so just a little bit of Ketomien and I was OUT, I woke up and had a handsome baby boy.

I am doing much better this time around. I am still in a considerable amount of pain but no where near as bad as I was with Evelyn. Leonard is very healthy and has a ravenous appetite, it makes it hard for me to get rest but it is getting better. We are already totally in love with him.
I will post more pictures soon but for now I am going to try to take a nap.

Feel free to stop by and say "Hi".

Pictures from the hospital

2009-03-19T01:14:00.000-07:00

Waiting to get started on the pitocin

After 14 hours of labor, I had just found out that I had to go to C-section
I think I look pretty good considering the situation. Oh, and this is our Awesome nurse, Vicky.

I was knocked out for all of this so ... yeah.. you know as much as I do.

Still knocked out...

The proud Daddy

Ok, here is where I finally wake up and got to meet my handsome son for the first time. It was a bit surreal and very exciting.

Grandpa and Grandma Creek

Very ready to go home

False Alarm

2009-03-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

I have been working hard to get this little boy to make his appearance. I have cleaned the entire house, including moving the couches to vacuum under them and mopping. I have gone on several long walks and even eaten some spicy food, Just to name a few things.

Today after cleaning the house again we decided to go on another walk. We were going to walk from the Cabiness home to Braun's Ice cream but by the time we got to the halfway mark, railroad park, it was too cold and getting too dark to go on so we decided to turn around. I was having contractions the whole time but once we got in to the car they were coming pretty strong and 3 mins apart. We went and got some frozen yougert and then headed home. I took a shower and layed down. Two hours later they were still strong and 3 mins apart.

We called our friends the Maderos' and they came over to stay with Evelyn and we headed to the hospital. The contractions were still coming until I got up to triage and then they slowed down. Isn't that how it always happens, you feel sicker than a dog until you get to the doctors office, or the car keeps making a funny sound until the michanic drives it. Well, I was still having contractions they were just supper irragular now. I would have three right on top of eachother then 7 mins of nothing. To make things worse the contractions weren't even doing anything. I was not effaced one bit and I was only 1 1/2 cm dialated, thats one half more than I was at my appointment last wed. Whoppy!! So, they sent me home with the most amazing sleeping pill and I don't remember much after that.

Hopefully, the next time I go to the hospital I will meet our little Leonard but until then I guess I just have to be patient.

Apt # 11

2009-03-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

38 Weeks

Weight: 153 lbs
1 lb heavier than I was when I had Evelyn.
In other words, the heaviest I have ever been.

BP : 110/70
Leonard's Heart rate: 144 bpm
1 cm dialated
Not effaced at all

Yummmmm Milk shakes!

2009-03-04T09:05:00.000-08:00

Our Little Helper

2009-03-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

Helping Mommy make snickerdoodles

Helping Daddy fix his bike

A Few words from Evelyn

2009-03-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

Baby Shower and Fun with Building

2009-02-28T08:27:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful Baby Shower for Leonard today. My little sister (A.J.) threw it for me. We kept it pretty small and simple. Just a few friends, food, presents, and lots of socializing. The food was delicious, especially the home made cheese cake my friend Sarah was kind enough to bring. Leonard got a lot of really cute clothes, a SWEET rocket ship bank, some diaper, wipes, and other essentials. It was a lot of fun in fact everyone stuck around about an hour longer than the party was planned to go and just talked, i guess that's what happens when you get a bunch of girls together with no kids and no husbands.

While we laddies had our fun, David, his dad (Leonard), and Evelyn had some fun of their own.

They spent the afternoon playing with wood and tools.

Here is Evelyn testing out the workmanship.

The project was two toy chests and a bookshelf for the kids closet. I had no idea they would get it all done by the time we got home, but they did and all three pieces turned out great.

The Bookshelf before it was painted.

Here is the finished product. How awesome is that?!

Evelyn is a big fan! I find her in her closet reading on top of her toy chest almost everyday.

Apt # 10

2009-02-26T08:59:00.000-08:00

37 Weeks

Weight: 151 lbs
Blood Pressure: 108/60
Leonard's Heart Rate: 140 BPM

He PASSED!!!

2009-02-24T06:19:00.000-08:00

The Board of Registered Nurses posted David's permanent license this morning at 4am. I am officially married to a Nurses! David has been so worried about passing the NCLEX since he began the Nursing program at Fresno City, a little less than two years ago, and it is so nice to not have that worry looming over our heads any longer. YAY!! I am so proud of David and so grateful to him for all the hard work he has put into creating a career for himself so that he can support our family and I can stay home with our children without feeling like a burden. I love my husband. I am so blessed!

Apt # 9

2009-02-19T08:18:00.000-08:00

36 Weeks (9 Months)

150 lbs
BP 110/60
I forgot to get a count on the Leonard's heart rate but apparently it is just fine.

We talked a lot about the VBAC today, all the ifs that need to happen it to actually happen.

If Leonard keeps his head down
If I go into labor naturally
If my doctor is in town
If I progress on a good curve and don't stall out at all
If Leonard doen't show any signs of distress
If, If, If........

There was a pretty long list but these are the ones I am primarily worried about. So, please keep these Ifs in your prayers for me.

2009-02-04T13:30:00.000-08:00

34 Weeks
Weight 146 lbs
(i guess he had a growth spurt last month
cause i haven't gained anything in the last two weeks. YAY!)
BP 98/70
Leonard's Heart rate 152 BPM

Cold Turkey

2009-01-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

Last night i had book club and David was home with Evelyn and apparently he had a hard time finding Evelyn's pacifier so he decided that she didn't need one any more. So, Evelyn is going cold turkey. This is night two, it took two hours for her to get to sleep this afternoon for her nap. Hopefully tonight is not as hard.

Apt # 7

2009-01-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

32 Weeks
Weight 146 lbs
(that means I've gained 12 lbs in the last month!!!)
BP 100/60
Leonards Heart Rate 140 BPM

Backyard Camp out

2009-01-13T17:40:00.000-08:00

R.E.I. recently had an 83 cent sell, where anything that ends in .83 is half off and usually those items are already marked down significantly. So, the day before the sale we went to R.E.I. to scout out the deals. We were particularly interested in one that our friend Herb had let us know about, it was a -5 degree sleeping bag. As mentioned in a previous post, David is now the Varsity Scout leader in our ward and consequently he has the honor of accompanying the boys on the annual SNOW camp out. If you know David you know that he is a total wimp when it comes to drastic temperatures, thus the need for a -5 degree sleeping bag. So, we found the bag and it was the only one left. It was marked down from, like, $500 to $199.83 so it was going to bee $100, not something you want to pass up. So, since Dave worked the next day I was given the assignment to be there when the store opens and snag the bag. The next day Evelyn and I headed to the store and we were there 10 mins before the store was supposedly open but to my surprise they had opened early and when I went to the bag section, the desired bag was GONE!!! I called Dave and he was freaking out and I asked two different employees to find the bag for me, but they were not having any luck. Then I saw our friend Mathew Earl and he was mothing the words, "we have it for you." *phew* So, long story short we got the bag and Dave was VERY happy.

He decided that he needed to test the bag out, so he had a little camp out in our back yard. He said the bag worked well but it was a little creepy sleeping out there.

Evelyn had fun the next day when daddy let her play in the tent. Look at that smile, it is so priceless.

APT # 6

2009-01-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

About 30 Weeks
Weight: 140 lbs (I've gained 22 lbs thus far.)
Blood Pressure: 118/64
Leonard's heart beat: 154 BPM
And I am now measuring right on at 30 weeks.

Oh, and I failed my one hour glucose test by 1 point so I had to take the three hours test during which I threw up (I passed after all) and later that day ended up in the hospital with Kidney pain. I stayed the night so they could pump me full of pain killers and I could get some sleep. Then the vein that had my IV in it "infiltrated" in other words, all the narcotics that were supposed to go into my vein ended up in the surrounding tissue of my arm. I got a rash and my arm was swollen and sore for a few days, but I still got to go home before my 24 hour hold was up which was after the moister robbing sausage muffin and the stale grilled cheese (yum! hospital food, got love it!).
What did I learn from this experience?
1. Demerol makes me really loopy
2. If the medicine burns going into your arm make them change the IV right away instead of waiting for it to burn even more the next time.
3. Don't take the three hour test if your only off by one stinkin' point.

Cousins

2008-12-20T20:58:00.000-08:00

Evelyn and Emily

Evelyn is 15 months and Emily is 5 months, but they are practically the same size. Everyone always says how small Evelyn is but when you get these two together I see what people mean.

Here they are with Daddy/Uncle Keith

Evelyn loved trying to take care of Emily, she is going to be a great big sister.

Dave's Done!!!

2008-12-20T19:36:00.000-08:00

As of Wednesday December 17th David is no longer a Nursing student, he's DONE!! We are so excited to start this new chapter in our lives. David is relieved to finally be done with school and I am so proud of all of his hard work.

On Saturday they had the pinning ceremony and David got to showcase his cherished uniform on stage.

Evelyn I were able to go on stage and do the pinning for David. Evelyn got a kick out of it and was waving excitedly to the crowed.

The rest of the ceremony was spent keeping Evelyn entertained. If you think church is hard on a one year old, try a two and a half our graduation.

After the ceremony we had a family celebration at Andiamo, Dave's favorite Italian restaurant. Then we had deserts at home with friends.

Now, David is not officially a Nurse yet... First the Board of Registered Nursing has to post his Nurse in Progress license and then he has to take the big test and pass. So, we will keep you posted but it most likely won't be official for a few more months.

A White Christmas

2008-12-14T11:39:00.001-08:00

This weekend Evelyn and I joined David and his scouts at Brother Spute's cabin in Hunington. When we got there Fridday night there wasn't any snow so the boys cooked up a delicious dinner and we played some games; mafia, balderdash, and sardines. The boys also played Lord of the Rings Risk until around 3am but Dave, Evelyn, and I were fast asleep by then.

When we woke up the next morning we found that it had snowed and we suited up and headed out to play.

This was Evelyn's first time in the snow.

She really enjoyed sledding

Infact, she did really well in the cold, until her mitten fell off and she realized that she is not a fan of direct skin contact with snow.

Isn't she CUTE!!

If we were sending out Christmas cards this year this is the picture we would have used, but since we are not......

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Evelyn was a very happy girl until we apperently stayed two minutes too long and she had had enough. So we headed back to the cabin for a warm bath.

but not before we did some snow angles.

back at the cabin.

It snowed even more.

We had a great time and everything went very smoothly until.......

....Our car got a little BOOBOO :( We spun out on the ice on our way home and hit a car that had stopped to put chains on. We were actually really blessed that the car was there, other wise we would have ended up down the embankment. No one was hurt and we were able to borrow some chains from the people we hit since their car wasn't drivable any longer.

Walkin' down Christmas Tree Lane

2008-12-10T11:26:00.000-08:00

Every year we do this walk and look at all the pretty lights. This year we had a small group of friends with us; Jason, Tanya, and Paige; some of their friends; Sarah, Sammy, Taylor, Terin, and Sarah's sister Julie. Christmas Tree Lane was a lot crowded this year, plus I started to cramp and Evelyn was tired, and so we didn't actually walk the whole way. But what we did see was enjoyable.

Apt #5

2008-12-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

26 weeks (6 1/2 months)

Weight: 134 lbs

Blood Pressure: 100/56

Leonard's heart beat: 156 BPM

I am meassuring at 28 weeks, 2 weeks ahead. I guess Leonard had a little growth spurt.

Thanks Giving at the Graves

2008-11-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

This year we had Thanks Giving at David's sister, Karen's, house. We had a great time. There was some Settlers of Catan, football, trampoline jumping, video games, blocks, trains, good conversation and of course good food.

Bye! Bye! Rat Tail

2008-11-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

Evelyn recently had her first haircut. We just couldn't handle the rat tail any longer.

I had to distract her with the camera cause she didn't like the feeling of the scissors on her neck.

We didn't take much off but it made a huge difference.

The Big Girl Bed

2008-11-17T11:50:00.000-08:00

My dad bought Evelyn a Toddler bed a few weeks ago so that I could start transitioning her before her little brother comes and before potty training starts. I have been gradually getting her to spend some time in her new bed and a few days ago she fell asleep in the car and took the opportunity to have her first nap in the bed. she slept for two hours then simply came out and got me when she woke up.

Evelyn Napping

But, last night I took the real leap and laid her down in her big girl bed still awake. She whimpered for a few minutes but didn't get up and she slept through the night. This morning she woke up about 20 minutes earlier than usual and simply knocked on her door to let us know she was ready to get up. She is currently taking her morning nap in her bed, so I think the transition is going pretty dang good. We will try again tonight but hopefully this is the end of the crib for Evelyn.

She is growing up so fast!

The Fresno Met

2008-11-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the grand reopenning of the Fresno Metropolitan Museum and addmission was free. So My mom, AJ, Evelyn, and I decided to check it out today.

This picture was not supposed to be taken, apperently the evolution of flight room was supposed to be top secret or something. Honestly, I was unimpressed by the exibits in general but none the less it was a fun outing.

On the first floor they had a hands on science meets art exibit and Evelyn seemed to enjoy that room. She especially enjoyed the mirror display.

She really wore herself out and on the way home she fell asleep in her new big girl carseat. yes, that is a phone up to her ear. She was playing with it one minute and asleep the next.

Apt # 4

2008-11-12T18:16:00.000-08:00

Weight: 129 lbs

Blood pressure: 122/70

Leonard's Heart Rate: 150-160 BPM

(He kept kicking and rolling all over so we couldn't get a good count)

Random Cuteness

2008-11-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

Bath time Fun! Everytime aunt AJ comes over Evelyn knows she is going to get a bath and she loves it.

At the Civil War reinactment with Grandma.

Feeding the fish with daddy.

Learning the basics early.

Odd sleeping habits.

Giving Gary some LOVE.

Chillin' with friends.