We had a great time at California Adventures this week. It wasn't very crowded at all. The longest wait time was 10 minutes, which was great because the kids get really whiney if they have to wait too long. We got to ride everything and several things lots of times. It was really hot, though. We were there from 10 to 6:30.
Seth took a 1 hour nap, but was happy all day. He had a great time in the Monsters Inc ride, which we did four times. And he loved the parade. We were buddies throughout the day because between him being less than 40 inches and me being pregnant, we weren't allowed on many of the rides.
Rachel was our dare devil and loved all the scary rides. Her favorite was the California Screamin Roller Coaster that goes upside down. She also went on the tower of terror three times--more than Danny did.
Danny was a trooper and never complained about walking everywhere. His favorite was the California Screamin Roller Coaster too. Danny and Rachel went on it together. Bob was going to go with them, but that would make one of the kids have to ride by themselves, so he just let them go together. I was a little worried about that, but they did great.
Aaron was brave too and loved everything. His favorite was Mullholland Madness, a fun roller coaster that had no wait at all; so they rode it at least 5 times. The kids also loved going in the redwood forest where they had a zipline that never had a wait, so every time we walked by they went in and rode it a few times.
The day was harder on me being pregnant than I thought it would be. I made sure I was drinking all day long, but by about 4:00 I started having contractions and had to sit for a while, but that was while Seth slept so it worked well. My back is still a little sore, but it was still worth it to go. It was fun to spend time together visiting such a fun place.
I had a doctor appointment on Thursday. I'm 32 weeks, but she said I measured more like 30 weeks. I've never had a doctor tell me that. But I was thinking she must be smaller than the other babies because she can really move and spin around in there. But I also remember thinking that Rachel moved more than Danny did. So maybe my girls are just smaller than the boys. I'll go back in 2 weeks because I'm getting close to the end. It'll be interesting to see if she catches up, or if she stays small. I'm getting excited to meet her.
We heard yesterday that the bank did the appraisal on Debbie's house. It was good to hear things are moving and not just sitting somewhere waiting. But it still should be another month until we hear from the bank with a counter offer. But we're still excited for the prospect of more room. The kids talk all the time about who is going to get their own room.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
September 19
It was a a hard week with Aaron this week. I was hoping school and a routine would help more, but it's pretty much the same. And the teasing and fighting between Aaron and Danny that got pretty bad over the summer, hasn't gone away much either. I started having "TT's" (tantrum talks) with Aaron a couple of weeks ago. When we used to go meet with Paula, it seemed to help, but it costs so much and Aaron said he didn't want to go to her any more, so the idea for TTs came to me one night when I was praying. We have them once a week and for just 5 or 10 minutes. We talk about things that trigger Aaron or different ways we can help the tantrums. He used to freak out every time he got hungry because he couldn't decide what to eat. So for one of the TTs we brainstormed about all the ideas for snacks we have and put pictures of them on the fridge. That one has really helped the tantrums over food.
He had been making a little progress, but this week was a set back week. I'm not sure what made the difference, but he was having constant tantrums and yelling at me from Sunday to Wednesday. Wednesday night I just broke down, it's so stressful to watch him be so upset and to be yelled at so much of the day. I had the same thought I had about him when he was four or five months old: "What does he have to be so upset about all the time". It makes me sad that he's unhappy so much of the time. I had that thought about him when he was a baby and I took him to the doctor. That's when they gave him reflux medicine and it helped a lot, but he was still a little grumpier than my other babies were. So my new plan is to just spend more time with Aaron. I had been working on websites for two hours every day when Seth has his nap. That worked really well during the summer. But now the older kids are at school then and it leaves Aaron to hang out by himself. So I've been trying to spend that time playing with Aaron and finding other times to work. It seems to be helping a little.
The boys started soccer this week. They both liked it. And Bob started coaching Aaron's team. And it's started cooling down a little, so we go outside and ride bikes and scooters every night. The kids love it.
We go to California Adventures this Thursday. We're just leaving Thurs after school and going to the Park all day Friday and driving home that night. So it'll be quick and hopefully easy.
We told our kids about the house we want to buy this week. They were all really excited. We weren't sure if we wanted to tell them because it's such a long process where nothing happens for a long time. But we didn't want anyone else to say anything to them, so we decided it would be better for us to tell them first.
He had been making a little progress, but this week was a set back week. I'm not sure what made the difference, but he was having constant tantrums and yelling at me from Sunday to Wednesday. Wednesday night I just broke down, it's so stressful to watch him be so upset and to be yelled at so much of the day. I had the same thought I had about him when he was four or five months old: "What does he have to be so upset about all the time". It makes me sad that he's unhappy so much of the time. I had that thought about him when he was a baby and I took him to the doctor. That's when they gave him reflux medicine and it helped a lot, but he was still a little grumpier than my other babies were. So my new plan is to just spend more time with Aaron. I had been working on websites for two hours every day when Seth has his nap. That worked really well during the summer. But now the older kids are at school then and it leaves Aaron to hang out by himself. So I've been trying to spend that time playing with Aaron and finding other times to work. It seems to be helping a little.
The boys started soccer this week. They both liked it. And Bob started coaching Aaron's team. And it's started cooling down a little, so we go outside and ride bikes and scooters every night. The kids love it.
We go to California Adventures this Thursday. We're just leaving Thurs after school and going to the Park all day Friday and driving home that night. So it'll be quick and hopefully easy.
We told our kids about the house we want to buy this week. They were all really excited. We weren't sure if we wanted to tell them because it's such a long process where nothing happens for a long time. But we didn't want anyone else to say anything to them, so we decided it would be better for us to tell them first.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
September 12
Last weekend we were at my mom's and then at Ryan's because it was Labor Day weekend. We took the kids out of school early on Friday and drove to my mom's. Ryan was there too. Saturday morning most of the adults went to the grape harvest and then when they were done Venessa and I and the kids drove up to Fresno and met them at the waterslides. Our kids loved it! Danny and Rachel went on some of the big slides, but also loved the wave pool. They had a huge kiddie area with pretty big slides and Aaron got brave enough to go to the top and he rode those for hours. They even had a little slide that Seth had a great time on. He slid down that and ran back around and climbed up to do it again for at least an hour. It was fun to watch him be so excited about it. He wasn't very good at waiting his turn when other kids came to use it, though, he'd just try to sneak by them in line.
We stayed in Visalia that night and went to church and then drove to where Ryan will live. He's staying with friends now while he still waits for his short sale to close. So we went there and ate and walked to the park by his house. The next day we went to the lake by his house. It was nice, but so crowded for Labor day. We left after lunch and came home.
The weekend before that was just a really busy Sunday. I had to meet with the Beehives to plan some things and we got invited to dinner at the Simpson's house. We also had a family meeting where Bob gave the kids blessings before school started. It was a great meeting. The kids all feel the importance of those blessings. A few days before, Danny had reminded us of those blessings and asked if we'd be doing them before school this year. I also talked to Aaron before our meeting and told him the blessings were special and Dad would say things that Heavenly Father and Jesus wanted to say to him. He was really excited. After his blessing and said, "I heard Jesus!" The kids all said they could feel the spirit and wrote about it in their journals the next night at FHE.
The kids all started school just fine. Danny has Mrs. Wolfe for third grade. I think we'll both really like her. She seems like a fun, good teacher. He likes his class and knows some of the boys in there already. He settled in really quickly this year. Danny was also asked to be tested for the GATE program this year. Rachel has Mr. Esquibel for second grade. He seems pretty good. He really likes to play the guitar, so if he brings music into the class I think Rachel will really like it. This is her first year not being with Jaclyn. She's doing just fine. She's making new friends and having fun. She's likes to be responsible and organized about her homework. She's fun to watch with it. She also loves to get dressed for school. She comes out in cute outfits with her hair done. She even asked to have her hair curled one morning. She used to hate it when I'd try to spend more than two minutes on her hair. Aaron started preschool with Miss Kathy. Rachel went there for preschool too. She's wonderful. Aaron is really liking it. She keeps the kids more active than his last teacher did and I think he needs that. He's also excited because Miss Kathy said if he does the homework program this year, he'll be reading by the end of the year. Aaron was really excited about learning to read. Seth had a hard time when the kids left. He cried several times when they got out of the car and he didn't.
We made an offer on the house we want! They listed the house for sale on September 1. We met with the realtor just after that and filled out all the paperwork to make an offer. We offered $225,000. They wanted the house to be on the market a few days, but she had our paperwork ready and was going to close the listing after the weekend, but there was one couple who seemed really interested in the house, so before they could make an offer, the agent closed the listing early. Now the papers are all submitted to the bank and it sounds like we have to wait a couple of months before we hear much. We're so excited. That house has so many great things about it. Debbie said they got a blessing that said their short sale would go through smoothly. So I hope it goes through smoothly with us.
We stayed in Visalia that night and went to church and then drove to where Ryan will live. He's staying with friends now while he still waits for his short sale to close. So we went there and ate and walked to the park by his house. The next day we went to the lake by his house. It was nice, but so crowded for Labor day. We left after lunch and came home.
The weekend before that was just a really busy Sunday. I had to meet with the Beehives to plan some things and we got invited to dinner at the Simpson's house. We also had a family meeting where Bob gave the kids blessings before school started. It was a great meeting. The kids all feel the importance of those blessings. A few days before, Danny had reminded us of those blessings and asked if we'd be doing them before school this year. I also talked to Aaron before our meeting and told him the blessings were special and Dad would say things that Heavenly Father and Jesus wanted to say to him. He was really excited. After his blessing and said, "I heard Jesus!" The kids all said they could feel the spirit and wrote about it in their journals the next night at FHE.
The kids all started school just fine. Danny has Mrs. Wolfe for third grade. I think we'll both really like her. She seems like a fun, good teacher. He likes his class and knows some of the boys in there already. He settled in really quickly this year. Danny was also asked to be tested for the GATE program this year. Rachel has Mr. Esquibel for second grade. He seems pretty good. He really likes to play the guitar, so if he brings music into the class I think Rachel will really like it. This is her first year not being with Jaclyn. She's doing just fine. She's making new friends and having fun. She's likes to be responsible and organized about her homework. She's fun to watch with it. She also loves to get dressed for school. She comes out in cute outfits with her hair done. She even asked to have her hair curled one morning. She used to hate it when I'd try to spend more than two minutes on her hair. Aaron started preschool with Miss Kathy. Rachel went there for preschool too. She's wonderful. Aaron is really liking it. She keeps the kids more active than his last teacher did and I think he needs that. He's also excited because Miss Kathy said if he does the homework program this year, he'll be reading by the end of the year. Aaron was really excited about learning to read. Seth had a hard time when the kids left. He cried several times when they got out of the car and he didn't.
We made an offer on the house we want! They listed the house for sale on September 1. We met with the realtor just after that and filled out all the paperwork to make an offer. We offered $225,000. They wanted the house to be on the market a few days, but she had our paperwork ready and was going to close the listing after the weekend, but there was one couple who seemed really interested in the house, so before they could make an offer, the agent closed the listing early. Now the papers are all submitted to the bank and it sounds like we have to wait a couple of months before we hear much. We're so excited. That house has so many great things about it. Debbie said they got a blessing that said their short sale would go through smoothly. So I hope it goes through smoothly with us.
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