Cabbage Patch Kids Babyland

The first Saturday in September we took a trip North of us to check out the Cabbage Patch Kids Babyland with some new friends.

We had no idea what to expect, we were just told that the girls would love it.

 It was so much bigger and better than expected. The admission was free, the price tags on the dolls were steep:)

 When you walk in, you go into the nurseries where there are some really unique dolls on display that are all handmade.

Some were creepier than others....

There were a few cute Andy Warhol paintings throughout the building

In the main area,  they had births about every hour. It was a pretty cute presentation involving imagicillin and C-sections aka cabbage sections. The kids would try to guess if it was a boy or girl and they could call out names for the new babies.

 After the birth, the baby was taken to this nursery and given a check-up. The kids could then line up and have a chance to hold the baby

Clara enjoyed the styling station

 

Emmett is 6 months

A lot of people warned me about having three kids and they might have told me how wonderful it is but I focused only on how scared I was. Well I feel it's my obligation to tell people that yes it is scary. Those first few weeks can be overwhelming and frustrating and make you feel grossly inadequate as a mom. But hang in there because I'm only six months into this and the only thing I am constantly overwhelmed with is love for my children. If my heart doubled in size when I had two children, it tripled with three. Sure my dishes stay dirty a bit longer and the floor is rarely vacuumed and I'm constantly drowning in laundry, but I am happy and my kids are happy. Emmett is proving to be a wonderful third child. Third children are golden, it's just a rule. At 6 months he:
* Is rolling all over
* Is a champ at eating solids! I try to supplement just enough to get his biotin in him but from day one, he acted like he's been eating solids his whole life. He's eaten everything I've thrown at him, oatmeal, rice, squash, sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, applesauce...
* Still sucks his thumb
* Loves his sisters and Kenzie especially knows how to get him giggling
* has two bottom teeth. One broke through at 4 months, the other at 5.
* is long and lean! Still around 15 lbs.
* is terrible at nursing. It's no secret that I don't love nursing but I've been able to do it for all of my babies and I feel like I inflict a lot of suffering on my part to do so. Usually I only have a few hiccups here and there after the first couple of months but it has been really hard on both of us for weeks now! I have wanted to quit so badly this past month but I'm trying to stick it out and go the full year.
* Is SO happy. Before teeth, he was all smiles and giggles. When he was in the midst of teething, he got a bit more fussy but probably acted like most babies regularly do.
* Mellow. I can haul him around all day long and he'll barely protest

Clara turns 2

2 is turning out to be a dream the second time around. Clara continues to be such a ray of sunshine in our house. She is full of smiles and sweet kisses and cuddles. What Clara is like right now:

* She is still attached to her binky and blanky. She has to have them to go to sleep and loves them for comfort.

Silly girl pulled her romper out of the hamper and put it on over her pj's one night

* She takes a nap every afternoon. She likes to read a book and rock with me then cuddle up in her crib and look at books until she falls asleep for a couple of hours.

* She just started sitting to watch TV and likes Daniel Tiger's neighborhood
* She adores her big sister and loves to copy her. She also knows how to push Mackenzie's buttons and enjoys teasing her. Common things she does is putting Kenzie's shoes on in the morning, stealing her food and running off with her books and toys.
* She has gotten used to baby brother Emmett and has been able to say his name well since we brought him home. She likes to give him hugs and kisses and steal his toys.
* She likes to take her little chairs and stool around the house to get whatever she wants that's out of reach.

Sneaking some ice cream

* She loves nursery. We bribe her through sacrament meeting with the idea of nursery and toys and snacks.
* She loves other kids and is pretty good at sharing
* She has the cutest smile and scrunches her nose when she does. I take her on a walk almost every morning and she charms people along the way with that smile

* She loves being outside and enjoys the park and riding her bike.
* Some common things she says that I can't get enough of: Can I come?, OT (OK), Tiss? (Kiss), I Yuv You, Tenzie (Kenzie), I sad, I happy, Yook! (Look!). She talks a lot more than Kenzie did and we love hearing her little voice.
* When she's feeling mischievous (which is often) she gets a huge open mouth smile on her face and opens and shuts her mouth, quietly saying what it is she's going to do or what it is she wants.

 * She loves baths and especially loves to play with the mermaid barbie which she calls Ariel
* She's developed a fear of dogs this last year and animals in general. She does like to look at "fishies" and "horsies"
* She's a good eater and will try just about everything I make.
* She likes getting her hair done and always asks for "tails" (pigtails).
* She's a fish in the water. I finally broke down and bought the girls puddle jumpers at the end of the summer. I really regret not buying them sooner! Clara can put it on and swim to her hearts content and I can manage three kids under 5 at the pool. 
* When the doctor last checked her he came into the room and said, "Now I wrote something very unusual on Clara's chart last time she was in. It's not something I write very often at all, especially on an 16 month old's chart. I wrote that Clara was a happy child and joy to be around." That really sums her up

Clara's birthday fell on Labor Day this year. We went to Keith's boss's house for BBQ and pool time. The girls had a blast!   

We got her a little keyboard and doctor kit. Kenzie picked out a little baby for her that she could take in the water.

 I had big plans for her cake but they didn't come to pass. It ended up tasting delicious and that's what mattered!

 Keith took her down the slide a couple of times and then she went by herself. I love that she can be a little daredevil.

 Fun gifts from her grandparents! A little toddler table from the Shaws and a baby from the Browers

Keith's 30!

I am a lame wife! Keith had his big 30th b-day and usually the party is the easy part and gifts are hard. It was the opposite this year. I knew he wanted a massage and he also needed a new CD deck for the car. I had those crossed off my list in July. When it came to planning something to do, I was lost. We don't really have friends so that left a family party with 3 little kids...this is where I should have gotten a babysitter. We ended up doing the stuff that had to be done: I spent an hour trying to figure out how the car dealership still hadn't managed to send in stuff to register our car and Keith got home late from work then had to turn around and set up his business account at the bank and send out e-mails. It was too hot out to go to the baseball game we wanted to.

I did manage to make him fresh tortillas so he could eat our homemade cafe-rio leftovers for lunch and picked up a pizza for dinner. Kenzie and I also brought home balloons because the girls have been dying to get them for him. 

At work, his co-workers brought him chocolate cake and I made him mud pie so we had that part covered. However, when I put the candles on his pie, I realized we didn't have anything to light them with so we scrambled for about 15  minutes until we found some matches from our neighbors. After lighting the matches, I couldn't find the camera. I think I was more disappointed with the day than Keith. He's a good sport about everything and really easy to please. 

In honor of turning 30, I wanted to record 30 things I love about Keith.

1. He is an excellent dad. The pictures speak for themselves:

2.He is an excellent husband.

3. He cares about others

4.He works hard to excel in all that he does

5. He strives to be the best dentist he can be, not for recognition but so that he can help people to the best of his ability

6. His smile lights up the room

7. He's easy to be around

8. He is drama free 

9. He is committed in his Church callings

10. He is very optimistic

11. He is humble

12. He is kind and doesn't speak ill of others

13. He trusts me with the finances

14. He's always willing to give me a back massage or let me take a nap

15. He cooks dinner when I don't and never complains

16. He cleans without me nagging

17. He is frugal

18. He'll hold the puke bowl when the kids are sick and cuddle with them

19. He invested 8 years of hard work and study after high school so he could support his family and allow me to stay at home with the children

20. He has a great sense of humor

21. He doesn't take life too seriously

22. He makes good, sound choices

23. He reigns in my temper and craziness

24. He's tender hearted

25. He is easy to please

26. He loves both of our extended families

27. He always does what I want to do and lets me plan his days off:)

28. He has worked for everything he has and doesn't expect life to hand him things

29. He always sees the good in others

 30. He is not afraid to be goofy