Summer 2011

We can't believe summer is over already. We had fun camping - Jaycee did much better than expected. We made good use of our Sunsplash season passes and Julie attended two camps. The State Fair was HOT but fun, as usual!

Jessie and me at the State Fair

Camping at Folsom Lake

Jess took her senior portraits and started her senior year. She sent me pictures from senior sunrise and is still thinking about joining the Navy after she graduates. She is in the student-directed play, a monologue about the lives of teenagers. She is working hard to fundraise for the choir trip to New York to sing at Carnegie Hall in March!

Julie started 2nd grade shortly after and has the same teacher Jess had in 4th grade. So exciting! She is riding a bike without training wheels and finally lost her first four teeth. She is happy Girl Scouts will be starting up again soon - this year as a Brownie and Mom as co-leader!

One of Julie's modeling photos for a friend's hair accessory and clothing website. She was embarrassed by the gap from 4 lost teeth, so all of them are closed-mouth smiles!

Jaycee has taken her first steps and now has 5 teeth with another on the way. One losing teeth, another getting them! She can say dog, cat, hi, bye, night-night, yeah, mom, mama, eat, and ah-choo! She is still super clingy, but is getting better. We are looking forward to celebrating her 1st birthday next month.

Exciting news for us: we're buying a house! We're staying in Roseville, as we found a great house that has everything we want for a very reasonable price. It's a short sale so we don't know when we'll close yet. Be looking for housewarming party invites!

We're also planning our trip to Disneyland for Jaycee's first birthday. We're so excited to go back!

I will also be a surrogate again, for the same couple. Baby Sivert just turned 2 and they want another! It's a great opportunity for us and they are such sweet people. We are looking at a November or December transfer - just have to wean Jaycee, which is proving to be harder than I expected!

Lots of adventures as we look toward fall!

Never-Ending Spring

The weather has been horribly gloomy, keeping us from enjoying the outdoors as much as we'd like to. Sunsplash season passes in hand, we're ready for some heat and sunshine!

My mom and Julie on a camel at The Living Desert

For spring break, my parents took us to Palm Springs for some R&R. It was perfect! The kids played in the private hot tub (we turned the temp down so it was cool like a pool) and in the 5+ other pools at the resort. Julie loved the water slide and Jaycee was happy as a clam in the baby pool next to it. We played catch in the yard, took walks, played ping pong by the pool, and had some yummy dinners (bonus I didn't have to cook them or clean up after!). We went to The Living Desert, a zoo with desert animals, a butterfly garden, endangered species breeding program, and train.

enjoying Mickey Mouse-shaped ice cream sandwiches :)

Memorial Day weekend, we surprised the kiddos with a trip to Disneyland. Tonya's good friends were getting married that weekend in San Diego, so it was a perfect excuse for some Mickey time - 4 days worth! Jaycee did so much better than I expected and the crowd wasn't too bad either. She went on the Jungle Cruise, Small World, Alice in Wonderland, Story-time boat, Astro Blasters, the new Ariel ride, the Haunted Mansion, the train, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Tonya and I took turns going on the fun rides and the older two went on just about everything! We got to see the new parade the first time it went through Disneyland. It was so much fun and we look forward to the next trip now that we found the all-you-can-eat BBQ behind Big Thunder!

on the train

playing in the water at Bug's World

waiting for the parade

at the Princess Promenade after the performance

Getting on the carousel. Jaycee wasn't having it!

She really liked Princess Tiana!

Jessie & Jack summer 2010

Jessica has completed her junior year and has started summer school to make up the English snaffoo sophomore year. She has also accepted a summer job babysitting my good friend's son 3 days a week. They had a blast last summer and she really likes the money!

Julie is finishing her last week of 1st grade. She is so sad to say good-bye to 1st grade and her beloved teacher. She will be attending princess and art camps this summer, as well as CCD classes for First Communion. She and Jess are going camping with their best friends (sisters the same ages as them!) in July. Her top 2 front teeth have been hanging by a thread for weeks now. There will be a big hole soon!

Jaycee is now 8 months old already. Time is flying! She is crawling, playing with toys, jabbering (I swear she says mom!), and standing up while holding on to furniture. She imitates sounds and laughs at her sisters, especially when they are in trouble - she finds it hilarious! She is less clingy now and likes to explore on her own for a bt. She eats everything within reach and is finally sleeping more than half an hour at a time. She is still in "stranger danger" mode and doesn't like to be held by anyone outside immediate family. She'll grow out of it! She was Baptized on Mother's Day at my mom's church (where Julie was Baptized). She wore Jessie's Baptism dress, bonnet, and bloomers. So glad I saved those!    

Spring 2011 Happenings

Jessica is the telephone lady in Grease and has a duet with Sandy! Shows are at 7:30pm March 31, April 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9. Tickets are $12 and can be ordered here: https://tix.seatyourself.biz/webstore/webstore.html?domain=granite&event.

We are planning to have Jaycee baptized on May 10th at St. Peter and Paul's in Rocklin. I will confirm this soon! 

The New Year

Things are busier than ever around here with the birth of Jaycee Marie last October. We are transitioning to a one-income household, which has presented quite a few challenges for the grown-ups! We are looking forward to our trip to Palm Springs with Nani and Poppy in April. Yay for warm weather!

Jessica turned 17 the beginning of the year. We can't believe her junior year is almost over! She is in her third year of choir and was invited to sing with a regional honor choir at Sacramento State. She is going on tour with her school choir to Disneyland in the spring! Jess is doing musical theater again this year - they're doing Grease! We're so excited.

Jessie at winter ball with her boyfriend

Julie turned 7 the end of last year and is doing wonderfully in first grade. She joined Girl Scouts and just finished selling cookies to family and friends. She lost her first two teeth (one on New Year's Eve and the other on Mommy's birthday!) and although she was a bit scared, she was super excited about the tooth fairy visiting. Ok she was excited about the money the tooth fairy left! She has worked her way from level A to B in gymnastics.

First day of school

Julie minus two teeth!

 Jaycee is growing so fast. She is a mover and a shaker - already sitting up at 3 months! She is still a Mommy's girl...wherever Mommy goes, Baby J is sure to follow! Her 4-month check-up went well. The doctor says she looks terrific. 14 lbs. 11 oz.!

Jaycee 3 months