MERRY CHRISTMAS!.

and for some fun Christmas Music... (This is one of my favorite A Capella group!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8

and this updated version... I love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYEK-pxs_A&NR=1&feature=endscreen

What we have been up to...

Well, July has gone by so quickly for us!! We had well-child check-ups, dentist appointments, mid-terms, finals, car "issues", birthdays, our anniversary (7 YEARS!!) and RAINY RAINY days (luckily we think it has passed with the last week being in the 80's... but its Oregon...).
Where to begin...

The Doctors:

Elaena had her 6 year old well child check, she did great and even asked for shots...and the doctor told her she was all caught up... who does that?! She is a whopping 37.4 lbs (no surprise!) and is I believe 42.10 inches. She has always been petite and is still ranging in the 5-10 percentile. Oh and she pretty much failed the eye exam so we have another trip to the optometrist soon.

Jacob is doing great too! Although we have hit the terrible twos and he is a terror (screaming because he didn't want the Dr. to listen to his heart!), he also can be really sweet. He is in the 60th percentile weighing in at 30.2 lbs and 75th for height at 36.25 inches, be he definitely feels solid when you pick him up. He is an extremely picky eater and we hope he will grow out of it, he still has texture issues with food.

Brynlee is thriving! At her 2 month appointment (now she is about 11 weeks) she is around the 50th percentile for both height and weight, she is 11 lbs. 5oz and about 23 inches. She is smiling and starting to talk/giggle, it is so cute!! She is growing so fast and so big! She also has learned to roll from tummy to back over the last few weeks.

The doctor said that both Jake and Brynlee have a milk-protein allergy (they are so sensitive!) whereas Elaena is more of a lactose intolerance and she can handle dairy better. But all in all the kids are healthy and happy!!

Brandon and I had mid-terms a few weeks back and he finished up half of his classes last week so he has been super caught up in finals... one class he did a 53 page final... ridiculous! But we are in finals again this next week but trying to finish them this week so we don't have to worry about leaving town and finals.

I went to the dentist and found out I had cavities!! I have never had any until now and had them filled... I had no clue they numb you with a shot!! So I opted not to have the shot (after all I went through natural child birth!) and lets just say I don't think I would like to have anymore cavities! It hurt a little but I just don't like pain!

The Tahoe started having issues with the windows rolling back up after you rolled them down so it went to the shop to be fixed... not to happy about the bill but we needed to get them fixed as one wouldn't even stay up anymore!

And then...

the engine blew! Yep that's right the engine! I think we will never go on vacation again! Last year, a week before we left for Utah, the Taurus' window blew out while Brandon was driving on the freeway. We got that fixed and then we needed a new alternator, so Brandon fixed that and we were good to go until now, a week before we leave for Utah again but with the Tahoe instead. Good times!

Here are some random pics I haven't been able to get all 3 kids in one photo yet! Some of these are similar but I thought they were good shots!

The girls!



It was so cold but he didn't care!

Snuggling with Elaena



Jake being a good big brother and sharing his "mankie" and Mr. Monkey with Brynlee!


Not the best photo of us but it will do! Brandon and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary on the 30th! We had a nice little dinner at home with the kids and then went to see Harry Potter (we couldn't even remember the last movie we saw in theaters... Transformers 1 maybe?). We loved it and loved the "alone" time together but decided we like the comfort of our home better. We love the experience of the surround sound but it was so loud, spendy ($9.00 each for an evening movie + a baby sitter) and uncomfortable after 2 hours. We thought next time we will rent and enjoy the movie after the kids go to bed and can make a lot healthier popcorn to eat!
But overall we have had some ups and downs over the last 7 years but we both agree it has only made us stronger! I love you babe!!

A long post...

I seriously need to update more often so I don't have a long random post of pictures!! So fair warning, it is going to be a long one!!

Last week we celebrated Elaena's 6th birthday!! We had some friends and family over for a BBQ and swimming/water fun in the backyard. (Jake loved the water/sand table... thanks Grandma Ginos!!! I never really realized how small the backyard is until we had her birthday which turned out bigger then we expected... 28 people!!) Also, there are random pictures of Jake and Brynlee.

All of ours kids are growing up so much it is bitter-sweet to see them getting so big and smart.

Elaena did amazing in school and will be in 1st grade, she is a pretty good reader and is doing great with spelling although a lot of the harder words are phonetically spelled right now. One of her greatest strengths is math too. She loves to sing and dance and "tumble", at any given point throughout the day you will see her "flying" across the kitchen or tying to do somersaults and cartwheels outside... we really should get her into gymnastics...

Jake is such a talker and is very smart... he has 2/3rds of his ABC's, you just have to start him off and help a little towards the end. He is quite funny too, the other day Brandon asked him if it was time for bed and he said "No." Brandon said "I think it is..." and Jake replied, "No, been good." Hahaha, he thought he could stay up because he was good, oh and he answers for you after he asks you something like "juice, yeah, juice, yeah". He is getting very opinionated and is very OCD about things, but overall is a great kid.

Brynlee has started to smile and "talk" over the past few weeks and loves to have back and tummy time and on occasion will roll from her tummy to her back. She has done tremendously better since I have cut dairy out of my diet but the smallest amount I have really affects her (like 2 choc. chip cookies, she threw up all over me the next day... twice!). She also is really sensitive to spices like taco seasoning. She has her 2 month check up next week so we will talk to her doctor more but I am just glad we can avoid medication!

Ok enough talk here are pictures!





She was so happy to recieve chocolate for her birthday...

can you tell she is deprived?



She is flying...



Jake went into "his" kitchen, cooked some carrots, went into "my" kitchen, grabbed a pot holder and proceeded to give me breakfast!






Haha we have a singer!!








Brynlee and her "lovey"... we still don't have a name yet... we think Floyd is a clever name but it's already taken...haha



Elaena's 2nd but first "REAL" haircut...she was so excited! (It was free so why not have a professional rather then mom...)


This is the material I used for curtains to match the kids bed spreads that Grandma Ginos gave the last year (thanks Grandma!!)




Sorry it was really bright! They are reversible too!!




When we found out we were pregnant with Brynlee we needed a solution for their room to eventually fit 3 kids... so here is how we organize their clothes...


How we organize their toys...


How we organize their closet, left to right... The little white chest is where their shoes goes.

Time goes by

So the other day Mindy and I were relaxing or atleast attempting to relax on the couch. We were contemplating on where the time went it feels like just the other day I was taking my sweet wife home form the wedding now I have a 5, 2 and <1 year old its crazy and fun all at the same time. Elaena just graduated/ended kindergarten (I am not sure what they call it anymore). Mindy and I were looking through some old photos and videos from when Elaena was younger and its amazing how much the mind forgets. We are so proud of our children. But still curious who sped up the time? I do not remember it going by this fast when I was younger.

3 weeks already!!

I can't believe it has been 3 weeks!! Brynlee has been such a good baby and she is growing so fast it feels like!! Last week at her 2 week check up she was already back up to birth weight ( From being born at 8 lbs. 6 oz down to 8 lbs) she actually exceeded her birth weight to 8lbs. 12 oz. I don't feel her getting heavier though, just longer, she has such a skinny body she seems so long at times! Although she is doing very well she is suffering from some acid reflux issues. (And a bum rash already! That we had to get a prescription for as nothing was working... have I mentioned I LOVE cloth diapers and HATE disposables!!! As soon as this rash goes away we will be right on to cloth even if I have to wash them everyday because she goes through them like crazy!) So her doctor wanted to put her on Zantac for a few weeks (if that doesn't work then Prilosec... the 2 meds I took for wicked heartburn during pregnancy...) But I really REALLY did not want to put her on medication so I am trying other things, the main one being cutting out certain foods to see if that helps her tummy. Mainly all dairy (although I do not drink milk (only rice milk), only have ice cream or yogurt on occasion so really I am just cutting out cheese.) I have been spit up on and thrown up on so much lately, I think more so the 2 days following my ice cream cookie sandwich binge 2 nights nights in a row. Since really watching dairy she seems to be a lot better and has not thrown up in a few days... thank goodness!!
Brynlee is a happy baby, she is very alert and strong. She seems to be getting on some sort of schedule as I have noticed she sleeps and eats about the same times everyday. She sleeps well at night, she eats around 10:30ish and then again around 3 and then around 6:30ish. Some days fluctuate a little but for the most part she is pretty consistent for a 3 week old! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful addition to our family!!

Brynlee Noelle has arrived!

On the morning of Wednesday May 11th at 6:10am Brynlee arrived into the world. She was 8 lbs 6 ounces and 21 inches long. It was a very quick delivery and she and Mindy are both doing well. Brynlee has cute little chubby cheeks and a skinny body so in hindsight its an equal combination of both Elaena and Jake when they were born. Elaena skinny and Jake chubby (although Jake is pretty skinny now).