Our Life

MERRY CHRISTMAS!.

2011-12-25T16:12:00.000-08:00

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...

2011-07-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-07-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

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!!

2011-06-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-05-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

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).

Ground Hogs Day

2011-02-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

I have so much to post but can only do a little as I have Anatomy Homework to do and a Quiz to study for for Friday! So in light of today (not that anybody really celebrates ground hogs day!) Elaena came home from school yesterday and this is what she said:

"Mom, we have to watch the news tomorrow and see if that thing comes out of the ground!"

My response:
"Oh, you mean Ground Hogs day?"

Elaena:
"Yeah! That! We are supposed to watch the news tomorrow."

Dad:
"Do you know what ground hogs day is?"

Elaena:
"Yeah! If the ground hog sees it shadow then we have winter for 6 more years... BOR-RING!! But if the ground hog doesn't see his shadow then we have Spring early and not for 6 more years!"

Ahaha... I politely reminded her 6 more weeks... not years, but she put a huge emphasis on the "boring" part of having winter. Sometimes she cracks me up!

Also, she is really excited for Chinese New Year... not sure why but they learned about it in school too. (And I signed up for a free Panda Express Chinese New Year Kit awhile back and there is a DVD and some fun worksheets for her to do, I have never really payed too much attention but I guess that has changed!)

Also, math has been a huge hit in our house. Jake Runs around saying 1! 2!, and occansionally 3, or when he wants something he says: 1 pease! or just at random says 1 or 2 depending on how many cars or trains are in his hand! Elaena on the other hand has been into adding. She will ask things like how many is two-3's and three-4's, and we ask her to answer before we do and about 95% of the time she is right! Tonight was: "Mom 10+10 is 20!" (when she was reading a counting book). She is getting so smart!

Ok I need to get back to Anatomy and dinner for the kids... I will try to post pics soon...

For Sarah (and anyone else that would like it!)

2011-01-12T14:11:00.001-08:00

So Brandon's AWESOME cousin Sarah requested for my little man ties tutorials. They are quick and easy once you get the hang of them (I have done a few before Church in the morning!) The more you make at a time the faster it is to finish them. Here is 2 that I have done for Jake. (scroll to the bottom)

Rather then trying to post my instructions, I got the idea from here and just saved and printed out the patterns. This one I did not really change anything and was super simple once I made one. Although, when you print out the patterns and see how WIDE they are it catches you off guard but they are supposed to be like that and eventually become smaller as you sew.

This one I made very similar but adjusted the Tie to my liking of length and width. I didn't want it as wide so I thinned it out. (I would post my pattern but my computer is being dumb. But pretty much followed the instructions.)

This was the easiest way to post them rather then going through it step by step. And where to give credit to to where I got the idea! In addition to the fact I am trying to finish an Economics course in 2 weeks instead of 12 on top of my other classes!! So I hope this helps!!!

Quick Post

2011-01-05T17:42:00.000-08:00

So I know I said I would post pics this weekend... But there are so many pictures to put up and I can only upload so many at a time before blogger just rejects my uploads (I get to about 8 and then I AM TOAST!) So for now I am going to try to do some in increments over the next few days (I know I could post them in different posts but I'd rather put them all in one and be done!) So hang tight if you wanted to see pics!!

On a side note CONGRATS are in order to Anjuli and Ben with the arrival of there second little boy "Jack" John Henry Clark!! And also Lindsay and Eric to their first little girl Tallie Showalter!!

It is finally official!!!

2010-12-29T15:41:00.000-08:00

This beautiful little baby we will be adding to our family is a....

GIRL!!!!

We are so excited to be adding this new little addition to our family in May! I am currently almost 22 weeks along (I will post pics later this weekend with some well needed pics of the last year I have not posted!)

Oh and a shout out to those little ones that are pushing to stay in their mommies... not to name any names... but Baby girl Showalter... seriously your are pushing overdue!! And little boy Clark, come on now, make some progress already, your mommy is getting tired of this!! Oh and Baby girl Tanner... you are close too so might as well make your grand entrance!

We also have added a poll on names... we can't decide, we have plenty of time but thought input would be nice. With Elaena we just knew it was right, with Jacob after much deliberation with Elaena (she strongly wanted it to be Jacob) we had an awesome confirmation at the temple, it was just right! So this little one we thought input would be nice but ultimately we will confirm just the same as we have done previously with our children, the Lord always knows!

Winter NOT-Wonderland... 15 Minutes TOO CLOSE

2010-12-16T10:11:00.000-08:00

On Dec.14th (2 days ago) Brandon, mid-morning (around 11 AM) noticed how dark the sky was. So being him, he took a picture. (Honestly we take of pictures, even though I don't post them I just am lazy, I guess a news years resolution is in order here?)

We thought it was quite odd, and we have had a ton of flood warnings throughtout the Willamette Valley as well as the Portland area, well, there ws another warning...

Seriously Tornado in Oregon?? Really?

Well, no one could have known or have the time to react (especially because we are Marion County not Clackamas County) but, in the small town NOT 15 MINUTES from us a little town called Aumsville, this is what hit!!!!

Luckily, it was in the middle of the day and most were not home so there was no fatalities, the worst was someone getting hit with a 2x4 (ouch)! Click HERE and HERE for pictures, there is quite a lot of damage especially because it is such a small town. So many transformers were hit that a lot of other cities are without power. My grandpa in Lyons (maybe 30 minutes East) had power outages.

From the National Weather Service:

Aumsville EF2 Tornado

•EF2 category winds range from 111 to 135 mph -- Storm survey indicated 110-120 mph most probable in this tornado
•50 Structures Damaged
•30+ Large trees uprooted or snapped
•2 Minor Injuries
•Entire Path Length 5 miles though tornado was not on the ground the entire length (it appeared to skip)
•Path Width approximately 150 yards
Timeline:

•11:46 AM NWS Radar detects a strong cell north of Stayton
•11:52 AM Report of 2 Ft diameter Fir tree down on Highway 22
•11:53 AM Issued Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the storm
•11:59 AM Emergency Personnel report they observed tornado in Aumsville with damage
•12:02 PM Tornado Warning Issued for the storm
Overview

On December 14, a cold low pressure trough over the Pacific Northwest generated showers and thunderstorms over the Portland CWA. A short wave (thought to be a gravity wave generated by a small offshore low that developed in the cold pool behind the main front) rotating through the trough increased convection southeast of Salem, OR shortly before noon. At 11:53 AM, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued based on 88D radar signature combined with a report from the public of some downed trees. At 11:59 PM, the WFO received a report of a tornado touching down from the same convective cell and a Tornado warning was issued at 12:02 PM.

Really makes you think... anything can happen, and not always do they issue the reports BEFORE it happens. Really makes you think about preparedness and making sure EVERYTHING is in order!!

Pictureless Update...

2010-11-08T20:13:00.001-08:00

So I have been putting off blogging as I need to upload pictures and work with my FLIP videos more. I really do intend on blogging on at least a weekly basis but nevertheless something always comes up and I put it off!! So here is a update without visuals as I again need to upload pictures/videos and will try to get that done soon!

Brandon: He is doing well, considering the 19 credits he is taking this semester! He already got an A in a 5 week hybrid class he took, so 1 down, 4 to go! Also, he is looking for another job and hoping to soon volunteer at the High School down the street for his Teaching program. He is going to Transfer to Western Oregon University this summer and if all is well start the teaching program in the Fall.

Me: Well, I have been doing pretty well in my classes, my religion class is interesting (although it is EXTREMELY hard to sit in an uncomfortable desk from 6:00 PM to 9:50 PM [yes almost 4 hrs.!] one night a week while he lectures the entire time and we have 1- 10 minute break.) My other classes are good and I just started a Sociology 5 week hybrid class last week so we will see.
Also, we have told a few friends and our family but we are expecting baby #3!!! We are so excited!!! I am due May 6Th. I am 14 weeks and have been miserable! As week speak I am fighting heart burn. Bad. Every time I eat, on top of the nauseousness, I get a stomach ache. My Dr. thinks my body is not breaking down food properly and prescribed Zypan, an enzyme to help that. (Deja Vu as I was told that by another Dr. a few years ago...) So hopefully that will help! Other than that I don't seem as tired as I was in the beginning and am trying to make the best of my heartburn, upset stomach, nauseous, throwing up situation!

Elaena: She is fabulous! She is so outgoing and loves school! She is doing very well and is learning a lot. She loves to do so many projects, and they do a ton in Kindergarten! She is pretty good with her numbers and can do basic addition/subtraction. She is reading better everyday and loves to check out books at the school library on Fridays! She is growing like a weed, skinny as usual but getting a bit taller. I am glad winter is not all year as her size 5 long-sleeve shirts will not fit much past their season. Eventually her belly shows and the sleeves become too short.
A few weeks back was our ward Primary program, Elaena's class was asked to tell how they try to be like Jesus. It went down like this...
She had been waving to us the entire time and we were sitting in the back so she was really making a point that we knew she was there. Her class got up and she was about 3rd to last and she got up on the pulpit and said:
"I try to be like Jesus by saying my prayers, Loving my family and God and keeping the commandments," and then came a shout out! "HI MOM!"
The entire ward was laughing and was looking back at us, way to make my Sunday, holla back!

Jake: He is incredible! He is so smart too! He is getting better with words everyday and repeats quite a bit! Last week I was telling them "quickly" and "now" so he kept running around the house yelling "Now!! Quickly!!" Yesterday I put my hand to my mouth and said Shhh. He looked at me and said "No," pointed at me and said "Shhh". Haha. He is very obedient, it may take 1 or 2 times but 99% of the time he does what you ask. He loves books and LOVES to sing. He loves Mickey Mouse clubhouse on playhouse Disney. His favorite song is the Hot dog song. This boy sings "Hot dog, Hot dog" over and over and dances to it. This kid has no idea what a hot dog is!!! I have tried to feed it to him maybe 2-3 times and he refuses! (3 out of the 4 of us will not eat them so I refuse to buy them, besides, do you know what is in them...yuck!)he is a picky eater and only eats his veggies and fruit in a smoothie or sometimes juice. I have to hide veggies in beans, rice, tortillas, whatever I know he will eat he is fine but by themselves he will only eat corn. Same with fruit, if it is not applesauce, juice or a smoothie he won't have it. He only will eat Chicken, no other animal protein, but he gets a lot of protein other ways like with Almond milk. He is such a texture person it's crazy! He refuses to eat bananas, but I was babysitting a 10 month old and Jake wanted to try his baby food, he ate 1/2 the jar of bananas! Little stinker! But I still offer fruits and veggies plain all the time, maybe one day.
He had his 18 month well check up, he is definitely growing in length and head but in 6 months only gained 2 lbs.! So he is a whole 25 lbs.. He has thinned out a lot!

Other than that we are staying busy and trying to stay healthy!
Oh and CONGRATS to Alie and Tyler on their new addition of little Jack Jones, Happy Be-lated Birthday to my wonderful Mother in Law Tammy and my sister in law (who is leaving for her mission in just a few short weeks!) Logan!!!

Off the Radar, and a Strong yet weak start to Summer Term

2010-07-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

So we have been off the radar for almost a month now!! We have been so busy and BEHIND (OK more me on projects, and a few for Brandon). But we are alive! With finals done and gone (I had a 4.0 and Brandon wasn't too far behind me), we went camping with Grandma and Grandpa Ginos which we absolutely loved, came home from camping Sunday night thinking we had a week before school started and found out NOPE! School started Monday, and found out Monday night, luckily Brandon missed 1 class on that morning! So Tuesday morning, I show up to my anatomy class at 8 AM and lets just say it was a good thing I didn't have breakfast... we were DISSECTING CATS!!!!! What a great start to the semester with a STRONG SMELL and a WEAK STOMACH of mine!! (Luckily I was able to keep my gag reflex in order but had to deal with it the next week and yesterday for my quiz on the muscles. But thank goodness we are done with the CATS.) I guess it is a whole new meaning to "hear kitty kitty...". Sad.
On a happier note we went to Pamela and David's (Brandon's cousin) wedding in Seattle and it was great! We had a blast! Although the lack of naps 2 weekends in a row really set Jake off to be WAYY too clingy (more to DAD then anyone!) And the use of his "words" to let everyone know that I see Dad and want him consisted of Screaming... honestly he is not like that at home and he says a good 10-15 words, one being Dada, but with a 30 min nap each day... he needed more. Elaena is doing well and getting big. She LOVES to write and read books (well actually they both LOVE to read!! Jakey's favorite is Monkeys swinging from a tree. He is very loud and boisterous when he reads it to you!) Elaena is VERY excited for school but is loving the Summer. She has spent a lot of time in the pool lately especially since it has been in the 90's!! On another note mid-terms are almost over this week (3 week of school and mid-terms... 8 week classes can be so stressful!) But we are trucking along and if we haven't called lately we will try to call you (and you know who you are...sorry!!!) But for now I will try to get pics uploaded as I still owe "another half" of my last post too!

Half a post

2010-05-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

So I have been delaying my posts to get all the pictures from the dying camera that needed batteries bad, so resorting to our cameras on our phones I was trying to conglomerate all the pictures and so far have only uploaded my phones pictures (which is mainly Jacob...with a really bad need for a hair cut!) so that is all you get! Until I post the other half of them! So for now here is what we have been up to... a huge mix of Everything and I mean the last like 4 months! Including the cupcakes I made for Jakey's b-day, the fabric roads I made for his present, the beautiful beach and I couldn't resist a little man in a diaper and tie (and a white shirt too!) (I made Jakeys' Ties, both on Random Sundays right before Church I decided to bust them out and they turned out great!)

On the way to the beach
A perfect day!

Jake loves this chair, I have to turn it on its side, very rare does he sit, he will climb in it say "hey" as to tattle on himself before he is standing in it!

The monkeys I made for him for his b-day. Jakey liked these but fortunately for us he doesn't care for sweets!
The roads I made with intesections, curves, straight aways and a parking lot!

The ties I made, doesn't he look cute?!

I love this face!!

Our special little man

2010-04-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

I am not sure if I will have time to post tomorrow but our little man turns 1!!!! I am so behind on posting its unbelievable!I have been meaning to post about him for over a week now but have been so busy and he has had a fever over the last few days and has been a mommy AND daddys' boy. But Jacob is such a special little boy! Most kids on average by 1 have 6 teeth, he has 15!! He is pretty much walking, he still like to crawl though. He says Mom, dada, hi, hey, uh-oh, oh (stretched out), uh uh, no (when he is done eating) and shakes his head back and forth to say no, its quite funny! He is so fun and such a joy! A few things about Jacob:
1. He absolutely loves his Mr. Monkey and can NOT sleep without him
2. He absolutley loves his sister and can't get enough of her
3. He has gotten pretty good at obeying (not touching or bringing something he shouldn't have to us)... but very sensitive when you tell him "no", he looks at you like he knew he did something wrong and gets upset.
4. He loves to hammer things down
5. He loves to be tickled and loves to laugh
6. He loves to snuggle
7. He loves Patty-cake
8. He loves to sing and dance to music (even after we are done singing hymns in church he continues the song)
9. He loves cars
10. He loves to play "kitchen" with Elaena
11. When he gets excited he pants... it is hilarious (see videos below!)

I could go on and on but overall he is such a happy boy and such a blessing to our family!!

Quick update

2010-03-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Real quick as we have been SUPER busy!! Everything is going quite well, Brandon and I just finished our finals!! YAY. We have had so much going on but managed to squeeze in a few things like well check-ups. Elaena is still at 32 lbs... well 32 and 2 oz... Jacob on the other hand seems like a tank BUT as big as he looks he is in the 60Th percentile in both height and weight! He is only (and I use "only" vaguely compared to my skinny mini) 24 lbs and just about 30 inches. I guess our kids have totally different genes! Oh and Jacob is so close to walking, he stands very well and can take a few steps but not quite there. In addition he has 12, yes 12 teeth and # 13 AND 14 are making their debut any day! That's ALOT of teeth!!!

Forgot something...

2010-03-06T21:53:00.000-08:00

Mackenzie came and visited with the girls last weekend. We really enjoyed their company and were sad to see them leave. We will post pictures soon. But just wanted to say thanks for visiting and hope we can return the favor sometime.

Brandon is Finally Blogging, Don't expect it often.

2010-03-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

We did Family pictures a while ago, here are a few of them for people to enjoy. Elaena is almost done with pre school excited about kindergarten at the end of summer. Jacob, well, is excited about life and loves to see his family and friends. He is very close to walking he cruises from one place to another and stands quite well on his own. He has taken 3 to 4 steps on his own several times but gets scared when he realizes he is not holding on to anything. Its amazing how quickly he is growing and learning on a day to day basis.
This was totally unplanned but then again I don't think we could have planned it any better if we tried.

Jacob can stand with help... He can walk/ stumble if you hold his hand.

Wow.

2010-02-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

Brandon: "Elaena what happened?"
Elaena "I did it at school."
Brandon "Yeah but what happened? Markers?"
Elaena "No."
Brandon "Paint?"
Elaena "No, Ink."
Pause,
Pause,
Elaena "No not Monsters 'Ink', like Ink Ink."

So long!!

2010-01-24T21:31:00.000-08:00

It has been so long since I have blogged!! Big changes in our life, school started up again, the kids are getting so big! Elaena is so smart (keep in mind at school they recite the pledge of allegiance everyday) she asked the other day "Mom, is God 'indivisable'??" I replied "Dad will be home soon..." she makes us laugh so much! And for Jakey he is basically crawling, he crawls and then belly flops about a foot too short of what he wants and reaches for it. Well, last but not least a blessing but not really, work! As of this last Monday Brandon and I are no longer sub-contractors, we are now hourly employees (court mandated...long story but lets just say it was from a class action lawsuit.) I say this is a blessing in the sense that we have every Sunday off without having one of us work and pay an employee to work, and we can focus a little more on school BUT they cut hours and now combined we have 1 full-time job! So hopefully there will be a little more time for Brandon, kids, school and the blog! Here is a brief update of pics!

Jacob and Elaena

2009-07-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

So our little miss turned 4!!!!! She is getting so big! She is just so smart and its hard to believe she has 1 more year until Kindergarten!! She is around 3 feet 3 inches tall and is a whopping 32 lbs.! Now Jacob on the other hand... well he had his 2 month Check up a few weeks ago and is 24 inches and weighs... 14 lbs. 13 oz!!!! He is huge, he weighs half of Elaena! We had a really fun time when Grandpa and Grandma Ginos, Logan and Great Grandpa and Grandma Miller and my Grandpa and cousin with my mom and sisters came to visit for Jacobs' blessing. (4 generations on both sides, and Elaena wouldn't pose for the pics!) We enjoyed having family around and wish we could more often. Here are some of our adventures... OH WAIT... I am pleased to announce that mr. big boy is and has been sleeping through the night for 12 days now!! He goes to bed around 9 and is up between 5 and 6. He is also starting to smile so much more. Enjoy the pics!(Minor difficulties with the pics...)

For my sister-in-law Courtney

2009-06-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

First off I have to say a couple thanks... Thank you to Courntey and my best friend Anjuli and my mother-in-law Tammy. Thanks to Courtney for interesting me in cloth diapers (mainly the pre-folds) and to Anjuli for the interest in them (mainly the pocket diapers). And a special thanks to my mother-in-law Tammy for sending me the covers and prefolds. I LOVE, ABSOLUTELY LOVE cloth diapers!!! So anyway this is for Courtney about the pocket diapers I have. I use them for outtings, they are just as easy to change as a disposable except you keep it. I also use them at night, I double the insert and don't have to change Jacob all night. I got them from Thailand on ebay, 12 for 83.99 and free shipping. You can find them here at the sellers store: http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/ponkanditpa. There is cheaper ones and they seem similar except you get double the inserts too and that is here: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/New-Baby-World__W0QQ_armrsZ1. I really like the coloured ones better than the "white" (more like yellow-y creamy colour than white), because they are a slightly different material. The material the "white" are made out of seem to feel a little wet on the outside but are not, it just feels a little like they are. But I think it is just the diaper breathes a little and make the pee a little cold. But the colour doesn't feel like that. I think too that the inserts will be a little small for the largest size so I will make some for the larger size. But anyway they are all-in-one meaning they fit through all the sizes your baby goes through. Here are the pictures of the smallest size to the largest, and the insert and the pocket where the insert fits. (Oh and Brandon can fit his hand in the pocket!)

Time Flies!!!

2009-05-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, how time gets away from you... Well Jacob is already a month old and doing wonderful! Since almost the beginning he has kept a consistent schedule, bedtime around 10 pm, gets up between 1:30-2:00 to eat and then again around 6 and goes back to bed for a few more hours. It's wonderful! He is a very good eater I might add, he has gained 3 lbs. since we left the hospital! He was weighed yesterday at the doctor and is already 11 lbs 8 oz!! On the other hand our little miss is almost 4 and is 32 lbs. soaking wet! Elaena has been a wonderful helper and is always wanting to hold him. She is growing up so fast and getting so smart. Brandon is still working both our jobs (except I do all the paper work from home) and is a full time student and made the honor roll last semester!! I on the other hand am still trying to recover and trying to keep the house in order. Oh and as of last week I have lost 28 lbs already!! Other than that we are all well and alive so here are some pictures...

Elaena and her cousin Mason
Jacob and his cousin Jackson

Jacob is finally here!!!

2009-04-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

So we wanted to let everyone know (and sorry we have not posted in months) that a new addition to our Ginos family has arrived!! Arrival was April 13Th at 12:07 am via c-section. After many hours of active labor in the hospital on Easter, Jacob was not able to handle the stress of a regular delivery and the umbilical cord was believed to be posing more complication then originally thought. The doctors had concluded a c-section was the safest choice to bring Jacob Wesley Ginos to our family. With all the excess fluid, and measuring big the doctors thought he was slightly on the larger side but then he seemed to be plateauing and our doctor thought he would be close to 7.5 lbs but Jacob came at 21 inches long and 8 lbs. 15 oz.!!!!!! We were all pretty shocked! He is a little chubby adorable baby looking a lot like his dad and sister. We are all excited to have him welcome our family and Elaena is so overjoyed!

Me right before being admitted...

His first bath!
Elaena and nanny checking out his dark hair
Jacob on the left and his 2 1/2 week old cousin Jackson on the right... he has Jackson by like 3 lbs. and 3 in.!!

IT"S A BOY!!!!!!!

2008-11-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

P.S. Pictures to follow as soon as we get them scanned into the computer! The u/s tech said she saw a "bulge" between the legs but could not get a clear picture of said bulge but was sure the baby was a boy. She got some other good pics but he basically was doing sommersaults and would not keep still. We are so excited to welcome a new baby boy to our family!!

Well needed update/long post

2008-11-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

So we have not updated or posted in awhile, ok a long while! Between being busy and the computer running slow and well, just plain laziness I am just now getting around to updating! So here are some old/recent photos! But first here is a picture of Brandon, Elaena and Renny for Miss Afton as requested

Really she is not squeezing him as tight as it looks...

Brandon and I somehow agreed we wouldn't cut his hair all winter... we both lasted about 2 months and couldn't stand it anymore!! So here is before:

And After:

The pumpkin patch with Elaena's pre-school class. Here is George, Elaena and Kylee

Her class:

Carving pumkins

Our Friends Ben, Anjuli and their adorable little Bradely came over to carve with us

At the Church Halloween Party

Rides on the hay ride

Trick or treating with Aunt Tory

Grandpa and Grandma Miller came to visit, it was so great seeing them and so sad to only see them a couple hours! We miss them but had an awesome time and was glad we could see them, Elaena was so excited and talked about them for days after they left. Thanks for everything!!

Our new addition

2008-10-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to share with everyone that we are expecting a little bundle of Joy in April!!! Since the due date is never exact we are shooting for April 18th! I am just out of my first trimester, I am around 12 1/2 weeks. Elaena is sooo excited to be a big sister. She tells me all the time that she loves our baby and gives me kisses and hugs on my belly. We know she will make a wonderful big sister!! Here is our little baby!

Pre-School!

2008-09-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of her first day of school. She was so excited and had so much fun. She was so ready to go, we got there, signed in and she said "Bye mom, love you!" So I stayed a little longer and watched her, she looked over at me and waved and yelled "bye mom!" At that point I left, but I felt so weird leaving, I almost wanted to stay and watch her... but I didn't. She can't wait to go again this week, 2 days wasn't enough for her last week!

Elaena and her new friend Kylie
Elaena and the assistant Teacher Linda

Finally!

2008-09-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

Nothing too exciting happening here... but it has been awhile since we have posted mainly due to the camera not wanting to upload! But here are a couple videos of Elaena singing. The first she wanted to sing for the camera, she needed a little help on the second verse but she got it down! The second is kinda dark, sorry. But the main reason for this one is that she has a "barbie island princess" and it sings, well she has been trying to sing over her and it is really funny to watch her, this is just a little blip of what really happens, she does this over and over again! Oh, and we have open house this week so Elaena can meet her new Teacher, school starts next week!

Update on Our "Monster Giant"

2008-08-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

So as we have had many nights of crying and struggling to get Elaena to bed, we realized after the 2ND night that she was so upset the night before we didn't understand what she had said. It was actually (and she hasn't seen this movie since last Christmas), Mister Grinch! And he is in her walls! The reflection of her night light against her shoes on her dresser had made shadows. So after many times of growling and trying to scare him and various other techniques, we prayed with her. After a many prayers, she has gone to bed easier and slept all night long. All in all this was our result according to Elaena: "Santa trapped mister Grinch with a rope and caught him and took him away!" But we are still having a little trouble getting her into bed but she is no where near as scared as she used to be! It was so sad to see her so upset over her great imagination gone scary! I guess we have been spoiled for a long time, being able to sleep through the night and then not for a few days really opened our eyes to how lucky we have been to have a wonderful night sleep!

An uncomfortable sleep

2008-08-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

Elaena woke up sometime around Mid-night, crying and screaming for "daddy!!" Brandon brought her in bed with us (which happens few and far in between.) After her snuggling with me for a few hours, being very uncomfortable, I did not want to wake her up, so I woke up Brandon and asked him to put her in her bed. Of course she woke up and didn't want to go, she said "The monster giant is going to eat me." So she stayed in bed with us until she woke up at 5:15 when Brandon got up and I snuggled with her to go back to bed only until she got up again at 6. After we had been up for awhile I asked her if she was scared last night. She replied "yes, the monster giant is going to eat me in my room." So I took her in her room to re-assure her that there is no "monster giant" and it will be fine. This is the first nightmare she has had, and I hope everything will go well tonight?! But my question is where did that come from?? She doesn't watch much TV (more educational ones than anything) and we haven't seen any "scary movies", so where in the world did she learn about a "monster giant"?

A long post of what we have been up to...

2008-08-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I just Celebrated our 4 year anniversary!! I thought I would post a couple pictures of our most memorable day July 30Th, 2004.

It WAS really hot, (now it has been a bit colder) so we decided to get Elaena a pool, she has had a blast! Here is a picture of her and a video, be forewarned to turn your volume a little lower, we thought it was the funniest thing a laughing hyena in a jungle pool!

Brandon had the opportunity for the first time to go "DEEP SEA FISHING", he was so excited to go, not very often does he get to do something fun... and it was paid for by his boss Tyler, so a special thanks to him for everything!!

Elaena has been dressing herself lately, and this is what she came out wearing yesterday morning...
Daisy Dukes anyone?

And last but not least Elaena put together her first puzzle and had minimal help!

It's Official!!

2008-07-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

So, after many many months of asking and pleading, we gave in... Our little love bug is going to go to PRE-SCHOOL in the fall!!! I enrolled her in the school district Pre-School program, it is Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:45-11:30am. I thought that 5 hours a week would be good. The best part is it was fairly in-expensive, $50.00 one time Registration fee and $89.00 a month. She is getting so smart and learning so much right now!! She has about a 1/3 of her capital letters down, some numbers and she is starting to recognize words (not reading them just recognizing what they look like), she knows these words: hi, elephant, clap, baby, tiger, and sometimes arms up and gorilla. I have been doing a lot of flash cards and reading with her. She has loved to read ever since she was really little.

Right before her first birthday

Birthday Pics!!

2008-07-09T15:05:00.001-07:00

Last Years cake

This years cake

I dropped the bomb and forgot to get candles and this is what I had... 1+2=3 right?

Elaena's favorite toys!

Elaena's B-day

2008-07-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

As soon as I get my pics uploaded I will post them. Elaena's birthday was on June 30th... our baby girl is 3!! She had absolutely a wonderful birthday and thanks to all those who wished her a happy birthday. She especially wants to thank her Grandpa and Grandma Ginos for her presents... she cook and cleans her new Kitchen everyday. She also loved her birthday cake, I didn't go as full out as I did last year but it still was a success. I will post last year and this years cakes. Thanks to everyone who made her birthday special!!

Tagged by Megan!

2008-07-07T20:28:00.001-07:00

Four random things I like about my husband:
1. He loves my cooking! And loves to cook too!
2. He is a wonderful father and husband!!
3. He has done amazingly well in my plan of him eating healthier and switching over to wheat when a year ago he wouldn't touch the stuff.
4. He works hard every single day to reach our goals and to make a better life for our family.

Four jobs I have had:
1. Kendal Flor Expo (Currently:Sub-contracted florist for Costco)
2. Costco Wholesale
3. Foothill Chevron
4. Subway

Four TV shows I watch:
1. Bones
2. The moment of Truth (people ruining their lives...sad)
3. The Office
4. NCIS

Four movies I have watched more than once:
1. Princess Bride
2. P.S. I Love You (my favorite!)
3. The Italian Job
4. Pirates

Four places I have lived:
1. Oregon
2. California
3. Texas
4. North Dakota (born there)
oh and Idaho (i know that's 5...)

Four people who e-mail me regularly:
1. My boss
2. Floral Requests
3. Parent Center
4. Facebook updates...lame

Four of my Favorite Foods:
1. Fajitas!!!
2. Croissants
3. Fettuchini Alfredo with Chicken
4. Giovannis Mountain Pizza (best pizza EVER! Deliciously sweet bread, little family owned place about 45 min East, AMAZING!!)Oh and they have whole wheat pizza dough!!

Four places I would like to visit:
1. England
2. Australia
3. Greece
4. Hawaii

Four things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
1. Buying a home
2. Elaena growing
3. Falling even more in love with my husband... if that is even possible...
4. Getting out of an apartment...

Four People I tag:
1. Courtney
2. Mackenzie
3. Kristine
4. Anjuli

I want to too!!!

2008-06-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry no pics, spur of the moment. Elaena and I were with Nana yesterday and had to go up to Kaiser so Nana could get her blood drawn. Elaena wanted to sit on her lap and watch, so as "Nanas' doctor" took the 4 viles Elaena watched the whole thing. Well, when Elaena got her check up last month the Doc told me she was low on iron and ordered a blood test, so I went to the lab and they were so busy it was like a 45 minute wait so I decided to leave and would come back later. I have been so busy I put it off and yesterday seemed as good as ever to do it. So we asked Elaena if she wanted to get her blood taken and she was like "Yeah, I want to too!!!". So the little miss sat on my lap watched the nurse poke the needle in her arm and she replied "owe that hurt." She watched the whole thing. She barely flinched and was FAR from crying. She did sooo well!!! I am so proud of her! I told her for being so good we would get some ice cream, well she wanted it at first until the thought popped in her head... root beer... she has had soda like twice, she really doesn't even know what root beer is. But, since she did so well,I got her a small root beer and she drank almost all of it. She didn't complain once.

Last week in a nut shell...

2008-06-16T15:09:00.001-07:00

Well, it has been forever since I blogged, we have been so busy but last week, Grandma and Grandpa Ginos and Aunt Allie came to visit. We went caming at Silver Creek Falls, it was gorgeous. Friday night it rained and rained but Saturday and Sunday it was Sunny. We hiked 4 of the 10 falls (we weren't prepared to hike all 10; 8.73 miles, so we decided 4 would suffice.) It was beautiful and Elaena trucked through most of it and was held minimally. She got to ride her little quad out in the open although she couldn't (or didn't want to) turn her handle bars to turn around (see video). But she got to go on her first camping trip, she learned how to roast marshmellows (see video) and she also got to play on the play ground by herself for the first time. I do have to say I was VERY hesitant and was very over protective but after Brandon and everyone one else saying it will be fine and if she falls, she falls. So, I let her go and sat back and watched. She fell once but it was a little fall and she loved it! She loved playing with Aunt Allie and going on walks with Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks so much to the Ginos' for coming and camping with us, we love you and miss you already! Elaena wants to make a special thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for the kitchen set, she couldn't wait until her birthday to open it and she oves it!! Here is a bunch of pics and videos of our adventures...

Bradley Isaac Clark A.K.A. Batman

2008-05-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

Anjuli and Ben had a BEAUTIFUL baby boy. Mom and baby are doing well (and dad too!)

~Born May 20th 2008

~11:57 Am

~9lbs. 3oz

~20.75 inches

We went to visit them last night, Elaena, as we suspected didn't want anything to do with him and was a little upset he was in my lap. But with much reassurance that he was NOT coming home with us warmed up and wanted to hold him. (It is kinda of weird as we are moving onto 8 months of her wanting a brother or a sister and even asked me about them yesterday too.) Here are the pics we took...

Great Grandma and Grandpa Miller

2008-05-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry, no pics unfortunately. We brought our camera and forgot to get a pic! Last week Grandpa and Grandma Miller came through Salem. We enjoyed an awesome evening with them and wanted to say THANK YOU!! It was so great to see them and Elaena could not stop talking about them for days! We love them so much and appreciate the chance to see them. Hopefully we can do it again soon.! Elaena kept saying she loves her great grandma and grandpa. Thanks for seeing us!!

We survived!!

2008-05-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

Zoey, Marissa, Elaena, Mason and Chuck-E

Chuck-E and Chloe (on the right) and her friend
Elaena hugging Chuck-E

Aunt Zoey and best friend Marissa

Yesterday was my little sisters birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese. It was Elaena's first time and to be honest it wasn't that bad. It was actually fun! I wasn't sure what Elaena would think of chuck-e and surprisingly enough she could not stay away from him, it was hilarious!! She loved all the rides and toys and games. Here is our adventure.

Can you guess who this is??

2008-05-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

HUMPTY DUMPTY WITH SANDALS of course!! Well, as I was doing my paperwork, Elaena wanted to colour because mommy was. So she drew a big circle and told me it was humpty dumpty. I asked her isn't he missing his face? So she asked me to help her with his eyes, nose and mouth. After that I said what else does humpty have and she told me arms and legs. So she drew his arms and then proceeded to his legs, then she said he needs sandals so I told her to draw 2 circles. The first pic is with my help, later on I found these and thought they were pretty good!!

Doctors make us feel better

2008-04-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

Elaena had a new patient/well baby check up yesterday (we switched insurances recently and she is not due for a well baby check up for awhile but we turned it in to one since we were there.) This is what the Doc had to say:

~She is really smart
~She is a very good talker and has a great vocabulary
~She is very well behaved
~She is very healthy
~She is about 3 ft. 1 in. tall
~She is barely pushing 29 lbs. (it was 28 and 14 oz with a full tummy!!)
~She is proportionate to her height and weight
~I was told to make sure to stock up on SUN SCREEN, since Elaena is so fair (I guess she gets it from me, because daddy can TAN)
~The Doc requested for a Iron test, she said she was looking a little low so we need to go back and get that done. (So I guess I will be feeding her spinach salads, she loves salads! Or sneak it into her foods, it is actually pretty easy, I sneak healthy things into foods all the time and they eat it!)

So our baby girl is doing great! She loved the Doctor, she was so excited to go she said "The doctor will make me feel better." I said how and she replied "With her doctor bag, she will listen to my heart." I was so pleased she knew that! She plays doctor at Nana's house all the time and has a doctor bag at home too.

Our first scare!

2008-04-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

Elaena was playing in the kitchen and we hear (we were in the hall way doing laundry) a huge thump and another and another and then Elaena crying. We rush into the kitchen and the bench to our table ended up falling on her and it is upside down and she is laying next to it. It looks worse in person then in the picture but it scared me!! She is fine but tells me not to touch it! On her forehead is a pretty big bruise and then her nose ended up with 2 scratches... it could have been worse!!

Saturday Morning 4/19 Spring

2008-04-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

Well last weekend was so great... record warm weather, spring is definetly here so we thought. On Saturday, May just around the corner this is what we woke up to (this wasn't as bad as my sisters/grandpas ranch in Lyons, 40 minutes East.)

Dressing Herself

2008-04-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

Elaena loves to be in any skirt, dress, shorts or capris, today she decided she was going to dress herself and this is what she came up with. I didn't think it was that bad but she had to wear these shoes!

Guitar Hero

2008-04-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

For my birthday Brandon got me guitar hero. I really wanted it and we got a killer deal. But Elaena... well I think she likes it more than we do... last night before bed we were playing and she really wanted to too. So we decided to let her have one and she was playing right along next to her daddy. She was bummed she had to go to bed but was really happy to play!

The Baby

2008-04-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

Twins?? Well Elaena says they are and their name is "Sonya"... she got a new one I found for really cheap (they retail for 19.99!! Not cheap but after back order twice Macy's cut me a deal!) When it comes down to it, she says she needs the "old" one, she will play with the "new" one but she still has to have the "old" one! She has had this baby since she was a month old, and you can tell it has been well used! To this day she still has to have baby when she takes a nap or goes to bed.

My favorite Picture!

2008-03-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

If you look closely... she is in a classic position with her hand on her tummy. A little foot is sticking out.... I came into her room, ran to grab the camera, came back and asked her what she was doing. She said "There is a baby in my tummy."

2008-03-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

Elaena likes to do other peoples hair... Brandon asked her to stop and she replied "I need to get all the rats out dad!" He said "Mindy all she is doing is sawing my hair...". I told him yeah but your hair needs some work!

2008-03-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Mason and Elaena love to play house, so Mason decided to cook Elaena lunch. Now they feast!

2008-03-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

Elaena and her cousin Mason (they are 4 months apart) playing and terrorizing her room. They sure love to play!

2008-03-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

Since Brandon has been working so much she stayed up to see him and they both fell asleep on the couch. Any chance she gets she wants to be right next to him.

2008-03-30T10:33:00.001-07:00

Our beautiful daughter... with a really messy pony tail...