The Stocker

There was a cardinal stocking Yoda, our cat, for over a week, before the family came (all the extra kids must have scared him away). Whenever Yoda went outside the bird would chirp and bounce around like crazy, just above Yoda in the tree or on the deck railing. If Yoda was in the front, the bird would chirp in the front tree. He even chirped at Yoda from outside where there is a tree next to a window that contains Yoda's "bed". Through the whole thing Yoda would just lay there, cool as can be, not paying any mind to the beautiful bird.

Sweetness

Here is a sweet video clip of Karissa singing "I am a Child of God" to Austin. He was cooing back at her, it was so sweet! Of course Victoria wanted to share the moment so they had a little squabble over Austin, which isn't unusual.

Cousins

It was a fun-filled week with the cousins here from Utah. We played in the front yard in the cul-de-sac on bikes and cars, in the back yard on the swing set, in the sandbox, and in the little pool, went to some lakes, parks, the library, and a magic show. And of course there was someone always eating, especially 18 month-old Calvin! My kids learned, not soon enough, to come and eat when Mom calls, otherwise all the food will be gone! They also learned to share their toys, which they did very well with.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable week. Karissa kept asking after her cousins left, "Where are my friends?" She enjoyed having a lot of attention from her cousins, especially since they thought she was a 2 year old prodigy, singing her ABC's and counting for them.

Jason and I have since decided, though, that we do not want to have eight kids!

Special Weekend

On Friday, Jason and I celebrated our 10th anniversary. To make the day more special, we welcomed my mom and my sister and her family to our home. We had fun at the lake on Saturday with everyone and on Sunday, we blessed Austin at church. He was wide awake and quiet throughout the entire blessing, as is his usual laid-back self. Here are some pictures on Sunday. This blog will be short and and sweet so I can go visit with the family.

Our Garden

In early spring we planted seedlings for our garden. We kept them in our house for two months. Jason worked hard to build another bed to add to the one from last year. We had to move the one from last year over and refill it with dirt and fill our new one with dirt as well. It was a lot of hard work, especially while I was pregnant, but it paid off! We have zucchini, yellow squash, oregano and basil, and spinach that we've already enjoyed eating. Soon the tomatoes will be ripe along with the carrots, green beans, peppers, onions, and garlic. We thought we planted cucumbers, but we don't even see the plant or a space where they could have grown. Between my pregnant mind and Jason's being gone a lot, who knows what happened with those? Victoria and Karissa had fun helping us and picking our monstrous zucchini and squash.
Austin Update:

Austin is still an angel baby, even though he is awake more. He just happily looks around, as long as someone is nearby. He doesn't like to be left in a room alone when he is awake and will cry until we come back in the room. I guess he enjoys his sisters' loud noises, and believe me, they are loud! Austin likes to be sung to, to be outside, and he loves baths! Here is a little video of him in the tub.

College Roomie

On Tuesday, my old college roommate, Synthea, and her husband, Jay, and their daughter, Alyssa, came to visit. They live in Tucson, but came out here for her brother's wedding. We got to see them before they left. It was a blast having everyone play together. Alyssa is 3 years old.

We enjoyed looking at pictures and thinking back to when we were young. Thanks for coming Synthea!!

My Friend Eureka

We just bought the best appliance in the world! Actually, Jason's mom told me about it. It's called the Eureka Stick Vacuum. It is a light-weight, mini, bag-less vacuum on wheels that is used in place of sweeping. It's so amazing!! Sweeping takes so long and when you have to do it a billion times a day with kids (I can't stand dirty floors), it takes up too much time. With Eureka, it's just running the vacuum real quick, except that it's tons lighter than a regular vacuum and smaller so it fits under the cupboards and chairs. The best part about it is, even Karissa can do it and she and Victoria both love doing so!

Mine can be a hand vac as well and has a crevice tool. We got it at Walmart for only $15! It is corded, but they have some that aren't for more money.