Sweet Pea Potts

Snow Day!!!

2012-01-18T15:50:00.000-08:00

After the freezing rain everything was covered in ice and it was so beautiful

Stunning

Ridley was shivering as our house was in the 50's so I put her winter coat on and covered her up with Oliver's blanket and sleeping bag!

The dogs had a great time frolicking in the street.

Brrrrrr.

I love all their little faces in this picture!

Look at the upper right hand corner of this picture...John & Jerry were throwing huge snow balls at them as they passed.

Uh-oh...look out Uncle John!

Payback time!!!

Berkeley kept making snow balls that weighed almost as much as she does.

Finley tasting snow for the first time!

Gracie fell in exhaustion after so much playing!

These 2 aren't tired yet...another round Dad!!!

Well, we had our first snow of the season last weekend and boy, did it do a number on us. It started out beautiful over the weekend and we didn't mind when it continued on Monday since the kids were off of school for the Martin Luther King holiday. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday every school in the state (except one) was closed due to bad roads. So, Tom was going to go into work a couple hours late to let the snow plows work their magic. He decided that since he was home he would fire up an old John Deere tractor that runs (after about 3 jumps), but no longer mows. So, he tied up an old tube to the back of the John Deere and took the kids on a wild ride up and down the street. As you can see by their little faces they absolutely loved it. Gracie came out and took a spin as well and then a snow ball fight broke out! Jerry came as all the kids were on the tube and I think he didn't want to ruin the moment by going into the office so we let the dogs run free to chase the tractor and play in the snow. They ended up doing most of their work from home that day and the kids had a blast. They came in to rest for a little while and warm up and then round 2 began after Finley went down for her nap.

The news kept mentioning that we were supposed to get freezing rain on Wed night and I kept hoping they were wrong. They weren't. We lost power sometime Wed night and Thursday morning the house was freezing so we headed over to Jer's house for the afternoon to stay warm hoping our power would be restored soon. We lost hope as we watched the news and found out over 100,000 people were without power and all the runways at the airport were closed except one. So around lunch time the boys came back to Jer's for lunch and right in the middle of making lunch his power went out. Long story short, we have been without power for 5 days and just got it back on tonight around 5:00. Verl was kind enough to let us borrow the generator from the restaurant so we had a little bit of light and could watch movies. Our next door neighbor rewired our furnace and ran it through the generator so we could get some heat! We are so thankful!!! We are leaving for Hawaii on Wed. That's right, not tomorrow, but the next day so I am thankful we have power so I can get started on my mountain of laundry. I have never been so excited to do laundry in my whole life. Tom put on his last clean socks & underwear this morning. Wow, going through that sure makes me thankful for all of the modern day conveniences that we have. It's so easy to take it for granted & forget how good we have it until we lose it!

Cute!

2012-01-18T15:17:00.001-08:00

Sweet Girls

2012-01-05T08:32:00.001-08:00

The day after Christmas Berkeley & Finley laid down on the couch together and Berk covered them up with a new super soft blanket so they were all warm and cuddly. Finley had her new cat and she was happy to share it with sister as they rested together. Then they started laughing and being goofy as soon as the camera made it's appearance. I am so glad they are good little friends. Berkeley is incredibly sweet with Fin and Fin just adores her big sister. I am excited for them to share a room so that bond just gets stronger and stronger. Sisters are so special and I'm glad my girls will get to experience that!

Christmas Day 2011

2012-01-04T13:32:00.001-08:00

Finley was excited for Christmas morning!

Berkeley got all kinds of new horse paraphernalia and she was delighted!

Oliver has wanted one of these bouncy balls for a looong time!

Waiting to start presents!

Oliver was very patient while he waited his turn

Mason was all dressed up for Christmas...on his top half he was a chef and on his bottom half he was a plumber :)

Oh boy! A brand new doll!!!

Finley hopped right up on Hudson's lap to cuddle with him while he watched the game and he wasn't quite sure how he felt about that!

The big kids enjoyed a game of poker after dinner

The little kids enjoyed a movie after dinner

Finley LOVES her cousin Gracie!

More cuddling! Hudson - I have a feeling you're going to have to get used to all the girls wanting to cuddle with you. It's part of being so adorable :)

On Christmas morning (Sunday) Oliver woke up at 7:18 and Tom ushered him back to bed for a few minutes longer. At 7:28 he made his way back into our room along with Berkeley and they laid quietly in bed with us for another 15 minutes. Finally, when we thought they could no longer stand it, we went downstairs and discovered our tree full of presents!!! They were so sweet and thought we should wait for Finley to wake up to begin opening. While we waited, we opened/assembled all the gifts from Christmas Eve that never got put together and played with at Chris & Laura's house. Finley didn't wake up till 9:00 and we were so proud of them for waiting nearly 2 hours without ever once bugging us or begging to start opening presents. The highlights from Santa were: a basketball and hoop for Oliver to practice on, a rocking horse for Berkeley and a baby doll for Finley. After we quickly got everything cleaned up, kids dressed and car packed we headed over to Verl & Sherri's house at 10:30 for brunch.

As soon as we got there and got the kids in the door we realized we forgot all the presents. Tom thought I had packed them and I thought he had packed them so I ran back home to retrieve them! When brunch was over and we were all settled we began opening presents! The kids got all kinds of fun new things and played with their cousins. Andy & Andrea came up from California so the kids were thrilled to play with Blake & Mason. After presents we went to visit Grandma Sam and then ran home to nap all the kids. We woke them up at 5:00 and were back on the road to be back at Verl & Sherri's house for dinner by 5:30. After a delicious meal the boys played poker while the gals visited and the kids played and watched a movie. At 9:30 we came home, brushed & flossed the kids and collapsed!!!

Oliver woke up with a terrible cough & cold on Tuesday morning so we laid low and did absolutely nothing for the next few days. The following Friday we drove to the ranch in Yelm (one of Sherri's brother's has a friend with a huge "cabin" that we all stay at every New Years) and arrived there around 6:00. I ended up laying down with Finley because she wouldn't sleep in the pack-n-play since we were in a new house full of "strangers". It was a miserable night. She was awake the whole entire night and so were we. I don't know how people sleep with their kids. It is absolutely miserable!!! Every time I looked at her her eyes were wide open, but at least she layed in bed the whole night. She laid sideways and every time we tried to turn her straight she'd move back so Tom and I had the very edges of the bed. The next morning she had one of the most terrible colds she has ever had. Tom finally took her for a car ride to put her to sleep and by the time he reached the end of the driveway she was out. We left after dinner that night and when we got home we brushed & flossed everyone and again fell completely exhausted into bed. We are so exciting that we were in bed by 10:30 on New Year's Eve!!! Finley ended up sleeping for 16 hours straight and woke up the next afternoon a complete wreck. Her cold was horrendous and her eyes were practically swollen shut and her nose was like a faucet that never stopped running. Just yesterday she got some of her "perk" back and her nose is finally starting to dry up. Now it's just all in her chest. Berk went back to school today and we are all glad to be back on a routine. Having kids and doing everything for Christmas sure does make me thankful for all the years my parents did it. Parents always have a way of making everything look and seem so effortless, but boy, is it taxing!!! Loads of fun, but utterly exhausting!!! I would normally say I can't wait to do it all again next year, but that wouldn't be entirely true. I am going to savor the next 11 months of relative "calm" until the craziness starts all over again :)

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-04T08:55:00.001-08:00

Finley is a big time 'daddy's girl'

This picture is dark, but I love it!
These two are such good little friends. They crack me up!

Papa feeding Easton

Berkeley built a tower and showed it off

The kids sang Christmas carols on the stairs. Finley wasn't really into it...maybe the noise level was a bit much :)

Papa, Grandma & Fin

Berkeley listened to Papa read the story of Jesus' birth. He used to read that same story every Christmas before present time when Laura & I were kids!

Berkeley got a horse jewelry box from Grandma & Papa. She loves it!

Finley got the hang of opening presents by the end of the night!

Oliver got a cool Nerf basketball & hoop for his bedroom so he can start practicing!

We had yet another great Christmas Eve over at Chris & Laura's house this year. The kids had tons of fun playing together and opening presents and the adults had tons of fun stuffing their faces with all kinds of delicious morsels!

The kids played all night long and had a blast. When it was time to go home, Oliver said good bye to Cohen and Cohen got a sad little look on his face and said "Don't go." Then when Tom said good bye to him, he said "Take me with you." The cousins never like to part with one another. I am so glad they are such good friends. Laura said sometimes when she puts Cohen to bed he'll say "I want my Berkeley here (and points to one side of the bed) and my Oliver here (and points to the other side of the bed." When she asks "What about Finley?" he'll say "I want my Finley here and Uncle Tom here and Aunt Lisa here," until his bed is full of the Potts family. She also said sometimes he'll run around the house declaring "I'm a Potts!" He probably gets that from Oliver.

I am so thankful for my family and that we have fun traditions. The kids will have so many special memories and hopefully all of their children will grow up together one day and make many more!!!

Oliver's First Soccer Team!

2011-12-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

A quick smile before the game

A good luck kiss before the game

A little goofy before the game!

Oliver was thrilled to have one of his favorite cousins, Hudson, at his game

Hudson and his "fan club"

Papa Potts and Hudson

The coach warming everyone up before the game

Go Monkeys!!!

Yeah team!!

Thomas giving Oliver a pep talk while warming up

Jake taking a little time out!

A nice action shot

Making a break away and heading for the goal

Making a goal!

Exhausted after running, running and more running!

Jake & Oliver enjoying a much deserved refreshment after the game

As I was going through my pictures of this last year I realized I completely forgot to post pictures of Oliver's first soccer team experience. He and his friend Jake were on the same team. The kids decided on the "Monkeys" for their team name and boy, oh boy, did they ever live up to that name!

Oliver somehow ended up with jersey #4 and I was thrilled since that happens to be my favorite number! My soccer # was also 4 all through junior high and high school so he got a kick out of having the same # as mom!

Oliver did awesome for his first time. His first game was so exciting! He scored 4 goals (2 for his own team and 2 for the other team due to some confusion). The 2nd game he scored 5 goals, the 3rd game he scored 3 goals and then I stopped keeping track. At the end of the season when the coach was handing out the trophys he said a little something about each kid and how far they had progressed and he jokingly said "Oliver was our high scorer. He had the biggest entourage at every game (due to his own parents/all 4 grandparents/Uncle Jer & every once in a while a cousin or 2) and even people from other teams would come over to watch Oliver play. He really made a name for himself." He was joking, of course. Except for the entourage. That was a little embarassing, but he loved having all of his "fans" there to cheer him on. He had a fantastic coach...he had a great sense of humor/sarcasm and he was really laid back about the kids learning how to play and be a team. It really was a bit like trying to keep 6 puppies on the field in their particular position all at the same time. I would be horrible at it and you will never witness me signing up to be a coach :)

Anyway, he had a great time (which is the whole point) and we loved cheering for him. He is going to do baseketball in January so we'll see how we do at that one. He got a new basketball & hoop for Christmas so he can start getting the hang of it. Thomas was big time into basketball so he is already teaching him the lingo and some "old school" moves from back in the day. Don't break a hip dear!!!

My Sweet Finley Girl

2011-12-23T12:37:00.001-08:00

Here are a few recent pictures of my Finley Winslet. She is my quietest one thus far, although she is starting to get a bit feisty & isn't afraid to let us know when there is something she wants or needs. She doesn't really talk yet, but she dances and "sings" all day long. She'll go out in the garage where it echoes and she'll spin in circles and listen to herself sing and hum. She'll also grab whoever's hand is available and start dancing around in circles. It's pretty funny. She loves her sister & brother and will occassionally go and lay her head down in their laps or go up and wrap her arms around them and love on them. This morning she cuddled with Berk on the couch underneath a blanket. They are pretty cute together and I plan on putting them in the same room together as soon as we switch Fin to a big girl bed. I want them to be as close as Laura & I are and I think sharing a room has a lot to do with that.

She is a complete daddy's girl. The minute Thomas comes home she squeals and runs to him as fast as her little legs will carry her. She loves to cuddle. Every Sunday when we take her into the nursery, all the ladies fight over who gets Finley. She literally sits in the rocking chair the entire service and cuddles with whoever winds up with her. The pastor's wife, Sandy, never wants to let her go when we come to get her and I've noticed she always tries to line herself up so that she is the one who gets Finley when we drop her off.

I can't believe she is going to be 2 in a few months. I think the 3rd one grows the fastest of all. I am trying to enjoy every minute with her...pretty soon she'll be getting on the bus and leaving me for 7 hours just like Berkeley. I know the day is quickly approaching when all of my kids will be at school all day long and I don't know if I'm ready for it.

Hilarious!!!

2011-12-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

I ran across these pictures from last August when Oliver was helping Thomas wash the car. I forgot how funny they turned out. He was really wound up and luckily I happened to catch his crazy antics!

This kid has the ability to make me laugh hysterically one minute and swear like a sailor in my head the next. This was one of the moments I was laughing hysterically! These pictures remind me of the cheesy commercials or movie scenes where there is some guy having a fantasy of a gorgeous model in a string bikini washing a car and playing in the soap suds, except it's my cute little Oliver in his pj's (with his shorts on crooked and his belly hanging out) playing with the hose and the soap. Oh, it's just priceless!

Some Very Random & Very Funny Photos

2011-12-14T12:33:00.001-08:00

A Star is born!

I "heart" you!

Cute buddies!

This kid SO takes after his papa (Potts, that is)! What a nut!

For her 6th birthday Berkeley had her lips done and Oliver is already growing facial hair...how about those Potts boys, huh?

Just thought I'd post some very random and pretty hilarious pictures of the kids. I love it when they are goofy together. You'll have to excuse Oliver's lack of clothing. It is 28 degrees outside, but the minute we come in the house he immediately peels off all of his clothing with the exception of his tighty whities or "tighty spidies" (due to the fact that he only wears Spiderman undies). I am always freezing and covered up with blankets. At one point I thought he was allergic to clothes because he never wants to wear them. But he is a Potts which means he is a little furnace. I don't bother buying cute pj's for him anymore because he gets too hot and won't wear them to bed. Come to think of it, in a few years I'll probably be peeling off all of my clothing in the middle of winter cause I'll be on fire too. That time of life is just around the corner, isn't it? Yikes...I guess I'd better enjoy being cold while it lasts :)

Good Friends, Good Food, Good Times!

2011-12-14T10:45:00.001-08:00

Timmy holding his brand new brother, Max, Riah and Jack

Timmy & Max

Berkeley & Timmy gazing at baby Max. We alway joke that someday they'll get married and gaze at their own newborn :)

Fin & Jack taking a break

Riah, Oliver & Timmy playing a "George" game

Doren is a proficient iPad user already at the age of 2!!!

Just a minute mom, I'm not done yet!

Ok, here is my masterpiece!

Joe, Tom & Tim

Andrea, Jack, Doren and Sara

We had everyone from our old home group over last weekend and it was so fun catching up and seeing how much all the kids have grown. Andrea had her 3rd boy, Maxwell James only two weeks before and it was so wonderful to hold a newborn again! He is perfect and oh so sweet! Joe & Sara have not one, but two iPads that the kids absolutely loved. In fact, you would have never known that 8 kids were even there. It was so quiet. They all played quietly on them the entire time. I think we'll be getting one soon :) I don't think my house has ever been so quiet with so many kids around. It was almost eerie!

Cute Turkeys

2011-12-05T10:47:00.001-08:00

The week of Thanksgiving Oliver & Jake made these cute turkey hats and then after school Jake came over to our house. They were 2 of the cutest little turkeys I have ever seen so I had to grab the camera! Jake loves Finley. In the car on the way home from school he said "I can't wait to play with Finley." Oliver said "Well, you should just play with me since Finely is a baby and she might scratch you." I think Oliver was a bit bent out of shape that Jake wanted to play with her instead. Jake replied "That's ok if she scratches me, I don't mind. " So, as I was getting lunch ready, Jake and Finley sat on the couch together and Jake had his arm around Finley. During lunch, he kept feeding bites of mac and cheese to her and made sure she had everything she needed. They played upstairs together and he would bring her down the stairs to make sure she got down safely. It was so cute. In the mornings when I drop Oliver off at school, Jake will jump in my car and give Finley a kiss before we walk to the class room door. It's so sweet.

So, speaking of cute things, Grandma Potts does an advent calendar for the kids every year and last night happened to be a "gift night." Oliver opened his gift and found a Lightning McQueen lunch box. He was thrilled and can't wait to take his lunch in it when he starts Kindergarten like his big sister. So, that night before bed he insisted on praying (instead of me) and when he prayed he said "Dear Jesus, thank you for all our blessings. Thank you for my new lunch box. Thank you that we were good kids today. Amen." The next morning we went to church and after church we ran home to get ready to go to Easton's first birthday party. As I was getting stuff packed in the car the kids were outside riding bikes. Berkeley started to ride her bike through some much and Tom reminded her to stay out of the mud so that her tires didn't spray mud up on her nice clothes and Oliver said "Yeah Berk because you look beautiful." He says some of the sweetest things. I have to record them so I don't ever forget.

This morning when I dropped him off at school Jake asked if he could come over today. I said today probably wouldn't work out because we won't be home this after noon. Oliver said "Yeah Jake, tonight we are going to Snowflake Lane so we might be a little bit busy so today probably isn't a good day." He is such a little character!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-02T08:46:00.001-08:00

The kid table-that is a first in our family!

The gang's all here!

I bought this outfit for Berk when she was a baby and I was so excited to have another girl so "we" could wear it again!!!

Why can't they make this in my size???

Too much turkey - time for bed!

We had Thanksgiving at our house this year with my side of the family. It was a little stressful to get it all done in time because for 3 whole weeks prior to Thanksgiving my kids were sick...as in stuff spewing out of every end, type of sick. At one point my whole house smelled like vomit and sickness and I wondered if it would ever smell the same again! So, once again, I wrestled with this little mind of mine since all of my "perfect plans" went by the wayside and I had to wing it. Will I ever learn that nothing in life goes as planned, especially with 3 kids? I think I am a slow learner, but it all ended up working out just fine. It usually does. We had a beautiful dinner and a lovely time with family. The kids played so well together and made more happy memories with cousins, grandmas and grandpas!

Berkeley Lost a Tooth!

2011-11-19T22:12:00.001-08:00

Berk lost her first tooth today! We went to dance class this morning and when we got in the car to go home she showed me how it was just barely hanging in there. Within 20 minutes of getting home, she was talking and it started moving up and she reached in and gently pulled it out.

I am so sad to see her first baby tooth fall out. I LOVE baby teeth. I love those sweet little smiles with those tiny little teeth. Maybe it's not so much that I love baby teeth, but the fact that she is getting adult teeth and slowly moving towards becoming an adult that I don't like. At any rate, it's inevitable and there's nothing I can do about it so I'll do my best to embrace it and accept the fact that with each passing day and year my "baby" is getting older.

Berkeley's 6th Birthday!

2011-11-14T12:45:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, November 5th, we celebrated Berkeley's 6th birthday. Of course we did a horse theme, since she eats, breathes and sleeps horses! She got an adorable pink hat and boots from Papa & Grandma Potts, riding lessons from us and Papa & Grandma Moran, horse pillow pet, huge horse book and tons of art supplies since every day when she gets off the bus she is busy at the kitchen table practicing her letters, numbers, coloring & drawing. Our table has been covered in painting projects, glitter, glue and even little pot holders that she made with her new weaving loom. She is our little artist and just loves being creative.

She had a wonderful time at her party and loved celebrating with family and her sweet little friends and cousins! She has her first 2 loose teeth on the bottom and we can see where one of her adult teeth is coming up behind them. I will miss those adorable little baby teeth. Hard to believe they will all be gone soon - my baby is growing up. Sniff, sniff :)

Halloween 2011

2011-11-13T19:43:00.001-08:00

For Halloween this year we did our usual trip to Fall Festival at a local church. It was kind of lame because we got such a late start. We tried to do too much beforehand and we only got to be there for about an hour before it was over. The kids were bummed so I felt kind of bad. Berkeley wants to go trick or treating next year, but I don't want to take her because most neighborhoods have such creepy decorations and I don't want us to wake up 6 times a night for the next 2 months due to bad dreams. Maybe we'll just go to a few houses that we know are "safe."

Berkeley was a cow girl, Oliver was obviously Spider Man and Finley was a "wolf" spider. We had many unpleasant experiences with wolf spiders while living in Grandpa & Grandma's basement so the kids are very familiar with wolf spiders and decided that was the type of spider Finley was. As you can see, she wasn't feeling it at first, but as the night wore on she ended up enjoying herself and forgot all about the costume.

Oliver's 1st day of School!

2011-09-17T17:17:00.001-07:00

Jake & Oliver

On Monday, Sept 12th, Oliver had his 1st day of the "3's class" at the same little preschool Berk attended. After dropping her off and picking her up for 2 years he was ready to go all by himself. All I can say is boy, what a difference between the 1st born and 2nd born. After I put her on the bus crying hysterically with her hands on the window pleading with me to take her off and then going inside to cry hysterically myself as the picture of my child's 5 year old eyes full of tears will stay with me for the rest of the day until she comes home (chipper and happy when the bus drops her off, acting like it was a great day, by the way). So I took Oliver to school not quite knowing how he would react. Would he see sister's reaction at having to ride the bus to school and decide to act the same way or will he remember how badly he wanted to go last year as I had to coerce him into getting in the car after dropping her off at preschool?

He informed me that he might be nervous and might "cry just a wittle bit" so I expected a few sniffles and then he'd remember just how long he waited to go himself. His friend Jake is in his class (Jake is Justin's little brother. Justin is one of Berk's best friends. She informed me she is going to marry him and practically gave her dad a heart attack over the summer when she walked him out to his car holding his hand while wearing her pink bikini after they had a swim/play date. They went through the last 2 years of preschool together and we go to the park all the time so they are all good buddies.) So after he and Jake compared back packs and hung all their gear up on the hooks, Oliver started playing with play-doh and said "Aren't you gonna leave now Mom?" I said "Oh, am I being dismissed?" I hadn't even taken his picture by his wall yet and asked if I could do that real quick and he said "Yeah, I want you to stay just a couple more minutes and then you can go." So, after completing my task he kissed me, hugged me and said "Bye Mom" and never once looked back.

It turns out, his teacher has a son who knows his oldest cousin Malacai. She saw Oliver's last name and asked if he knew Malacai. Oliver said "Yes, he's my cousin." She asked him "Do you know what school he goes to? Oliver said "He's in big kid Kindergarten." So, needless to say, his first week of school was much different than Berk's. Berk started out great, but after she discovered how loud the bus was and how long the day was, she decided she wasn't too fond of all day Kindergarten or of riding the bus. He, on the other hand, wants to go to her new school since she has a better play ground and a better bathroom and can't wait to ride the bus. In fact, the only problem with his new school is that it doesn't have bus service. Go figure!!!

Berk's 1st day of Kindergarten!!!

2011-09-01T09:14:00.001-07:00

How did we go from this...

to this?????

(I cropped this one kind of funny because the street numbers were in the background and I didn't want to post those so that's why Gracie is a little bit cut off)

I just put my baby on the bus. And so here I sit with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat, not quite sure what to do with myself. I have a 4 year old and a 17 month old that also seem a little bit lost. It is really quiet this morning without her. She is Oliver's best friend and Finley's best friend and play mate.

Yesterday was especially hard knowing that it was her last day home. I had a rough day and could't keep myself together a few times. Last night during bed time stories I could barely get the stories read without crying. I feel like I just brought my first baby home...how can she be going to school for 6+ hours every day??? This morning before I woke her up I took a few moments and just looked at her tiny little body all snuggly, warm, peaceful and innocent in her bed and savored it. My little girl is growing up and there's nothing I can do about it.

This morning while we were finishing up breakfast Uncle Jer and the dogs came in. Jer wrote a little poem and handed it to me to read. I started to read the first sentence and quickly realized I wasn't going to get through it. He ended up reading it to us. Here it is:

For us nine it was the summer to remember

Oliver & I took our first swim and later we saw the first steps of Fin!

It was hot dogs, macaroni & cheese and father who drove the boat as fast as you please

The sand, the sun and games galore, I remember it to be the year that Oliver turned 4

Mother took us to pools for lessons and filled us with love during each of those sessions

And Jake, Sterling & Ridley were spirited and fun

We spent many happy days out in the sun!

Uncle, Oliver & I saw "CARS" at the mall

We slept at the Ritz and all had a ball!

It's the first day of school; new clothes & a pack

The nine of us here together a time to remember, forever and ever.

Ok, so, now you know why there was no way I was going to get through that. Seeing her off today just made me realize how incredibly precious these years are and have been with my kids. Oliver has already asked a few times "When is Berk coming home?" I keep looking at the clock too, counting down the hours & minutes till that bus comes pulling up, bringing our girl back home to us.

Oliver's 4th Birthday!!!

2011-08-31T15:06:00.001-07:00

A birthday kiss...

...and hug!

The kids found a tiny frog just before everyone came and named her "Lindsay"

Tim, Andrea, Timmy & Jack (and baby boy due in Nov)! One of the sweetest families I know!

Little Jack! So cute!

Darling Ella & Addy

Jack enjoying a cold cup of apple juice

Oliver informed me the Nerf Gun from Cohen was his "very bestest present"

Blowing out the candles with Papa...Happy 68th Birthday Dad!

Trying out his new soccer ball and goal from his cousins...gotta get some practice in before Pee Wee Soccer starts in a week!

He finally got a spider man costume...he has been asking for one since last Halloween! He was so excited!!!

Fin slept throught almost the entire party and then joined dad for a breather on the porch after all the action ended!

We celebrated Oliver's 4th birthday last Saturday (his birthday was officially yesterday) and had a gorgeous day. The kids played in the water and took a boat ride. This was the first year I bought all of the invites/decorations/party bags instead of making them and boy was it easy. I don't know what I have been thinking for the past (almost) 6 years. It was the easiest, cheesiest birthday party I have ever done! He loved it though! It really was a perfect day. We had a huge turnout. I tend to "over invite" for his bday because people are generally out of town for one last vacation during the last week of summer. Only 2 families couldn't make it this time.

He got some awesome "boy" presents. His favorite was the nerf gun from Cohen and he also loves all the machines that he got. Each machine came with a dark haired guy and a red haired guy so he has a "Daddy & Mr. Scotty" to play with all day long! How perfect! He finally got a spider man costume that he has been asking my mom for for about 10 months now. I was excited about it until my sister said "Oh, that will be so cute when he wears it every day to school and it will look extra cute in your family Christmas picture." My heart sank at the thought of it, but it's just a phase, right? I can hope so anyway :)

It really was a fun party and a perfect day. It was fun watching the kids get wet. Papa Potts was a great sport and let them dump buckets of water on his head for a good hour. I can't believe my baby boy is 4. I can't believe the next 12 months will fly by and we'll be celebrating his 5th. We have lots of changes coming to our house this fall and this year promises to go even faster than the last 4. I'm not sure if I'm prepared for another one to slide past.

The Beach

2011-08-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

My "Baywatch Babes"

Cute Cousins

Fin saw me taking a pic of the boys on this log and she scooted all the way over to be in them too!

Smiley Girl

These two love each other so much

My growing boy eating 1 of 3 hot dogs for lunch!

Oliver took a picture of Uncle Chris fumbling around with the kite

All 5 tired little babes!

My little poser

A few weekends ago we went to Ocean Shores with my family. When we woke up on Saturday morning the weather was horrendous. Raining and windy and just plain nasty. We were thinking that if it was that nasty here, it would be even worse there, but we didn't want to be party poopers and the kids were super excited so we decided to be good sports and do it anyway. It turned out to be a good call because it was a gorgeous day at the beach. About an hour after we arrived, the clouds parted and the sun made it's glorious debut. The kids played in the sand all day. Tom, Oliver, Chris & Cohen were the only ones brave enough to stick their feet in the water. We made brats and burgers on a little grill and had yummy salads, chips and treats. By the time we packed up to leave everyone was sunburned, windburned and ready for a shower and a soft bed to lay down on. It was a really fun day and another great memory. Oliver asked me the next day if the beach was only open on Sundays? I said no, the beach is open every single day. He thought that was pretty cool and has mentioned a couple of times since then that the beach is open every day (unlike the fair or the pumpkin patch that is only open a few weeks a year and then you have to wait till next year to go again). We will definitely be doing it again next year.

Strawberry Shortcake!

2011-08-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

The other day I let my little strawberry blonde try strawberries for the very first time and boy did she love them. As you can see, she was completely covered in strawberries! I got the camera out and held it up to my face and she just smiled the whole time I had it pointed at her. I didn't even have to coax it out of her. Yikes! I think I have another poser on my hands! The other two characters had to get in on the action too and even had to take some pictures themselves. It just cracked me up that the second I took the camera out, Finley smiled the entire time without me even saying a word. I probably took 15 shots and she grinned the whole time. If I hadn't carried all 3 of these kids in my womb I wouldn't believe they were mine. They are all so completely different than me and Tom. Such characters, they are!

Goofballs!

2011-08-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

These two were cracking me up the other day. They must have swallowed a silly bug because they just started acting so goofy. Luckily I had the camera handy. When they aren't cooped up inside all day fighting like cats and dogs, they really are good little friends. They have been swimming and riding bikes together from sunrise till sunset. Although, the other day Berkeley did or said something to Oliver that he didn't like so he folded his hands and closed his eyes and said "Dear Jesus, please take Berk away." I had to turn away to keep them from seeing my face. I couldn't quite keep a straight face on that one. I don't want these summer days to end. I don't want my kids to grow up and stop playing together and being goofy.

Outside Slumber Party

2011-07-26T15:21:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid living on the lake it used to be so fun to have sleep overs outside on the porch. I told Tom that this is something we HAD to do this summer. Tom likes to remind me that I am older than him (only by 5 months, mind you) and no longer a spring chicken, so I had him bring the kids' mattresses downstairs for us to sleep on. We fixed the kids' beds up out of dog beds, couch cushions and sleeping bags.

It took a while for everyone to calm down. They were very excited and at one point Oliver's sleeping bag got completely turned around so that the top of it (Buzz Lightyear) was underneath him. He started looking everywhere and said "Hey, where'd my astronaut go?" We started cracking up...it sounded so funny hearing that come out of the mouth of a 3 year old! Anyway, after prayers and bed time stories and a million questions everyone got settled in. We woke up to a beautiful day and played outside all day after church. I do have to mention, my husband woke up with a sore back and was moving quite slowly while getting ready for church. I, on the other hand, bounced right up and had a spring in my step.

That night, since I am evidently still young and vibrant, I came to the conclusion that since all of our stuff was still on the porch we might as well do it again. Since the next day was Monday and Tom had to work, he declined to participate and carried his tired old bones upstairs to the comfort of the Tempur Pedic Memory Foam mattress.

The next morning wasn't so pleasant as we woke up to wind and rain. It was freezing and the kids and I hurried inside. We still had fun though and I'm sure we will be making a habit out of that this summer. Well, I will anyway, since there is obviously still some "spring" left in this old chicken:)

We Are Riding on Two Wheels!!

2011-07-26T14:46:00.001-07:00

One of our goals for the summer has been met! We have graduated from training wheels to 2 wheels and boy are we proud of ourselves! A week ago, on Sunday morning before church, Tom decided to take the training wheels off of the bikes and work with the kids in the driveway while I was finishing up getting ready for chuch. They had been out there for 20-30 minutes (in the rain) when I walked outside and discovered that Berkeley had almost mastered it. She was still a bit wobbly and we had to practically pry her away from the bike while it started to downpour and we rushed off to church. After church, we came home, ate lunch and Berkeley hopped back on the bike. After a couple more practice runs up and down the drive way she had it down pat! We were so excited that we rode bikes (we put Oliver's training wheels back on cause he hadn't quite mastered it yet) to the little corner grocery store so that they could get a candy. This is the same grocery store that Grandma Potts rode her bike to as a kid and the same one daddy rode his bike to as a kid to pick out treats!

The next day Tom and I had to spent most of the morning in Seattle, but when I got home later that afternoon Oliver asked if I would help him practice on Berk's bike. Berkeley really didn't want to give up her "new wheels," but Oliver oh so sweetly reminded her "Berk, remember, Jesus wants us to share" (why does it seem he only remembers that when he wants someone to share something with him and not the other way around?). So, Berkeley graciously shared her bike so that he could have a turn. Within 20 minutes he was doing circles all by himself in the grass. He called all the neighbors out to watch him and got a trail ride all planned out with Mr. Jim's family and our family to go on sometime.

So, last Sunday, yet again, we found ourselves riding bikes to the corner grocery store to pick out a treat after church. I have a feeling we will be doing that after church for the rest of the summer. That's fine with me though. I think it's so cool that my kids get to ride bikes to the same grocery store that their dad and grandma rode to as kids. What fun memories and traditions!

Daddy's Home!

2011-07-26T14:43:00.000-07:00

Thomas came home the other night while we were playing outside and everyone squealed and ran for dad. Finley can't run yet, but she joined in the squealing and scooted as quickly as she possibly could to pile into the car to greet dad! What a welcome!!!

Fin - 1 year

2011-07-23T10:07:00.001-07:00

Somehow I missed Finley's 1 year photo file. She is so dainty and petite just like Berkeley and she is starting to exhibit some feistiness! I guess you'd have to, being the 3rd one, otherwise you'd just get run over! She really is Berkeley's own real life baby doll. She adores her big sister and is nothing but smiles and giggles whenever Berk plays with her. She likes Oliver too, from a distance :) No, really, he is making her tough and able to play rough! He is still so protective and always watches out for her. He is a great big brother. Not only is he protective of his little sister, but the Sunday school teacher told us he is very protective of his big sister too! Good work Oliver! Keep it up!

Brownies

2011-07-13T16:32:00.001-07:00

Well, since the forecast shows rain for the next 5 days in the middle of July, I figured the only way I was going to get "little brown berries" this summer would be to let them paint themselves with brownies! They had a blast making them and eating them, but that kind of goes without saying, doesn't it :)

Zoo 2011

2011-06-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

Berkeley got the biggest kick out of the giraffe licking her with his purple tongue!

Finley enjoying her first trip to the zoo

Cohen making sure Finley is having a good time

Is it just me or does this picture look very similar to the one above???

Love that smile

Making Cohen giggle

Easton enjoying his first trip to the zoo too!

Doing an imitation of Tarzan!

Oh, how she LOVES horses!

Waiting for this little guy to squirt water at them!

On Sunday, May 29th we went to the zoo with Chris & Laura and Bill & Lyndee (Chris' dad and step-mom). It was a great day for the zoo - a bit overcast with no rain and all of the animals were out and about. The kids had a fantastic time. The high light was feeding the giraffes. When Berkeley held her food out, one of the giraffes stuck out it's huge tongue and licked her fingers. She got the biggest thrill out of it and I didn't realize I had captured it till I looked through the pictures a few days later. You kind of have to really look at the picture because it almost kind of blends in. I think I had looked at that same photo a couple of times before I caught it!

The zoo had a really amazing dinosaur exhibit that we went through and the dinosaur looked insanely real. I could tell Oliver was a bit unsure at first because he kind of hung out in the back for the first few minutes and that's just not like him at all. He is always right in the middle of all the action. As soon as he figured out they weren't going anywhere he relaxed a little bit and actually went closer. One of the smaller dinos sprayed water out of it's mouth every so often so all the kids had fun jumping back "just in time" before getting sprayed.

We had a great time and it was extra special because daddy got to go this time. I don't think he has ever been to the zoo with us. It was a nice treat! I am so thankful my kids have cousins to grow up with. I never had that and I think I may have really missed out :) They are making some pretty special memories together!

Bucket Head

2011-06-08T11:44:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday, Oliver threw up in Grandma's car on the way to swim lessons (mostly on himself, thankfully), but in the changing room he insisted that he was well enough to swim and that he did not want to sit on the side and watch. So, I let him swim and he had a great time. On the way home, I got them some lunch and then had to stop at someone's house real quick. He ate some lunch and then started crying and complaining about his tummy again. I tossed him a sack and told him to throw up in it if he felt the urge. I very quickly made my stop and then sped home so that he wouldn't throw up all over the car. When I got him home I had him lay down on the couch and gave him a "bucket" just in case. The longer he laid there, the better he felt, until the bucket made it's way onto his head. It was good to see his smiley face again and I couldn't resist getting a few cute pictures.

Jelly beans

2011-06-07T18:18:00.001-07:00

Ok, some of the things that come out of my children's mouths are too funny not to write down. Some of them are quite embarrassing, especially for me, but in the spirit of being able to laugh at myself and having a good sense of humor, I am going to document them so I never forget them.

I'm not sure if this is true for every little boy, but Oliver is very fond of his "boy parts". I mean it's literally like a magnet for his 3 year old hands. Like a moth to a flame. A play thing, if you will. Once, while he was rummaging around in his pants, I asked "What have you got down there?" to which he replied "Jelly beans."

One morning he was sitting up on the counter helping dad make a steamer and he was fiddling around with his 'parts' again and Tom said "What do you have in there?" Oliver very innocently said "Something wiggly."

One night in the bath tub, Berkeley was studying Oliver's anatomy and, after a few minutes of quiet observation, said "Look Oliver, I don't have anything hanging from my 'front bottom' like you do."

While living in Verl & Sherri's basement during the construction of our home, Berkeley was in the shower with me. Now, keep in mind, this shower is extremely small. If I was pregnant, I seriously question if I would have been able to fit in it at all. So, while I was trying to kill two birds with one stone by having her shower with me, she happened to notice that my under carriage had hair (probably cause we were crammed in there and it was just right there at eye level). In her sweet little 5 year old voice she said "Mom, why does your front bottom have fur on it? Does it keep you warm?" After about 30 seconds of pure shock and embarrassment, I managed to choke out "Yes, Berkeley, it keeps me warm and someday you'll have fur to keep you warm too." That answer seemed to satisfy her and I very quickly wrapped our shower up, and myself, from curious 5 year old eyes!!! I guess now that summer is upon us, I'll have to shed my "winter coat" and get rid of some of that excess fur!

About a week ago as I was getting out of the shower, Berkeley was walking behind me as I walked into our closet to put my pj's on. Once again her powers of observation were hard at work and she said "Mom, your bottom shakes when you walk!" I wasn't nearly as excited about the whole situation as she was and replied "Well, Berkeley, someday, when you have 3 babies, your bottom will shake when you walk too." It was an effort for me not to be out of sorts and bitter about the whole conversation. Lesson learned: Never walk naked in front of a 5 year old!

PreK Graduation

2011-05-27T15:29:00.001-07:00

Berkeley had her official PreK graduation ceremony on Tuesday, May 17th at 7:15 pm. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen and my face hurt afterwards because I couldn't stop smiling. The kids sang about 7 songs complete with hand motions and they did a magnificent job. I thought Berkeley might be a little shy and reserved up there in front of a packed auditorium, but she was actually really into it and gave it her all. I think she loved the roar of the crowd! I was stunned when she (one of the shyest) and another girl held the flag for the pledge of allegiance. It was so fun to watch and we were so proud and also a little sad to see this sweet season come to an end.

Friday, May 20th was her official last day of PreK. The kids and parents got to enjoy a picnic afterwards (and a beautiful day, thankfully) before the kids went inside one last time to sing a couple of last songs with their teachers and say their goodbyes. It was an emotional day as we also had Kindergarten round up at her new school that same morning and I found out that they are starting full-day kindergarten next year instead of half day like they have always done. I was prepared to have Berkeley "home" with me for one more year and I am a little heartsick that that's not going to happen. I feel pretty sick to my stomach about the whole situation and feel like a couple of months isn't enough time to prepare myself for not having her at home anymore. People have told me that once they start school the time just absolutely flies by until they graduate. I feel like it can't go any faster because the weeks absolutely fly by already. At the end of the ceremony her teacher announced they will be graduating in the class of 2024. When I heard that I got chills because it will go by in a blink. I know all I can do is hang on to every precious moment and enjoy her as much as I possibly can. I know she is only "ours" for a very short season and then we have to let her go. Why does that seem so impossibly difficult and unfair?

Swimming Lessons

2011-05-13T14:24:00.001-07:00

We started swimming lessons about a month ago. On the way to their first lesson I told the kids that the water was really warm, around 92 degrees, like a bath. After the lesson I was going to take them to Grandma Potts' house to play. They hadn't seen her in a couple of weeks because she had been sick with the flu. Berkeley kept her window down the whole way there so that the water would be extra warm when she got in. She said "I'm thinking about getting in that warm water" and Oliver chirped up from the back and said "I'm thinking about hugging and kissing Grandma." I thought it was so cute that he was more excited to see Grandma afterwards than going to his first swim lesson.

The kids are loving it and doing wonderfully! I'm amazed at their progress. At first they didn't want to get their eyes in or their heads wet, but now they go off the diving board and down the slide all by themselves and go under water without freaking out! We have a blast watching them and cheering for them. We are so proud of their accomplishments! They, too, are quite proud of themselves. Every night when they go to bed they want to know if tomorrow is a swimming lesson. I know this summer they will turn into little fish being in the lake every day. Good job you guys - keep up the good work!

She Won!!!

2011-05-11T09:00:00.001-07:00

Grandma Potts had Berkeley color a picture to enter into a contest at a local pizza shop and she won! She won a family size one topping pizza! We were so proud of her and I think she was pretty excited and proud of herself too! She loves to color and always puts lots of time and detail into her pictures. Way to go Berkeley - awesome job!!!

Beautiful

2011-05-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

We keep seeing beautiful rainbows, so the other night Berkeley asked if she could take a picture of it. This is what she took - nice job Berk!

Easter 2011

2011-05-11T08:50:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter with my family this year. The kids had a blast hunting for eggs. In fact, Grandma hid Berkeley's 3 or 4 times so she could keep hunting for them and then Berkeley hid them for Grandma so she could participate in all the fun. We ate and ate and ate and then the kids helped Grandma make dessert. It was a really fun day.

Finley's 1st bday

2011-04-19T22:18:00.001-07:00

I love this. It reminds me of the story of the 3 Bears - Papa Bear's chair, Mama Bear's chair and Baby Bear's chair!

Finley turned 1 on March 17th! I can't believe she is a year old. Man, what a year it was. I often think back to when she was just 10 days old and we were getting our house ready for the inspection when we sold it the first time (it later fell through and we had to sell it again) and she just laid on the changing table without making a peep the whole time. I remember kind of forgetting about her and being so busy with staging the house and getting it perfect.

She has been an absolute dream over the past year. I cannot imagine doing everything we did and having any other baby. She has been a godsend, a blessing and a joy. She always has a smile on her face and is content to play quietly all day long. She adores her brother and sister and they love her beyond words. They fight over who gets to sit by her at meal times and usually each move their chair on either side of her so that everyone gets to sit by Finley. Many times, Finley refuses to let me feed her, but will happily take a spoon full of oatmeal from Berkeley. She gets at least a million kisses every day from them. Berkeley plays with her, holds her and makes her laugh. She refers to Fin as her 'beauty' girl instead of her 'cutie' girl. Oliver is fiercely protective of her. When she starts heading toward the fire place he takes on the stance of a football player and uses his body to try and block her while yelling "Mom! Finley is heading towards the fire place!!" What a great big brother. He too, hugs and kisses her almost as much as Berkeley does and loves to "read" books to her.

She is the only one of our babies who has gone into the nursery at church at this age and has made it through the entire service without crying. I have never had a baby quite like her and I have just thoroughly enjoyed every minute of her. She is still so tiny. I took her in for her 1 yr check up and she only weighs 15 lbs 9 oz and still wears some 6 month clothes. I'm not complaining...I want her to stay little for as long as possible.

We love you Finley, our teeny tiny baby button. We look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you!

Finley - 9 mo. pics

2011-04-05T13:21:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of Finley at 9 months old. I took them all together during the mad rush of the holiday season, so as you can see, there's really no variation in outfits this time around! Things really do change by the 3rd one, don't they?!! She was really hamming it up and having a great time. I see she is starting to take after her sister as far as her love for the camera!

Hundreds of pictures later...

2011-04-05T11:06:00.001-07:00

and finally a good one!

Ok, these were just too funny not to post. I was telling Laura that I took hundreds (literally) of pictures of the kids to get one good one for Christmas cards. As I was looking through them trying to find a good one I couldn't help but laugh at some of these. They really do look like they are being tortured, don't they?

Berkeley was such a good sport. She kept saying "Mom, Oliver is killing my back". He kept leaning back on her and the wagon was digging into her which was probably quite uncomfortable. I just kept repeating "Smile through the pain Berk, smile through the pain". You gotta throw some life lessons out there during those photo sessions :) She deserves a medal for all of that though, really. Poor Finley...she was unusually fussy and a few days later we went to watch the parade at Snowflake Lane and ended up in the ER due to a UTI. If I would have known that I wouldn't have put her through all of that. I kind of thought she might be getting a new tooth. Boy, was I wrong! Sorry Fin! And Oliver, what can I say about my Oliver? He kind of fits the stereotype of the middle child, doesn't he? Oh my gosh he cracks me up in these photos.

I only chose the "best of the best" of these. They could have gone on for miles and miles. They really are too funny not to post. Anyway, as you can see after many tears, lots of bribing and the promise of sugary treats, we finally ended up with a good one at the end. I wish I could say that a good time was had by all. The photos prove that that was not the case. But, I finally ended up with a cute Christmas pictures of all 3 of them. Was is difficult? Yes. Did I need a throat lozenge at the end? You bet. Was it worth it? Of course.

Some Random Winter Pics

2011-03-25T11:29:00.001-07:00

Here are a few random photos we took over the course of the winter. I am so behind on everything I don't really know where to begin so I am just kind of wandering around aimlessly :)

2010 Family Photo

2011-03-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

The grandmas always request an updated family photo so we took a quick one and this is it. It's actually our first family photo of all 5 of us together!

Christmas 2010

2011-03-16T11:06:00.001-07:00

I know this is almost 3 months late, but we finally moved into our new house and I finally have access to the internet. Better late than never, right? We spent Christmas Eve at Chris & Laura's. Easton was only 2-1/2 weeks old so we had 5 kids ages 5 and under. You can imagine how chaotic and fun it was! The holidays really are so much fun with little ones. We had a delicious prime rib dinner and of course both babies needed to eat as soon as the meal was served, but we mothers are accustomed to eating cold food so that didn't bother us one bit! Berkeley asked for a Barbie so Aunt Laura found one with a sassy bikini that we named "Lake Sawyer Barbie". Somehow Oliver has become fascinated with Spider Man even though he has never seen a show or a movie. When he opened his Spider man action figure he very excitedly exclaimed "SPIDER MAN!!! OH, I LOVE SPIDER MAN!!!" I'm not sure how he even knows who Spider Man is, but boy, does he like him! He has already asked if he can be Spider Man for Halloween next year.

Christmas day was spent with Tom's family at Verl & Sherri's house. Since we were living down stairs at the time, we went upstairs for a delicious breakfast and then the festivities started shortly thereafter. Blake & Oliver both got little Knight costumes and loved dressing up in those. Berkeley got pj's and a new blanket and a horse that she loves. Finley got a new blanket and a soft giraffe. She loves anything soft and cuddly so she squealed and squeezed it the entire time she held it. Sitting there with everyone again made it hard to believe another year had gone by. And, now, in just 9 short months we'll be doing it all again :)

Easton John

2011-01-15T18:05:00.001-08:00

I am pleased to announce I have a new nephew! Easton John was born on December 7, 2010! I was very lucky to be in the room when he made his grand entrance and Laura did an absolutely incredible job. All I have to say about the birthing process is this: Women are amazing and so are vaginas, God bless them both!

Easton is a precious little guy and I feel so blessed that our family welcomed not one, but two new beautiful and healthy babies in 2010. Finley will have a fun little play mate in a few short months!

These photos were taken when he was 2 weeks old, but since Laura failed to post pictures of her beautiful self on her blog (silly girl) I thought I'd post some of my own. So, here he is...the newest and tiniest member of the fam! Welcome Easton - we love you!

Berkeley's 5th birthday

2010-12-05T09:30:00.001-08:00

Berkeley turned five in November and we had a fun little party with family and friends. She is really getting into princess stuff so this year she got lots of fun dresses and shoes. When she opened up the shoes she said "Oh my, there are millions of them" and proceeded to try every single pair on. There were really only 5 pairs in there, but to a 5 year old that equates to "millions."

Oliver and Cohen also enjoyed dressing up as well, which was kind of funny and disturbing all at the same time!!! I had to get a picture of it just to document it :) Oh, how they will love looking back on these photos when they enter the teen years :)

We had a wonderful day and loved celebrating 5 years with our little spit-fire of a girl!

Halloween

2010-11-28T12:29:00.000-08:00

For Halloween this year Berkeley was a lion again, and then had a wardrobe change into a princess right before we left, Oliver was a monkey and Fin was a baby chick. Fall festival was awesome this year with a couple of bouncy houses which enabled Tom and I to sit and visit with everyone we hardly ever see the whole time. The kids played on those the entire night so it ended up being quite relaxing. I hope they bring them back next year. Usually it's a little chaotic and stressful trying to follow the kids around everywhere, but this year was fantastic!!!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-28T11:58:00.001-08:00

Laura and I took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch again this year and we had a blast as usual. The kids loved feeding the goats, playing on the tractors and going in the bouncy house. Cohen was not so fond of the livestock and clung to Laura every time the sheep "talked" to him. I have to admit, it was horribly loud and obnoxious and I would have clung to my mom too, had she been there :) My sister took the bigger kids on the monster truck while I stayed behind with Finley and the poor thing just about went into labor. We just assumed they'd go for a leisurly ride around the pumpkin patch, but when they bolted off into the woods my stomach dropped as I realized they were going for an extraordinarily bumpy ride through the wilderness. We were kind of shocked that they let her on actually. They asked her how far along she was (34 weeks) and they still let her go. I was worried sick about her all night since Chris was out of town and kept calling her to make sure she wasn't having contractions. She ended up going home to paint the toy room and is still pregnant as I post this. She is so uncomfortable right now and would probably gladly go on another monster truck ride if it would get things going! Anyway, I am frantically trying to catch up on everything that has gone on these past few months. I'll post again soon!

Leaf Day

2010-11-21T14:49:00.000-08:00

The kids have "leaf day" at G & G Potts' house every year. They make a huge pile of leaves to jump in and then have a hot dog roast and s'mores afterwards. Oliver was a big help loading fire wood into his little John Deere tractor. Unfortunately later in the afternoon he was watching a neighbor kid run behind him and drove it over the bank and into the creek. Mom ended up jumping in after him. He somehow managed not to get wet. Mom, however, was not so fortunate! As you can see, he was exhausted (as was I after all the heroics) and passed out in bed later that night. Once again, mom was not so fortunate. I think it has been about 3 months since I have had one entire night of sleep. This too shall pass, right? That's what they tell me anyway :) It was a fun day and many fantastic memories were made. Grandparents are good for that, aren't they?

Finley Winslet - 6 months

2010-11-14T12:47:00.001-08:00

Finley turned 6 months old in September and she is such a joy. She is the happiest, most mellow baby we've ever had. She almost always has a smile on her face and is well loved and taken care of by big sister and brother. She loves them and I can tell she is anxious to be able to move so she can keep up with them! I am so thankful for a baby like her in this season of chaos!

Oliver's 3rd birthday

2010-11-14T12:16:00.001-08:00

Holy Moses! I am so far behind, but with 3 little ones and building a house I barely have time to breathe, let alone post pictures. I miss blogging terribly. It is my outlet. We have no internet access right now, so I am in my husband's office quickly posting some pics. Oliver turned 3 in August and had a fun little party with family and a couple friends. I can't believe my boy is 3. He is quite the little character and scary smart. He keeps me on my toes, that's for sure. He loves his baby sister (and his big sister, though they fight like cats and dogs) and is really protective of her. He adores his cousins and grandparents too.

Ok, I'm going to post Fin's 6 mo pics and then next weekend I'll post some of Berk's 5th bday. As soon as we finish the house and get settled, I'll get back to blogging, I promise.

Finley 4 mo.

2010-08-06T16:21:00.001-07:00

I finally got some pictures of my 3 babies together. It went pretty well, except they fought over who got to hold Finley. I can't believe how much they love this little girl. Berkeley informed me the other day that we need another boy so that we have 2 girls and 2 boys. Finley had her 4 month check up the other day and she is up to 10 lbs 15 ounces. She's still in the 5th percentile, but has grown since her 2 month check up so she's doing great.

So far, having 3 kids has been a somewhat easy adjustment. Well, I don't know if "easy" is the right word, but it's not quite as difficult as I expected it to be. Let me just say this, it is definitely easier going from 2 to 3 than it was going from 1 to 2. And I'll just leave it at that :)

Finley Winslet - 3 months

2010-06-19T14:47:00.001-07:00

I'm still a sucker for a sleeping baby...

...they are so peaceful & perfect

She is so smiley and looks like this every time we talk to her!

I can't believe our Finley girl is 3 months old. Life has been crazy, but I finally made myself stop and pick up the camera to take some 3 month shots of the smallest Potts'. Finley has been such a sweet baby. Out of all of our babies, she is the most mellow thus far, which has been a blessing considering all we have going on right now. Every morning the kids beg to wake her up and when she finally does get up, we have a huge love fest with Finley in the center! She is one very loved little baby and has 2 siblings who can't wait to show her how to do everything.

A Quick Update

2010-05-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Finley had her 2 month check up yesterday. She is up to 8 lbs 8 ounces and is in the 5th percentile. I was a bit surprised. I thought she'd be at least 10 lbs cause she feels huge to me now, but she's a little runt just like Berkeley and Oliver. I don't have any new pictures. I have not been any better about taking them. Things are crazy with a new baby, selling our house and building a new one. The sale of our current home is supposed to close on June 26, so I have started boxing stuff up that we don't use every day. This is an insane season of our lives and I will be thankful when we are settled and never (God willing) move again. Moving isn't such a big deal when it's just 2 of you, but with 3 kids under the age of 5 it's a whole different story :)

Finley - 5 weeks

2010-04-26T09:40:00.001-07:00

Finley is 5 weeks old already. I feel so bad...I have been horrible about taking pictures, so on a night when Berkeley & Oliver were gone, instead of relaxing for 2 seconds I forced my husband to help me take some of her just like we did with the other 2 when they were new babies. They aren't that great, but we did it and that's what counts :) You'll have to excuse the pea pod costume. I know I took pics of Berk & Oliver in it and it's probably been way overdone, but I couldn't resist. If I could shove my husband in it and take his picture I would!

Finley has been an unbelievably sweet baby and a precious addition to our family. The kids adore her and every morning Oliver asks if he can wake baby Finley up. When she finally does wake up, they both smother her in kisses and Oliver says "I missed you baby Finley." So sweet. When he holds her he says "Baby Finley's cute, mom" and after about 30 seconds of holding her he says "I'm done with baby Finley." Ahh, the attention span of a 2 year old! Berkeley wants to hold and burp her all the time and she wants so badly to be the mommy. She tells me often that someday she is going to have 5 Finleys. I tell her she will be a VERY busy girl! She has been an enormous help to me though and a great big sister.

My Finley Girl

2010-04-08T09:54:00.001-07:00

I haven't really taken many pictures lately because things have been pretty crazy around here, but here are a few! She slept 6 hours last night so I feel like a new woman today!

"Sleep" Pea

2010-03-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

The Newest Love of my Life

2010-03-25T09:11:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pictures of my new little love. We have been enjoying her so much. Thankfully the kids are just in love with her, Berkeley especially. She is already talking about wanting to share a room with Finley and wanting to teach her to be a ballerina. She has been a great helper and I'm so thankful she is loving having a baby sister, or a "real live doll" as she would say :) We love you baby Fin and are so excited to have you in our family!!!

Similarities & Differences

2010-03-24T13:26:00.001-07:00

Finley

Oliver

Berkeley

I always like to compare each of my babies newborn pictures to see the similarities and differences. It's always interesting to me to see the slight differences in nose, eye and mouth shapes. Anyway, here are all 3 of my sweetpeas as brand new babies! I think they all look related!

She's Here!

2010-03-21T16:09:00.001-07:00

Just as they are reaching in to get her!

She came out butt first, literally in half. Her head is just about to come out in this picture (her butt is in the air).

She's out!

Look at those legs...just like Oliver's when he came out. Those breech babies always take a while to "unfold"

The greatest Dr. ever-Dr. Maccio has delivered all of my babies. I just love her!

Berkeley has given her about 250 kisses so far!

Excited new sister

Proud big brother

Cohen likes his new cousin

Berkeley has a little moses basket for one of her dolls and she wanted to put Finley in the basket along with her purple blanket. Finley loved it and slept in it for about 2 hours!

Well, our little Finley Winslet made her grand entrance into the world on Wednesday, March 17th at 8:02 am. She weighed 6 lbs 3 oz and is 18" long! Everything went really smoothly and I was so glad to have it over with and am so blessed to have another beautiful and healthy baby. She came out completely folded in half just like Oliver. My Dr. said Finley definitely chose the right way to position herself in there, because if I would have had a VBAC, my uterus would have burst. It was paper thin and they barely even touched the scalpel to it before it came completely open. If we would have tried turning her, it most likely would have burst, resulting in an emergency c-section. I know it's extremeley hard to find a Dr. who is even willing to do a VBAC because of the very rare chance of this happening, but my Dr. is one of the few who does them. I am so grateful that it all went the way it did! That could have been a disaster! It kind of makes me queasy just thinking about it.

She is doing really well. We just got home from her first Dr. appt. and she weighs 5 lbs 10 oz and seems to be doing fine. We have to go back in another week to check her weight, but she is not jaundiced or anything yet so that is a huge relief!

Berkeley and Oliver love her. All Berkeley wants to do is kiss & hug her, feed her and hold her. She is even sharing her purple blanket with Finley, which is unheard of. She has had her blanket since she was a baby. The blanket goes everywhere she goes and brother is NOT allowed to touch it. Every time Finley is asleep, Berkeley goes over and lays her blanket over her to make sure she is warm and cozy. She is so sweet with her and so helpful. She wants to help change her diaper and put her socks on, etc. Oliver likes to hold her and always says "Where baby Fimley? Hold baby Fimley?" He isn't quite as interested as Berkeley is, but he does seem to like her so far.

Well, she is ready to eat again so I must go. Thanks for all of your prayers. I'll post more pictures soon.

Tummy Pics

2010-03-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

Finley will be making her debut exactly 10 days from today on March 17th. I have to have another c-section because she, like her brother, is breech. Since we tried turning Oliver and it didn’t work, I have decided not to try moving her since she has not changed positions since week 20. Tom and I seem to make the most stubborn, hard headed little babies that just get wedged in there and refuse to budge. I guess it’s not too surprising since we are 2 of the most stubborn people on the planet. The other night I wasn’t feeling very well and kind of panicked when I realized we haven’t had any pictures taken of her in my tummy so here they are.

We have decided to go ahead with Finley Winslet. I just think it’s really unique, feminine and whimsical. When I picture a little girl with this name I picture her to be completely lighthearted and fun–loving. I know some of you will think it’s a weird name, but I like having kids with really unique names. I hope I never meet another Berkeley, Oliver or Finley!! I don’t mind if there are some of those names in other states across the country, just not in mine. I know, I’m a little over the top when it comes to names, but it really is a huge deal to me. Oh well, what are you gonna do?

This pregnancy has gone super fast. I think it’s because I have been so busy with the other 2 that I just haven’t had time to think about it or really even prepare. The holidays didn’t help either because time always seems to fly during that season. I didn’t crave many donuts this time around. The things I ate the most of are Oreo’s. Costco sells a larger than life pack and I have purchased quite a few of them in recent months. One day Laura called just as I put Berkeley & Oliver down for their naps. When she asked me what I was doing I said “Oh, the kids just went down so I am sitting on the couch about to polish off a sleeve of Oreos.” She laughed and said “Oh, don’t let me keep you from that…have a few for me too.” And I did. She didn’t have to tell me twice! I can’t ever say no to my sister, and in this instance I was more than happy to fulfill her request!

I have never been one to wear my husband’s clothes, but I happened to discover some really warm black fleece pants in his closet one day. I put them on along with a black ‘non-maternity’ shirt. When I went downstairs Tom was sitting on the couch and started cracking up. He said “Wow! You kind of look like an Oreo with that outfit on. I think you’ve had so many of them you’re turning into one.” Sure enough, I looked down and saw my pasty white tummy sticking out in between my black shirt and pants. I guess it’s true, you are what you eat! I told him he was really lucky to have a wife that enjoys laughing at herself; otherwise he’d be sleeping elsewhere! Wise guy!

Another thing I discovered from Costco are those cream puffs filled with fresh whipped cream. Every once in a while I’ll get 8-10 of them out of the freezer and let them sit for 30 minutes so the cream gets nice and soft. If you have never tried these you truly are missing out on a little piece of heaven on earth. I have consumed so many of these, that it looks as though I am carrying 3 babies…one in front and 2 in back. We 'lovingly' refer to it as the trifecta! I now have my own “cream filled puffs” that follow me everywhere! When I round a corner it takes a few seconds for the rest of me to clear it! As you can imagine, it is getting increasingly more difficult with each passing day to visit Elmo in the back of my car. You see, Elmo was designed for tiny little 3 year old buns, not enormous cream filled ones! I’m sure I make quite a sight being 9 months pregnant hovering precariously above a child’s potty seat. I'm pretty sure Beyonce would wholeheartedly agree with me when I say "I don’t think Elmo was quite ready for this jelly!"

So, that’s it. 9 months and 40 lbs later I’m getting ready to have another baby. The novelty of being pregnant the third time around may have worn off a bit, but the food consumption definitely hasn’t. I’ll just make sure I steer clear of Jake's vet for a little while longer. I know the growth chart would consider me to be “grossly obese” and I’m just not ready to face that yet! Meanwhile, I believe it’s been about 30 minutes so my puffs should be just the right temperature. I’ll go ahead and have one for you, Laura. Or, more than likely, 2 or 3 or 4!!!

My Babies

2010-03-03T14:40:00.001-08:00

Herre are some last pictures of the kids "pre-Finley." I am starting to feel sad that these are the final days with just Berkeley and Oliver. I can totally remember feeling like that right before I had Oliver too. I remember thinking it will never be the same...I will never have time alone with just Berkeley ever again and doubted I would ever be able to love another baby quite as much as I loved her. That wasn't the case, of course. I discovered that I loved Oliver just as much and couldn't imagine my life without him. I know it will be the same once Finley comes. My heart will stretch and I will love her just as much as I love these two. In just a few weeks I will not be able to imagine our family without her. So, for now, I am savoring my last sweet days with these two precious little characters God has blessed me with.

I've Been Tickled by Elmo!

2010-02-25T15:36:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make. I have been tinkling in the back of my car. I’ll go ahead and explain that very bizarre statement. When I began potty training my daughter I let her pick out her own potty seat. Much to my chagrin, she chose the ever popular Elmo one
that kids can high five and he talks to them while learning to use the potty. You see, I have never been Elmo’s biggest fan. In fact, I have always found him to be rather irritating and I considered that signature laugh of his to be quite jarring. However, since becoming pregnant, I have had a change of heart towards that furry little red bilingual creature. I have an aversion to public restrooms and I refuse to take my children in them unless it’s absolutely vital. When I became pregnant last June and started feeling the overwhelming urge to tinkle every 3-5 minutes, my attitude towards Elmo did an abrupt about-face.

It all started in October when I was out taking pictures with my sister and I had to urinate like you wouldn’t believe. The problem was, we were out in the middle of nowhere and there were no restrooms or wooded areas in which to alleviate my bladder. I informed my sister I was just going to hop in the back of the car and use Elmo. She could scarcely believe her ears and watched open mouthed as I walked to the car, shut myself inside and relieved myself on my daughter’s potty training seat. In my defense I have a vehicle with very dark tinted windows and on a cold, overcast fall day there is no seeing inside of it without having your nose up to the glass. Anyway, I was so completely desperate that I had no shame or embarrassment at that point. Desperate times call for desperate measures and a pregnant woman is indeed desperate when it comes to emptying her bladder. Little did I know that when we bought the “fun bus” it would literally turn into a roaming porta-potty. If anyone would have told me that’s what I would come to love it for the most, I would have rolled my eyes and laughed in their face.

Due to the fact that I get a bit winded just walking around my house, I am also guilty of finding a somewhat quiet parking lot and climbing into the back to visit Elmo. I just don’t have the strength to get both kids out of their seats, haul them into a disgusting public restroom with me, all the while making sure they don’t touch anything, and then buckling them back in again. Sometimes when I sit on Elmo my foot “high-fives” Elmo’s hand and he encourages me both in Spanish and English as I tinkle. Alright, alright, it’s my cankle that high fives him, not my foot. My foot is too low to the ground to reach his hand. I guess since I’m confessing I might as well go all the way! As Berkeley is facing the front, still buckled into her seat, she’ll say “Mom, are you using my Elmo seat again?” Oops, guilty! I have no secrets with a 4 year old!

The other day we took the dogs out to the park and we walked quite a distance into a heavily wooded park. Well, nature called, naturally, and I chose to squat a few times in the woods rather than make the trek all the way back to the car. Oliver stayed with me and as I squatted, he looked at me with this cute little puzzled look on his face and said “Mommy, go potty?” As I got myself back together and we caught up to Tom & Berk, Oliver exclaimed “Daddy! Daddy! Mommy go potty” and he proceeded to squat down just like me. Tom started cracking up. Oops, caught! I have no secrets with a 2-1/2 year old. I think on that particular outing I marked my territory more than the canines!

The other day we had the bikes loaded in the back of the car and every time we turned a corner one of the bikes would "high five" Elmo and he’d start talking to us out of the blue from the back of the car. Every time this happened we’d all giggle and say “Oh, Elmo!” He was cracking us up.

My one and only somewhat awkward incident while spending some quality time with Elmo, was the other day before a Dr.’s appointment. I had about 10 minutes to kill until my appointment, so I decided to run into a little shop real quick. The problem was I had to pee so badly that I didn’t even think I could make it walking from the parking lot into the store. I did my customary disappearing act into the back of the bus and emptied my bladder. I ran into a little glitch: a mini van pulled in a couple of spaces away from me just as there was a bit of a sun break. I don’t think I was as invisible as I had hoped to be. I was also wearing a lighter colored sweater and I think my movement caught the driver’s eye. The driver happened to be a man and he was waiting at a bus stop so he had plenty of time to kill and nothing else to watch so he chose to watch me. I stayed as still as I possibly could and just stared back at him hoping to make him uncomfortable. No such luck. After a few minutes of just sitting there willing him to look away, my cankles were falling asleep and were crying out for some much needed circulation. I had to take action. In one rather clumsy, pregnant motion, I pulled up my pants and awkwardly put myself back together. I exited the vehicle and walked away from the situation with as much dignity as I could possibly muster. As I shopped, my “righteous anger” flared up and I decided I wasn’t going to let that man in the mini van embarrass me. I left the store with my head held high, squared my shoulders and was prepared to shake my fist at him as I walked back to my car. His bus must have come because he was nowhere to be seen by the time I got back out there. To be frank, I was a little relieved! Oh well, at least he had a good story to tell the guys during his lunch break. I do think it was pretty rude of him though. If he was driving a mini van I have to assume he has a wife who is or has been pregnant before and has been in my shoes. He needs a lesson in compassion. Or, maybe I need a lesson in discretion :) Urinating in public is against the law afterall. I am able to justify it by reassuring myself that it's ok since I'm doing it in the dark, tinted abyss of the family truckster.

I don’t mean to bore you with my many tales of “urinating on the go,” Look on the bright side though, my bladder is always “half full.” I just thought I’d give a shout out to my new-found friend, Elmo. Elmo, I apologize for thinking ill of you all those years before experiencing the “joys of pregnancy.” In fact, I have a lot to thank you for. Thank you for making outings possible and even enjoyable while being pregnant. Thanks for the Spanish lessons, the laughs and most of all the relief! Muy bien Elmo, muchas gracias!

Cute Puppies

2010-02-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

We decided it was time to give the kids a reprieve from the camera, so over the holidays we took the dogs out and got some updated pictures of them. They did just fine until we ran out of hot dog chunks! Oh, the simple things in life. If only we all would work for hot dogs :) Actually, I'm not that different right now...there's not much I wouldn't do for an Oreo! This last picture cracks me up...they look a lot like me from behind...a little bit lumpy and a little bit bumpy!

As crazy as they make me sometimes, I couldn't imagine being without dogs. With 3 dogs and almost 3 kids, our house feels like a circus or a zoo most of the time. It helps that we share custody with Jerry and he has the dogs about 4 days out of the week. He has grown quite fond of those two and almost can't bring himself to share them any longer. Tom and I always joke that those creatures are his job security right now. Without them we'd be out on the street! As long as we keep bringing home Weimaraners he'll always have a job!

Sterling and Jake have grown to be the best of friends. Sterling is very protective of Jake whenever another dog approaches and if she stays the night at Jer's and Jake happens to stay with us, she just about comes out of her skin the next day when she sees him at work. They still go to the office every day. They have had to incorporate a "candle program" at work since Jake has a bit of a flatulence problem and literally stinks the entire place up. He is pretty irresistable to all of the clients though when he lays down at (or on top of) their feet and forces them to spend some quality time with him. I think he'd probably go home with just about anyone who invited him. Jake tips the scales at 125, and, according to the chart at the vet, is considered to be "grossly obese." With that said, maybe it's not such a good idea to let him lie on people's feet. He could be a liability :)

Sterling has gained at least 10-15 lbs since Jake has come to live with us. She has learned that she can't leave her food in her bowl all day long anymore, otherwise, she'll go hungry cause Jake will tip toe to her bowl and gobble up whatever is left. We have been putting him on a diet and cutting back on his portions, but part of me worries that if he gets too hungry he'll start consuming my offspring!

So, that's what's going on in the lives of two very fat and happy puppies! They may be "grossly obese," but as far as I'm concerned, there's just more of them to love. I unconditionally love my heavy-set weims, large or small, stinky or not. Well, under one condition...just don't eat my young :)

Another long night in the ER

2010-01-18T14:27:00.001-08:00

Last night (Sunday) during our small group meeting we were in the kitchen cleaning up and all the kids were in the toy room playing when all of a sudden we heard crying. Berkeley came running out saying Oliver hit his head on the window and was bleeding. Sure enough, out he came with a huge gash in his forehead. Apparantly, they were jumping on the bed and he fell and hit his head on the window sill. We jumped in the car and made our way to the closest hospital. He was in a lot of pain and thankfully I had enough sense to have Tom grab the Children's Tylenol on our way out the door. In the car he keps saying "It hurts, Mom, it hurts" so I asked him if we should pray & ask Jesus to help him feel better. He nodded and said "uh-huh, pray." After we prayed I grabbed Tom's phone and he just happened to have a whole bunch of pictures on it from a trip out to a client's house to ride horses just before Christmas. That calmed him right down and he sat in the back seat flipping through all the fun pics of him and Berk riding. We got to the ER and only had to wait about 40 minutes before they saw us. We got there just in time...about 3 minutes after we registered the entire waiting room was full.

His Dr. was super nice...his name was Dr. Ball and he was awesome with Oliver. Whenever he would leave the room Oliver would say "Where Dr. Golf? Dr. Golf help me." They ended up super gluing it rather than giving him stitches which made it a lot easier on him and us. I think Oliver actually kind of enjoyed himself. He got all kinds of juice and crackers. He'd take a drink of juice and say "Mmmmm, tasty juice." Then, he'd take a bite of cracker and say "Mmmm, tasty." He enjoys food almost as much as his mother. On the way out of the ER we saw Dr. Ball at the front desk and Oliver said "Tank you, see you 'morrow Dr. Golf" and high-fived him out the door.

It was actually a rather quick ER trip for us. I think we left around 8:30 and got home around 11:45. He was in bed by midnight. I was up until about 5:00 am trying not to get sick from the horrible sight of my baby's head with a huge gash in it. Tom thought that if it would have been any bigger we would have been able to see his skull. It was pretty narly.

When he woke up this morning I asked him how his head felt and he said "it hurts" so we got him more medicine and he told Berkeley all about how "Dr. Golf helped him with his boo-boo." He has to take it easy for the next few days to make sure it doesn't open back up. It has been a challenging morning trying to make a 2-1/2 yr old lay low. I can't believe we made it 2-1/2 years with him before going to the ER. I'm getting better though...I don't think I swore once this time! It definitely gets easier the second time around! Not that it's enjoyable, it still makes me really angry when my kids get hurt like that and it's so hard to stay calm, but the not swearing thing was ground-breaking for me!

Christmas

2010-01-18T10:11:00.001-08:00

Cohen loved opening presents

And eating the ribbon!

A new horse from Cohen

Showing off their matching new shirts from Blake & Mason

Verl, Sherri & Oscar

Seeing "Zach" for the first time

Blake, Oliver & Berk on "Zach"

Mason got a new fire truck

We had a great Christmas! We spent Christmas Eve at Chris & Laura's and had a yummy prime rib dinner. The kids built their gingerbread house with Papa and ate more than they decorated :) Every time I looked at Berk she had her finger in her mouth licking off icing or eating candy! Cohen was really into opening his presents and had a blast tearing up the paper and munching on the ribbons! It was so much fun to watch him enjoying his first Christmas.

We spent Christmas day with Tom's family and had a great time there too. Berkeley & Gracie were in their own little world. I think those two could probably get an apartment together and get along just fine. They are hilarious and completely inseperable! Oliver was in horse heaven. Almost every present he received had something to do with horses and I have never seen him so excited. Verl & Sherri got him a life sized one that makes all kinds of horse noises and he named him "Zach" after a little baby foal that lives right across the street from Sherri. He got horse calendars, books and movies!

It was all so much fun and I felt like I could sleep for about a week after it was all over! Next year will be here before we know it and we'll do it all over again :)

A Growing Family

2010-01-12T05:59:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest picture of the Potts' fam. My, oh my, has it grown in just a few short years! It's hard to believe yet another one will be added in about 10 weeks. We had a wonderful Christmas. I will try to post some pictures soon!

Conehead!!!

2009-12-21T11:25:00.000-08:00

Sterling had surgery a little over a week ago. She had a large lump on one of her hind legs and had it removed. Apparently dogs have glands in that area and it's very common for them to leak causing lumpy cysts. We had it drained a couple of times and it kept coming back so the vet said the next step would be to leave it alone or cut her open, remove the lump and seal the gland. Since the lump came back even larger after having it drained we thought it might be a good idea to have it removed just in case. I was a nervous wreck and called a few times to make sure she came out of it ok and was doing well. She was our first baby afterall, and I was no less worried about her than I would have been if it were Berkeley or Oliver. As you can see she is doing well...just has to wear the cone when left unattended so she doesn't rip out all the staples and stitches! As you can see she has "sad ears" when she has that thing on. Her little stub still goes a hundred miles an hour though! Pretty nice to get a little "work" done for a Christmas present. She'll be a brand new lady for Christmas!

Just For Today

2009-12-15T15:06:00.000-08:00

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won’t worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won’t stand over you trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald’s and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.

Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

Just for this evening when I run my fingers through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.

I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children’s graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can’t handle it anymore.

And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask Him for nothing, except one more day……….

I don’t know who wrote this. It was an email and I can’t stop thinking about it. I have struggled with perfectionism my entire life and, unfortunately, probably always will. I think it’s just the way I’m wired. However, with every puppy and baby we have brought home, I have had to let go and just learn to relax when it comes to having a spotless house. I mean, come on, is it really even possible to have a perfectly clean house with 3 dogs and almost 3 kids? And, when I think about it logically, only bachelors and empty nesters have perfect homes. If having a spotless house 24 hours a day means I live alone, or worse, my kids are gone, then I don’t want it to be clean! I know someday when it’s time for me to leave this earth I most certainly will not wish that I had cleaned my house more often. I know, like everyone else, I will long for the days when my life was a little bit crazy, chaotic, cluttered and sometimes messy. I will wish with all my heart that I could hear my babies’ footsteps running through the hallways and their laughter echoing off the walls. I’ll wish I was still tripping over their toys scattered all over the living room floor.

The other day I let Berkeley help me make brownies before company came. She poured all the ingredients into the bowl and got brownie mix on her shirt and on the floor and I just laughed. Then, as she began to stir the mix, she pretended the spatula was a ballerina spinning in the chocolate. The back of the box said to stir until moistened (about 40 strokes), but I let her stir and twirl till she said she was done. We probably did around 46 strokes, but you know what? That was one of the best batches of brownies we’ve ever had. Our company devoured the entire pan. Hmmmph, 40 strokes, 46 strokes…what do those brownie manufacturers know anyway? In fact, I think it’s time to make more. And, you know what? When they wake up from their naps, I know of 2 perfect little helpers; a spunky little 2 year old and a precious little 4 year old. Oh, and incidentally…I think I’ll smile at the smudges on the windows and delight in the crumbs on the floor just for today. And maybe even tomorrow too!

Another Sweet Girl!!!

2009-11-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

I am so very pleased to announce we are having another girl!!! Yippeeeeee!!! We are crazy excited and that's what we were both hoping for. Berkeley needs a sister. Sisters are the best. I know they'll be 4 years apart, but I hope eventually they'll be the very best of friends. Berkeley was insistent from the beginning that she was going to have a sister. I have heard that kids usually are right about those kinds of things because they are so in tune with everything. We haven't stopped smiling since we found out! Her name is going to be Finley. I have a middle name picked out, but Tom thinks it's weird, so I'm not sure if he will let me use it. Once again, I must ask everyone to pray for him:) Oh my goodness I feel like I'm going to come out of my skin. I am thrilled! Nice work Thomas - you're a champ! We can't wait to meet you Baby Fin!