Collin is One!

On Saturday, Collin turned one!! How did it happen so quickly?! I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. I woke up thinking I had another long week ahead of me, walking around with my big pregnant belly.


I sent Logie and Daddy off the school and work and took the twins to Preschool. As soon as I got home from dropping them off, I knew I didn't feel right. Today might be the day! I went back and forth on whether or not to go into the hospital. I didn't want to waste anyone's time or money if it was a false alarm. Finally I gave in and called Daddy to come and pick me up. We got to the hospital about an hour later, I changed into my gown, and got on the monitors. Contractions were every 5 minutes, just like I thought and I was 3 cm dilated! After about an hour they told us they'd be found our c-section as soon as the OR was open. Collin, your daddy was electric! He could not stop moving around, joking, and smiling! He could not wait to meet you. I was a nervous wreck. I just prayed over and over again that God would keep you and me safe and healthy. God is so good.


Everything went perfectly. Grandma, Grandpa, Logan, Gracie, Natey, faraway Grandma, Uncle Nick, Phee Phee, Uncle Paul, James and Nicole all can to meet you.


The day you were born was such a special and joyous day input lives. You have made our family feel more complete. You make us all smile and laugh. Your big brothers and sister love you to pieces. They are thrilled to see your happy, sleepy face every morning. Collin, you are such a sweet big boy. You are standing now and taking a few steps on your own. You love the water especially bath time. You are done with bottles and formula. You're drinking whole milk out of cups now!! Mama is so happy to be done with bottles. You wear size 12m and size 4 diapers. Your feet just measured a size 5w. You still sleep with mama and daddy most nights but you finally gave up your middle of the night feed!! Hooray! Collin, you are my joy. You bring so much light and love into my day. I thank God every night for send you to our family and exactly the perfect time.


I love you sweet boy!

Swimmer

I am really loving this season of my life. My time is completely consumed with snack schedules, laundry, pick up/drop off, homework, soccer practice, volunteer hours, parent meetings, lunch boxes and backpacks. But I'm totally enjoying it. I know it's all new and exciting right now, and my enthusiasm will wain, but right now it's perfect. I feel recharged and ready to take on kindergarten, playdates, and the millions of parent hours I have to complete. Logan is in an amazing school with a wonderful, caring, exciting, creative teacher. Thank you God for taking such care of my boy. The twins started school in the Monkey classroom. Their teachers are sweet. I love BFC too. Nathan and Gracie feel so safe, happy, and loved when they're at school. Collin is just along for the ride, right now. He and I spend a lot of time in the car dropping kids off or picking kids up. But we do get a few precious hours alone together on Thursdays. Pure sweetness. he's starting to mimic, sign, and talk a lot more. He's still a rude baby but also the sweetest.

Big news Today: Gracie took off her water wings and swam across the pool like a fish. She's been dying to lose the wings ever since Logan became a swimmer at the beginning of this month. She was so proud of herself. She still swims a bit wonky, like she's drunk but she can get where she wants to go. Logan and Gracie are begging me for goggles and I think swim lessons may be a good idea as well.

Kindergarten

Today my big boy started kindergarten! I don't know how it happened, but it did.


We went to an open house/picnic on Monday night to meet his teacher. I of course was a nervous wreck. He did fine. Went right in a played with blocks. He even seemed happy to be there. Yesterday was his last day of preschool. He took his y shirt in for everyone to sign. He took pictures with his friends and teachers. He rode home from school with grandma and grandpa one last time. Last might we gathered all his supplies, packed his backpack and laid out his clothes. He was up bright and early this morning. Both mommy and daddy got to take him to school. He wrote his name on the easel outside his classroom, played on the climbing dome, said hello to his teacher and then headed straight for the blocks. Ell and I lingered a little and watched our boy become a big kid right before our eyes. No more preschool. He's not a baby any more. He's big. We both hugged and kissed him and said goodbye.no biggy for him but by the time I reached the car I was done. Tears all the way home. Time, you are a thief and a meany.


Logan, I am so proud of you. I am excited to join you on the kindergarten journey. You are do ready to be a big kid. I know you'll do great. I hope this year is fun and that you learn a ton. I hope you make some good friends. I love you so much, sweet boy.
xoxo,
Mama

Catch up time

It's been nearly 3 months since my last post. Life is crazy busy but I need to be better about recording our family life.
Logan graduated from the YMCA Preschool on June 6th. The class sang songs, got diplomas, ate cake and were all so proud to be graduates.


I'm so proud of the boy Logan is and so thankful to his Grandma/teacher for helping him grow so much this year. He knows all his letters, some sounds and can count really high. I know he is ready for kindergarten but the thought still makes me teary.


This summer Logan is going to the YMCA for "preschool camp" 3 days a week. The other 2 days he plays at home with the twins and Collin. It's been louder having him home but so nice. I love having all of my babies home. We got Logan's kindergarten placement from Ventura Charter. His teacher's name is Annie which I think bodes well.


Logan, this summer you are loving... Star Wars, Wild Kratts, Ninjago, swimming, science experimenting, baseball, soccer, Legos, bug collecting and building with blocks.


You are both excited and nervous to start at your new school but you can't wait to buy school supplies.


Nathan and Gracie finished their first year of preschool on June 14th. The year was so wonderful. Their teachers were the sweetest ladies and took such great care of my babies. BFC is an awesome school and I'm so thankful we found it.


We took the twins to Disneyland for their 3rd birthdays. It's such a great tradition in our family. They had a blast. Gracie was the flower girl in Richell's wedding. She didn't make it down the aisle but did like being around Ryan and Gavin and wearing her pretty dress. Richell and Randall got the twins cakes because their wedding was on the twins' actual birthday. Very sweet. This summer we decided to save a few bucks and keep the twins home. Some days are crazy and long but I'm so happy to be able to have lazy pajama wearing days or swim-all-day long days with these sweet kiddos.
Nathan, this summer you are loving... Building with blocks, drawing, everything Logan does, Ninjago, Transformers (even though you can't watch it yet), R2D2 and C3PO, and Superhero Squad.


You are the perfect little brother because you simply adore Logan and will play any game he suggests. You are really getting good in the pool. You were scared at the beginning of the summer but now you swim all around with your water wings.


You love to play outside and draw with chalk. You are always making makeshift belts and swords to wear while you play in the yard.


Gracie, this summer you are loving... The pool (you are SO brown from the sun), all things pony, having your toe nails painted, having girls only trips with mama and Phee Phee, building with blocks, playing at the water table, making mud, roller skating, and Pinky Pie.


You are such a sweet girl with a ton of sass. We are really working on not screaming so much and using a sweet voice.


You are such a fish in the pool. You can jump really far and do splashy cannonballs! You love to play baby mermaid or baby otter in the pool with mama.


You love wearing "sungweem" or any other lotion. Your obsessed with wearing your Crocs and have just started picking out your own clothes.


Collin 10+ months old. He is crawling everywhere. He pulls up on all everything and occasionally let's go and stands for a few seconds.
Collin, this summer you are loving... Eating big people food, bath time, swimming, climbing up stairs, playing outside, the beach, Magneto, and eating dirt.


Collin you just saw Dr. Roseman and got your shots. You weigh 23lbs 4oz and are such a big boy. You have 5 teeth and 2 on the way. Your favorite things to eat are bananas, grapes, bagels, and of course your baba.


You drink 4-6oz of formula and milk every 6-7 hours. You eat 3 meals a day and 1 snack. You wear 12m clothes and size 4.5 w shoes. You wear a size 4 diaper. You can say mama, dada, num num, quack, no no, and hi. You can sign all done and hi/bye. You have also just started shaking your head. You still sleep with mama but soon you'll transition to your crib. You love your brothers and sister. You especially love to destroy whatever they're playing with. You had a horrible case of HFMD about 3 weeks ago and you were covered in spots. Poor baby.


We have taken you to 3 movies and you're always such a good boy. You are loving your first summer, sweet boy.

So far this is a wonderful summer!

30 Days of Real Food

We started 3 days ago. No refined sugars, preservatives or processed foods. For 30 days. It's been hard on the kids. They love Goldfish and graham crackers but neither are allowed. We decided that at school the kids could eat whatever is served for snack but at home they must follow the rules. We've tried our best to replace their crackers with yummy things like fruit, cheese, rice cakes, banana bread, and veggie sticks. We're only 3 days in and I already miss Diet Coke. It's actually the only thing miss. Ell misses it too and chips. Next week I will tackle making my own bread and salad dressing. I'm sure we'll both get cravings but it's important to me that we stick with it for the entire 30 days.

The big FIVE!

On Thursday my sweet boy turned five. I can hardly believe he's that old already. I remember finding out I was pregnant with Logan. I was terrified and so so sick, all day,everyday. Logan arrived on his due date after 38 long, painful hours of back labor. I remember holding Logan when he was teeny tiny and thinking there never was a cuter baby. And now I look at him and think the very same thing, except he's 5 now.
Dear Logan,
You are such a good boy and I am so proud to be your mama. You are the sweetest brother to Collin and you're Nathan's very best friend. Right now you love Super Mario, Bakugans, racecars, watching Doc McStuffins & Octonauts, and Lego Ninjago. You love building, drawing and sword fighting with your brother and daddy. You are so smart. You know all your colors, letters, shapes, most numbers, and even some letter sounds. You and daddy are reading Narnia chapter books before bed. You just started sleeping on the top bunk, you can take a shower by yourself and get totally dressed on your own. your favorite foods are spaghetti and chili. Your best friends at school are Mason and Tristan. you wear a size 4/5 clothes, size 12.5 shoes, weigh 38lbs and are about 40inches tall.
Logan you are getting so big. Five years ago you made me a mama and I am so thankful to have you as my son. Five is such a big year. Lots of exciting things are going to happen, graduating Room 3, starting kindergarten, trying soccer, making new friends. We had a Super Mario party for you and your class. You had so much fun. We had pizza, cupcakes, and went on a scavenger hunt. Faraway grandma and grandpa made you a toad piñata! You got some pretty cool presents too. Uncle Paul got you a Wii! Lucky guy.
We love you so much, Logan. Happy birthday, sweet boy!
xo,
Mama

Easter and 7 months

Happy Easter!!
We had big plans to split our day between home and Palmdale. However, our babies are still sick. They're all boogery, fevery, coughy messes. We went back and forth on what we should do but decided that since Collin still had a fever and was contagious we'd stay home. We are sad to have missed our Palmdale Easter celebration.
This morning the big kids let us sleep in until 8 o'clock. Hooray! We all showered and dressed before going downstairs to see what the Easter bunny had brought. The kids scored. Grandma bought them tons of fun stuff. We took the obligatory Easter morning pictures and then let the kids play outside. We skipped church this year so that we wouldn't share our awful sick germs. While Grandma and Phee Phee were at church I made brunch. We had quiche, bacon, sausage, fruit salad, sticky buns, and asparagus. Yum. We ate around noon and then worked of our big meal with and egg hunt.




The kids had a blast and Colly was content to sit on his blanket and watch his siblings run around.




The weather was perfect and so springy. It was such a nice, low key day.




Dear Collin,
Today you're 7 months old. Time is really flying. I hate time. I want to keep you small and snuggly forever. When I last weighed you, you were 18.5lbs. Big guy. You go to the doctor next week so we'll see how much you've really grown. You wear a size 3 diaper and 6-9 month clothes. You are sitting up really well. You're favorite toy is Gracie's Dora guitar. You love being read to, especially books about kitties. You cut your first tooth (left bottom) on April 2nd. You were miserable. Your second tooth should pop through in the next day or some. You're such a drooly guy. You are still eating 6oz every 4.5hrs but now you're eating about 4oz of solids a day. You love food and start smacking your lips when someone is eating around you. Collin, you're such a sweet, happy boy. I adore you. You're getting much better about letting other people hold you. You still live my hair. You live to smash your face in my hair and grab it by the fistful. You have such a cute belly laugh and your super ticklish. Especially your armpits. Collin, mama loves you so much. Today was your first Easter. You watched your crazy siblings hunt for eggs, ate your banana chunks outside for brunch, pulled all of the treats out of you basket, and loved playing with the eggs. This past 7 months with you in our lives have been pure joy and I feel so blessed to watch you grown and change each day.

The dentist and other things

Last Wednesday, Logan went to the dentist for the first time. Only 2 years later than he should have. Oops. He did great. No cavities, yay! The dentist said he needs to floss more and start using mouth wash. The twins and Collin went along to the appointment. They were very well behaved and let mama bounce back and forth between the play room and the exam room.


After the dentist we drove to Rachel's house to say goodbye to her. She's moving to Washington on Monday and we're going to miss her so much. Especially mommy. The kids played on her swing set and checked out her turtle before we hugged and said our goodbyes.
Because the kids were do well behaved I thought playing and eating at McDonald's would be a good treat. The kids gobbled up there happy meals and went to play. Not even 5 minutes later I see Nathan starting to gag. I run in the play yard just as he vomits. Poor sweet Gracie had explosive diarrhea at nearly the same time. I thought I was going to die. It was a mommy nightmare. I desperately wanted to scream and run away. Or burst into tears. My poor sick kids. I apologized profusely to the McDonald's employees and then cleaned my kids up in my van. Nathan barfed the whole ride home. When we got home I had a screaming, hungry, cranky baby, a disastrous carseat to clean, a poopy daughter, a barfy son, and one big boy who was sweet enough to help his mama survive the day. Logan was such a big help. He played with and fed Colly for me while I did damage control. I called my mom at work, crying because the day was so hard. It was a day only another mother could understand.
My poor kids are still sick. Gracie's fever broke last night and little Collin still has one today. All 4 of them have boogery noses and hacking coughs. I'm so happy spring is here and hopeful that healthier days are ahead.

It's a hard job but it's the best job

I've been feeling like a pretty rotten mom lately. Nothing from my old bag-o-tricks is working. My kids are fighting and screaming and being especially naughty, selfish, and disobedient. Grr. Our punishments, discipline and rewards just aren't cutting it. I had a major mommy meltdown last night. Sobbing and blubbering. It's so hard to be a parent. I was at my wits end last night and ready to apply for jobs in the morning. Maybe I'm not cut out for this stay at home mom thing, I thought. Maybe daycare can do a better job?! Yes, I was pretty pitiful.
But this morning I woke up determined. This is the only job I've ever wanted and I am good at it. Sometimes I yell too much and give in too easily but I can do better. I must do better. So first things first, no yelling! From anyone. Mama and daddy have to be calm and talk the littles through it all. No yelling anymore. Today I haven't raised my voice once and it feels so so so good. I don't feel like a meany.
This is not to say that the children have been angels. They have not. Which brings me to my next change. Be consistent. Always. No matter what. Sometimes when the offense is small and no one's bleeding I skip the time out. No more. My kids have made lots of trips to the stairs. They get a warning, of course. They no the rules. I remind them of the rules. If they break them again... Stairs.
We used to say/yell "go to the stairs!" but that always got us a "NO!!!!" in return. Frustrating, maddening and unnecessary. From now on we'll walk them to the stairs and then sit and work it out immediately. Ive made a lot of trips to the stairs today. A lot. But it's been totally worth it. I've handled everything right away and had a great chance to work out problems with each child the way they understand best.
It's only 12:30 and it's been a ton of work to discipline the 3 big kids all day but I feel like I can do it. I can be the mom I want to be and in a couple days/weeks my kids will get with the new routine.
I want to raise good, obedient, happy, giving children. I've been trying to explain how to live with a happy, giving, loving heart. To everyone. Not just mommy and daddy but everyone you meet. We're working on saying "yes, mommy" in a happy voice and leaving their super whiny voices behind. I remind them that when they ask me to fill their sippy cups, or fix a toy, or get them a snack I do not whine, cry or throw myself on the floor. I expect the same from my kiddos. I've said " remember your happy heart and voice when you talk to mommy" a lot.
So I think we're off to a good start and I feel good about being a mama again. I love my rascals.

6 months

Dear Collin,
Happy 1/2 birthday little man! How in the world have 6 months gone by?! This time last year I had morning sickness, just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and completely exhausted. Today I am so blessed to have a happy, snuggly baby to hold. However, I am still completely exhausted. You are such a sweet, smiley baby. You are addicted to your mama. I cannot leave you with grandma or Phee Phee for very long before you are loudly requesting that I return. You are still wearing 6 month clothes but are starting fit in a few 6-9 month sleepers. You wear a size 3 diaper. You love your baby food. You've tried sweet potato, pumpkin, avocado, banana, corn, carrots, squash, spinach, apples and prunes. Spinach is your favorite. You are getting so good at using your arms to prop yourself up on your tummy. You try to roll onto your back as soon as I lay you down on your belly. You've recently found your voice. You love to talk and sing but you're so loud. You are a Rodriguez, after all. You live your jumperoo and bouncy chair. You are liking toys more and more and you're getting pretty good with your cute pudgy hands. You are still eating 6oz of formula every 4.5 hours. You are eating solids 1-2 a day and have tried a sippy cup a few times. You are sleeping in mamas bed most of the night but now sleep a good 7 hour stretch between feedings. Collin, you are such a sweet blessing. We all love you so much.

Baby food

I've decided to make all of Collin's food. Store bought baby food is expensive and kinda gross. I made some of Logan's food in the beginning but he moved to table foods really quickly. He had a full set of chompers by 9 months. I just didn't have the time or energy to do it for the twins. I was all about surviving their first year. But this time I have the time, the knowledge and the desire to do it all myself. I'll probably still use the store bought organic veggie jars when we travel since storing homemade baby food on the go seems daunting.
Last night was my third baby food cooking day. The first was just to get my feet wet. I made sweet potato, avocado and banana purées. Collin loved them. The next time I made a banana, sweet potato, pumpkin combo. Collin's fave so far. Last night was my biggest cooking day. I steamed corn, carrots, spinach and squash. I also stewed apples and prunes. Then I puréed everything separately and froze them in iced cube trays. Oh how i love my silicone ice cube trays! I spent about an hour cooking and have about a month of meals for him. I still need to make broccoli, green beans, peaches, tomatoes, quinoa and brown rice but I need to hit Trader Joes first. Auntie Amy was nice enough to let me borrow her baby food cook books and now I have lots of good/yummy ideas. I can't believe how big Collin is getting. Wasn't he born just yesterday? Isn't he still my tiny 7lb bundle?! Time is a meany.
In other news, Mama needs a new food processor. My blender is dumb and lazy and hard to clean. Maybe I'll get a shiny new food processor for Ell for his birthday? Just kidding. Kinda.

A trip to the movies

Today I took all 4 of my wonderful children to the movies, by myself. I am proud. It took some serious planning for me to ensure that I could manage without feeling completely overwhelmed. We saw The Lorax because it's Dr. Seuss' birthday and because it was the only kids' movie playing. I'm not a huge Seuss fan but the movie was cute. I made sure that I had a warm bottle all ready for Colly to drink as soon as we were settled in our seats. We usually smuggle our own snacks in to the theater but I actually shelled out the bazillion dollars it costs for 3 kids popcorn packs. Goodbye $15. I had Collin in the Moby, carried the popcorns in one hand, and had 2 booster seats in the other. I made Logan carry his own booster and the twins managed to carry the drinks without spilling. Once in the dark theater the twins, especially Natey, we're terrified. It took them a good 10-15 minutes before they could mellow out and enjoy themselves. When we sat down I fed Collin and he went right to sleep. About an hour into the movie Logan said he had to go potty. Translation- everyone has to go potty. Bummer. The bathroom is always chaotic but especially with a cute baby strapped to my front. We lost a paci in the toilet but otherwise we made it out fairly quickly and in time to see the final few minutes of the movie. After the movie we headed to the car. I got lots of "you sure have your hands full" and "wow, you're brave" and "are they twins?" and "are they all your's?" on the way to the car. It's annoying. I only have 4 kids not 14.
My kids love Target. Really love it. Every morning when I ask the twins "Good morning babies! What should we do today?!" Nathan always say "go to Target." Then he asks me if I'll buy him a toy. So after the movies we went to Target. I fully intended to buy stuff I didn't need but after loading the kids in the cart and wrapping Collin in the Moby and getting to the dollar spot, I realized my wallet was in the car. It was for the best. We went straight to the toy section and walked every aisle. My kids love this. After about an hour mama was tired and so we ended our day and headed home. Daddy got Panda Express for dinner. Yum.
I love my kids so much. It's hard having so many little ones but I wouldn't have it any other way. They are so sweet and even at their naughtiest, they are still the light of my life. I'm so blessed to be able to stay home with them and have special movie days and take trips to Target. I hope they enjoyed the day as much as I did.

Relaxing weekend

This weekend has been so nice. Restful, fun and productive. Saturday, we had a nice lazy day. The kids played with Legos and magnatiles. We read books and took a family nature walk. The kids love collecting treasures. Rocks, leaves, sticks, dirt, buttons, trash, etc. Collin rode in the jogging stroller without the infant seat.


He lasted about 10 minutes before he wanted out. We had a yummy dinner together, even Colly. The kids gobble up taco salad. Collin had a sweet potato-pumpkin-banana combo.
Today, I made blueberry pancakes and we watched Disney's Oceans. We went to church. The kids were happy to play with Margarita and even the band was on point. After church we ate lunch at Top Hat Burgers. Yum. It's fast becoming a tradition to eat there after church because it's so yummy. While the kids napped Ell and I folded a mountain of laundry. I love when Daddy is home even if it just for the mundane boring, everyday stuff. We soak up every minute because tomorrow it's back to the grind.

Kindergarten visit

We applied to 3 progressive education schools, The Open Classroom, Ventura Charter, and CAPE. It's so important to us that Logan is in a good school that will foster a lifetime love of learning. As kindergarten approaches the thought of sticking my little boy in a desk for 5 hours made me sad. Thankfully there are 3 schools in Ventura county who feel the same way. Learning is all about experiencing the world around you. Doing more and sitting less.
The application process has been tedious. Lots of tours, meetings and paperwork. The deal with these schools is that admission is 100% lottery based for incoming students. so we applied and waited. Mama is not patient so this was/is hard.
Two days ago, we got a call that Logan had received a spot at The Open Classroom in their lottery. Phew. I was worried we wouldn't get into any of the schools. So yesterday, Logan had his visit at the school to meet his potential teacher and classmates. Overall the visit went smoothly. Logan was glued to me for the first hour. He was so nervous.
He isn't sure he wants to leave the YMCA or not have his grandma as his teacher or have new friends. I'm not so sure either. I'm sad that my little boy is leaving the security and comfort of preschool and moving into the big, scary, impersonal public school system. I feel guilty that we cannot afford private school and more specifically Catholic school. My husband is my living proof that the public school system can be good. I have friends who are public school teachers and they are good, caring women. I pray logan gets teachers like that. Im scared of the many kids my baby boy will meet. I want him to make good, true, friends (with good manners and angelic behavior, pretty please!). I feel thankful that we have alternatives to traditional education available to our children. I also feel proud that my boy is growing up, that he's smart, and that he is good.
Anyway, back to the visit. After about an hour, Logan started to perk up. He enjoyed watching the kids. At center time he was put into a group and rotated through the 4 centers. He did great, as long as mommy was near. I was proud. He watercolored a tree. He heard a story about sharing written by a queen. He drew a robot and then wrote some words. He drew some fruits and vegetables and joined in on a discussion about nutrition. I couldn't help but think how teeny tiny he looked in comparison to the other kids. Logan is a dinkbot but throw him in a k1 combo and he looks like a baby. Teacher Scott buddied him up with a kindergartener named Truman. Truman took Logan to play at recess after they had some popcorn for snack. Towards the end of the day, Logan was comfortable. He was laughing, joking and chatting with the other kids.


We're still waiting to hear from the other 2 schools on whether or not he got a spot. We'll make our decision once we hear.
It seems like just the other day we were anticipating preschool and now we're almost finished. I cannot believe it.

Welcome to God's family

Yesterday, Collin was baptized in our church. It was such a sweet service. Pastor Mary is so kind to our family and loves our children so much. The band learned and sang a cute song with Collin's name in it. Esther brought a cake and flowers for his special day. I'm so happy to be part of such a loving church family.
After church we went to Topper's Pizza for lunch with our families. It was so nice to relax and enjoy each other and eat yummy pizza too. It was truly a beautiful and special day.
Collin,
I'm so proud of you. Congratulations on your baptism. You were such a good boy during the service. So smiley and you wanted to snuggle mama and hold my hair. Collin, I hope that you always know how much God loves you. I pray that you love God and feel blessed and thankful for the life he has given you. Always remember that God made you special and perfect. I love you, Colly boy.

Love Letters

Happy Valentine's Day!


Dear Collin,
Happy 1st Valentine's day! I'm so blessed to have such a smart, cute, smiley baby. I'm so glad God brought you to our family at just the perfect time. I love you, sweet baby.


Dear Nathan,
You are my sunshine. You light up my life with silliness and smiles. You keep mommy and daddy laughing with your cute Natey-isms. You have a kind heart and a joyful spirit that I adore. Mama loves you, Reedy Reed. Happy Valentine's day!


Dear Gracie,
Happy Valentines day, lady. You are such a beautiful girl inside and out. You are strong, smart, kind, sweet and sassy. I love your nurturing heart. You are the perfect sister for our family. I love you so much, pretty girl.


Dear Logan,
I am so blessed to be your mama. You are such a good boy. Thank you for being a wonderful big brother to your little sister and brothers. You are such a smart, funny, sweet boy. Mommy and daddy are so proud of you. I love the way you love and take care of Collin. Happy Valentine's day, Logie boy.


Dear Ell,
I feel so blessed to be your wife and mommy to your 4 adorable kids. You are a wonderful husband, an amazing father and the perfect best friend. Happy Valentine's day!

A birthday, a fever and a lazy day

Yesterday, we packed up a headed to Palmdale for Uncle Nick's 23rd birthday party. Traveling with 4 kids takes a lot. A lot of planning, time and a lot of stuff. I brought diapers, sippy cups, wipes, pajamas, extra clothes, toys, blankets, food and bottles but I forgot to pack Gracie's Valium. Darn. Of course she gets a fever. Double darn. Poor girl had a fever of 102. We gave her some Tylenol and 30 minutes later she perked up and ran to play with "the brudderth." We thought we'd dodged a bullet but just as we we're getting ready to leave, her fever spiked again. I had to call the advice nurse who called the doctor on call to see if it was safe to drive Gracie home. 2 hours later we got the ok to make the drive home. Instructions were to call 911 if she seized or turned blue. Really?! Thanks doc. So we decided to make the drive. We said a prayer for safe travels and loaded our completely exhausted family into the car. Nathan screamed a lot. Poor baby has never been so tired. Bedtime is usually 7 so the poor kids couldn't function at 1am. Thankfully our ride home was uneventful. We gave Gracie girl her meds at home and put everyone to bed.


Before the drama of Gracie's fever we really had a great time at Uncle Nick's party. Lots of loud, Rodriguez discussions and stories. Lots of great food and of course the best part was the wonderful company. We love seeing Faraway Grandma and Grandpa.
This morning we woke feeling surprisingly good. Collin was a rockstar and slept 7 hours in his own bed. That's practically unheard of in this house. Baby boy usually wakes to eat every 4.5 hours and he almost always sleeps right on my chest. He's not a fan of the bassinet so last night was a major treat.
Today we finally made it to church. Yay. It was so nice to see everyone. All the grandmas were all over Colly and asking to hold him. Love that. After church we went to lunch at Top Hat Burgers and Hotdogs. It was our first time and it was amazing. The kids took naps when we got home. After nap the kids played outside for a long time. They had a bucket of water, some rags and sponges and they had a blast. They washed the pool fence, the cozy coupe, the picnic table, and the ground. Eventually the washing turned into wrestling and they were tackling each other on the grass. I love to watch my kids play together. I love when they make each other laugh deep belly laughs. <3 them.
Tonight my mom and I made a yummy, veggie filled dinner. We're trying to be low carb.


I made brownies that aren't very low carb but they're very very good. I'm sending them to the bank with Ell tomorrow.

Reedy Reed

Oh Nathan, you make us laugh. You bring such joy to our lives. Your smile is contagious. It's mighty hard to stay mad at such a charming, silly, wonderful boy.


Yesterday, you were watching mommy put on deodorant. You looked at me with your beautiful big brown eyes and said "will you tickle me with that when I'm bigger?" You're too funny. Thanks for making me smile and laugh every day, Natey Reed. Love you.

5 months old

My sweet Collin,
You are 5 months old today. I can't believe it! This time last year we had just started telling our friends we were expecting. You are getting so big. You're such a smiley, happy, smart baby. You weigh 16lbs 4oz and are 25.25in long. You wear a size 6m clothes and a size 2 diaper. You eat 6oz every 4.5 hours. On Monday you tried your first solid food. Mashed bananas. You loved it. You're finally starting to tolerate your carseat. Car trips have been much more pleasant and quieter too. You are also starting to enjoy tummy time. You can roll both ways and are starting to scoot around. You love reading books and eating them too. You are just starting to take interest in your toys. Everything goes in your mouth. You especially like to eat mama's hair. Silly boy. Collin, you are such a joy in my life. You and mama are best buddies right now but I know it won't be long before you're off running with your brothers and sister. I can't wait to see what these next few months bring. You'll be doing all sorts of new tricks. I love you, sweet boy!

First food

Today, Collin enjoyed his first non liquid food. I mashed up a little banana with some formula and he loved it. He's just 2 days shy of 5 months but I decided to give solids a try. He's become very interested in our food and smacks his little lips while we eat. Logan and Nathan started cereal at 4 months and Gracie at 6 months so i figured we try now and if he wasn't ready we'd try again in a month. We are skipping the cereal this go around but Collin didn't seem to mind. He sat patiently in his flowery high chair and ate every single bite of mashed bananas. He even cried when it was all gone. My baby is getting big.

A mass, the zoo, and a birthday party

Ell had to work today but we had a super busy day planned. This morning mass was dedicated to my grandma. So we made the trip to Our Lady of Mount Carmel for mass. The kids were good as gold. Perfect little angels. They sat through 1 hour of mass with any trouble. I was so proud of my babies. After mass we went to lunch with my mom at The Habit. Yum. My mom went grocery shopping and Phee Phee and I took the kids to the zoo. It was so fun. We haven't been to the SB zoo in months so everything was new to the kids.


Logan is obsessed with penguins right now so he was determined to get to the exhibit. We ended up saving it for last. Collin loves being outside. He alternated between the stroller and the Moby. He really loved the train too.


I love going to the SB zoo. It's so clean, small and safe. My kids run everywhere and get lots of exercise.


On our way out Phee Phee took them to the gift shop. Logan got 2 penguin toys, Gracie got a ball and an elephant toy and Nathan got a snake and a tiger toy. Phee Phee is so good to them.


After 2 hours at the zoo we headed home for uncle Paul's birthday dinner. The kids bought him gifts that they picked out themselves. Logan got him a lighter, Nathan got him some sour candies and Gracie chose a robot note pad. They wrapped them themselves with lots of tape and drew him some pictures.


When Uncle Paul went to open the gifts the twins cried because they wanted to keep them for themselves. Note to self- they need more practice with gift giving. By dinner time the kids were done. They had a long busy day with no naps. Meltdowns were inevitable. Even though it ended a little rocky, it was a wonderful day. I love spending fun time with my kids. I only wish daddy could have come too.

No more pacifiers

Today's the day. The day we ditched our pacis. The twins will be 3 in May and I'd been meaning to get rid of the beloved pacifiers for a while now. I decided February 1st was as good a day as any. The past few days we've been trying to prepare them for what was coming and also talking up the fact the they are such big kids now. We told them that they'd get to trade in their pacis at Target for new toys. They seemed excited and I briefly thought, this is going to be easy. Wrong. Naptime was tough. Gracie decided that without a paci she wouldn't nap. So she sat in her bed and alternated between crying for her paci and singing Disney songs at the top of her lungs. Nathan was so sad. The boy loves he paci. He slept with 2 every night. One in his mouth and one in his hand. He cried himself to sleep and mama's heart broke into a zillion pieces.
After nap we headed to Target to get some new toys. Nathan knew he want a Green Lantern Imaginext toy. I assumed that Gracie would get some sort of cute, little stuffed animal. I was right. Except, honestly, it's not very cute. She chose a stuffed chihuahua. I was going to try to persuade her to choose someone else but then I saw that it was on sale for $3.99. Sold. We picked up a few more things and then headed to the check out.


I whispered to the cashier that they were giving up their pacifiers and that they'd be handing them to her as payment for their new toys. She looked a little confused but followed my lead. Gracie handed her the bag of pacis and I told them to say good bye and that they were big kids that didn't need pacis anymore. They happily said together, "bye bye, pacis!" Then I cried. Yup. Right there in Target. The twins were perfectly happy and I was distraught. The very kind cashier for sure thought I was nuts. I don't blame her. I was asking her to accept pacifiers as payment, I was taking pictures of my children with their new toys and crying about it all.
Giving up the pacis has been an unexpectedly hard transition for me. It makes me sad to see my babies turning into to big kids but at the same time it makes me proud and excited. We're ready for ballet, swim lessons, karate, soccer, preschool, and twin beds but that means we're ready to give up cribs, pacis, diapers, mommy&me classes, and footie pajamas. Sad and happy all at the same time. They're little bodies are changing from chubby rolly poly babies to skinny bean pole kids. They're finally out if 24m clothes. They have all sorts of opinions on what they wear, eat, watch and do. Ditching the pacis just makes the whole growing up thing seem so real.

A day at the park

On Fridays I have all 4 kids home all day. No one has school. Sometimes the day feels long, like bedtime will never arrive. But on Fridays I try my best to get out of the house with all the kids. It takes work but it's worth it. We went to the park today and it made me realize how big my kids are getting. Just last year I had babies that needed help getting up and down on the playground. Not anymore! The kids were climbing on everything and didn't want any help even when they absolutely needed mama so they didn't fall and break their bones.


Nathan is my daredevil. The boy climbed everything. He's getting really good at going up the ladders and he loved jumping on the bridge.


Logan's always been cautious but today I saw him taking some risks. He's terrified of the bridge but after a few minutes of watching Natey he did it. He was white knuckled holding on to the railing but he did it. He's also really getting quick climbing the ladders, went all the way up the twisty climber and was practicing hanging from the bars.


Gracie always does her own thing. She plays by herself most of the time and just watches her crazy brothers. Occasionally,today, she'd pop into their game and claim she was the baby, mommy, batgirl of wonder woman. She was spooked by Logan's fear of the bridge so it took her a long time to get on it and jump around. She liked to play under the structure and poke her cute face through the holes.


And just to prove we were there too. Here's Colly and mama. It was so windy so Collin ws very squinty in every picture I took. But the cheeks... I love the cheeks! So kissable. He loves his Moby wrap. He never cries in it and loves to people watch. By far my fave baby item.