Christmas Wish List

Cali decided it was time to make her Christmas wish list...and one for Rose, too.

Cali:
1- Eye mask (for bedtime)
2- Tiger (A boy tiger for Megan the Tiger to get married)
3-Dress up clothes
4- Party Decorations (I don't know why!)
5-Lift the flap books
6-Lots more dresses
7-Crayons
8-Play-doh
9-A goldfish
10- Porcelain dolls

 I figure we'll get her the tiger, eye mask, crayons, and play-doh.

Rose:
1-Phineas and Ferb toys (so she doesn't play with Cali's)
2-Toy dog
3-Baby books
4-My Little Pony panties
5-My Little Pony toys
6-2 toy tigers (so she wont' play with Cali's)
7-Blocks
8-Harry Potter puppet pals
9-Sippy cups
10-Ball

I actually appreciated the list she came up with for Rose, I was having a hard time thinking of things for her.

We'll see how Christmas turns out this year. :)

Halloween

My dad doesn't like it when I post about them being here until after they get home. So, now I can post about Halloween.



Cali told me she wanted to be a scary witch for Halloween. I showed her pictures of the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz. She liked the way that witch looked, so I thought it would be cute if Rose was her flying monkey. Since we had a monkey costume from when we had Cali be a pirate monkey.

 

 

Since the new Oz movie had come out, I went and checked the Disney store to see if they had any wicked witch costumes. They had one. It was $50 and looked like this:

Needless to say, I was no impressed. So I went searching for a sewing pattern. 

I looked at a lot of pictures and came up with this for Rose. It's not perfect, but I did make it without a pattern.

Cali wanted her face painted green and a fake nose. She didn't like the nose and washed the green paint off once these pictures were taken.

 Rose was being quite a pill since the wedding, so I wasn't surprised that she kept running off while my Dad took pictures.

I got these socks from my friend Emily and I thought they would be perfect for the costume. It was funny because they went up to her thighs and kept her warm.

Cali wanted a new bucket, so I got her a green one and Rose a blue one. 

We found some angel wings that were supposed to be for pets that we sprayed with fabric paint for Rose's costume. 

We bought the hat and the broom for Cali's costume. I pretty much just had to make the dress and the cape. 

The monkey costume was starting to get a little small for Rose, but since she was only wearing it for one night, I figured it wasn't a big deal. 

As per tradition, we went trick or treating around Saugus where my parents used to live. It was fun to see people from our old ward. 

 This house had a spider that popped out and scared the crap out of us.

 Rose wouldn't get out of the stroller for the first hour or so of trick or treating.

 Another cool looking house.

Finally, Rose got the hang of trick or treating and wanted to hold her pumpkin and ask people for candy. (We also sprayed fabric paint on those gloves and glued nails on them. Cali loved them)

Rose started chasing after Cali chanting, "Candy, candy, candy!"

When Rose started sitting down after getting candy, we knew she was done and it was time to go home.

 

It wasn't until later that I was looking at pictures of Cali in the monkey costume that I noticed how similar the girls look. Seriously, once you cover them up and look just at their faces, they look a lot alike. It's kinda crazy. 



Cali was 11 months old and Rose is 19 months old. That costume was a good investment. :)

Pregnancy is not for me (how I know I'm done)

A lot of my friends are pregnant right now. Sometimes I think about what it would be like to have another one. But then, I have to remember that I'm not a cute pregnant woman. My pregnancies go a little more like this:

Being stuck in bed, alone all day, sick

 



Feeling productive when I make it from my bed to the couch.

Sleeping next to the toilet because throwing up is exhausting

Being stuck in the hospital for days getting rehydrated

 

 

The truth is, I wanted lots of kids. Before we got married, I told Sean I wanted 6 kids. When we got married, we compromised on 4 kids. Once I got pregnant, however, it quickly went to 2 kids.

The idea of getting pregnant again scares the crap out of me. I can't convince myself that it would ever be a good idea. Mentally, emotionally, and physically- I can't go through another pregnancy.

Thankfully, I've done a lot of praying and I feel like the Lord knows I'm done and that there are no more spirits waiting in heaven to come down to our family.

So while part of me is sad when I see my cute pregnant friends-I have to remember what part of me is sad. It's the part that mourns for a normal pregnancy. The part that mourns for the baby boy (King Jeffrey) that I'll never have.

But, just when I start to feel too sad, Rose starts teething again. Then I remember that this is the last time I have to go through this crap! So while I'm up with my toddler with her 102 degree fevers, non eating, and constantly crying...I remember that I'm glad I'm done. 

18 month old Rose

My little (not so baby) Rose turned 18 months on the 25th of September. I thought I'd share some of the highlights of her personality.
She is 32 inches tall and 28 1/2 lbs.
Her favorite cartoon character is Phineas from "Phineas and Ferb". She calls him "baby" (From the song "Gitchee Gitchee Goo" that they sing in the show). She has a little figurine that goes with us everywhere.
She has basically stopped using sign language because she tries to say everything she wants. Sometimes she signs things when we don't quite understand what she wants.
Loves water, being outside, wearing shoes, jumping on the trampoline, following her big sister (Ta-wee) around, and the park (swings and slide being her favorite).
Her favorite song is "We Will Rock You" by Queen. She says, "Wee wee, wee wee, Wakoo"
She already has a bit of a temper and will hit or throw things if you don't understand or she doesn't get what she wants. We're working on it.
Her favorite shows on Netflix are "My Little Pony", "Ruby Gloom", "Sesame Street" (the new ones with Elmo), and "Phineas and Ferb" (of course).
She's currently teething (getting her two bottom i teeth at the same time) so she's not sleeping or eating well. But she's still nursing, which makes it possible for her to get some nutrients.

Cali's birthday 20 questions

Date: 9-3-2013

 

20 questions, answered by: Cali, age 5

1. What is your favorite color? Pink and purple

2. What is your favorite toy? Megan the Tiger

3. What is your favorite fruit? Apples

4. What is your favorite TV show? Calliou

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Ravioli

6. What is your favorite outfit? Pink dress with ruffles

7. What is your favorite game? Nickelodeon Wii Fit

8. What is your favorite snack? Rice Krispy Treats

9. What is your favorite animal? Cats, dogs, and rabbits

10. What is your favorite song? I Am a Child of God

11. What is your favorite book? Magic School Bus books

12. Who is your best friend? Mommy, Daddy, and Rose

13. What is your favorite cereal? Froot Loops

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play at the playground

15. What is your favorite drink? The Marble Soda (Ramune)

16. What is your favorite holiday? Summertime

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Megan the Tiger

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Ravioli

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Panda Express

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Princess Batgirl (that’s a secret, don’t tell anyone!)

$200/month???

There's these pins on Pinterest that boast about a family of four being able to buy all their groceries (toiletries, diapers, cleaning supplies, and paper products) for only $200/month.
I had never clicked on these pins because I knew a few things would be their "rules," such as:
"Don't be a brand snob," "Coupons, Coupons, Coupons," and "Don't splurge on things you don't need" I also assumed that they didn't live in Southern California and probably shopped at Aldi (which we don't have).
But, I was curious, so I clicked on this one:
http://www.parents.com/blogs/thrifty-frugal-mom/2012/05/03/must-read/4-things-i-do-to-keep-our-grocery-budget-at-200mo-for-a-family-of-four/?socsrc=pmmpin071012GroceryBudget

Ok, so this lady is a little too extreme if you ask me. Number one, "cheese is a luxury"??? Seriously?
Number two, who can find a jar of spaghetti sauce for 50 cents???
Number three, $2.00/lbs. (or less) of meat will only get you crappy meat

Yes, I'll admit, I'm a brand snob. I can taste the difference between Wal-Mart brand food and name brand food. That's something I accept about myself.
Also, I'm not into couponing. Something that's hard to afford is printer ink, so unless the coupons are mailed to me, I'm not going to go out of my way to get them.
Another thing with me is that I only like to shop at two stores for groceries: Ralph's and Wal-Mart. I won't buy fresh produce or frozen/refrigerated items from Wal-Mart. I've been there too many times to see things (like milk) in the "returns" carts when I walk into Wal-Mart and see them still sitting there when I leave. It's just something I'm not willing to risk. So I go to Ralph's for those things.

So it looks like I won't be getting my groceries down to $200/month. I guess I just like cheese too much. :)

Cali's poem

Cali wrote a poem. I thought it was so cute that I just had to share it:

Flowers are so pretty
With a little blow
And this is a pretty song, huh?
And flowers smell so pretty
There's lots of bows
In the whole wide world
Then you want to have your grass grow
With flowers in it
And you like a little song
And there's more,
But don't worry, it's not long
And then a flow

Swim lessons

My friend Stacy gave swim lessons for $25/week (5 days). Cali seems to have the same problem I have (trying to breathe underwater), but she did awesome! She swims like a fish. Now Rose uses the Puddle Jumper and she loves it. It'll fit her better next year, but for now it's a great relief to have Rose in a life jacket thing.

"Diet"

I've been doing a lot of praying and thinking about my weight. As of today, I am 217 lbs. And I hate it. I hate how I look in a bathing suit. I hate that I can't find shorts that fit me (I'm between a size 16 and 18). I hate that there is a guy at church that keeps asking me if I'm pregnant (he's mentally handicapped, but still).
So, I'm starting a "diet." I can't count calories because I will starve myself all day to eat junk at night. I don't agree with cutting out bread or milk or sugar (I think that all things should be in consideration). This is what I've come up with:
Breakfast: One bowl of cereal
Lunch: Yogurt and granola
Dinner: Salad and one helping of the main course
Snacks: All the fruit I want, string cheese,
Drinks: Water
Dessert: Homemade cookies (6 or less) or a glass of chocolate milk (not every night)
Exercise is difficult with Rose being so needy lately. But I'm going to attempt to walk in the evenings.
Wish me luck!

I can ask for help

You know what I totally forgot? My parents are awesome! They want to play with the kids. I can ask them to play with the girls so I can get some sewing done. Also, Sean's having his last final tomorrow and it's open book. So he'll be available to take the girls so I can get some stuff done too.
I know some grandparents aren't really the type to play with kids. They don't mind being around them, but they don't really get involved. Not my parents. They'll play and color and go on walks. It's pretty great. I was blessed with fun grandparents and I'm thankful that the girls have my parents to have fun with as well.
That takes a load off my mind.

A break from teething

This little girl has been happy all day today and yesterday. I think her second molar is completely in and we're getting a little break from teething. Even if it's only a day or two, I'll take it.

 

 

Because I love this little face!

Would you be offended?

We went over to my mother-in-law's house yesterday. Sean was helping her out by installing a new garage door opener for her. While there, the subject of ringtones came up. For Sean's oldest sister, Heather, she has set a song from the Harry Potter soundtrack as her ringtone. For Sean's sister, Kayte, her ringtone is a song from the Twilight soundtrack. So you'd assume that, for Sean, it would be something from the Batman soundtrack or something. Nope, instead, we get introduced like this, "I hope you aren't offended, but this is your ringtone"
Busted, by Ray Charles. I'd never heard the song before, so I looked up the lyrics:

My bills are all due and the baby needs shoes and I'm busted
Cotton is down to a quarter a pound, but I'm busted
I got a cow that went dry and a hen that won't lay
A big stack of bills that gets bigger each day
The county's gonna haul my belongings away cause I'm busted.

I went to my brother to ask for a loan cause I was busted
I hate to beg like a dog without his bone, but I'm busted
My brother said there ain't a thing I can do,
My wife and my kids are all down with the flu,
And I was just thinking about calling on you and I'm busted.

Well, I am no thief, but a man can go wrong when he's busted
The food that we canned last summer is gone and I'm busted
The fields are all bare and the cotton won't grow,
Me and my family got to pack up and go,
But I'll make a living, just where I don't know cause I'm busted.

I'm broke, no bread, I mean like nothing, forget it, over.

Needless to say, I'm pissed.

Finals week and teething

Sean's second semester is coming to an end. It's time for finals again.
And, again, we are experiencing the joys of teething.
Like her older sister, Rose gets the extreme symptoms of teething: high fever, lots of screaming and crying, wants to be held constantly, refusing to eat (prefers nursing), continually fussy. But, also like her sister, her gums are very swollen and bleeding continuously. Poor baby. As much as it sucks for me, I think back to when my teeth were broken months ago and how miserable I was. So I can't really blame her for acting how she is. Also, since she's my last, I find I have more patience in dealing with it this time around.
As a result of finals week coming up and Rose teething, but house has fallen into disaster mode. Cali's toys are strewn all over the house, dishes and laundry are piling up, surfaces where Rose can reach are sticky (because she loves chewing on otter pops, feels good on her teeth). My goal most days is to keep Rose from crying non-stop. I can't handle it when my kids cry. At least, not when they genuinely are crying. Sometimes Cali cries because I won't let her eat ice cream for dinner. I don't feel too bad about that. However, when Rose starts screaming because I put her down (heaven forbid I go to the bathroom), that rattles my nerves. It might be for a few seconds, but she drops to the floor and screams like there is no tomorrow. And it makes me unable to think or focus on anything but her. Poor Cali has had to hear "Cali, I can't pay attention to you when Rose is crying like this" more often lately. I feel bad for her, but Sean has really been trying to help give Cali the attention she needs while Rose is like this.
Unfortunately, while my house is a mess, we're having the sure signs of the weather warming up- all the bugs and animals are starting to come around. Cali's had ants in her room, there are spiders in the front room, and the stupid ground squirrels are tunneling everywhere.
Not to mention all the sewing projects I have to get done this week: a police outfit for a build-a-bear, a baby blanket, and a hat that I haven't finished. Crocheting and knitting are so much easier to do with Rose acting the way she is because they are portal and don't require a whole lot of concentration. Sewing, unfortunately, requires me to sit in one place and focus on the task at hand. Which isn't happening lately.
On top of that, my parents are finally coming out to visit us next week and I feel completely overwhelmed and unprepared for it. I love my family, but I am embarrassed of the state my house is in for them to be staying with us for a week. I'm hoping Rose will start feeling a little better so I can put her down and get some things done and clean.
So here I am, at 2 AM on a Sunday morning, stressing out and not sleeping. Which is going to be super helpful when I have to get out of bed at 7:30 to get everyone ready to leave for church at 8:30. I haven't given much thought to my lesson either. But that's a different story for another day.
Here's hoping I get my act together asap!

Shirts

 My friend Marianne made Rose a 12 month onesie that says "little sister" and Cali a shirt that says "Big sister". I tried to take a picture of them in them every month. It didn't always happen. But here are the ones I did manage to get:

Recent photos

My friend Becky took pictures of the girls. Here's a collage of some of them.

Christmas 2012

 So I'm really falling behind with posting, but normally I post from the phone and it hasn't been publishing lately. Weird. So, here's the girls with their haul from Christmas. Big Thank You to Mema, Papa, Uncle Brandon, and Aunt Ashley this year. You guys made their Christmas.

Christmas tree

This is why we have a tiny Christmas tree on our coffee table.

Cali's first book

Cali wrote a book. She drew the pictures and told me what to write and on which page to write it. It's pretty cute.

 

 

The Princess Cali, written by Cali

Once upon a time, in a far away kingdom, a princess named Princess Cali. The mom and dad was so proud that they had a little girl. And she came out of the mommy's tummy. 

 When she was still a baby, Princess Cali blew away. But the mom and dad catched her. But then something terrible happened. It was Christmas and it was windy.

 When she was a little girl, carrying some water and some food, the wind blew Princess Cali away again.

And then the mom catched Princess Cali and she was saved. The End.

My Cali Rose

In anticipation of my etsy shop opening, I've renamed my crafting blog. It is now MyCaliRose.blogspot.com

Another tooth gone

After getting 2 different root canals on the same tooth and it still was infected- I ended up getting my molar pulled.
So, I lost my bottom far back molar on the left after I had Cali. Now I lost my bottom far back molar on the right after Rose.
The dentist said my teeth were disintegrating and that I had cavities in places people normally don't. Like a druggy or something. I just threw up so much that the stomach acid ate away at my teeth.
At least I'm done being pregnant!

Halloween 2012

Cali saw a pink Batgirl costume in Target and fell in love with it. Since I was planning on making her Halloween costume, we compromised with purple. And Rose got to be baby girl Robin

Inspiration for Cali's costume

Robin and Batgirl (without her mask)

Rose and her friend (5 weeks older) Zeke. So cute that she was Robin and he was Batman.

Utah

My best friend Marianne was getting married in Utah. So to help us be able to get there, my parents paid for the gas for us to bring some of their stuff to them.

 

Unfortunately, the catalytic converter decided to crack at 2 AM in Beaver, UT -300 miles away from the wedding.

 Thankfully, my dad was able to borrow Ashley and Brandon's car to haul the stuff to their house and there was enough time for us to change and make it to the wedding.

While we were there, we got family pictures taken. Don't know when we'll be able to have the whole family together again, so it was pretty cool that we got to do it. Especially now that we're the only ones not in Utah.

 

We hiked up a mountain that was behind my parents' new house. I thought I was going to die, but Cali was a real trooper.

Solids

Since Rose turned 6 months old on the 25th of last month, she got to start solids. But this time we're trying something called "Baby Led Weaning." I just call it "eating."
Basically, it just means that Rose eats whatever we do. No "baby foods" necessary. While she still doesn't have any teeth, it doesn't stop her from munching on whatever we give her.
There are some things that we don't give her still- lettuce, peanut butter, egg whites, pork, sea food. Other than that, it's fair game. It's been so fun to watch her explore new foods.
Info regarding "baby led weaning" can be found here: http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/kids-cooking/bye-bye-baby-food/