The Trio visits Santa! (and what I've learned this year)

Every year I learn something new when taking the kids Santa photos. This years list:

1. I think I look forward to the Santa visits more than the kids do.

2. Peanut J is definitely following in Princess J's footsteps and will be giving me more screaming Santa photos to add to my collection.

3. Little J gets to take his photo at a special holiday party put on by the United Cerebral Palsy of the Golden Gate. It's a fabulous party for children with special needs. Every year they have Santa along with "Santa's Elves" who happen to be beautiful ladies in cheerleader uniforms....last years "elves" were the Raiderettes....this years "elves" were the Warrior cheerleaders. Every year it becomes more apparent that Little J is more interested in the ladies than he is in Santa.....notice his eye gaze is not at the camera this year.

What a Princess wants for Christmas when she's 3.....

Princess J is all about Christmas this year. She completely understands the concept now and is really enjoying all of the decorations and fun things going on this month. Everyday she has to look at the Christmas tree at least 100 times. This girl does not miss anything either...she notices any new present that makes an appearance.

She wrote a sweet letter to Santa this year.....

On her wish list:
Playskool Alphie

Dora House

Pillow Pet Zippity Zebra

Pillow Pet Dinosaur

Her letter was so cute and we had our postman come to the door to pick up her letter, she was so excited to send it off to Santa! Sadly, I didn't take photos of her handing her letter to the postman, since he was running behind and it was so nice of him to come to the door for her letter.

She was not so thrilled to actually go see Santa this year. The minute we got to Santa's visiting area at the mall, she started crying. Thankfully, we were third in line when they opened. She stopped crying long enough to snap a photo with Santa....even if she had a look on her face like "please mama get me outta here!" Santa was so good to her as well. He did very well keeping her calm during the photo and then really engaged her after the photo. She took the time to ask him if he got her letter and he told her he did and that she was definitely on the good list! She was so happy to hear that!

Princess J had a school holiday party and I have photos from that coming soon!

Santa photos coming soon!

Happy Halloweenie!

Whew! What a busy week Halloween was! Yep, I said it....Halloween has now officially become a week long holiday event! Between making treats for the kiddos to take to their classes and making sure we had candy for trick or treating and costumes that fit it was a whirlwind!

First up, Princess J had two costumes! Her preschool had a little trick or treat event at the school district offices. They didn't want any costumes that were too elaborate or had any pieces to carry and keep track of. Soooo, I was very lucky to have a Tinkerbell costume in our arsenal! Grandma had purchased it for her last year to play dress up with and it hadn't fit quite yet....it came in quite handy this year! Thanks Grandma! Then, when Halloween costumes first came out, she saw this Strawberry butterfly princess and decided that was what she wanted to be. She had so much fun! She loved wearing both of her costumes and loved telling people what she was....and if they guessed wrong she loved making sure to correct them! We didn't trick or treat too far, she was done after about 10 houses. She had just as much fun handing out candy to the gazzillion kids that came to our door. It was as if someone brought a bus to our neighborhood....

Little J finally got to participate in his school Halloween parade! Yay! Last year he was so sick! He wore his Superman costume and he wore it well! Super kid, super strength and super smile! Loved his parade! Those teachers and aides work hard for those kids! Eight kids in the class and dressing all of them and keeping them all occupied while they wait their turn for the parade. They did lots of art projects leading up to Halloween too! We have lots of Little J created Halloween decorations now too!

The photos were soo hard to capture this year. Peanut J jsut wanted to make sure he had his car in his hand and was so busy watching all the other kids in the neighborhood, I had a hard time getting him to look at me! Princess J was everywhere, I couldn't keep her still for an instant! Always on the move!

Peanut J! What a fun one he was! His costume last year was so big, we thought that he might be able to wear it again this year....but it was not to be. So....while Princess J and Little J were at school we headed out to find this years costume. He tried on 4 costumes with an audience. They probably thought I was silly asking this little guy what he wanted to be....we tried on a spider, a lion, a puppy and this little monster. The spider, he wouldn't keep the hat on, the lion he hated the hood and kept pushing it around. It was one of those that was seperate from the body of the costume and it came around the whole head, so when he'd turn it around he could no longer see and would scream! Nice! The puppy he wouldn't even let me put his arms in the body...but when we put the monster on he just started smiling...along with his audience who proclaimed him the cutest monster! Without any bias, I have to agree! LOL!

All in all, Halloween was a great time! Princess J didn't want it to end. The dismantle of all the decorations inside and out brought tears and a "I want Halloween to be today again!"

I have a crafty post coming up soon too! I got crafty for Halloween for the kiddos and feel like I'm finally getting a little mojo back. More on that in another post!

{Still Here}

We are still here and all is well. This cute little smiley boy you see here is none other than Peanut J! He is finally demanding his time and place in this family. He is no longer my patient little man who just goes with the flow. It used to be that he would only scream when he was hungry....now he is using those powerful vocal cords to demand many things.....including food, changing, naps, and moving his turn in the chain up a few notches. He let us have it easy for awhile.....but he is definately taking Princess J's lead and quickly attempting to move himself to the top of the chain. The squeeky wheel gets the grease.....and welll....he's being pretty darn squeeky!

We welcome this emergence of his personality....I don't know how long Princess J is going to stand for it though!

Peanut J is doing so well. He's quickly becoming a steady walker....and we believe he is destined to be a line backer or a comedian. While Princess J steers clear of Little J and stays out of his way, Peanut J just jumps right in....if Little J is in his way he just pushes him out of the way. Little J was in prime wrestling position the other day and Peanut J jumped right on top of him. We are so proud of Little J doing his best to be gentle....sometimes his excitement gets the best of him though.....but Peanut J has no fear!

Peanut J is a great eater! Right now, his favorite thing to do is to start laughing and then stick his hand in his full mouth and come after you with his handful of food. He thinks it's quite hilarious! He also thinks it's hilarious to throw his cheerios, goldfish, or whatever item is on his tray on the floor and watch you fetch it. He literally belly laughs! Peek-a-boo is still his favorite game....he still thinks it's hilarious. He loves to watch cartoons with the kids....however his personal favorite right now is Dora the Explorer.

I'm really trying to get back in the groove here and have some fun stuff to post coming up soon!

{Fairyland}

This post is LONG overdue!

I remember my dad and my grandma taking me to Children's Fairyland when I was a little girl. I've been dying to take the kids myself! I have so many good memories of coming here. Lots of puppet shows, exploring my favorite fairytales and the prized magic key!

It was quite funny to enter through the old shoe that was once the ticket booth when I was little and enter the newly renovated ticket booth. Upon entering, I was struck by how little everything is, when my memories picture everything so much bigger! I know, I know, it's because I was so little then that it seemed so big!

What was so wonderful, is that overall, everything is exactly the same. The magic key, the little blue boxes and my little Princess was just mesmerized. She was running everywhere....and she held on to that magic key with every bit of strength she had! She didn't care to stick the key in the blue boxes, but she loved the key! LOL!

While Princess J was running everywhere and hard to keep up with, Peanut J was just taking it all in. Just looking at everyone and everything! He was even distracted enough to drink his milk instead of formula...after he'd been fussing for days over the change. Little J, loved looking at stuff, but after awhile his friend Stephanie (our respite care helper) took him over to the open grass area and let him loose to wrestle and kick his legs up. It was perfect!

I can't wait to take Princess J back and now that Peanut J is a bit more moble, letting him explore some too....outside of the stroller.

Melting HOT!

We've been complaining for days....okay months about where our summer has gone....it's here now! HOLY MOLY it's been HOT! While summer overheats the outside, we're staying nice and cool inside with the AC! Tomorrow the heat is supposed to break and we'll get some cool Bay Area weather back. I like hot, but not melting hot! Since this is the last week of summer vacation (well vacation for Little J) we're planning to do something fun tomorrow. On tap is either a trip to Fairyland or Fisherman's Warf. So look for some touristy photos tomorrow!

Love these little close up shots I got of Princess J the other day. Her favorite thing right now is to wear a "ballerina dress" and you can't forget the princess lip gloss! Too cute!

The Whole Enchilada!

This post should be titled "The Works Burger" or something else more fitting. These 3 beautiful faces have been keeping us super busy! I used to LOVE summer break when I was in school, but now I'm not so sure why they call it summer break.....we're not getting any break....as a matter of fact we're counting down the days until school starts back up again and we can get back into a routine groove! It's not just G and I counting down the days, but I think Little J is too! Princess J is looking forward to going back to preschool as well. She misses her friend Brian! LOL! Already chasing after the boys!

Soooo....here are the updates:

Little J- OMG! He is going to be a FIRST GRADER this year! Wow! He is doing really well right now. He is full of energy and always on the move. He loves his brother and sister....and most of the time you can see it in his behavior. Often times if we are trying to do something with Little J that he needs to be still for we have to ask Princess to leave the room, because he is so excited to see her! They do have their sibling moments where they torture each other but most of the time they are happy to see each other. Little J is very in tune to Princess J's emotions. On many occasions if Princess J gets in trouble.....Little J ends up crying....he hates it when we get mad at her!

Some favorites:

Foods:

COOKIES (any kind)!

Fruit (apples, grapes, and melons)

Carrots

Movies:

Monsters Inc.

Planet 51

TV shows

The Upside Down Show: Every night for an hour we hear complete and full belly laughs over this show! We need to find the DVD's for this show!

Princess J: We are in the midst of the "horrifying 3's" She is on her own program and thinks that this is the Princess J show. Every other word out of her mouth is NO! Some of the things she says are hilarious and you almost wonder where she gets this stuff from. The other day she told me "Let's go clean my room!" Um...yeah...okay...I said "Let's go!" We get to her room and she says okay mommy...you clean, I'll play! HILARIOUS!

She tells me when I'm not doing something the right.....No mommy...that's not right! LOL! Like when I tried singing "The Wheels on the Bus" for her....sigh.....LOL!

She's always looking out for her brothers! She's very intuitive to what they want...especially Little J. He drops toys and she goes to get them for him. She loves to help put Peanut J to bed at night and she tells them she loves them.

She's still the pickiest eater on the planet....to the point of frustration. Thankfully, she drinks her instant breakfast drink without tantrum and she loves to eat fruit....although don't you dare leave skin on the apple! OY!

Everyday she asks for McDonalds!

Princess J favorites:

McDonalds

Playing dress up

Vanilla wafers

Her Hello Kitty wellies

Shoes

Purses

anything sparkly!

Caillou

Sprout

Chica (on Sprout)

Team Umizoomi

Dislikes:

Sesame Street....I really don't get this one...but everyday she tells me "I don't like it!" and brings me the remote to change the channel. She does like Elmo and the rest of the characters...but only in books and magazines...hmmmmmm....

Peanut J: OMG! This little man is 1! I cannot even believe it! What a sweet little wiggle worm he is! He is always on the move! He is getting ready to walk...he's working on it...he gets a few steps and then falls at this point. He seems to love almost any food we put in front of him.....but he's not really liking the transition from formula to regular milk....He puts up with 6 oz formula/2 oz milk mix....but he puts his foot down at 4oz formula/4oz milk......we'll keep working on it though.

Peanut J is really loving Sesame Street! Sigh......can't get Princess J to watch it....so sometimes it's a battle.

With school starting for both Little J full time from 8am to 2:30 in the afternoon and Princess J going to preschool 3 days a week....I am finally going to have some one on one time with Peanut J! I'm looking for a baby gym program for him to start! Princess J also wants to be a ballerina right now, so I think we're going to look for a little dance class for her and see how it goes. She is really blossoming right now. Her speech is coming along well and she's VERY GOOD at expressing herself. She has an amazing imagination and plays so well by herself as well as finding it easy to make new friends. She tries to make friends everywhere......doctors offices, restaurants...anywhere! She'll talk to any kid...thank goodness she won't just talk to any adult! LOL!

To clarify my last post....there is no fetus J in the oven at this time, nor do I anticipate one. Our plan is that Peanut is our last one....this makes me a little sad as I miss that itty bitty baby stage and I am a little sad that I won't be preggo again....but when I feel a little misty over it...reality smacks me on the forehead! My last post was about how last year we had two independent little ones on the outside and 1 little bun in the oven...it was much easier to take of 2 kids and 1 in utero rather than 3 independent beings! LOL!

All 3 of my J's are amazing little kids in their own ways. G and I are very blessed to have each and every one of them. We are so proud of each of them.

Coming Back Soon!

The best laid plans don't always come out the way you thought. Summer break got here faster than I anticipated and with 3 kids this year instead of 2 and 1 baking in the oven it's been crazy! I'll be back this weekend with an update on all the J's and a special Happy Birthday to our 1 year old Peanut J!

Happy 4th!

Yes, I know there is one kid missing. Just couldn't get a share worthy photo....

Don't worry Little J fans...a Little J post is on it's way and I promise sweet photos!

This was Peanut J's first 4th of July! I can't believe a year ago I was still ubber preggo with him and telling him every day to stay put until his planned arrival date...sniff...sniff....I really can't believe that he's almost a year old already! Yikes! Where has the year gone?

We've been super busy lately! Little J is enjoying his extended summer school and Princess J is missing her school. Hopefully we'll have a play date soon with her BFF Brian from school! She seriously did not like boys when she started school....but Brian's sweet nature and a little persistence has paid off. He is adorable and sweet! Peanut J is getting into his groove. He is obsessed with the remote control....nothing can stop that boy from trying to obtain and control! He is all over the place these days....that kid can crawl fast! He's cruising around and testing the water balancing on both feet. He's braving the step taking, but ends up on his booty 90% of the time.

With Little J's new respite caregiver, we've been able to take a few adventures! Last week, we hit the zoo and the fair after Little J got out of school. The kids had a blast! Pictures of those outings coming soon too.

Coming soon:

Zoo Outing!

Fair Outing!

Little J graduates from Kindergarten!

Peanut J is 11 months!

Princess J is divalicious and knows what she wants!

....and probably a few other things I'm forgetting!

We Walked (and rode) for Angels!

May panned out to be a very busy month for us. Little J's social calender is in full swing and is keeping the rest of us on the move! So, I can't believe that I've waited until now to blog about The Angelman Syndrome Foundation walk-a-thon!

One of the most important events for us every year now is the ASF walk in Sacramento. Not only is it a chance for us to raise some money and awareness, but it is also an opportunity to gather together with other families to share accomplishments, tips and tricks, offer support to one another, meet new families and just have an all out good time. How could you not have a great time at an event with the happiest kids on earth!

This year 2 of the 3 little ones walked the event (or at least part of it). Last year all of them were pulled and pushed or just carried along for the ride in utero. Princess J had a great time giving Auntie Kristin a run for her money as she collected every stick and rock she could find....until she discovered the lake and tried making a run for it! Auntie Kristin knows every trick in the book though and was quickly between her and the lake!

Little J did amazing using his walker to complete a portion of the course and peanut J just went with the flow and made the day easy on us! He even squeezed in his nap while a live band belted out some fun tunes to dance to!

Every year our team of walkers grows! This year, we were lucky to have Auntie Kristin and Grandma and Grandpa Wells join us for the fun!

Maybe YOU can join us next year!

Challenger Jamboree 2010-{just a lil' peak}

This month has been super busy, super fun and super exhausting all at the same time!

Today, Little J had his Challenger Little League Jamboree. What a fun day! It started out with a game at 9am, a medal ceremony, a welcome ceremony, full jamboree participants photos....(over 300 amazing kids!), and a BBQ lunch!

I'll have more photos to share later (and more to say too), but if you ever get the chance to get out and watch a Challenger Little League game, you will have the best time! There is nothing more heartwarming or joyful than seeing these amazing kids out there playing America's game and just having a good time. There are no fights, everyone scores, everyone plays, everyone wins! The families that participate, the people who volunteer to coach and assist are some of the most amazing people you will ever meet.

Strike A Pose

It's not often that this little girl will pose for the camera, but on this day, she decided to rock her Backyardigans lunch box and her Hello Kitty sunglasses before school. She was...as I've said before...HILARIOUS!!!! Everytime I snapped a shot, she would change her pose....and that sassy face! We were having so much fun I wanted to keep her home from school that day....but just as quickly as she became a supermodel....she turned into an All done diva!

More coming soon on Little J and Peanut J!

The Golden Arches.....

This little girl is such a crack up these days. The things that come out of her mouth and her imagination are HILARIOUS!

She started attending preschool in March and just amazes me! Her teacher has been really impressed with everything she understands and demonstrates in class and how quickly she catches on to things. We are so proud of her! Her speech and vocabulary are growing by leaps and bounds...she's turning into a real chatty girl!

Recently she made a candlestick and a spider in her class (reminder for me to take a photo of them). They used them to act out Jack Be Nimble and Little Miss Muffet. It was too cute! Now, I love saying these rhymes with her and having her fill in most of the important words. I love her 3 year old way of saying "curds and whey", "Miss Muffet", "Nimble" and especially "over my candlestick". I can't get enough and I know I'm driving her crazy asking her over and over. I keep trying to record it, but it's not turning out....I will keep trying as long as she'll let me!

This girl is in LOVE with McDonalds! During Josh's T-Ball season, we've been having it once a week, which is far more often than they usually get it. Since we don't have our normal T-Ball schedule this week, I decided to get her McDonalds for lunch today. Later this afternoon, she takes one of the kitchen table chairs and lines it up with her two small table chairs like a car and she pretends she's driving....she turns around and....

Princess J: I driving to McDonalds!

Me: Really? Are you almost there?

Princess J: Yeah!

Me: Could you get mommy some french fries while your there?

Princess J: I got it!

Me: You're back already?

Princess J: Yeah!

She gets out of her "car" and comes over to me pretending to carry french fries....

Princess J: French Fry! (While handing them to me)

Me: Did you bring any for Little J?

Princess J: No

Me: Could you give him some of mommy's?

Princess J: Ok...(as she takes some from me) she walks over to Little J and puts some on his tray.

Me: Did you bring some for Peanut J?

Princess J: No...too little.

Later playing with her blocks she built a little house and made a line of blocks along side it. She said it was McDonalds.....we're in trouble!

PEANUT J

This little boy is so stinkin' sweet! He is growing up WAY too fast!

I love these sweet gummy smiles, but those will soon come to an end and I'll have a little boy with a tooth! Poor little guy has been pretty fussy all day, ended up taking a late nap and is up late now...and still a bit fussy. I felt it...the tooth finally making it's break for the top of the gumline. Can't wait to get through this teething stage now that it's really underway...but...sniff...sniff...sniff...I'm going to really miss this gummy little smile.

These days, at 9 months Peanut J:

Is really very easy going. He knows how demanding his brother and sister are and just goes with the flow....when he really wants something though...he knows how to let you know!

He is fascinated by his Little J and especially Princess J. He's always trying to grab on to her...she's not a very willing participant. It's on her terms or not at all!

He likes the ladies...Dora, Kai-Lan and any pretty girl who wants to give him some attention. He knows how to bat those pretty little eyes and give that sly flirty smile.

He loves to carry on conversations! Especially, when he's in the back seat of the mini-van...he doesn't want any of us to forget he's there. When's he's not "talking" back there...he's snoozing. The car ride is an instant sleep inducer for him. I think he's going to be like his sister and as he gets older he'll get mad when the car stops....I see inklings of it now...but we'll see. That's my prediction though.

He loves to jump in his bouncer!

He can crawl, but he knows he can get there faster by rolling. He'll crawl a few steps forward and then start rolling.

He can sit, but he's not interested in doing it for too long....he's got places to go...apparently.

He's already trying to grasp onto things to pull himself up...he's not getting to far with that though....yet!

He's a great eater! He'll eat anything you give him...so far....

He's become a great sleeper! After consistent 5 & 6 hour feedings, he's finally sleeping through the night! Yay!

I am just so blessed by this little boy. I honestly cannot imagine my life without that sweet little face!

Busy Bees!!!

We are gearing up for a busy month of May! I just realized that we have something going on every single weekend in May!

So much fun! I love being busy with activities in between the hectic week schedule. First up, this weekend Little J will be going surfing, boogie boarding and kayaking in Santa Cruz! I can't wait to take the kids to Santa Cruz! I used to love spending summer days there as a kid and went a bunch of times during college for weekend getaways with my girlfriends!

There should be lots of photos in the days and weeks ahead!!

Meanwhile, this little cutie is growing like a weed! I can't believe he is already 9mos old! Time sure flies! An update post on what he's up to will be on it's way soon! Now....time to rest for the busy month ahead!

Paying Attention!

Recently, Every Friday night has been spent at the local Little League field for Challenger league for Little J. Princess J loves to go and everytime we cheer on a player from either team, Princess J joins in louder than anyone...but especially when it's Little J. I didn't really think she was paying attention to what the kids were actually doing out there, because she's usually running around between cheers climbing on the bleachers, playing with other little girls or just running amuck. Princess J surprised me though! These photos are worth a million words!

Initially, we were not supposed to play this past Friday, but because of one game being rained out, and the last game being taken over by team photos they put a game together. It was a little disorganized, but it was lots of fun hanging out and chatting with the other families while it was being put together without our regular coaches. The parents who stepped up did a fabulous job! While we were waiting, Princess J was running amuck. She had a good cold going, but she loves being at the field! Next thing we know, as soon as the equipment got put out, she was all over it. She had a helmut on and grabbed a bat and ball. She carefully put the ball on the T and swung at it! She knocked it off the T and while it was only about 2 inches from where she started, she knew it was time to run......she did however put the ball back on the T before she ran....to 3rd base! LOL! It was so stinkin' cute! She was HILARIOUS...and had all that saw her giving her some of her own cheers! GO PRINCESS J!!!!

Catch Up with Princess J

Since my last post, this little girl has had a lot going on!
*She turned 3years old!
*She started preschool!
*She moved into her new bedroom!
*She is finally in love with Peanut J!
She's still not interested in being followed by the mamarazzi.....unless the mamarazzi is following Peanut J!
Her favorite word is still NO!
Love the way she says OK...it's so cute!
Calls Daddy the Po Po! LOL!
Loves Hello Kitty (I have no idea how that happened)!
Her favorite shows are:
The Backyardigans-I think Pablo is her favorite.
Wow Wow Wubbzy
Max & Ruby
Wonder Pets
Penguins of Madagascar
Favorite Movies: Princess and the Frog and Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakual..I think she loves the Chipettes.
She loves to dance! If you ask her where her groove thing is, she dances. She loves the Shake-A-Rama Go Go Go by the Curious Buddies on Nick Jr. I love watching her dance too!
Favorite Food: McDonalds Chicken nuggets (Is there kiddie crack in that stuff?)
She is the pickiest eater EVER! It's a nightmare at times....
She's turning into a little mommy for both Little J and Peanut J. She wants to feed both of them and brush their hair.
She's an excellent cheerleader for Little J's t-ball team!
I'm so lucky to be her mommy. <3

Little J-apalooza!

Little J had a very busy schedule on Friday! This little boy was going and going like the energizer bunny! Why is it that all the fun stuff always seems to fall on the same day instead of being spread out through the month or even the week? LOL!

Friday after school, Little J participated with his class in his schools walk-a-thon to raise money for his school! He did a great job and completed 3 laps walking on his own
with some supervision from his teacher! All the kids had a great time!

The most exciting thing for Little J was his first little league t-ball game!

We had heard about leagues in other areas for little ones with special needs, but hadn't heard of any near us. One day I was chatting with Little J's PE teacher and he was telling me that they had been playing t-ball in his PE class and that Little J loved it! I told him we eventually wanted to find a league for him to play in. He then told me he was in touch with our local league and would be getting the information and would pass it on to us.



We had Little J signed up before the end of the week! This organization is so awesome! All the kids were out there in their uniforms, just having a great time!

The smile on Little J's face as he played with his daddy's help says it all! I think that was probably the most amazing and fun sporting event I have ever been to! The best thing was that the fans in the stands were cheering equally for both teams! The kids got so much joy out of playing and hearing all the cheering going on for them. Princess J had a great time cheering everyone on too! She'd hear all the cheering from the stands and she joined right in and tried (and most likely succeeded) at being the loudest cheer girl there! Hmmmm....I wonder where she gets all that cheering spirit?


The kids play every Friday night for about an hour or so. It was perfect! Can't wait for this Friday to get here and go to another game! Yay!

You know that means more photos to come!!!