Springfest!

This weekend was Springfest here. There were so many fun things to do which is good except then all the babysitters in town are out having fun too. So we did what we could with the girls and that was fun. We watched all the dance and the gymnastic groups in town perform and we went to the carnival. Nadine and Naomi were so anxious to go on the rides. First they saw the YoYo, you know the one with the swings that goes around and around. They really wanted to go on that one, "Do you think you could go on that one?" I asked. Oh, yeah, it's for little kids they assured me. I told them that I didn't know if I would even go on it. Naomi looks at me like I'm crazy and says, "Mom you can't go on that, you'd break it!" So apparently I'm a little larger than I realized.

"Cheese!" This is the expression Nora gets when she's ready to have her picture taken.

We really had a great time but Klave and I both never realized how many weird people there are in Moses Lake, I guess a carnival just brings them all out of the woodwork. Seeing all those Jr high kids also makes me really nervous about my girls growing up. Kids that age get so confused about what's cool. Recently someone told me that psycologically 3 is the same as 15 as far as attitudes go. That was a little scary for me to hear but way motivating to work extra hard now so that when 15 rolls around things can go more smoothly.

Sammamish again

The first part of this week the girls and I spent in Sammamish again while Klave went on up to Bellingham for a training meeting. We had a great time as usual playing with cousins and I get to visit with my sister in law Grace. They are such a great family and she is one of those super moms that I'm always trying to learn from. This time we went to the children's museum in Seattle. Besides having to park like a half mile away and carry the kids through the rain to the museum (my arms were so sore the next day, so at least I got a work out) we had a really fun time. First there is an art room with paints and clay and collage stuff and they just go to town with it and it doesn't matter if they make a mess! It was wonderful for all of us. Then there is a room with ping pong balls that's kind of hard to explain but really cool, a story telling room, a fake restaurant, a fake grocery store and so many fun things. I'm sure we'll be back, next time with a stroller.

So here's a funny story about Naomi this weekend. She asked me if she could color and I said, "After dinner because we are about to eat." So she asks Grace if she can color and I say, "Naomi, is Grace your mom or am I your mom?" Like, you need to listen to me. The next day Grace was talking on the phone and asked Naomi to stop playing the drums so she could hear. She just kept on playing so I go in and say, "If Grace asks you to stop playing the drums, then you need to stop." She looks at me and says, "But Grace isn't my mom." It took me a minute to sort that one out in my mind. How to explain when to listen to others and when not to. Kids are so smart.

Still alive.

Yes, we are still alive. We have been so busy! It's crazy that something that sleeps so much can take so much of your time.
As some evidence of how busy we've been... I made chicken noodle soup last night and when I was doing the dishes I found the cut up chicken that was supposed to go in the soup. I didn't even notice it was missing when I was eating it. Klave didn't mention it either, bless his heart.

Klave's parents have a sheep ranch, so each year we go down for lambing season. This year about 500 sheep will lamb within a months time. We went down to "help" for a few days and then we blessed Lucy there on sunday. Weiser is about half way to our house from where my family lives, so they all came too. That was my Dad, Mom, 3 brothers, 3 sisters, 4 spouses, and 8 kids. Klave's parents were so nice to put them all up. We all had a blast. Here are a few pictures,

Nadine and Naomi and cousin Mason on the tractor with Grandpa Chandler

Amanda taking the kids for a ride
Klave's getting ready to feed the sheep. He really did the most work of all of us. This is what he really wants to be doing for a living, doesn't it just look natural to him?

Friday night we had a weiner roast it was best to keep us all out of the house, we were all so filthy

I was surprised at the courage of my siblings. My city slicker brother, Dan a lawyer from Seattle jumped in and helped with castrating 8 of their horses. Liz a return lamber of 3 years now helped pull a lamb out of the ewe and drove the tractor! My nephew Brayden 8yrs old milked a sheep and drank it's milk! Everybody was out there helping grab the lambs as soon as they dropped to the ground. It is so much fun but you do get really dirty. It's like the Weiser version of Fear Factor. Dan taking the new baby lamb to the shed.
Aunt Maycee and Nora
Brayden drinking the fresh squeezed sheeps milk.
Dan living up to Brayden's example.Nora checking the sheep with Grandpa Chandler. Aunt Liz and Carter feeding the lambs.

The day we got back from Weiser it was Cinco de Mayo. I had been planning for like two weeks to make paper mache pinatas with the girls and then have some friends over for tacos and family home evening and pinata fun. The time just crept away and things didn't go quite as planned. We ended up grabbing some food from Taco Bell. Here are some pictures of our pinata fun...

Ok it wasn't really a pinata, just a brown bag from Safeway, still it worked pretty good and since it was their first pinata the girls didn't know the difference. I wonder if they ever use brown bags for pinata's in Mexico?

Now here are some random things.
Thank goodness for blogs, having one really reminds me to take pictures. I got the camera out the other sunday to get some pics of the girls and Nadine wanted to help me, here's one she took, not bad for a three yr old. She also loves to take pictures of her dolls, but I usually delete those ones.

These girls are so much fun. Everyday they just make me smile so much. Even though somedays I think I'm going to go crazy keeping up with them, I just can't help but smile at all the funny things they do. Each night even though I could probably fall asleep standing up by the time it's time for sleep, I crawl into bed but I really don't fall asleep for quite a while because I just think about how much I love them and what I can do better and I almost always feel guilty that I haven't shown them enough love.

Every family home evening Nadine and Naomi want to sing the princess song for both the opening and closing songs. The princess song is just randomly singing the names of all the princesses and pretty girls they know. We got the last go round on video....







Nora has a real love/hate relationship with animals that I don't understand but it is so funny to watch. She loves to touch them but once she does she freaks out. Here's a video...










I also keep forgetting to write down all the funny things they say, but one that I remember at the moment was around Easter time when I had a bunch of those Robin egg malt ball candies. I found one that was really tiny and I said, "Look Nadine a little baby one." She took it and looked at it for a minute and said, "She wants her mommy!" Pretty clever huh?

We love Lucy!

So on wednesday the 2nd I was supposed to be induced but they called and said they were too busy, but maybe tomorrow...on thursday they called and were too busy again, but maybe tomorrow...then on friday they told me to come right in! Then I started to panic, was I really ready? Ready or not, it was time. We got to the hospital at about 11:00am. After five tries they got the IV started and then we waited and waited there was really almost no progress until 8:00pm and then things got going and she was born at 12:53 the next morning!

(This is us waiting. We played Farkle and Klave rocked my world!)
Here's our little ray of sunshine- Lucy

She was 19.25 inches and 8lbs. 5oz.

It took us forever to decide on a name, and then we finally settled on Lucy after we came home from the hospital. All the nurses were so helpful and each time they came in they had more suggestions for names. I think they get extra worried sending a baby home without a name.
It's so much fun having a new baby around. Nadine, Naomi and Nora really love her. Today Nadine told me that she didn't know it was going to be a real baby. I've had my mom here for a little over a week and she spoils me so much, she just comes and works her little heart out taking care of me and the girls and Klave. Dan and Grace and their kids came over from Seattle too and that was great to have someone to play with Nadine, Naomi and Nora while I was at the hospital with Lucy. I'm so thankful to have such a supportive and helpful family!

Family Pictures

So, I really have been trying to get even a snapshot of our family in this stage that I could post but we can't seem to get an acceptable one. And, I bet it just gets harder the more children you have. So here I have a picture of each of us on the same day. Almost just as good, right?



Here's Nora-cha-cha, eating one of her favorites, pesto. She is just so cute and squishy. In nursery there is a little boy named Rorie that thinks so too. Whenever it's time for the lesson and they all have to sit down, he always sits on her, because he loves her. Then the teacher says everyone hold hands, like stand in a circle and hold hands and he just holds her hands, both of them. So sweet.

Here's Naomi-cakes, she is always making us smile. She really is sweet and tries to keep the peace in our home. I'm sometimes surprised at both her and Nadine and how selfless they can be for three year olds, we have totally been blessed with good children. Naomi is like her dad in a lot of ways, specifically, she's definitley a night owl and is the last to fall asleep of the girls and maybe even of everyone sometimes. And she can sleep later than anyone.
Here's Nadine-bean (a.k.a. Cinderella, Mary Poppins, Snow White or any Disney princess, Dora, etc.) This little girl is pretty creative and usually is the ring leader out of the three. For the past month and probably more she has been a bit obsessed about her swimming suits and spends so much of the day transferring them from her backpack to an ice cream bucket to the couch then to a grocery bag and on and on. Then she'll ask me, "What should I do with my swimsuits now?" She's a little fireball!
Here's Klabey, Dad, Prince Eric, the witch, the beast, and so much more. What a babe! Nadine and Naomi already know that he is the one they are going to marry. Klave has been working hard on our yard and investigating the stock market so we can retire rich, plus his real job and calling and just keeping us all happy. He is so good at it too!
Ok, I guess since I am a part of the family I should also make an appearance on the blog for history sake at least. This is Amanda, 38 weeks pregnant. This has really been a great pregnancy but the last few weeks have become pretty torturous. If any of you have experienced restless leg syndrome you know the kind of distress, agony, torment etc. that I have been going through. But alas just a day more. Unless something happens before then, I'll be induced on wednesday, that's April 2. Yahoo!

Three curly sue's...

I love having 8,30 church, besides having the whole day after church to relax and be together, I get to put sponge curlers in the girls' hair each saturday night. So here is the before picture.




I couldn't believe I actually got curlers into all of Nora's hair, I never thought she'd sit through it let alone keep them in all night. Sunday mornings are a breeze, I just take out the curlers, stick a bow in it, and voila!

This picture doesn't show the curls all that well but they are sooooooooo cute.

Third time's a charm.

It's just too bad when this phrase is referring to the color you paint your kitchen! I was so excited to get our kitchen all painted and finished and be done with painting and just put our house back together until this....

The picture actually makes it look a lot better than it was. I did most of it when Nora was taking a nap but when Klave got home he's like, "Don't even finish painting it." It was that bad. A little too retro for us. So we wait a week for paint to go on sale again and Klave took on the job. I wasn't sure of the color we wanted but just something neutral I told him. This is what he interpreted by neutral...

A little too reminiscent of those colorful houses you see as you fly over Mexico. I really wanted to be nice about it but after just a few hours (ok it was more like moments) I knew I couldn't live with it. That night I went and got one last can of paint. Neutral...

Not as exciting as the first two options but something I can live with a lot easier. I guess I appreciate it that much more now.