Last Soccer Game

at half time

Trey's good buddies Seth and Ryan that he went to kindergarten and 1st grade with at Berean

Avery after her game

Today was the last soccer game of the season. It started out cloudy but the sun came out shortly after the game started and it got very hot. Trey's team was short people today so they had no subs, so he was hot and tired by the end. Both Avery and Trey had a game at 10 am on fields beside each other, Johnny had to work today so i planted Ethan in a chair and parked Raegan in the stroller beside him and went back and forth between the fields videoing and snapping pictures of both games and trying to catch everything that was happening in both games so that i didn't miss anything for when they asked "did you see that mommy?" Trey played awesome with some good passes and a pass to his bud Ryan who then scored a goal! I saw a little fancy foot work out of our guy today, i was quite impressed. Avery scored her first goal ever today! Yay Avery! Ethan behaved himself quite nicely, i bought him a sprite and a bag of chips and he sat in his chair...until he decided to dump his can of sprite on the chair and play in it...oh well what can you expect when you give a 2 yr old a full can of pop??? :)

Tonight was the finale of the season with the awards picnic and best of all free dinner, sno cones and a giant blow up slide for the kids. The only down side to the evening was that poor Avery started reacting to something outdoors and her eyes were red and itching out of control, she was sneezing non stop, and her legs were itching so bad that she was bleeding from scratching. After they got their awards we made a quick exit to get Avery home and into the bath tub.

A Hot Walk

Raegan loved the barking dogs

who us fight??? never :)

the two little ones perfectly happy to ride

Trey was trying out his picture taking

The kids and i went on a long hot walk this afternoon. We walked to the Tastee Treat and had some ice cream and sat in the air conditioning for awhile. Avery informed me about a block from the tastee treat that "if it was any further, she would be dead by the time we got there" so i guess it was good we were almost there. I was informed by Trey today that "boys all nod at each other-and that means hi, what's up." I asked who told him that and he replied "it's just part of the boy world mommy."

Big Boy Bed

taking down the crib

helping daddy with his new bed

i'm a big boy

first night's sleep in big boy bed

at 2 am while up cleaning up puke

On Monday we finally took down Ethan's crib and put up his big boy bed. He has done great taking his normal 3 hr naps. I was worried more about how he would handle nap time in it but it hasn't been a problem. The first night i was up at 2 am and snapped the picture of him laying across the bed. So now just one more step to big boy graduation... to be potty trained. Johnny and i will be the first to admit we have not put forth effort in this area (i can't stand doing the whole year long potty training been there done that-i want to wait till he is good and ready!) We have decided that AFTER vacation we will put forth our effort and get him trained :) Who wants to be in the middle of potty training on a 20 hr trip??? NOT ME, that's for sure!

The reason for me being up at 2 am the other night... i heard one sentence i never enjoy hearing as a mommy... little tap on the shoulder... "mommy, i threw up" Johnny rolls over and asks "did you make it to the toilet?" hmmm Daddy must have thought the "no it's in the hallway" sounded like "sure it's all in the toilet" cause he just as quickly turned over and went back to sleep...leaving mommy to clean up the lovely smelling mess while trying not to dry heave the whole time... Trey had a dental appt the next morning and i think he was just nervous because he wasn't sick the next day...oh the joys...

Boys and Bugs

what is better than searching for bugs with your brother?

hey guys what's up??

I snuck up on Trey and Ethan searching for bugs tonight. Ethan is always right beside Trey doing whatever he does. We had a very relaxing Memorial Day. We slept in and then lazied around all morning. I went for a run in the (light) rain, which was great! We headed out to the Legends and ate lunch and went walking around the shops. We hung out at the fountains for awhile and let the kids play. We then went home and switched some car seats around...Ethan has moved to the back of the van with Trey for the summer. Hopefully this will cut out a lot of fighting that goes on between the oldest two while commuting here and there. Avery is thrilled to be up with her baby sister so everybody is happy! Woohoo. We then completed one other project but i will save that for my next post...

Raegan was 9 months old last Friday. She had her 9 month check and had to have blood drawn to check for anemia and lead level (gotta love the old houses). She shocked me by NOT CRYING...needle in arm, just looking at the lady and then -"huh, i can't move?- i want to wiggle- what, your holding me still?-are you crazy???- ok i guess i will have to cry then"- i'm just guessing that may have been what she was thinking to cause the 1 minute of crying that lasted until i let her have her arms free, and then stopped as quickly as it started. Stats-17 lbs. 7.5 oz. =25% in weight and 28 and 1/4 inches= 77 % in height. I had to laugh when i read on the hand out they give you- "Always keep a hand on your baby when lying on a changing table, bed or sofa." With Raegan it is more like "grab a foot or arm while your baby is diving head first off anything she is on" Our treadmill is a problem right now because she loves to climb on it but hasn't yet figured out that coming back down the floor is just a tad lower = face first plant on the linoleum! I am enjoying this age SO much! I know it helps that i am actually getting to sleep these days. She wakes up once around 4 am but just wants a bottle and goes right back to sleep. Not bad in comparison to where we were just a few months ago!

Family Get Together

Uncle Roger brought his jumping pit that the kids love

i got some of the boys to sit still long enough to get a picture

Raegan, Brooklyn and Hudson

who says that doll houses are for girls?

when we got home at 11:15 the boys were chowing on leftover baked beans

Last night we had our monthly family get together. We have one with the entire family- kids included and then the next month all the adults go out to dinner and get babysitters for the kids. Since there are 23 cousins involved a dinner out with kids would be a crazy affair , enough to scare any restaraunt that's for sure! Last night we went to Damon and June's that happen to have a picnic shelter and park across the street. We started the night out there but ended up at the house later because it was SO windy. The kids all dissapear for the evening except for the babies and the 2 and 3 years olds that come in and out making sure their daddy and mommy's are doing ok.

"Schools Out!"

yesterday-Avery's first helmet we bought didn't fit so we had to go back and get another one

this was not staged-do you think the kids were excited for school to be out??? this is how they came to the table this morning-a little more wide awake than most mornings!!

The High School Musical song is stuck in my head, possibly because my daughter has watched the movie maybe 50 times. Trey said at the end of school they actually did the little "routine" in his class. Today was our last half-day of school. Tomorrow we are sleeping in! Not too long though cause Raegan has her 9 month check. Why i scheduled that AFTER school was out and not a couple days before while i had two in school-it must have been a temporary brain time-out! We went yesterday and bought the kids new helmets since they will be on their bikes a lot. The last 2 afternoons (they have had 2 half days) have gone great! I put Ethan and Raegan down for naps for the afternoon and Trey and Avery ride bikes (or come in and out slamming the door, which we are working on!) With kids napping in their rooms it doesn't give them anywhere to play so i'm trying to come up with some things for them to do during that time, so that they don't just end up watching tv. So, here we come summer 2008...hopefully it will be a fun and memorable summer for the kids!

It was Bound To Happen

I knew she would discover it, was only a matter of time.... I found her swishing Avery's pen and having the time of her life! Thankfully bath time hadn't happened yet so we got right in there next. Operation "LID DOWN" is now in full force at the Seaba house!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

13 year ago today i married my best friend. We started dating our freshman year at Bible college and then the next year both worked to earn some mucho grande or at least enough to get life started. We were married May 20, 1995 and were off to our honeymoon in SanFrancisco. Through these last 13 years i have been very blessed by having a loving, helpful, hard working, loyal husband! Of course we have had hard times through the years (who doesn't) but the good times far outweigh the hard times! Johnny always keeps me laughing! He is an awesome daddy. I love watching he and the kids play, they all adore their daddy! Raegan cannot crawl fast enough to him when she sees daddy come in! I know that Johnny loves me but one specific time when i realized just how much was when i was 7 months pregnant with Ethan and had my appendix out and then was in the emergency room after being released with what they thought at the time was a blood clot in my lung (turned out to be pluresy -sp?). The love and concern that he showed me through that reminded me just how much my husband loved me. Another time after our 3rd pregnancy loss, he knew that i was on the verge of depression and knew i needed to laugh! Against my will (i didn't want to go anywhere!) he took me to a movie and we watched a hilarious movie, it cheered me up so much! He knew that if he could get me laughing i would feel better. Thank you Johnny!

Now with 4 kiddo we don't spend our weekends at the movie theaters like we used to or go out to a relaxing dinner very often. Life has changed, we spend the weekends at the soccer fields- we both grab a little one and change a diaper together-we divide up the duties at bedtime- we both laugh at our 9 years old silly jokes together-we get frustrated together trying to get our 7 yr old to decide on an outfit-we laugh our heads off at the cuteness of a 2 yr old-other days we are not laughing at the not so cuteness of our 2 yr old-we spend meal time shoveling food in our 9 month old mouth, forcing a 2 yrs old to eat, forcing a 7 yr old to eat and listening to a 9 yr old talk non-stop the whole time.... We have many times talked about how as hard as some days are, we wouldn't trade it for the world!

Thank you Johnny for being a loving husband, and wonderful father. Thank you for always keeping laughter in our house! Thank you for all that you do for me! I love you very much!

We will see how long it takes for him to see this.... :)

I Love My 2 Year Old

I was just thinking about a couple of things Ethan did and said today and want to "write them down so that i don't forget.

Riding in the van on the way to the doctor: "mommy, it's willy (really) hot in here. Turn the air (not enunciated quite that well but can't think of a way to write it) on!"

"Uh-oh mommy, police man behind us on a uh-oh (this is how he says motorcycle, or at least the closest to being able to describe how he says it) There wasn't one but was on the way to school this morning so i guess he just thought there might be another one.

While in the waiting room: "baby gonna get a shot mommy?" me: no, no shots today" Ethan: "i gonna get a shot mommy?" Me: "no honey no one is getting shots today" Ethan: "baby gonna get a shot today??" "No Ethan...

While checking out at the doctors office: i was putting the sucker that i had picked up for myself(yes I need a treat after taking the kids to the doctor) in my pocket for later while i was scheduling a follow-up appt and Ethan is trying to put something in my pocket- i look down and i have a nice sucked on sucker being shoved into my pocket. I told him "no, that one can't go in mommy's pocket" Ethan: "OH, ok mommy you want it in this one??? (going to the other pocket)

He wore Avery's soccer cleats and carried a soccer ball around all morning and even in the car on the way to the doctor. He was a good boy about putting his crocs on to go into the dr but as soon as he was buckled back in his seat he kicked his crocs off and wanted his "soccer shoes" back on.

Still Swinging

bottle, blankie and swing equal sleepy time

she pulled the trash can over the other day and was so pleased with herself that she just sat there and pounded on it for 15 minutes

Raegan still likes her swing and takes her morning naps in her swing again. She is getting a little big for it because by the end of her nap her toes are tapping the front bar of the swing that's on the floor. She is 8 and 1/2 months now-seems like i always do updates on the half months :) Her first tooth (bottom) broke through last Thursday with just a couple of fussy days and nights to pay for it. She is quickly getting the same nickname as her brother Ethan, she is our little "monkey girl". Trying to get the girl dressed each morning is a workout in itself! Lot's of flipping-mommy putting her back down-flipping back over and trying to crawl off and repeat that process about 10 times before i am actually able to get her completely dressed. We finally started giving her cheerios which she loves and we ate at Fazolis the other day and gave her a bread stick and she mauled the thing. Now any time someone has food in their hand she is on the attack! She is so happy most all of the time and when she get's excited squeals at the top of her lungs. She just started clapping her hands this last week.

I'm anxious to see what she weighs tomorrow (she has a follow up with the dermatologist). She eats like a little piggy, but still seems pretty small (definately not our chunky baby that Avery and Ethan were). She is following more of the growth pattern that Trey did and looks a LOT like he did at this age! I wish we had digital pictures from when my first two were small.

Another Project...

starting to rip up the carpet

Trey is a nut!

this is what was under the carpet pad (a fine dust) can you say ALLERGENS! And i'm even an obsessive vacuumer! I would dare say this is why it has been advised to us by Avery's dermatologist and allergist to have the carpet taken out of her room!

i think if you asked Johnny he would say he has pulled a million staples with another million to go

Daddy and his boys that were very eager to help help their daddy

this picture didn't turn out great but you get the idea

We will be doing lot's of projects around the house this spring. Our goal is to have our house on the market sometime in June. We were feeling pressure and kind of a time crunch due to our mortgage arm coming up in Nov. and not wanting to refinance and pay closing cost right before we are hoping to move (we want that money in our next house!!) , but after calling the mortagage company the other day i discovered we DON"T have to refinance- it will just reset at the current interest rate which of course will make our payment go up a bit but that's ok we at least don't have to pay closing costs and the pressure is off as in time frame of selling/finding a new house!! So now we can just get our projects done and get it on the market and when it sells-it sells.

Last night i got two big area rugs for our room and for Avery's room. The carpet is 9 yrs old and 4 kids later has seen better days. It has bugged me to no end (stains) and i have spent too many hrs on my hands and knees scrubbing the entire rooms by hand!! We decided to change our furniture around with the new rug but after doing that and discovering more stains we wouldn't be able to cover, Johnny said "I'll rip the carpet out for you tonight" (we were thinking of doing this but not right now). I got a little nervous but he assured me their were beautiful oak hardwoods underneath. I knew there were but couldn't remember what they looked like seeing as it's been almost 10 years! Johnny stayed up till midnight pulling staples, i mopped and we got things put back together (our origianal set up mind you). Johnny still has a lot of staples to pull up around the edges and then we are going to sand the floor lightly (they have a slight pattern of the carpet pad) and put some new polish on. I love it, and think it will look awesome when completed! It also makes our room seem so much bigger. I told the kids "hey guys guess what, now you can have snacks in mommy's room without mommy flipping out!"

Tub Pictures

two silly kiddos in a tub

the only toy Raegan need in the bath tub is a washcloth to chew on

the face after i have to wash out his mohawk is not quite as happy as this!!

i alway get Raegan dressed first and then she climbs on Ethan while i am getting him dressed-he is very tolerant of her!

Avery's First Soccer Game

Last Saturday was Avery's very first soccer game. We had two weeks of cancelled games due to rain, but finally got the season going. She had decided after we signed her up that "she didn't want to play soccer", but we told her she had to give it a try since we had already paid for it. After the first practice, she loved it! She impressed Daddy and Mommy by being pretty aggressive and going after the ball. Besides some coughing, she had no trouble with her asthma (didn't even have to use her inhaler!) either which was one of my worries, so that made me happy!