Fredrick's Blessing

WARNING...THIS POST CONTAINS LOTS OF PICTURES!!

Go get a cold drink and a snack...you're gonna be here for a while

Today we blessed Fredrick at church and had lots of family and friends here to support us. Rather than waste time with words, I figured I'd let all the pictures do the talking!!

Diana's mom and brother

John and Kelsi, Jake and Georgia

(John is Greg's cousin on his mom's side)

The Jamgochians

(Greg's dad's sister and her family)

Greg's Grandma

(His dad's mom)

All the "Bauns" that were here for the blessing

Glen and Dyanna

(Greg's brother and his wife)

Alo, his wife and youngest daughter

(A great friend of Greg's from work)

Some pictures of Freddie on his blessing day...he was so well behaved for all the pictures.

The outfit Fredrick is wearing was the same outfit Greg was blessed in 28 years ago!! The beautiful blanket was made when Karyl was born by Sis. Montierth and has been used (and will be used) for all our children's blessings.

Karyl and Jake had a GREAT time playing together!! They were practically inseparable the entire time Jake was here!

These are just a few pictures from the dinner afterwards at our house. Our LuvSac got plenty of use this afternoon, and our backyard was actually used to relax in for the first time since we've moved here! Poor Georgia, she was getting so tired...she tried so hard to keep up with Jake and Karyl!!

Isn't she beautiful? She was such a great big sister today!!

And at the end of the night, Karyl did what she does every night before Daddy has to go to work...she helped him make his lunch!!

Wheelbarrow Flowerpot

Today Home Depot was making a Wheelbarrow Flowerpot for Mother's Day...it was really cute but because we were busy this morning we didn't get there until about 11:30 and our store was all out here in Corona...so we tried the next closest Home Depot over by Costco on McKinley...that one was out too!! Luckily, once Greg sets his sights on something he will stop at nothing, and he had the store call the next closest location (Mira Loma) to see if they still had some and they did!! So we got back in the car and headed up the 15 freeway (it was only about 10 minutes away) and there we made our project for today!

Here are a few cute pictures of this morning, including one of Freddie jsut being so good while everyone was banging hammers around him - and in case you're wondering, yes he has gotten HUGE!!

Oh, and here's a cute video of Greg and Karyl...she loves to take turns helping Daddy and this is a great example of how well they work together!!

Good News!!

Greg just found out from his boss that in the Southern Region this year there are only 12 people registered to drive a straight truck in the NTDC!!!! We've noticed that each year the popular categories alternate between the straight truck and the 3-axle, and luckily Greg is doing the straight truck again this year!! This means that there is a VERY good chance that he could be going on again to the state or maybe even nationals!! We will be going to the Southern Region competition on May 16th so please wish him luck!!

For those of you wondering "what is the NTDC and why do we care?" The NTDC is a truck driving "rodeo" or competition for career Class A drivers (truck drivers). That means drivers for companies like FedEx and UPS, but it also is for independent truck drivers and anyone else with a class A license. It's a competition that involves obstacle courses for the trucks, interviews and some other little things you get scored on. Back in 2007 Greg competed for the first time because his boss kept bugging him to go, and he ended up placing 3rd in the Southern region and 1st at the state level, so FedEx paid for our family and his manager to head to Minnesota for the National Competition. At the State level he was also named Rookie of the year!! We had an awesome time and got a free first class vacation out of it....FedEx also gives cash prizes to its employees that place in the top 3 and that make it to the Nationals, and believe me, that was a nice surprise the year he won!! His showing at the National level also allowed him to meet with some of the top executives with FedEx and to get his name known with some of them...doing well in the NTDC while working for FedEx allows him to get himself known and put his foot in the door for amazing possibilities as far as advancement in FedEx like becoming a driving teacher/trainer for their trucking program and other jobs that he normally wouldn't even know about!

So, again, please keep Greg in your prayers...this is a wonderful opportunity for him to show what an awesome and gifted driver he is and for him to have some fun and get the honor he deserves (that I think he deserves...he hates the attention!!).

Kid's Clinics

In December we discovered the Kid's clinics at Home Depot and Lowe's. I have been meaning to post after each project but I just haven't done it, and now I am going to try and make a habit of doing it every time (starting tomorrow!)

For those of you who don't know, Home Depot (the 1st Saturday of the month) and Lowe's (the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month) have FREE kid's clinics and they are GREAT!! If you're looking for something fun and cheap to do, this is perfect!! Greg and Karyl love doing it and Karyl always gets so excited to go to "the building store" and build something with daddy. If you haven't discovered this little treasure I would suggest checking it out. The Home Depot projects from from 9am - noon and you just show up, no registration required. Lowe's is from 10-11 am and while you don't have to pre-register, if you do pre-register your kids are guaranteed a project (they only have a certain amount). At both stores, the first time you go you can ask for a free apron and they give you pins with each project at Home Depot and patches with each project at Lowe's.

Check it out sometime, it's a lot of fun...and if you live near us and would like to come with us let us know...we love company!!

1/3/2009
Home Depot - Superbowl helmet bookends

1/10/2009
Lowe's - Time Capsule

3/7/2009

Home Depot - Race car track

First project boo-boo

Last Saturday....a glider at Lowe's.

Obviously there are a few projects missing, like the 2 birdhouses and an easel, and 2 jewelry boxes and a few other projects I can't remember...but these are the ones I remembered to take the camera to!! Tomorrow is Home Depot and I can't remember what they are making but when Greg told me I remember thinking it was a cute idea...So hopefully I will get pictures posted soon afterwards and try to make it a habit!!

Oh, and total randomness, but I was entering Freddie's stastics into his baby book and I decided to peek and compare his size to Karyl's. I just remembered her always being so huge, so I figured her stats would be way above Freddie's....NOPE!! He was actually 4 ounces heavier than she was at 8 weeks and his head and length are like a 1/2 inch larger!! He was less than she was when born, but he has already caught up and I have a feeling he is going to be even bigger than she was!! Wow, good thing we didn't get much in the way of smaller clothes because he is going to grow out of everything well before it was intended to be grown out of!!

2 Month Stastics

Yesterday we had our 2 month check up, and here are his stastics:

Height: 23-1/2 inches
Weight: 13 pounds

He is in the 75-80% range for his statistics and we couldn't be happier!! He has been called a wonderful eater and is growing just perfectly and proportionately! He is also following in his sister's footsteps, he is going to be tall and strong!

He is also going 7-8 hours at night between feedings, so we are well on our way to the general goal of having them sleep at least 10 hours by 4 months! The doctor couldn't believe he was the same baby we brought in at 2 weeks old! Greg and I were congratulated on doing such an amazing job with both our children and for being such great parents....we do a heck of a job making little mini Greg and Dianas!!

Cause for Celebration!!!

Let me give you the play by play...

Karyl: "Mommy I have a pooper"
Mommy: "OK, let's go change your diaper"
I check her diaper..."This diaper is dry..do you NEED to go potty?"
K: "Yes, I need to sit on the toilet"
M: "OK, let's go..."
I sat her down and then walked away to throw something away and she comes running out of the bathroom, pants down...
K: "Mommy, come and see what I di!!"
Go back to the bathroom and there is pee-pee in her little toilet!
M: "Good job!! High five!!"
K: "Now we can go to Disneyland and I can wear my Minnie Dress?"

So I just jumped in the shower and we're getting ready to go...unfortunately there is a NASTY accident on the 91 East, so I'm hoping it is cleaned up before we come back from Disneyland or else we won't be able to get back...grrr...

Off to Disneyland we go...Oh, and she even remembered that once she starts going pee-pee in the potty she gets to wear her princess panties..and she asked about those. Tomorrow we may be on panty patrol =)

Movie Review....17 Again

Last night Greg and I went on a much needed "Date Night" and I took him to see the new movie 17 Again with Matthew Perry (Chandler from Friends) and the teeny-bopper sensation from High School Musical Zach Effron (pardon the spelling, I don't care about him enough to see how it is really spelled)...

Any way...the commercials for it made it look like a comedy at least and it appeared to have some good lines, so we went not expecting too much, but not expecting a complete failure. It was definitely a movie geared towards hormonal teenagers, but the language and some of the subject matter should have been dumbed down to reflect their target demographic. I was slightly shocked at some of the things they talked about in a movie based in a high school setting. Overall though the movie had some funny parts and we were definitely laughing a good portion of the time. The only real complaint I have is that I wish for some of these movies they had theaters for 21 and over...because EVERY time Mr. Teenage Heartthrob came on the scream the entire theater erupted in screams and gasps, it was annoying! It's amazing how many youth today have no respect for every one else around them. Oh well, what can you do?!?!

So, if you're thinking about going to see it, as long as your expectations aren't too high and you just want a good laugh, this is a good movie for you. Also, you have to not mind being thrown back mentally into your high school years...no matter what kind of kid you were in high school, this movie makes you feel like you're back there!!

Oh, and as far as the "moral of the story" goes...this one actually had a pretty good one...basically Matthew Perry's character realizes that he has great kids and that they needed him more than he realized. He also realizes that he had forgotten how great his wife was (and in turn, by the end I think his wife realizes the same thing about him). This movie is a GREAT one if you're like us and have kids because it really touches your heart in a few spots...in a way that you wouldn't understand if you didn't have children. It honestly made me a little nervous thinking about sending my children to high school now...so much more goes on than when we were there!!

Now go have a good laugh...you'll thank yourself for it afterwards!!

Comfort Food

OK, so I'll admit I'm not the best cook, but I'm trying =)

When I lived at home my mom used to make this meal, called Creamed Crab. It is made with imitation crab and you put it on top of rice. This is BY FAR my favorite meal in the world and eating it just puts me in the best mood. Well, it has been over 4 years since I've eaten this and yesterday I decided to make it....

I am eating the leftovers (I made sure there were lots) as I sit here typing and I am in HEAVEN!! All it has in it is zucchini, imitation crab, some green onions and the sauce is butter, cheese, milk and flour. It is SO good!!

Just had to share my kitchen accomplishments with everyone...this one is so easy even I did it right the first time!

Easter 2009

Well Easter this year was definitely a fun experience! Karyl was old enough to hunt eggs and dye hard-boiled ones and she even understood that the Easter bunny was the one that hid the eggs! We had a great time with all our family and even Freddie had a good time!

EGG HUNT AT GRANDMA AND GRANDPA'S

Here is Karyl with daddy hunting easter eggs

Here is Karyl with a flower she found...Grandpa put it in her hair for her.

Karyl, Daddy and Grandpa dyed easter eggs and Karyl kept most of it on the table!!

Oh Freddie...already worn out from the day's activities!!

WARD EASTER PARTY

This was at our Ward Easter party Saturday morning. Freddie was extra snuggly so I took advantage of it before I had to get up and help the Primary kids sing. You can kind of see the bunny tail on his outfit...it was cute!

EASTER WITH GRANDMA

Here we are at my mom's...Karyl had fun reading books with Grandma M and going through her Easter basket!

Greg's Easter present from me...surprisingly that cheap NERF knock-off worked pretty well. He and Karyl had a blast shooting the darts at my mom's TV and when they stuck Karyl would scream, pull them off and go put them back in the gun!!

EASTER SUNDAY

And of course, here is Karyl in her Easter dress right before church. She LOVED the dress and I was surprised daddy got her to stop spinning around in it long enough to take a picture.

What a cutie...that is actually a HUGE smile (not a cry!!). He was super excited while I was talking to him and taking pictures!

Below is a video of Karyl while she was hunting for Easter eggs. Grandpa had some egss that looked like chicks with little feet to stand on. She refused to accept that these were Easter eggs no matter what we told her. Even after we showed her that her favorite Spongebob Fruit Snacks were inside she wanted nothing to do with them...this was us getting a kick out of her confusion...

In general we had a wonderful Easter and enjoyed spending it with our families. We hope you all had a wonderful Eater also!!

Confessions

As I sit here in front of my computer eating some leftover noodles that I nuked and threw some cheese on I have a confession...I love what I affectionately call "blog stalking." Karyl is on the floor in the office here asleep and Freddie is in the Living Room asleep in the invaluable bouncy/vibrating chair that I just realized he was finally big enough for today...and here I sit, stalking anyone and everyone I might have known at one point in life via their blogs.

I have realized that you can find just about anyone's blog if you look at the blog lists on the side of the page of blogs you normally visit. I have looked at blogs of people I knew from our old ward to find out who is pregnant, who has sick kids...etc. I have found the blogs of people that never liked me and I never really liked them...and you're asking "why would you bother looking for those?" Well, I would bother because it gives me a twisted sense of self-confidence knowing that some people will either never grow up or that they really haven't done anything with their lives. Now I know some of you are thinking "Diana!! That doesn't sound anything like you!" and you're partially right, I normally wouldn't say anything like that but I have realized as I've gotten "older" that I really have accomplished a lot more than I ever could have imagined at this point in my life and sometimes I forget because what I've accomplished isn't what I had planned for myself when I graduated. I personally think I've done better than I ever could have imagined, but sometimes I forget that when I see friends who have great jobs like I used to have, or friends that are doing things I always wanted to. But, sometimes while that all looks good on the outside you (I have to) remind yourself that those people don't know what it feels like to have an amazingly wonderful spouse, or to have children that adore you.

I have realized that I have what so many people are dying to have. I have an amazing husband who is the best looking man I have ever seen and who truly is Superman...I have beautiful children who are so well-behaved that I can't help but think that Greg and I must have been good people in the pre-mortal life because I don't deserve it! We have a beautiful home that is ours and is perfect for our little family and we have found some amazing new friends here that we will hopefully keep in touch with for years to come.

I think I've done pretty well...I may not have a great paying job anymore, and I may not drive a cute sports car or party until I'm purple...but I have a job that pays me in more hugs and kisses and high fives than I can stand sometimes, and I drive a practical but very fun minivan that allows me to shop at Costco easily and change diapers inside the car!! And I still party, but it's not at a nightclub...it's in my house dancing with my daughter, and with my husband watching TV late at night.

I wouldn't trade a millisecond of my life now for what I wanted when I was 18...and I can say that I honestly think I've acheived more in the past 8 years than most people will in their entire life!! I love my LIFE!!!

Some updated pictures

Here are a few new pics of Freddie from this afternoon. Things are going well and Freddie is starting to sleep better at night. Greg and I must have won some sort of genetic lottery in the baby-making department because we have just the best behaved little ones!

Enjoy the pictures!!

Of course, we can't leave Karyl out of the pictures, she's just too darn cute!! The first pic is her taking a nap this afternoon...she looked REALLY comfortable! The second is a picture I took that when I saw it later made me think "there's no way that girl isn't even 2-1/2 yet!!"

We've survived 3 weeks!!

Can you believe it's been 3 weeks?? We certainly can't!! Time definitely flies much faster with the second child.

Little Freddie is not so little anymore...he has grown at least an inch and a half (that was at 2 weeks) and I'm sure it's more now. He has also definitely gained some weight!! We don't go back to the Pediatrician until he is 8 weeks, so we won't know until then how much he has gained, but we know he's packing on the pounds really well!!

Mommy is doing great and I think I have recovered from this C-section even faster than the first (if that's even possible!). I'm still sore in general, but can move around like a normal person and am loving that feeling!

Greg went back to work last Tuesday (St. Patrick's Day) and so far things are going well at home with 2 kids. I was a little scared at first, but it's been great. Karyl is such a little angel (well, as much of one as a 2-1/2 year old can be) and is usually pretty patient with all the attention I have to give to the new baby. She tells everyone he is "my baby brother" and she is very protective, when he cries she looks at him and says "it's alright Freddie." And my Favorite thing she does is a new thing...when I am holding him and he gets fussy I say "shhhhh" very quietly and try to put the pacifier in his mouth, nothing special, just a habit really. Now, if he's laying on the bed within her reach while I am changing him she will reach up and put his binky in his mouth and say "shhhhh." It melts my heart...she is imitating me and that is such a sweet thing to see!

Otherwise, we are doing great and I am still LOVING the minivan!! I will put some more pictures up in a few days hopefully!

Weekend Update Part 2

Let me start off by saying that "Hell hath frozen over" and yes I am eating my words....any of you who have known me for a while know that I always swore I would never own a minivan, or be caught dead driving one for that matter. Well, Secretly I have been drueling over the Honda Odysseys since we found out we were expanding our family yet again, and Greg really liked them too. We have been looking at used ones for some time now just watching for good deals, and this past Saturday we found it....

Save me the lecture and the "we told you so" comments...I love this van!! I love not having to worry about hitting Karyl's head on the roof of the car when I'm lifting her up...I love being able to just throw the stroller in the back, and not having to play tetris with the rest of the stuff in the trunk...To sum it up, I love this van!!

Now, on to the fun stuff...HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!! We headed over to Stephanie and Diego's house again for a holiday play date and the kids had a great time. We all wore green (thank you grandma B for the kid's green!!) and decorated cookies and Stephanie even let the kids pick "shamrocks" out of her backyard! We had a fun time and want to thank Stephanie for having us over!!

And yes, I was wearing green too, I'm just not in any of the pictures since I was the one holding the camera (I love having that job...it works out well with my aversion to being IN the pictures!!).