Swimming Superstars

The kids have been taking swim lessons for the past month or so. They loved it and I hope they will be able to take more lessons before the end of the summer.

Anna can swim pretty well unassisted now, and can swim the long length of a pool. She can also float on her back and is starting to learn to use the correct swimming strokes. And Adam and Isabel have come pretty far too. Plus, the lessons gave them a jump start on their summer tans. I'm jealous - I was in the sun during every lesson too, but no tan for me. Here are some pictures...

Mommy

Today was Anna's last day of preschool. She's getting so big lately, it almost breaks my heart. I was looking through the big folder of stuff her teacher sent home, and this put me over the edge. What a cutie.



She's got it right - being a Mommy is the best thing in the world!

When I get big I want to play an Angels game

Ben and Grandpa Butch took Adam to his first major league baseball game last week. Ben held the camera, which means all of the pictures are of Adam and his Grandpa. I love them though - you can tell they have a special bond.

From what I heard Adam spent most of the game eating popcorn, but I guess it had an impact since the next day he said, "Mom, when I get big I want to play an Angels game."

So Long Diapers

I am pleased to announce that after 4.5 straight years of purchasing diapers, our household is currently diaper free!

We potty trained Adam a few weeks ago, the last of the bunch. His 16-year-old self would hate me for posting this picture, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

How to Smile With Your Whole Face

Making the Blog Private

I know, I hardly ever update our blog anymore anyway - but I decided it is time to make it private to invited readers only. You find the blog when you do a Google search for my name and I need to make my personal and professional life more separate.

So when you get a chance, send me an email (acarland at hotmail dot com) or leave a comment here with your email address if you want to read our blog. Don't be shy, even if you are a lurker :). I probably won't make it private for at least a few weeks.

And I'll try to update more often!!

Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Anna has a present for you...






She is such a delicate little flower.

Hello out there

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I updated the blog. We moved, and that always puts a kink into things. We've been doing all kinds of Spring Break things lately - Disneyland, the Zoo, trip to IKEA, playing outside, etc.

Work is busy, kids are cute, life is good. Still amazed at how fast time is going by - the kids birthdays are coming in a few months and I'll have a FIVE YEAR OLD. Crazy. So, until I find the camera cords and get back into blogging mode, here are some impromptu pictures John took of us a few months ago at a family party.

Anna Banana

Anna was meant to be our oldest child for many reasons. First and foremost, she was an easy baby. She slept through the night, hardly cried, and played independently. She inspired us to have another, which we all know got a little bit crazy. But I would not be a sane Mom if she hadn't been my oldest - she makes it so much easier.

I love that Anna is so independent. She has fabulous, full on conversations with herself, and loves to play alone. I love how she plays the "Mommy" role well, and for the most part is not too bossy. I love it when I hear her say things like, "Now, we have to clean up this mess before we go outside" or something else I would say.

I love Anna's obsession with stuff. There are two facets to her obsession. First, she likes to fill things up. Her backpack needs its own planet. It is stuffed as full as you could possibly get it. She never even takes the stuff out, she just finds great satisfaction in having it full to the brim.


Anna also loves to organize. In her room, she organizes all of the toys, and tends to have a meltdown if someone moves things. I suspect some of this neurosis comes from me. Anna loves to play with dolls, play outside, play with her brother and sister, watch movies, go to preschool, Disneyland, the beach, and lots of other fun things. She DOES NOT like to go to the store or run any errands. It usually takes my amazing power of persuasion to get her to go to the grocery store or anything like that. Simply put - she is not the little shopping buddy I was to my Mom as a child.

I love Anna's sensitivity and sweetness. If I had to pick one word to describe her, it would be sweet. She is the child I never worry about being mean to kids at school or church, is very polite, and loves her family. She loves to help with anything you will let her do, especially cleaning. At night when she goes to bed, just as you are about to close the door, she always asks what we are doing the next day. She just wants to lie there and be excited about the next day, I suppose.


We love Anna and can't believe she is turning 5 soon. That first day of kindergarten is going to be a hard one for me!

Redundant

I think part of the reason I've been having a hard time updating the blog lately is because of my other social networking activities. Between MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, I feel like everyone knows what I'm doing, all the time. It seems unnecessary to update the blog when the same pictures are already on Facebook.

But, I guess there might be a few readers who are not using those Web sites. So this is for you. And for all of the rest, sorry for the repeats!

I've been wanting to get Disneyland passes for a while now. First, because it is my favorite place. I love going, and I get more excited than the kids. Second, because the twins are free for a while longer. I wanted to get two passes before I had to buy four passes. So, when our house fell through, as a consolation prize I bought the Disneyland passes. (Yes, you read that right - we were about one week from closing escrow when we decided it was not the right decision. We now give up and are looking to rent for a while.)



We went for just a few hours for our first trip, and had lots of fun. It was a beautiful 75 degree day, and we just did a few rides and watched a parade. It was a success, and I am already looking forward to our next trip.




So, please come to CA and go to Disneyland with us! I can only go on a weekday, and not in the month of July. I got the cheap passes. But still, you don't want to go on those busy days anyway, right?