Lotsa Christmas!

Our Christmas celebration lasted for over a week! On Christmas day, we had family time in the morning, then headed to my grandparent's house for strawberry waffles and ham. It was fun to see my aunts, uncles and cousins we rarely see. That afternoon we went to Jason's parent's house and snacked and hung out with them a bit. On the 26th, we celebrated at my parent's house with my whole family. Daniel and Bethany left the bay area at 4am and made the long drive that morning! Then, on the 30th, when the Fitzpatrick got home from being out of town, we celebrated with the Prince family. It was great fun during all celebrations. The kids were treated to many special toys and we were treated to some cool stuff too! Below is a smattering of our different celebrations - of course - out of order.

At the Prince's house - Gavin is DYING to help open...The boys relax after strenuous package opening


Not many pics of Jason...just proving he got presents too!
A lone picture of me...opening something amazing, apparently
Listening to the Christmas story at the Prince's
Love the new Spiderman car
Addie loving Ben's soccer ball

Back at my parent's house - I like Ez's smile


Ez was being a stinker so he wouldn't look at the camera - but my mom looks so good, I decided to post it anyways!
Grandma and Grandpa Gregory here from AZ to celebrate with us!

the boys love their Uncles!
D and B
There's Ezekiel's funny smile again

Bethany was rubbing Ezekiel's face with her soft socks and he was getting sleepy

At our house Christmas morning
Jason getting excited
Ezekiel's favorite part of the morning...jelly bellies before 8am
Gavin loved his pirate ship

We hope you enjoyed your Christmas and New Year!

Sound of music and Cookies!

Today my mom and I had our annual "bake Christmas cookies and watch the Sound of Music" day. We made 7 different kinds of cookies in record time and even got to glance at the parts of the movie we like. This tradition has been going for many, many years...in fact we were thinking close to 20?? When I was young, we would go over to a family friend's house and bake with her and her kids. It has always involved many different kinds of cookies and almost always the Sound of Music. Last year, for some reason we didn't' have the movie...and I think it was sorely missed!
When thinking about this day, I envisioned it being a fun time of participation with Gavin and Ezekiel...peacefully and obediently only doing what they were supposed to in the kitchen...
Hmmm...was I thinking they were 12 and 14?? Or 2 and 4. Oh yeah. They are still little and they don't do much peacefully. They are wild boys who like to touch and "help" with EVERYTHING. Even those things that don't need help with. Like moving big knives, turning the mixer on to the highest power and trying to catch it, and dumping various baking ingredients onto the counter and into their mouths(only the delicious things like chocolate chips, sugar, sprinkles and plain butter).
Needless to say, I had my patience tested, but the kids did help here and there, the cookies turned out great (mostly) and my mom and I had a fantastic time together.
Regretfully, I have no pictures to share.
On a totally different note, as I look at my ever expanding belly, I see more and more the shape I had with the boys. Straight out in front...and big. So I am thinking more and more that this could be a boy again. I was leaning towards girl until a few weeks ago. I think I am looking like its a boy - but I guess you never know! That's why I love this "not finding out" decision. Its so fun to speculate and think about the options. Ok, there are only 2 options, but its still the thrill of the unknown!
Off to wrap some presents and watch a movie!

Our week...

I can't believe its already Friday and Christmas is coming upon us so quickly! Today, Becky took the kids for a few hours while I got some Christmas shopping done and they baked pumpkin bread together...

On Wed night we went to visit Papa Dan and Nana. Judy had her gallbladder out almost a week ago, so we went to see her. The kids posed for Dan and he got some great pictures of them. These are just a few. There is a cute family pic of us...I was mad I had already done our Christmas cards!



Yesterday I worked all day and the boys had a great time together with Jason. I walked into the house last night at 8:15 and was greeted by aromatic candles and a clean house. What a great feeling. And I LOVE that I am not wiped out today after working. It was nice to be able to function for several hours after getting home from work, then sleeping the night away. Everyone was asking me yesterday if I was switching to day shift...and more and more I am praying for that! I really enjoyed it. I missed my night friends, but it felt so much more normal to be awake at that time...not 3 am... :-) Oh, thats because that is normal.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Yesterday Jason and I celebrated 7 years of marriage.

One of the coolest parts is that our friends Nick and Becky insisted that we leave our kids overnight at their house! They were just going to babysit for the evening...but assured us many times over that it was no big deal and we should just leave them for the night. What a treat! And of course it is a big deal...Becky is 8 months pregnant and has her own 18 month old, so I know it was a sacrifice. The kids had a great time and did fantastic - even by sleeping in until 7am(after Ezekiel's 5:30am 10 minute crying session...)!

Jason and went to dinner in Laguna at Mozabique(I think thats the correct spelling), a South African restaurant my brother recommended. It was fantastic food. As our server first approached the table, Jason laughed and I thought to myself that he looked familiar...well, it turns out that he was our server when we had dinner at Splashes, another restaurant in Laguna 2 years ago for our 5th anniversary! It was really funny to Jason and I and the server told us he'd see us next year... :-)

It was so nice to sleep in until 8:15am today and enjoy a quiet breakfast...thanks again, Nick and Becky!

December Happenings

This year is especially fun, in my opinion because of the excitement the kids have about everything having to do with Christmas. We started the month with our Advent calendars from Trader Joes and are again awakened by Ezekiel asking for chocolate. I wanted to do something called the Jesse Tree for Advent, but I think I will prepare during the year and do that next year.
One night I took the kids out in the stroller after dinner and baths to look at the lights in our neighborhood.

Another day, the boys and I made sugar cookies. It was messy, but we all had a good time. I had to tell Ezekiel at least 10 times not to eat any more cookie dough because thats basically all he wanted to do. Gavin was good at helping me roll out the dough and use the cookie cutters to create the cookies.


Last week we got our Christmas tree and decorated while drinking hot chocolate and eating our sugar cookies. We even had Christmas music playing, much to Jason's chagrin. Maybe I should clarify...Jason, Gavin and I put up decorations and Ezekiel pulled them out of the box and tried to bounce most of them. Basically I had to give Ez a bath while Jas and Gav finished decorating because he was being so destructive. It was still fun. I have some pictures, but I need to download them from the camera still.
We also went to Knotts last weekend and had a great time...in fact we are going back today (Knotts gives law enforcement, military and firemen free entry for a few weeks in Dec).
Saturday evening, we met Nana and Papa Dan for dinner, then drove around a neighborhood in Brea that had AMAZING decorations. There were streets upon streets of decorated houses that the boys LOVED seeing. Plus, since we decided you can't look at lights without a coffee, we enjoyed Peppermint Mochas as well!
And yesterday we spent the afternoon with the Gregory side of the family in Burbank. This is the famed Christmas party that Grandma Gregory basically talks about ALL YEAR (love you grams!)...we have never gone and it was fun for us to see people we didn't even know we were related to :-) The kids had a good time and I'm sure ate more cookies and fudge than I even know about...It was fun to see my Grandparents, plus my aunt, uncle and cousin that live in TX whom we rarely get to see. My aunt has collected some amazing books for my kids and a few months ago sent me a box of them. Yesterday she had a new one for them that we have already read a number of times, including on the drive home yesterday.
Well, time to get ready for the day. Hope you are enjoying your Christmas season as much as we are! More to come........

looking back...at Thanksgiving...

All I have to show from our Thanksgiving is a few pics Ang took of the boys at her house. They "helped" Angela make her rolls.

The boys with their beloved Uncle Jason

Ang and I looking awesome. Well, she looks great...but me - I look "tore up" as Jason says about someone not looking their best...(not about me...you know what I'm saying)

On Saturday, Angela treated me to a facial at her salon. She is an esthetician(is that how you spell it??) and that was such an amazing experience. It was relaxing, made me feel pampered and my face looked great when she was done!! Can't wait to go back! :-)

Meals for Moms

When we had Gavin, our church provided meals for us every day or 2 for about 2 weeks and it was such a relief to us - not having to think about what to do for dinner. With Ezekiel, we didn't have it, and we probably could have used it more! We had a few friends bring over dinner, and that was great but there was no 2 weeks of meals. Well, in MOPS, when a mom has a baby, they try and organize so that she has ONE MONTH of meals!!! I think that is so awesome. So there have been three moms who have had babies and I have volunteered to bring a meal to each of them. Not because I want it reciprocated, but because I know what a gift that is. I made homemade meals for the first two, and last night was the third. I was having a bad day anyways (see previous post) and the thought of making a meal was too much for me. It probably would have been different if I had planned well, shopped for it, and had something easy...but I didn't. I would have had to go to the store, then cook it, then drive about 45 min-1 hour (with traffic) to deliver it. I couldn't handle the thought.

SO...we got Pat & Oscar's for us and for the family, dropped off their dinner and got home to eat ours. The silliest thing happened...I felt GUILTY because I had not home cooked the meal. Isn't that lame?? I'm sure this family did not care if it was home cooked or not. I know I wouldn't. I brought some of the sugar cookies the boys and I had made and decorated and made sure to tell them that they were homemade. Why was I trying to prove a point?? I also told them I had worked the night before and sorry I hadn't made the meal...oh my gosh. Why couldn't I just drop it off...and let them thank me profusely and be on my way???? Silly me. I'm sure it tasted 100 times better than what I could have cooked....have you ever had their bread sticks?? They are amazing.

Turns out my striving toward the Super Mom title is not happening. Welcome to reality, huh?

Am I Carcinogenic??

"Shift workers and firefighters have a higher risk of cancer than the general population and such work should be classified as probably or possibly carcinogenic, the International Agency for Research on Cancer said on Friday.
A team of 24 scientists who sifted through the evidence said more studies must confirm the link, but found that shift work that disturbs the body's internal clock appears to have cancer-causing effects, too."

No, I don't smoke. I don't drink excessively (or at all right now!), and I try to avoid things in general that are harmful to my health. And now I find out my job could give me cancer! Very interesting. I think in the future, we will hear about more and more things that are harmful for us in general. Look at our processed foods (as I eat a Peppermint Joe-Joe cookie), our sugar-free foods that are so full of chemicals (but they're sugar free!), our dirty air from all the factories, cars and airplanes...I'm sure these things will have a role in our health. Maybe that's why we don't live to 300-400 years old anymore?? You know how old someone looks when they are like ....97?? Imagine someone at 295 or something! That's funny. No thanks. I like to call that TOO OLD!

I am going on 4 years now of working night shift and lately have thought more and more about switching to day shift(no, not because of the study!). There are several things about working nights that are appealing to me. I earn more money, and I feel like I'm away from the kids less than if I worked a day shift. The thing is...its seems to be harder and harder for me to do it. The last few months, every time I work a shift, the following day is really hard for me. I feel invaded by another person and this person is super (excuse me...) bitchy! I'm impatient, over-emotional, critical, frustrated, tired, grumpy and irritable. Its really hard for me to be myself. It almost feels impossible. Its even harder for me now that I'm going on 6 months pregnant. Last night I worked my booty off and was so tired I almost didn't make it home. I kept slapping my cheeks to stay awake. I'm not kidding. That's super ridiculous. And dangerous! So that's where I'm at. I can't switch anytime too soon, because a day shift position would have to be available and currently its not. I'm sure I'll be on nights at least a few more months, but we'll see after that. Might be time for a change.

Piece of Candy Now???

One of the first things Ezekiel says in waking up in the morning and after his nap and generally anytime he sees the gingerbread house that was on the counter in the hall was: "piece of candy now please?"

First thing in the morning?? Now that is a sweet tooth.

So today I decided it was time for the gingerbread house to go adios. We all grabbed a few last pieces of candy off it and said our good-byes...and then into the trash can it went. Not the kitchen trash. No. I'm smarter than that. My boys would have been eating out of the garbage for sure. Into the large industrial city-issued trash can outside. Both boys wanted to see it broken at the bottom...and I think that was enough closure for us all.










My mom brought a foam gingerbread house with her when she and my dad hung out with the boys last Friday while I slept. It had about 1,000 little sticky green pieces that were all over our floor until I vacuumed...we found many good uses for them. One of them was jewelry and nails for the boys.


So now...I finish this and post it - a few hours later- as I listen to Gavin whining in bed. Bedtime has become quite the battle in our house for our oldest...he whines and gets up every night. We have different consequences for different things, but last night I decided to do a chart for him. A sticker if he stays in bed and doesn't whine or cry. So far we are 1 for 3....oh well. I'm sure the motivation for the toy reward will entice him at some point! And off I go to turn off his music since he is whining.

I'm moving to France

I'm ashamed to say I have no pictures to speak of from Thanksgiving. Thursday, Jason worked during the day, so the boys and I hung out with Jason and Angela for a bit, then headed to the Prince's after nap time. We had a great meal with the Fitzpatricks as well, and I headed to work just as Jason was arriving at his parent's house. Friday, my parents came over and hung out with the boys while I slept (jason worked again) and prepared another amazing meal that we enjoyed when jason got home. We missed seeing Daniel and Bethany, and wished J & Ang could have been there for the meal too, but we had fun with my parents.

Last night Jason and I watched Sicko. If you have not seen the movie, I would highly recommend it. Yes, it is just one side of the story, but it gets people thinking, and I think that was the motive. I decided I wanted to move to France because....free health and dental care, a FREE government NANNY after you have a baby, and great wine! Who's with me??

I have been reading Soul Graffiti by Mark Scandrette and I'm trying to read it slowly, as to absorb all it has to offer. Here is an excerpt I just read:
"Sometimes we become paralyzed by thinking of what might have been. We wonder what life would be like if we had had different parents, gone to better schools, chose different companions, or had been born taller or smaller, richer or poorer.Would I be happier if I were not me? We are haunted by the original deception that our world is not enough-that something is being withheld from us. A sense of scarcity fuels our jealousies and insecurities, and inhibits us from receiving the gifts of creation with gratefulness. I've seen the ruin of children, tormented because their piece of cake was smaller than the rest. How are we to know whether we have been cursed or blessed? The journey back to God involves recovery of our sense of abundance and trust in the Creator's provision. We choose whether to be ruled by wanting or thankfulness."
Things applies to me. Oh boy does it apply to me. The part I chose to type in bold...WE CHOOSE! What freedom that gives me! Its my choice.
On that note, I think I'll list some things I'm thankful for recently(many of them are silly, little things, but I can find delight in those things too!)
*Peppermint Mocha creamer (i'll forgive you for not loving it, kris)
*Closer contact with Kristen recently--its nice to feel more connected
*The delicious pie I had last night - my mom made it --berry-apple--warmed up with a little vanilla ice cream
*The comments from the childcare workers today about how sweet the boys are together - their classes were on the playground together and I guess they played together the whole time
*Gavin's love for calling family members "just to say hi"
*My times of rocking Ezekiel before bedtime --now he likes to add things when I pray--usually its thanking Jesus for candy and cookies, but its still precious
*Walks with the boys
*Citrus green tea
*Peppermint Joe-Joes from Trader Joes...oh my gosh. YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*LEFTOVERS from Thanksgiving!!!!!!!

Some random thoughts

Today I'm feeling particularly insightful...partially because a friend came over and we talked for a few hours - not just small talk -this is a friend I can really talk to. So we talked and that gets my mind going....
I thought of how I blogged yesterday about having a hard time with Gavin...and I thought that I am so lucky...don't get me wrong - there are going to be frustrating times, and its ok to voice them...but I'm just thinking about other things. Like the mom mourning the loss of her 2 1/2 year old...or the mom I spent time with yesterday who's son is autistic...he's 3 and he says just a handful of words. She has a very difficult life. Expensive, lack of government support, treatments that are considered unnecessary and fears of autism for her newborn son. Puts things into perspective for me.
I think of all the time I spend thinking about my body -that is changing for an amazing reason - I'm so thankful to be able to carry a child...but in my mind, I complain all the time about the changes. I voice them rarely - sometimes just to Jason...or a handful of others. But I went to the Dr. today and our baby is perfect so far...everything is fine. I think of all those women unable to bear children, who would be dying for the reason to see their bodies change. Again - puts things into perspective for me.
I want my kids to have eyes for others and a love for the world like Jesus does. How are they going to learn that if I don't?? All this time thinking about myself takes away from others I could be thinking about, praying for, and serving.

Is there such thing as "hair cutters remorse?" Kind of like "shoppers remorse," right?? So I went to get my hair cut (and colored) today and I started with one idea...and shared that with my hairdresser, but apparently she had her own ideas. Shes a big talker and as she talked and talked...my hair got shorter and shorter....I think I just have to get used to it! Gavin said all the boys like it (he, Jason and Ezekiel). I'm kind of bummed because it took me so long to grow it, but then again, I needed something. I was feeling so frumpy. And - its only hair! If I don't like it, I'll just let it grow again. No big deal (yeah right - that's what I say, right?? why is hair such a big deal???).

The new hairdo

Gavin had on a silly outfit and wanted to pose funny...then Ezekiel wanted to do the same pose (above). Funny - Ezekiel imitates everything Gavin says and does. Sometimes this is cute, sometimes not so cute. As Gavin gets older, it seems he is testing the boundaries more and more. I've been pretty frustrating lately with how much I have to be "on" him as he is talking back more and trying to gain Independence in different ways. Last night we looked at pictures when Gavin was 2, and it made me sad that he isn't that innocent, sweet boy anymore. Yes, he is still sweet and I love him so much, but that toddler innocence is gone. Now he knows that he can sneak candy off the gingerbread house, try and trick Ezekiel into giving him the toy Gavin wants, and try and lie (though he is really bad at it, so I always know...). I know that each age brings different challenges and we are asking God for wisdom to deal with each one..we are trying to be honoring and most important - consistent!

The Follow Up

Since several of you have asked about the aftermath of the story...I'll give you what I know - which is not too terribly much since about an hour after delivery, mom and baby were gone. Its actually very sad because the dad did not want to be in the room for the delivery...and neither parent wanted to hold the baby after delivery. They were NOT excited about this unexpected (apparently) event...Eventually, before mom went upstairs to the postpartum floor, she did hold the baby...but it still made us all sad - those of us a part of the event. Even in the case where you did not know you were having a baby (putting aside the thoughts of "yeah right!")...its such a miracle...and he seemed healthy...you would hope that that alone would cause the maternal instinct to kick in. So thats all I know...sorry if I'm leaving you unfulfilled :-) I did look up the baby in the computer the next day and he was still listed in the newborn nursery - not the PICU. If something was wrong with him, he would have been in the PICU, so thats good.

An ER story

On a typical night in our ER, we see a lot of people with abdominal pain. We get gallstones, pancreatitis, stomach flu, food poisoning, and cysts in various locations...just to name a few. So on Sunday night when a new patient arrived through the waiting room with abdominal pain, no one batted an eye. My friend got her "line" in (IV) and I brought in some IV fluids to hang...I took one look at her and already knew her affliction. I looked at her triage sheet (sorry if this is too much nurse talk) and went to find the Dr who was going to be taking care of her. I told him that he should go in with an ultrasound and find out how far along she is....his response: "but she's not pregnant." That's correct - this lady is 39 years old and has 3 kids. Her last "cycle(sorry for the feminine details)" was a few weeks ago and she is absolutely NOT PREGNANT. However, when I went in that room, I was sure I was looking at a woman in labor. The Dr. wanted to wait to get her labs back before taking in the ultrasound machine and I told him I would bet anything she was going to have a baby. Everyone else (the other nurses) probably agreed with me, but didn't pronounce it quite as adamantly as I did.
Now you're probably wondering, did she look pregnant? Well, she had some sort of a belly, but she said she got bloated like that after eating wheat. Hmmm...to me --it looked like a baby belly. BUT - she was a BIG girl, (as in about 200 lbs) so its hard to tell sometimes...
So about 20 minutes after arriving, I went over to where she was and one of our attending drs was on the phone and I overheard him..."we have a patient in the ER that we believe is crowning...could an OB Dr. come down??"
I KNEW it!!
How could you not know?? I mean, sure, you might think you have the flu at first, but then as you know your body is changing...and what about the baby moving? Only so much can be attributed to gas, right?? What I have concluded is that the mind is unbelievably powerful.
So on with the story...we wheeled her into one of our rooms called a trauma bay - specially for traumas and other events we might need random supplies for....like a baby delivery kit! Yes, our ER team delivered this lady's baby. The crazy thing is the OB resident came down, checked her and asked when her due date is. The lady screamed "I'M NOT PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!" The OB calmly looked at her and said, "actually, you are pregnant, and since you've had kids before, you know what I'm talking about when I say you are complete. And now its time to push. So with your next contraction, PUSH." The patient screamed NO several times before obeying and with one push came a big baby boy. Full term. 8 1/2 pounds.
How could you not know??

Ezekiel's birthday...and an assortment of other things

Family picture...all of us! The funny thing is this was Gavin's idea. He set us all up and took a picture of us, then someone had the idea to set the camera up so Gavin could be in the picture too. I think its a really cute picture - and even Shima made the cut.

Ezekiel's birthday was Tuesday and we went to Main St. in HB where we ate dinner, the kids ate ice cream, jumped in a bounce house, played with bubbles, and rode a train. The next day, Ez opened a few presents from us. We celebrated with my family a few weeks ago, and will celebrate with Jason's family soon too!
We also went one day to my grandma's condo and built a gingerbread house. This event was fun for the kids, but really...more fun for the adults :-) My mom and Daniel got REALLY into it. (read: "get out of the way, Gavin, I'm decorating!" just kidding!!!)
We are doing well...Jason has been off for several days that have been a little rough due to less than adequate sleeping on the part of the kids, therefore all of us. Yes, Ezekiel, 5:20am is too early to get up. Unfortunately, if we leave him in his bed, he cries and wakes up Gavin, but if we get him up, then he rolls around in our bed (never returning to sleep) until we get up with him...its too early, but I'm not sure how this problem will be solved. I also worked Sun and Monday nights and I have found that lately after I have worked, I have a really hard time the next 24 hours or so. I feel "off." I know that part of it is being tired, but I just am in a "funk" and can't get out of it. I hate feeling like that. I feel much better today, despite waking up at 5:15am.
I am feeling good...this baby is a mover - like Ezekiel was. I remember thinking he never slept because I would feel him kick ALL the time! This baby is the same way. It moves like crazy. I like it. I thought that part of me would be sad during this pregnancy, realizing its probably my last, but honestly, I think there is some relief in that. The idea of pregnancy is a little romanticized in my mind...when I'm not pregnant, I have thoughts that it would be so great to be pregnant again...but the reality is that its hard. Its hard already having 2 kids and being pregnant. Don't get me wrong--of course I'm so thankful that we are able to have kids, that we have healthy babies...I'm just being honest in how I'm feeling right now.
And...as I knew was coming - I'm beginning to get the comments: "You still have 4 months??" or "Wow, you're really out there, huh?" My manager said to me Monday night: "wow, Carrie, you're really getting big." I said : "Ed, its not nice to tell someone they are big." He responded with: " Well you don't look fat, your belly is just poking out a lot." Thanks for the clarification. Those who saw me pregnant with Gavin and Ezekiel, however, are telling me how small I am :-) Yes, I appear to be a bit smaller than I was with the boys - so far. I'm thinking about posting a belly picture....but haven't decided yet.

Gavin--grumpy after being woken up from his nap (on accident!)
Got a smile
Ezekiel loves to get into bed with Gavin in the morning when Gavin wakes up
Decorating the gingerbread house
Intense concentration
Celebrating Ezekiel's birthday with my family


Can you tell he's not feeling great?

Bounce house on Ezekiel's birthday

Pop rocks ice cream
"too cold"
"love ice cream G?"