A Tribute to Our Little Man...

Well, by some chance I was able to upload 2 whole video clips; now my computer won't let me! Oh, well. I even tried uploading for two days STRAIGHT, but alas, the last video never loaded properly. So tonight I dedicate this entry to Russell. A sweetheart kid, who isn't afraid to be wonderful :) Through these pictures, he reminds us that REAL men aren't afraid to...

Wear Pink...

Kiss his sister...

Wear appropriate hats...

Play and laugh with his mother...

...or admit defeat.
(And return the stash of old candy canes he swiped off of the tree.)

Mama loves you, little man.

Video #2 of 3: Our Handsome Buddy

Video #3 of 3: the cuteness of our Mary

Clarissa turns 3 months old

Well, it may come as a surprise but these three kids are really keeping me busy! Some weeks I forget I even have a blog! For those of you who check back occasionally to see if I've updated and are constantly disappointed to see I've been slacking, ...sorry. So here's Clarissa Anne turning 3 months old with her polar bear from San Diego. Cute cute cute! She's a REALLY good baby. Sleeps a good 12 hours straight at night, giggles and coos during the day, rarely cries, and is just a darling. We love you, pretty baby!

Just Shy of 2 Months Old...

...and already she has so much cute personality! Clarissa is smiling, is giving us eye contact, and is so animated. Mary adores her, Russell insists on being the one who shake-shakes her bottle to mix it and put it in her mouth, Daddy loves to snuggle her, and Mommy just can't put into words how much she means to us. We are grateful for our darling little baby girl, Clarissa Anne.
P.S. She is already nearly 15 pounds!

Preschool!

After waiting months and months, school -"no, mommy, PREschool!"- oh, okay, PREschool has finally come! Mary is one of the kids in the classroom who can't wait for mom and dad to go already because she is a big girl. Of course, we took her picture before we left home.


Mary dances the hokey pokey for the very first time.... awwwww glad I could see it :)

Mary's first recess- she got to ride one of the bikes out to the playground and was a very happy camper (that is, until she got off to play and lost her turn. She was NOT pleased to find another kid on that bike and could do nothing about it. She had been warned, but she was still upset.) Other than that, she had a great first day and loves going back every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning.

Joy

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."

2 Nephi 2:25

Boy do I love my babies; they bring a sweetness to our home that is immeasurable.

Enjoying California

Two of our favorite places to visit in CA are San Diego and Big Bear. San Diego has a great portion of Jenny's family, and Big Bear Lake has Grandma and Papa's cabin! What luck to have so much fun and be with people we truly love...

Visiting the San Diego Zoo is always a blast, and the kids definitely agree.

Taking a ride on the tour bus

...and what is a trip to San Diego without visiting the beach?

And here we are at glorious Big Bear Lake, enjoying hikes and Papa's big new sailboat. Mary and Russell had so much fun, it seems a pity that we couldn't stay longer.

Here's Russell steering the boat...

...and here's Mary, keeping a serious lookout for sea monsters and mermaids.

Hikes are always so much more fun when you have a grandma pretending to be a growling bear behind you :)

What can I say about this one? Their little faces melt my heart.

Cabin or tent, NO mountain experience is complete without S'mores.

Thanks for checking out our blog! Hope we've made someone smile!

Baby Clarissa Anne, born Aug 6th 2009

Welcome home, sweet Clarissa!

This is obviously Jenny before the delivery, with a whopper of a belly...

...and here is Clarissa, a few minutes old after being emergency cesareaned out.
She was a bit bigger than her brother and sister- daddy had to take a picture of the scale just to make sure we remember that she REALLY was THAT big. Yeesh, poor mommy!

But hey, once those babies are born, what mother minds any discomfort? I suppose that is the Law of the Harvest; we must work and endure so that the sweet joy of holding a new baby is deeply appreciated.

With Jennifer healing , Todd has gracefully taken over and become Mr. Mom and is doing a great job tending to the house, his wife, 3 kids, and keeping up on his master's thesis. What a stud! I love you and am so grateful for you, my Prince Charming Todd.

Our little girl gets used to the chaos of our little home (well, its actually a fantastic new home for us and I am so happy that we moved here last month); I should say she is getting used to the chaos of her siblings. She is very patient with all of us. Right now Clarissa and mommy have a Thrush infection -ouch- so while mommy pumps milk she is a sweetheart to wait while Daddy holds her.

Mary has been taken with Clarissa since she was told I was pregnant. Now, at last, Mary can hold her long-awaited new friend. Mary is very VERY good about respecting the fact that we must be gentle and tender and calm while near the baby.

Russell, we are pleased to report, tolerates a baby in the house just fine. He will hand us a bottle when we ask, and he'll kiss her (sometimes) goodnight. As long as Russell gets Daddy time, we think that he will be okay.