Fun in the Sun

We were able to take a quick trip home to the lovely Californ-i-a.  It's always such a rewarding trip when we go home.  It's terrible that my parent's live 10 hours away by car and usually $200-$400 away by plane.  But it's well worth the time and money to visit them.  Stefan will be leaving for Field Training for the Air Force ROTC soon and he will be gone a stinkin' month with no contact. I am freaking out terrified.  Kelly Clarkson may be Ms. Independent, but that's just not me.  I need my husband every hour of every day.  It's already hard enough for me when we are separated at work each day with little contact due to our busy schedules.  How on earth am I going to survive this one folks? Riddle me this...  Well we wanted to be able to spend some time with mi familia before Hubby Dear leaves in a month so we packed up and left on a Jet(Blue) Plane to the good ole' SoCal.  As soon as we got off the plane, my sweet Mom and Dad greeted us with a warm welcome and news that my little (and only) brother Chrissy had received his mission call in the mail! How the heck is he already 19?  I don't even know.  And now he is going on a mission to Florianopolis Brazil? Wow.  That was an exciting moment and I am glad he waited to open the letter until we got back from the airport.  We are also stoked that Uncle Chris will be able to meet Baby Nora before he leaves.  This is a blessing.

We got to spend a lot of quality time, not only with each other, but with my family which is always needed.  I miss them so much when we are away.  It's hard that Stefan's parents are so close and we get to see them every Sunday, but seeing my parent's is a lot more of a rarity.  But it makes our reunions that much sweeter! 

Mom has already begun spoiling Nora.  She bought her all these cute outfits!  At first, I was sad to see 9M and 12M outfits.They were so big! I want my baby to stay small forever! But I am thankful for my wise mother who understands that most people are going to shower me with Newborn Size clothes that will only fit her for a limited amount of time.  Feel free to shed a tear.  Thanks Mom! For all your generosity and love toward Stefan, Nora and Myself.

Dad is so excited to be a Grandpa.  He kept (what he considers) tapping my stomach and shouting to Baby Nora.  He loves little girls and can't wait to spoil her.  It was a little hard to handle all the belly bumping, but I'm sure Nora knows, very well, who her Grandpa is and what his voice sounds like.  She has been fore-warned.

The twins turned 7 recently (Wow!) and wanted to hold off their Birthday Party until Stefan and I were there.  It was fun to celebrate with them.  They had a pink party at the park with a jumpy house and many activities.  Sydney had 5 friends from her class at the Deaf School.  And Brooke had 4 or 5 from her class.  It was fun to interact with the Deaf Mom's.  Deaf people are so sweet and helpful.  They were the parent's who stayed after to help us clean up.  I am also so impressed with my amazing Mother and her ability to sign.  She has learned so much this year and her dedication to Sydney and her mode of communication has increased tremendously.  She is an inspiration to me of a Mother who would do anything for her child.  Sydney is so blessed to have a mom who seeks out the absolute best care and practices for her.  The twins are getting so old and they are excited to be Aunts, yet I think they are still slightly confused by the meaning of the word.  Needless to say, they already love Nora (or Dora Nora as Sydney would say because she has to remind herself of the name by remembering that it sounds like Dora) and they are going to be wonderful Aunties!

 The Twins had their Piano and Voice recital.  I am so proud of them! Sydney plays all by ear which is amazing considering she is Hard of Hearing.  Brooke sang a solo "You'll Be in My Heart" and it brought tears to my eyes.  She has such a pretty voice and she is a very talented little girl.

 Sydney loves to draw pictures for everybody.  We got Thursday morning all to ourselves.  We colored, played outside in our swimming suits and enjoyed one another's company. I love that girl.

Nora has been kicking and moving so much more! I love it. Absolutely love it.  She was especially active on the plane ride.  She was doing all sorts of flips and turns on the landing into California.  I feel like I can start to gain a sense of her personality through feeling her move, is that crazy? She weighs about 1 pound now and is approximately 11 inches long.  I'm surprised to find out that people at work still don't know I am pregnant.  They must think I have gained a new-found relationship with Twinkies and the TV because the 12 pounds I've gained certainly aren't keeping any secrets.  We got out first large baby item while in California .. Nora's Stroller! It was another gift from Grandma Michelle.  Thanks again Mom! It was fun to bring home and wheel through the airport .. We had many awkward stares at our baby-less stroller.  Plus a few comments about how we were missing a baby.  We're excited to start collecting the baby necessities and I am beginning to feel overwhelmed that I haven't started sooner.  In the beginning, it seems premature to buy anything for the baby.  Now, I feel like there won't be enough time and money to get it all before she makes her debut.  I'm sure all will be fine, it's just the unnecessary Mommy Worries.  Soon, I will post the last 3 weeks of chalkboard pictures that I have failed to upload. Procrastination to a T, let me tell ya.

The cutest Daddy on the Block!