Pre-Christmas excitement

Our girls have reached a milestone in their lives. The one where their parents teach them the art of doorbell ditching.

The eve of Christmas Eve, we took them out to deliver some small Christmas gifts to their friends. Only the gifts were left on the porch after the girls rang the doorbell and bolted back to the car.

The gifts? They were a 2 liter of root beer and a can of beans with a sign wishing them a "Rootin' Tootin Christmas!"

The girls were laughing hysterically and it was only a matter of minutes down the road that we got texts from their friend's parents thanking and laughing with us.

The highlight of the night though was when Jocelyn ran to the wrong car...not the one idling with the door wide open ready for her arrival, but the parked car in someone's driveway that didn't even have any lights on! She is such a nut!

Merry Christmas!

From our crazy family to yours!

Wedding Ring Blues

I know that there are worse things in life, but imagine the pain I felt when I looked down at my finger to see this:

And to retrace my steps was not going to be an easy task. I had been to a retail store, a doctor's office, and a grocery store prior to me noticing the diamond was missing at my house.

At first I cried. Yes, I'm a baby. I told Sam that my heart was broken. Obviously, the diamond can be replaced, but the sentimental value it holds in our marriage was gone.

I emptied our vacuum and vacuumed the house. Twice. Then I inspected the vacuum bag only to find mounds of dirt, rocks and hair (seriously, 3 girls in the house can produce a lot of shedding hair!)

I called every place I had been to report it missing in the RARE chance that maybe it would have been spotted and turned in.

I searched the car, the diaper bag, my purse.

I looked through my clothes since I had changed.

Then I went to Sam's Christmas Party...without a ring on my finger. :(

26 hours later I FOUND IT!!!

I was putting Jonah in his car seat and lo and behold, right there on the floor beneath him, my diamond sparkled as if to say "Here I am! You can have me back!"

On a more serious note...

You all should know that I have struggled with the idea of writing the following post regarding an accident with Jonah because of fear, guilt, and sadness. Fortunately, as time has gone by, I know that I cannot keep my eyes on him 24-7 and I feel more comfortable talking about how he scared the living daylights out of Sam and I!

Just a few hours after a previous post (discussing how busy and active Jonah is,) we had a pretty good scare. It seems that even limiting him to 2 totally kid friendly rooms of the house does not guarantee safety.

The blinds in our playroom were pulled up completely (something that we never, ever do) and Jonah was able to play with the long flowing cord that dangled down, somehow wrapping it entirely around his neck and pulling it tight.

I am so thankful that Sam responded to his whimpering because if he went too much longer, it could have been a totally different ending to this story. He basically had a rope burn around his entire neck.We are very thankful that his Guardian Angel was watching out for him that night.

You know you're a hygienist when...

...your daughter's fight goes as follows:

Jocelyn: "Mom! Jenna didn't brush her teeth correctly, she only brushed 3 quadrants!"
Genevieve: "No I didn't, I brushed all 4 quadrants!"

Life with boys

Although raising girls (especially 2 that are 14 months apart) comes with it's own issues, like emotional drama, an overload of accessories and an abundance of irrational tears, the issues don't compare to those of boys.

Jonah is only 13 months old and comes with habits of putting things in his mouth. I'm not just talking about little choking hazards that most kids enjoy trying to eat (although that can be included in our list). I'm talking about finding him roaming the house with a cigar in his mouth...handfuls of fireplace soot, dirty diapers from the garbage, a RAZOR, and urine soaked toilet paper. Seriously! Nothing stops this kid. Ok, to be honest, the toilet paper wasn't in his mouth (that we know of) but it was definitely being played with.

Unfortunately, we have resolved to having EVERY door in our house shut at all times. Jonah can only be in 2 rooms unattended.

What's wrong with this picture?

The wife, working ever so hard, trenching a yard for an irrigation line while the husband sits back, drinks a beer, and takes selfie.

We are both fans

We have been working with Jocelyn on not eating her dinner with her fingers, but rather with a fork.

I had already reminded her a few times when I caught her snatch a piece of feta cheese with her fingers while eating her salad.

She looked up at me while in action and saw that she was caught.

"Sorry mom, I'm just a feta fan...more of a Seahawks fan, but I AM a feta fan."

The way her little brain works continuously amazes me. She is the most quick-witted little girl and even if she has bad manners at the dinner table, I am a fan of Jocelyn!

Jonah Analogy

I have a bit of a fear of spiders. Some may call it irrational, but I beg to differ. I find it quite possible for a spider to bite through the paper towels (I usually use about 14) to kill them, or even jump around the shoe I try to squish them with, only to attack my face. If they are high on a wall, I will keep my eye on them until they are close enough for me to dispose of, or better yet, until Sam is home to do the dirty work for me. But the darn things can be so fast!

Jonah has recently been reminding me of a spider. 

One minute he is happily sitting and playing with his toys.

I look away for a split second, like to add salt to my boiling pasta water and when I look back, he's gone!

And the same, very rational fear goes through my body. The fear of the spider suddenly hanging in front of my face ready to suck my blood is similar to the fear of Jonah getting ready to play in the dirty toilet water, eat the fish food, or knock the glass end table over.

But I suppose to be fair in my comparison, I should note that Jonah is WAY cuter and lovable than any spider!

Summer of 2014

I hope you're ready for some pictures. Here was our summer...

We spent a couple weekends on Loon Lake. The girls enjoyed playing on the beach and knee boarding!

 

We spent a  few days in Leavenworth, enjoying swimming, hiking, and relaxing

Jocelyn celebrated her 7th birthday

I competed in a Sprint Triathlon, placing 3rd in my age group. I also ran my 4th half marathon!

Jonah celebrated his first birthday with a very fitting "Whale" theme

And of course the summer wrapped up with the girls starting another year of school

Sayin' it as it is...

The girls were recently asking about my wedding. They had heard that cousin Juliana was my flower girl, that my sister Amy was my maid of honor and that Sam's brother Jon was his best man. Jocelyn commented on how rude it was of us not to have Jonah as the best man. I laughed and told her that if Jonah had been born before our wedding, that it wouldn't have been a good thing.
Jenna said, "Oh! I know why! That means they would have...whisper whisper whisper."
Appalled that she knows that I'm referring to I question what she is thinking.
Very embarrassed she admits, "You would have broken up."
"What?" I ask. "What does that even mean?"
She shakes her head, "You'll learn about it one day."

You think that's good? Listen to this one!

While out running a few errands as a family, we were in a hurry because we were supposed to pick my niece Mikayla up at a certain time to spend the night. My sister called and said that plans changed and she would bring Mikayla over later. Since we were suddenly in less of a hurry, Sam mentioned that he was going to run into PetSmart to return an item that we happened to have in the car with us. That made me remember that I also had a return to make to JCPenny's which happens to be directly across the street from PetSmart so I mentioned that I also would make a return.
"Well now you're just complicating things" Sam told me, clearly trying to be difficult.
I questioned him, "What?! It's right across the street and I'll run in really quick. Besides, if you can do your returns while we're out, I should do mine too!"
*Side Note: Sam and I are not ones to argue, so please make sure you read this in the funny, joking way it was actually being said*
Sam continued his "argument, "I was only doing it because we had an extra second, now your adding things to the list!"
Being the good husband that he is though, he turned first into the JCPenny's parking lot and made his way to the front to drop me off. As I grabbed my bag and got ready to go in Jocelyn asked from the back seat, "What are you doing mom?"
Without any hesitation, and as matter of fact as can be, Jenna pipes up, "She's complicating dads life."

McCoy kid updates

Genevieve Grace

My oldest daughter, at 8, is my rule follower and people-pleaser. I love this about her! She recently got glasses and I don't think she could be any cuter in them! She is currently playing in a year round soccer academy and also plays tennis. She would swim every day if I'd let her. Jenna is the biggest helper with Jonah and is truly his "2nd mother." She is very much a nurturer.

Jocelyn Hope

My spunky little Jocelyn is 7 (in 1 more week) and keeps us hopping. The girl has lots of energy. She doesn't walk anywhere. She runs. And she always has a smile. She is our goofy child and loves to pick on people in a fun way and is the queen of winking at people.  She is also playing in a year round soccer academy, plays tennis and loves to swim. Her smile is contagious!

Jonah Timothy

My little guy is 10 months old now! The boy loves to sleep! And of course his mommy and daddy love that. He also enjoys the water, whether it is swimming or taking a bath. He is not a fan of being on his stomach and because of this, he has yet to start crawling! He loves when his sisters play with him and make him laugh.

Could I possibly ask for anything else?!

Clairvoyance

With a quivering voice and eyes welling with tears, Jocelyn came to me and said,

"Mom, Jenna is being REALLY mean!"

I asked her what she did or said and she replied,

"I told her, 'Jenna, I like your outfit' and in her head she said 'No, you don't!' "

In her head??

So I clarified with Jocelyn, "You mean, she said it in her head? She didn't actually say it out loud?"

Jocelyn then admitted, "Yes! I could tell what she was saying in her head!"

I'm in trouble if she can understand what I'M saying in my head!

This has been happening...

Life. Is. Busy.

But I love it!

I have been training for a 1/2 marathon in June. For fun, I ran the 5K Color Run in Yakima. My team was the "Colorful Cuties" and we made colorful tutus to run in! I ran my fastest ever 5K and I'm not sure how that happened considering how many people were there and how windy it was. But I'll take it! 

Sam brought the kids to watch and before the race even started, Jocelyn got exposed to an accidental color bomb to the face. She was not prepared for it but took it like a champ!

Sam and Genevieve celebrated another birthday together. Jenna is now 8 and Sam hit the big 4-0!

40 years of age isn't slowing Sam down though. He is training for his annual Reach the Beach bike race which is a 100 mile bike ride from Portland, OR to Pacific City. 2 more weeks!

And Jonah is Jonah. Or as his Yia Yia likes to call him, Jekyll and Hyde. He can be quite the happy camper, or he can be a ticked off camper, depending on if his needs are being met or not. We prefer the first, but most often get the second. :)

Just kidding. The boy could not possibly complete our family any better!

White Pass with my girls

I finally got to go ski with my girls and WOW was I impressed! I had a blast playing follow the leader with them and at times had a hard time keeping up! They had a blast knowing that they were more comfortable skiing than me. Comments they made throughout the day included: "Don't worry mom, you'll get it," or "Why don't you ski in between the trees like me?" or "Seriously Mom! You almost ran me over!" As much as I prefer a warm tropical location, I did enjoy being with them on the mountain!

Daddy's Little Skiiers

I don't believe that there has been a single weekend that the girls have not gone skiing this winter. Not only do they LOVE it, but the practice has paid off. The following is a video of them (Genevieve in green, Jocelyn in purple) during the Winter Carnival at White Pass. 

 http://youtu.be/jOLNVHpVWz8

Enjoy!

Sam's dental visit

Very few of my patients request a picture with me while I'm cleaning their teeth, but this patient is pretty special to me! :)

The things that make us happy

I love my days off of work. I start my day before the sunrise with a run. I am ready before the kids. I can walk the girls to school, and then spend my day bonding with my son. While he naps, I can be totally productive with laundry, preparing meals, paperwork, etc. Or I can be totally lazy. And when school gets out, I can meet the girls and walk home with them. This schedule just makes me happy, it makes me enjoy my children, my life, my everything. (I'm sorry, is that too much corniness for one post?)

One day last week, I met the girls after school and was welcomed to great big hugs and smiles from them. The sun was shining as we walked home and I listened to them give detailed and exciting stories about their days at school. (I have never heard them say "fine" when I ask them about school!) I couldn't help but just smile as we walked, thinking about how lucky I am. And then, out of nowhere, when I am already feeling as chipper as can be, Jocelyn says, "I have the best parents in the world!" And if you could hear her tone, you would have thought that we are indeed the best. I mean, she said it with such enthusiasm. I gave her a huge hug and said "Well, I have the best children in the world." Jocelyn stopped in her tracks with the weirdest look on her face and said, "No, I said I have the best PANTS in the world."

Humph. 

First Foods

What?! Jonah is old enough to eat solids? I seriously need time to slow down! But, here it is 5 1/2 months, and he is showing all the clear signs that he is indeed ready for solid foods. So, I went for it. Not surprisingly, he took rice cereal like a champ. Opened, closed, swallowed and then smiled. :) If only blogger could upload videos. Then you would be smiling too. But instead, you'll just have to trust me that he is irresistibly adorable.

Seattle Seahawks

We aren't your typical die hard Seahawks fans, but we definitely got into the spirit this season. Honestly, it started when the girls were allowed to wear Seahawks apparel on Blue Fridays. My rule follower, Genevieve, took this as "You must wear Seahawks apparel" and was all distraught since she didn't own any. Sam also decided it would be good for him to have something since his work participates in this as well. And well, I didn't want to be left out. So each member of the family got a new piece of apparel. Including Jonah!

The girls sporting their new attire

This was our first attempt at a family picture. We later realized we had been photo-bombed by a cow!

Superbowl 2014 family picture (re-take)

My Rule Follower

Genevieve, my first born child, is my rule-follower. She wants to make sure what she is wearing matches correctly, she will be the first to tell me that the play room really should be cleaned up before they play a game, or that they already had one sweet that day and really shouldn't have anymore. And if she is going to do something, she is going to do it correctly.

Jocelyn, my second born child, well, she's a totally different story.  (She's her daddy's girl!)  :)

Over the weekend, I was home with Genevieve who was sick with the stomach flu. She was laying on the couch, as lethargic as can be, with no energy to generate even a half of a smile, watching some football. A Geiko commercial (I believe) came on claiming that "Bigger is Better." Up pops Genevieve full of emotion, "Mom, that's not true. Bigger isn't always better. Like a cookie. You wouldn't want a bigger cookie because that wouldn't be good for you!"

She sure brings a smile to my face!