Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

So we found out last week that we are having a boy! We are so thrilled and super excited that this baby will be joining our family next year. He weighs about 5 ounces at the moment, which by sources he should be weighing 3 1/2 ounces about now. This will be another big baby boy!

I thought I was having a girl, since it felt the same way while being pregnant with Melody. I was shocked to find out it was a boy. A part of me wanted a girl, as I feel like Melody would've loved a baby sister. A baby brother is fine, which means she will always be the princess of the house. Now the tricky part starts, picking a name for this wonderful little guy! He will be so loved and it will be great! I can't wait to start feeling him move more and connect with him. I have finally started feeling better! Woo-hoo!

So, we celebrated Halloween. Though this year Josh and I didn't dress up, we had fun with the kids. Loved the Peter Pan theme this year! Alan was a great Peter Pan, Charlie loved being Captain Hook. Everywhere we went he would play with the hook and go clink, clink. Melody was a beautiful Tinkerbell. Everyone loved the outfit on her. The outfits were great and we had fun celebrating Halloween as a weekend event. We went to Disneyland on Friday night and had a Halloween party at our church. The kids really enjoyed themselves, especially since their cousins were with us. The prior weekend to Halloween we had gone to the Pumpkin patch to start the Fall festivities. Though it felt nothing like Fall! It was hot, but the kids didn't mind. They were playing and having a good time. The only thing that Melody didn't like was the horseback riding. Alan and Charlie loved riding on the horses! Overall they had such a great time and it was really good to spend time with my family. There is no other greater joy in the world than seeing the smile of children who are happy!

Baby #4 update

So today, I had an ultrasound done. The baby is perfect! I heard the heartbeat and saw the baby move a lot as the ultrasound was going on.

The baby looks like a little person already and I am just amazed. I am so glad that no harm was caused by me falling last week. It was scary!

So here is baby #4 at 12 weeks along.

Baby Scare!

Today was a very scary day for me. I fell while trying to sit down. I landed on my bottom and my mom freaked out. I would have caught myself except for the bowl of cereal that I had in my hands. I hit the tile flooring slowly. It was scary because I could have lost this baby. I called the doctor right away and they said if I didn't spot, bleed or have any cramping I would be fine and so would the baby.

So far nothing has happened, just soreness. I guess I have to be more careful. I'm already a high-risk preggers, I can't be adding more to it.

New Updates

We are pregnant with Baby #4!!!! .

We are thrilled and very excited that baby #4 has decided to join us. It was a complete surprise to be pregnant once again. This baby will be our last baby that we are pregnant with as it gets harder for mommy to have babies. Baby is already listed as a high risk pregnancy and there are already many don'ts that we can't do, one of them is traveling. Doctor expects our goal to reach week 34. Mommy will be getting a shot every week for baby to make it to week 34, which is in March 2010. If baby can make it by then, then all is good. We pray that all turns out well with this baby and we can't wait to find out who's with us as we have to pick a name. The due date is April 21, 2010 but knowing mommy, the baby will most likely be born in March.

Alan thinks that there is a baby in his tummy too. Charlie and Melody don't understand it yet. We can't wait to give you more updates as we know, so until then.

Happily Ever After

Getting married was one of the greatest days in my life. I married the man of my dreams and so I thought that the happily ever after was to come. After all, isn't that where the story ends? They lived happily ever after? Well, my journey as a married woman has taken a different direction than what I would've liked, but then where's the fun with that? Right.

Being the pill hater, yes I can take pills but do I do it willingly, no, I opted to get that lovely depo shot as my birth control. They said you will gain weight and lose hair. Well my hair is super thick so if I lost hair, I was sure no one would notice. Also I was weighing 90 lbs. at the time I got married and according to my mother I was grossly skinny, so what if I gained 20 lbs? 110 lbs. would make me look normal and not skinny.

So then I gained 50 lbs. within six months and I swear for every hair I lost I gained three instead. I was devastated. None of my clothes would fit and having to buy larger size clothes was excruciatingly painful. I gained weight like crazy and it wasn't due to overeating or not exercising it was because I chose a birth control method which went against my body in every single way. In 2003 I was weighing between 150-155 lbs. and decided to go on Atkins. I lost 30 lbs. and felt great. I would leave early to go to work, go to the gym and exercise and then go to work. I was working at Sony Pictures at the time and it was super hard to be extremely disciplined and not having any sugar. On Atkins you are supposed to introduce good sugars after two weeks, Josh and I didn't. We wanted to lose the weight and feel better. Josh had gained weight because I gained weight. Josh lost over 40 lbs and I lost 30 lbs.

Did I mention that the shot had caused me to have cysts in my ovaries, made my menstrual cycle wacko and made my chances of getting pregnant very slim? Oh it was horrible. I read that with Atkins it could reverse the cysts in the ovaries and some had gotten pregnant. So there were many reasons for doing Atkins. So, I did it and I got pregnant. Once I found out I was pregnant I quit Atkins. I needed carbs and good sugars. While pregnant I gained the correct amount of weight and lost it all once I had the baby. Slowly the weight came back and a bit more. I nursed and though it is supposed to help you lose weight, I think it kept me from gaining much more weight. After Alan was done nursing I got pregnant with Charlie and the same story happened and I had Melody.

I am at the point where Melody is almost done with the nursing and now it is time to regain myself. With the years that I have been married, my husband has been loving and supportive. He has never made weight an issue to come between us and I know that he too wants to lose the weight he has gained. We are starting to eat healthier and are starting on this exercise program P90X. Hopefully by doing this and accomplishing the weight loss, I can feel better about myself and not be so self-conscious. I hate looking in the mirror and I do not own a lot of clothes. I hate buying clothes that are a larger size and I'm tired of this. I do not like taking pictures and hate it when people take a picture of me. It is not me, it's someone else. In my dreams, I look at myself and it's the skinny me. I spent my twenties being overweight I do not want to spend the rest of my life like that. I want to be the hot and young sexy mom. So we'll see how this goes and I plan to stick to it and get the results I want. I don't want to be asked if I am pregnant and make people feel embarrassed by saying that I am not.

This is my time and I will lose a good amount of weight before I hit 30. I have to be disciplined and I want this badly. No more double chin and no more big clothes. It will be the greatest pleasure to get rid of them. No more puffy fingers and no more resizing my wedding rings.

My story can be sad but it can have a happy ending. So happily ever after, here I come.

Birthday Galore!

This month has been very eventful for Alan, not only has he graduated from Pre-School, he is now 5 years old! It's hard to look at him and see him be that old, I mean he was just Melody's size not too long ago. I look at Charlie and think he's next... great! Charlie is still 2 years old but he acts like he's 4! He's very smart, knows how to read letters, upper case and lower case, numbers, colors, shapes and can even write some letters too! Charlie's teachers tell me he's very smart and all I can say, it's because of Alan!

I decided after careful consideration to take Alan out of the Pre-School and put him at the YMCA. A few of the other parents were doing so, and we thought why not. Alan would have a blast this summer before he starts Kindergarten, and have a new, fun adventure. We also decided to put him in swimming lessons, that way he could learn and not be like his mom who self-taught herself, almost drowning in my early teens!

The only thing I did not consider was the impact Alan leaving the school would have on his friends and Charlie. Above and below you see a picture of Alan with his best friend Cori. Cori is a sweet, loving girl, who loves Alan very much. Alan loves Cori and wants to do everything with her. They're very protective of each other and like spending time together! I swear, I thought this would come in ten years, but it's happening now! Alan only talks about Cori and how much he likes her and he wants her to come over and he wants to go over there, and this could keep going. So during graduation, I decided to meet Cori's parents. It so happens that Cori feels the same way about Alan and can't stop talking about him. I told her mother that in the best interest it would be good for the kids to keep in touch so that they would not be so heartbroken when Alan left. She agreed. Last weekend we had our first outing and went to see the movie UP! It was hilarious, and Alan and Cori enjoyed it too! Cori's eyes lit up when Alan got there, and they were so excited to be with each other. There was a playground next to the theatre and we went there after the movie was over. I thought it was funny how Cori's dad tried hugging her when he came over but she kept going after Alan ignoring her dad! Sorry!

After the graduation, we took this picture of Alan and Cori, after some photoshop, this was the end result. The teachers and Cori's parents thought we have their engagement pictures done. I said it was cute. See her smile? It's because she's hugging Alan.

Josh and I were there for Alan's last day of preschool and it was hard to see him and Cori say goodbye. They are not fully aware that they won't see each other that much anymore. I asked the teachers how she was doing this week and they say that she is lonely and keeps looking for Alan! :(

I am so sorry Cori! I know Alan misses her too, and wants to hang out with her. Thing is they live in Long Beach and we live in Cypress, not far but it's not like living on the same street.



Well, on a happier note, we finally got the Disney Annual passes. We celebrated Alan's birthday at Disneyland and he, along with Charlie and Melody, were very happy about it! Alan and Charlie love the beginning of all Disney films, as it shows the Sleeping Beauty castle in 3-D. They were so thrilled and so happy to have seen it. It was the first place we went to when we got there.

We had lunch there and saw Woody and Jesse from Toy Story, as they were a part of the show. It was just a great day, filled with so many fun memories. Alan saw an old friend from church, and met up with one of his Pre-School buddies, Ben and even I saw my Mia Maid teacher there! I mean, it was cute running into people we knew.



Alan rode a few rides and we saw the Fantasmic show in the evening. Alan was so thrilled that we went there for his birthday! We were happy to make the kids happy! I have loved going to Disneyland since I came to this country, it's nice to share the experience with my kids at a much younger age. I just hope I don't spoil them much ! ;)

My Melody...

MELODY TURNED 1!!!!

Yes, I have not posted in a while, but here it goes...

I cannot believe that my baby Melody is one! It is always a bittersweet feeling when your baby turns one. You're happy because you've made it this long, but the thought of independance from me, makes me sad. My little Princess had two celebrations, one we did as a family and went out to have a great dinner. She had a red velvet cupcake and ate the whole thing herself. Luckily I managed to cut off a few pieces for Alan and Charlie, but she did not share. She loved it! She didn't care for the frosting and went straight for the cake. I thought this was cute,

cause that's what I do!

Later on Memorial Day weekend, my mother and father in law came to visit us. My brother-in-law Garry came too, along with his kids. Boy was Alan happy to see his cousins. He just loves them so much. So we had a barbeque and had another birthday cake for Melody. It was really special as her grandparents live in Florida. So we were very fortunate to have them with us that day. We showed off our new home to them, as the last time they had seen it, it was still in escrow. The kids enjoyed spending time with their grandparents and I am happy that they got to see them.

As this is the time for graduations, my sister graduated from CSU Fullerton. We are happy for her achievement and sunburned! She graduated with her Bachelor's in Accounting. So it makes me happy to say that my siblings and myself are ALL college grads! Next Spring it will be my turn again, as I graduate with my Master's in Accounting and my brother will follow when he gets his Master's in Business Administration. Then we hope Josh will graduate with his Bachelor's in Accounting as it is no easy thing to do part time. Yet his teacher's always praise him and they all think he is meant for something great. That's what I said! My sister and I will both be studying for the CPA exam this fall and we hope that all this studying will soon come to an end. So hopefully by next summer I can be done, done and done!

Alan has his Pre-School graduation next Friday. He's growing up so fast. We went to his new school yesterday, for a kindergarten assessment and the teacher was just shocked that Alan knew everything. Counting to 100, writing his name in Upper and lower case letters, saying the alphabet without singing, shapes, colors, spelling his name. She said he was more than ready to start with them. Josh and I felt good about this, as we have always known that he is smart. Heck, they told us he was ready for Kinder two years ago!!!

So life is good, our jobs are going very well, and soon we will paint this home and be all moved in. We feel very fortunate for the support that we have, and we are glad to be reconnecting with old friends. Will try to keep up with my posts, until then.

'Twas a good day!

I know it's been a while since I posted. So here goes...

I had the best Mother's Day ever! Too bad it's over! Josh took me out Saturday morning for brunch with the kids. We had a ton of food and we were all so full. Alan ate 4 medium size waffles! Boy he was hungry! Unlike the past times when we have gone to eat, I had the honor of serving myself first. It was great! After the brunch we went to our Credit Union's member appreciation day and it was fun. I even got my mom to join us and Alan won a bluetooth. I was hoping for the $250 gift card to Best Buy, but he got the 2nd best prize. I think from now on I will put his name on any type of raffle.

Afterward we went for a swim! I love swimming and am glad this place has three community pools. Melody and I went to the kiddie pool where she played for a little and then fell asleep on my arms, in the water!!! I couldn't move and we were there for about an hour. Needless to say our skin looked like prunes. Charlie fell asleep as soon as he got out of the pool. I'm not kidding, we weren't even out of the pool area and he was asleep. The kids had fun and we all had a good time. On Sunday, Josh had gotten some mini cupcakes to eat for breaskfast, the kids loved it. We went to church, and the boys were not as happy to be there at first but once they went to Primary they changed their minds. I got a rose and a box of something, Josh still has that box. I had a good time. We came home took a nap and then Josh made my favorite, Tri-Tip. Oh it was good. All of us ate and then spent some time together.

I love my family, love love love my kids. I am blessed to have them in my life. Feels good to be a mom!

So what do we do when its hot? We swim!!!

My princess in the water!

Alan and Charlie playing in the kiddie pool!

Melody getting ready!

My love Josh is 31.

So Josh turned 31 yesterday. sigh. I'm not so thrilled about it but what can I do. He had a good time at Disneyland with his sister. They share the same birthday. Though I wish we could have been there with him, it is their day.

So after a fun day at Disneyland and foul smelling people in front of them that made them gag and almost throw up, they came over to our house to end their celebration.

It was exciting we had her kids here with us. It was great to see her son Mark who is 24 (and the eldest of all the cousins) and my little baby who is 9 months be together in the same roof (she was asleep when he got here). The kids were having fun with their cousins and though my Charlie was shy at first once that diaper was changed he was super happy.

We had cake, played Rock Band and had tons of fun. I feel bad for Tracey though, she was in pain after walking around Disneyland and seemed a bit swollen. I gave her Tylenol so that she could drive home, poor thing! They had a blast on their birthday and that's awesome. I'm sure my husband will remember it for a long time.

An eventful week...

Boy this has been an eventful week for our family.

1. Josh and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. We didn't go out and celebrate this year. I told Josh I was happy that we had our family and our house and that was all I needed this year. He agreed. The thing that sucked the most was that we barely saw each other that day. We both went to work. Then after work I picked up the kids and took them over to my mom's and they stayed there awhile. Then after I picked them up which was almost 10 p.m. we went home. So we couldn't celebrate much because it was too late. He did however make chocolate covered strawberries and lit the fireplace. I put one of the satellite stations on and we reminisced for a bit. It was nice.

2. I am back in school. I am halfway done so I gotta finish. Since it will help me get a better job in the IRS or anywhere, it's in the best interest of myself and my family that I finish. I could definitely be making a six figure income in 3 years. So I am taking two classes and one is on Tuesday night, which is why I couldn't spend any time with Josh on our anniversary. The other is on Saturday. Both classes seem easy. So hopefully it will be easy and I can be done quickly. The cool thing is that both my brother and I are set to graduate with our Master's next year. He's graduating from CSULB and me from Keller Graduate. It'll be nice once we are done with school.

3. We paid off my car this week! Woo-hoo! We had a five year loan and we paid it off in less than three years. Now we have his car loan left. I get the title from our credit union next week. I am so happy. This is the 3rd car I have paid off. Feels good. Yet I am already planning what vehicle I want to get next. It won't be for a few more years, but I can dream of my new mommy vehicle. Probably a Volvo.

4. Josh's birthday is next week, so we got Rock Band. Great way to get the family to be together and do something fun. Alan and Charlie both fight to play the drums. Josh plays the guitar and you have me on vocals. I love to sing so that mic is mine. Josh is turning 31 next week and I am still in my twenties. Josh for his birthday is also planning on spending his birthday at Disneyland without the rest of the family. I know, I'm a bit shocked as well, but he wants to spend the day with his sister since they share the same birthday. So I'll post pictures next week of their fun day at Disneyland. It's okay I am planning to buy annual passes, so there!

Next week it will be more exciting as we actually celebrate Josh's birthday and we have been invited to 2 birthday parties in Long Beach and Eagle Rock and have RSVP'd to our friend Chad's housewarming party. Did I mention that they all are for pretty much the same time? March is busy, busy, busy.

Chattering

Melody has figured out that she can talk. Though she only knows mama and baba she will keep saying this. She will also start a conversation saying these words and with different tones. It's really cute and that only means that she's growing up and will be talking a lot earlier than her brothers. Charlie is finally talking more and saying I want this, milk, etc. It's so great that they are figuring all of this out and maybe soon I'll stop deciphering cries.

C'est ma vie!

I am so thrilled, I found out yesterday that I am halfway done with my Master's Degree. WOO-HOO! I only have three more classes to go of the regular accounting classes then I have my CPA courses and so next year I will be graduating. I am soooo thrilled and excited. Hopefully Josh and I can be done at the same time, he's finishing his bachelor's. I am really glad that I pushed him to do it, and then one day we can tell our children that we both did it so they can do it too.

So if my plan goes right, here's what can happen. I graduate with my Master's in Accounting and Finance Management and then get my CPA. I would apply to work for the medium and large size business division of the IRS. There you automatically get promoted you don't have to compete. So I could be making double my salary now, if I were to go that path. I could also go to Criminal Investigations and train in Atlanta, GA for 6 months and get automatically promoted but at a higher level (and more money), with a shorter time to retire and I would get a government car as well as learn how to use a gun. The last part doesn't sound as good but it is Criminal Investigation. There are many routes I can go within the IRS and as long as I work hard I can get there.

In other news...

Josh and I are considering getting Disneyland annual passes and go there frequently for the kids. We love Disneyland as one of our first dates was there. We just haven't been to it in a while, the last time we were there Space Mountain was still closed and California Adventure hadn't opened. So we want to venture out and do more. We'll continue working in putting our house together the way we want to, but also want to do something fun.

I personally love it, since I want to start sharing great and wonderful places with my kids. I've been there, I've done that now it's time to pass it on.

Oh I decided, I will have the fourth kid. I will go for it next year when I am done with all the travel and training and school. So we'll see when it happens.

Having fun on my day off!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Today I had made plans with my new friend Hilary to go out and do something with the kids. I had told Hilary that in my last ward I never did anything with the young moms because I was always working. So they formed groups to take their kids out and do stuff and I always felt left out because of work. So Hilary suggested that we do something on one of my days off.

So today is a federal holiday and unlike popular belief I did NOT get last Thursday off, only President's Day. So we decided to do something. We thought about going to the park but with all the rain coming our way it looked more like a no. So Hilary mentioned the playground at the Westminster mall and so I said sure. I had only heard about it once and thought it would be fun for the kids and not be inside the house all day. So we went and all the kids had a blast!

I am really glad that Hilary convinced me to go and can't thank her enough for making me feel like I don't have to miss out because I work. So I'm looking forward to... oh man! The next holiday is Memorial Day! Oh well!

Elle a neuf mois!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

So my baby is growing and I found this great site Smilebox and have made a scrapbook to show just how much she has grown.

Ni hao!

This past week they have started giving Ni Hao Kai Lan on Noggin and the kids are loving it. It is kind of like Dora the Explorer but in Mandarin Chinese. So the kids love saying "Ni Hao" which means hello. I have been watching this show with them because it's cute and besides I can't watch my stuff with them, they control the TV. So I have been learning the chinese words as well. My supervisor is Chinese and so I have been practicing my Chinese with her. She's shocked and has not heard of the show. Every day I go into work I say a new word. I think it's funny!

Alan has started doing homework for preschool and so this is the beginning of a gruelsome journey 12 more years in the making. Just when I thought I was almost done with school and with my own homework and then it hits me that I also have to help them out. As long as they don't come here with like Advanced Calculus, I can help them.

Charlie is talking more and more. So now I keep telling him no and no. He'll be like watch me mommy or look at me mommy, listen mommy. It's so cute. Even his teachers are amazed at the fact that it's all coming out now. I told them, same thing happened to Alan. One minute they are barely talking the next they won't stop saying a lot.

Melody my precious baby is still saying mama. She's very quiet and keeps to herself but if she needs something it's mama. One thing I love about her is her smile and wanting to interact with people. I brought her to work last Tuesday and everyone loved her. One lady made a comment saying that she didn't know the IRS was hiring agents this young. Everyone started laughing. Melody was just so cute they want me to bring her more often.

All three of my babies are adorable. They have great hearts and are loved by all. Makes me wonder if I should keep with my plans on having the fourth?

A Melody Moment...

Every thing that kids do are always counted as special times. For a mother, it never gets old and it is always surprising when they do something that has been done before. Though all the kids in the world have done it, it is surprising when Melody does something unexpected.

Today, twice, she said "mama." Though she's not my first child, it is always shocking and with great gratitude I thank god for the beautiful life I am able to raise. She's growing up and it is somewhat of a bittersweet moment when your baby starts talking and you realize that your baby is not a baby anymore.

Charlie is talking a lot more now, and is so smart that he can read upper and lower case letters. He knows how to spell some words and I am truly amazed. Alan understands a lot now, and can tell us what he wants when he wants it. Today, he did not want to wear a polo shirt to church, he wanted his new nice clothes.

As my children get older, it pains me to know that they know more and become so independent that they forget about mom and dad. It happens though. Today my baby said mama and it's a great thing and soon she'll be like Charlie trying to figure out more words.

On another note, Josh and I have just celebrated our 9th year of being together. Not a wedding anniversary, which our eighth is coming up, but nine years of being us. I can't believe that it is getting near to a decade since he and I have been together. It makes me happy because though we have our ups and downs we have made it to nine years of not ever breaking up. It has been tough but we have worked through it and are moving forward. We look to a brighter future, though it's quite nice right now, we can't wait to see what is in store for us.

We have gone through many things and we are still together. We feel very blessed to have made it this far as we have seen some of our friends divorce and give up on the thing that they once used to cherish so. There is hope out there, all you have to do is to be willing to work at it. Things in life aren't supposed to be easy, they have to be challenging. How else can you really appreciate what you have if things have been handed to you? That is why Josh and I really are grateful for what we have and how far we have come. Three kids, a home, an eternal life together.

In Memoriam

Today, I remembered that three years ago I had gotten the greatest news of my life. Yes in fact, I was pregnant again. Except this time I was carrying twins. It was the most shocking experience in my whole life. I asked the doctor repeatedly if he was sure, and he kept saying yes. To know that there were two lives inside me being created at once was just magical.

The sad part about this is that it was short lived. By April of 2006, there was only one twin who was alive the other had died. I found out that Charlie was still with me since I went to do a 4-D Ultrasound. It was heartbreaking! This was the first person I loved that passed away. Though I never saw my baby face to face, I knew the baby. I always had a notion that the baby was a girl. I called her Hannah, as I have always liked that name.

I never could mourn the death of my baby as it could make me lose Charlie. It was painful and hard not to cry as much as I wanted to, to scream, to anything. I was put on bedrest for the duration of my pregnacy and in the end I had a beautiful baby boy. There were people at the hospital on alert in case I went berzerk! My twin, my beautiful baby, though it has been three years now, I will never forget the baby who shook my world the hardest.

Right now we are all finally feeling better, no more colds, no runny noses, coughing, medicine and my throat is finally feeling better. It still hurts a bit, but it's finally getting better.

I have been thinking lately about my would be fifth child and whether to have him/her next year. The problem is my uterus since it's not as strong anymore, so I run the risk of bedrest again. I could be at high risk once more and the question is do I go for it? In my life, I have always wanted four children with me, I do have that in a way since I have been pregnant with four. I cannot imagine my life without my lovelies and their hearts and minds. I love kids and I am glad I have had the opportunity of being a mommy to three cutie pies.

Bruised Trachea

So I am at my mother's house yesterday and we were talking. As I am getting ready to leave her place and go home, I pull Charlie closer to me and as he comes next to my body his head hit my throat. I did not feel good and it started hurting a lot!

I couldn't swallow, talk and it was hurting to breathe. I went to Urgent Care by myself, and had a piece of paper with me to tell my story. The doctor scolded me for coming alone and then sent me to the ER to make sure I was ok. So they called Josh, cause I couldn't, and he picked me up and we went to the ER.

While we were in the ER waiting there was an incident with another patient that had us laughing. There was a lady there wanting to know when she would be seen and the nurse told her it would take awhile since some people did have emergencies and the medics that helped her come in didn't think her pain was. She got so mad and started going off and made a huge scene in the hospital. They called my name before her and we were hoping she wouldn't say anything since we arrived three hours after she did.

The doctor said I had a bruised trachea and that it would take 2-3 weeks to heal. We spent about an hour in the ER which is a record for us. When we were leaving the lady that made that scene was still sitting in the same spot. Needless to say Josh and I got out of there quickly.

That's my baby!

One thing that Josh and I have noticed lately is how protective Alan and Charlie are of their little baby sister. They are always looking out for her and express their love to her. It's cute because when I go and pick up the boys from school they come to her and say hello. Now, if their classmates want to look at the baby, Alan is always fending them off by saying "that's my baby." Charlie doesn't fend them off but will go and touch her head and block anyone else from touching her. It's really amazing the connection that they have. The boys faces can go from sad to happy once they see her and she can be crying but once she sees her brothers she reaches out to touch them and starts laughing. Melody is one lucky girl and I envy her for it. I am the eldest of three and did not have any siblings to love me as much as Alan and Charlie love her. My siblings and I do get along and love each other but it's really hard when you're the first. Sorry Alan!



Today I noticed that my children are growing so fast that I better not miss it. Alan and I went to a Kindergarten festival for the Long Beach Unified School District. Now we don't live in the district anymore but our school district doesn't have a festival to let parents be aware of the process for enrolling in school. Alan and I saw how we could help him get ready for kindergarten and some of the amazing new things he will learn.

I couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness as this is my first baby and he'll be five this year. He'll be starting kindergarten in a new school with kids he doesn't know. His friends are all going to a Long Beach school and hopefully we can all keep in touch as Alan really does cherish the friendships that he does have at his preschool. In two years, I'll be doing the exact same thing with Charlie and in four with Melody. It's so hard to see Melody and think that Alan was just like that and now he's growing up, talking, walking, and playing.

On a side note, this is one of my favorite Alan pictures. We got him this great outfit and he absolutely loves it. He wants to wear it all the time. He looks like he's ready for a date. Boy, am I going to hate that.