We asked for it...

This guy

2011-05-25T12:09:00.011-05:00

I'm quite certain that most people interested in this blog have given up on checking since it's been so long since I've posted anything. Also, I have yet to make this blog about anything but my kids. I would love to have a blog containing fun tips, recipes, projects, design, all the things that look for in everyone else's blog, but for now it's a record of our family. And I've

been seriously lax in recording our family...especially our newest little guy. Our camera was out of commission for about a month and I missed quite a few gems, so I will repent and go at this again.

So here is this guy Osborn. He has turned into a sweet little charmer. His dimples melt me every time!

I can already tell I'm going to have a hard time saying no to this little face. I'm still convinced he looks A LOT like Kate...minus the hair. I will put together a side by side comparison to illustrate my point.

My men

2011-02-15T12:07:00.003-06:00

Yes...the ranks are now even. There are 3 Skousen men in this house to attempt to counteract the estrogen. I'm not sure how well it's working...the girls are pretty dramatic, but these boys are really cute.

Jackson is such a great big brother. He loves Ozzie and only hates that he's not old enough to play yet. He holds him and kisses him every time he leaves the room. Jackson is working hard to learn everything about everything so he can teach it to Ozzie...this is really exhausting for me...LOTS of questions! He's going to be a smarty pants though.
Jake is such a great dad! The kids LOVE him, even while being scared of him! :) They love climbing and playing with daddy and best of all...being TICKLED. Ozzie is still learning to love Jake...right now he prefers to snuggle with mom.
The little man at 4 weeks. He's getting so strong! He's always lifting his head up to look around and he's standing when we hold his arms. He's a pretty fussy baby right now, but getting better and better all the time. I'm just thankful it's not colic...he is consolable...just usually only by mom. I do love a good snuggler though and that's what he is!

Blizzard!

2011-02-15T11:55:00.002-06:00

Yes, we were hit by the blizzard. I feel lucky that we've missed such storms in the past. There was a blizzard in New York while we were living there, but we were here in Missouri visiting my parents. There have been a few blizzards here, but we weren't here. There was no avoiding it this time! We stocked up on food and fuel (in case of power outages) and hunkered down. Jake had 2 days off of work and Jackson had 4 days plus a weekend off of school. It was crazy! But it was kind of fun too. I had to stay at home with Ozzie anyway, so the whole family got to be here with me!

Max investigates as the snow begins.

A light dusting on the house.

The aftermath...even Max gets stuck!

Buried in the white stuff!

"Daddy...we can't open the door!!"

PS...as I type this, a week and a half later, it's 60 degrees outside! That's Missouri for you...if you don't like that weather, just wait five minutes. "Here in Blaine, I think we can get that down to three or four."

Ozzie update

2011-01-28T16:36:00.004-06:00

It's been 2 weeks now...how time flies! Ozzie is growing and after losing almost a pound after birth, has now returned to and surpassed his birth weight...weighing in at 10 lbs. 14 oz!! Needless to say, he's not missing any meals.

The kids absolutely adore this little guy and love trying to get him to smile, though he only graces us with those when he is asleep. He loves having the kids around though and calms down and watches them intently.

About as close to a smile as I've gotten while he's awake.

Who's number 1?

Sydney LOVES Ozzie and the maternal instincts have already kicked in. She always wants to bathe him and change his clothes. What could be better than a live doll?! She's very sweet to him though. Here Osborn is demonstrating how to be fancy.

Silly faces!!!

Osborn - 1 week old. You can still see a little jaundice in him. And that's not a cleft in his chin...it's just fat! Could he be any chubbier?!

Introducing...

2011-01-20T12:38:00.008-06:00

Osborn Jacob Skousen

Born Thursday, January 13, 2011

12:42 pm

10 lbs. 11.6 oz.

22 1/2 inches

The Fam. I can't believe we have FOUR! Each one a blessing.

Comparing noses. Osborn has some growing to do!

Proud papa.

My little man, time to come home from the hospital...at the same time as mommy!!

This delivery was very different from the others. As with the others, the doctors decided I should be induced at 38 weeks because of my Type 1 diabetes. Though I've had excellent control during this pregnancy, babies of diabetic moms are prone to be bigger than average and the placenta starts to deteriorate a little sooner too. So, even though baby was due January 26, they scheduled the induction for January 13.

On New Year's Eve, we thought we might get to meet baby a little sooner. I had been sick for a couple days and was slowly becoming dehydrated, unable to keep anything down. I started having pretty frequent contractions and was nervous that I wasn't able to eat or drink anything. So finally, around 10:30 pm, I called Jake (he was at my parents with the kiddos celebrating New Year's) and said we should go to the hospital. We drove to Columbia because that's where we needed to be if I were to have the baby. They admitted me to labor and delivery immediately to start an IV. Blood tests revealed that although my blood sugar levels were normal, I was actually in DKA, diabetic ketoacidosis. These elevated ketones were what was keeping me from drinking and causing the contractions. Once I was hydrated, the contractions stopped and the baby and I were determined to be in good health. SO...after 3 days, they decided to send me home, baby in belly.

We returned to the doctor 2 more times after the DKA episode to make sure that baby was still happy. The doctors decided that January 13th was the day to induce. On January 13th, we were admitted at about 7:30am and, after some initial efforts to get labor going, we had to start with the pitocin. I'm not sure why they were in such a hurry to get baby here that morning, but they got the job done...much to my chagrin. They dialed the pitocin drip up pretty high and hard, fast contractions started very quickly. I complained about the intensity and spacing of the contractions a few times and my complaints were met with condescending comments like, "hon, you have to have contractions to get the baby here." Well, duh! I knew that, but after 3 other deliveries I knew that we could slowly work up to the harder contractions and sometime in there, get an epidural. After a very painful cervix check by said condescending nurse, Jake STRONGLY URGED her to get the anesthesiologist up there for the epidural. Finally, my wishes were granted, the epidural was started, and the pain was taken away. I was so grateful to be out of the horrible pain and able to relax. Unfortunately though, the relaxing was not to be...all those hard contractions meant baby was ready to come!

So a few minutes later, the dr came in to check me. I WAS READY TO DELIVER! They dropped the end of the table, got gowned and in position, and by the next contraction, I was pushing. I pushed through that contraction and baby's head was out! Just as the dr. was saying I could wait till the next contraction to push again, I started coughing. That was enough to squeeze the rest of this toddler-sized baby out...with a little pulling from the Dr. too. Baby was a bit blue but started screaming immediately and before I knew it the cord was cut and he was laying on my chest. So, I delivered a 10lb. 11oz. baby with one push.

I just couldn't believe it was all over already! What a whirlwind! We had arrived at the hospital around 7:45 and baby was here 5 hours later! Wow. Don't get me wrong, I'm so glad it all went well and it was a relief just to have him here, but I think I could've done without all the rushing.

Baby was healthy! They poked and prodded him for awhile and found no need to take him to the NICU. We were so excited that he was doing so well after week long ICU stays that we had with Sydney and Kate. We found out, after taking him home, that he had broken a collarbone in delivery! That explained why he would sleep so well, but get very fussy at random times. Poor guy.

As for his name, it was probably the most difficult of all the names we've decided on. The process seemed to evolve just like the other kids; we had a list of names that we liked and both of us used vetoes to knock names off the list that we didn't like. The first day passed without any name jumping out from the final list of 15 or so names. At the end of the second day, Jake started checking off names. I followed suit. By the end of the day, we thought we would try "Soren" on for size. Our concern was that it was a soft name, for lack of a better description. But after Jake left that second day, I decided to put the name "Osborn" back on the table. It was name that Jake had found on a baby name website dedicated to Danish names. It was originally a Viking name that was used extensively in England. It means "God Bear" or "Divine Bear", referring to the Viking culture of strength. Despite being out of the top 1000 popular names for the last century, Osborn didn't seem like too outlandish of a name. It is unique, distinctive, distinguished, strong, and works well with Skousen. My main objection was that people would automatically make the Ozzy Osbourne association, although that "Ozzy" was short for Oswald. But Ozzy Osbourne is a passing fad like all celebrities. Our baby's generation may not know much about Ozzy Osbourne. I texted Jake just after he left for the evening on the second day. I said: "back on the table...Osborn". He responded: "Don't know that I'm sold on Soren either". After a day of thought, Osborn fit. So, baby was named "Osborn Jacob Skousen". His middle name is Jacob, just like Jackson, not because Jake is nacissistic - after all, it was MY suggestion- but because I didn't want Osborn to feel left out. We've used the simple, traditional spelling because we didn't want Osborn to go through the aggravation of rehearsing a non-intuitive spelling for people. Skousen is hard enough. Most people land on Osborn most of the time, rather than Osborne, Osbourn, or Osbourne. By the way, we know people will use Ozzie, and that's okay. Maybe, one day, 1000 years from now, people will ask: "Ozzie? Hmmmm. Do you mean the musician or the man who changed the world?"

Just to put it on record...

2011-01-20T12:33:00.002-06:00

I don't really want to dwell on those last couple weeks of pregnancy. I got really sick and ended up in the hospital with ketoacidosis, which is usually brought on by high blood sugars but this time, was brought on by sickness and subsequent dehydration. My blood sugars stayed in a normal range throughout the entire ordeal...amazing! Anyway, I got the nasty cold and cough that is still going around and was miserable! The baby was getting huge, therefore so was I. Here is the proof.

This was taken moments before I stripped down for delivery. One last shot of baby inside. I really was enormous...and now I will forever remember just HOW big!

Snow day!

2011-01-09T20:44:00.002-06:00

Amid all the craziness and sickness, we did have a couple fun days over Christmas vacation. There's nothing like sledding down Grandma and Grandpa's hills. I've bruised many a tailbone on these very hills. The kids had such a fun time! I forget the exact age when the long walk up the hill after the fun ride down stops being worth it. But luckily the kids aren't there yet. They went up and down and up and down over and over.

Pure joy!

Kate's hands should be freezing but it was cold enough the the snow-crusted gloves stayed snow-crusted and weren't wet!

My kids LOVE having cousins to play with! Brad's kids are so good to my little ones.

Christmas Update 2010

2010-12-22T18:34:00.004-06:00

Because Jr. will be along so shortly, we decided to forgo the usual Christmas letter and card...opting to wait and send out a Valentine to include our newest edition in the pictures. (Also, I think I'm a little too surly right now to send out an "It's A Wonderful Life" letter) But I do feel so bad that we aren't sending something to all our friends and family to let them know we're thinking of them during this holiday season. I so wish we were able to have everyone over to our house to sit by the fire, drink hot chocolate, and catch up on all the fun things everyone has been doing. Of course, I would have very little to add on this front as my life pretty much revolves around my weekly and sometimes bi-weekly trips to all my doctors who are working so diligently to make sure this baby gets here safe and sound. I'm trying my best to make this season fun for the kids...doing art projects, taking them shopping, making cookies and treats for ourselves and neighbors, and of course, the traditional holiday cleaning. (Ok, that's more my pregnancy nesting, but maybe they'll think of it as a tradition and keep it up!)

Our tree is up and our stockings are hung. My sweet, patient husband even put some lights outside for me. This week I discovered that our camera we thought was dead, is not dead afterall, so there's a nice Christmas present in and of itself! Hopefully that will ensure more pictures soon...especially of Christmas and subsequent baby.

Both Jackson and Sydney had school Christmas programs, both of which were very well done. Jackson really sang in his concert, which made me so proud. If he can overcome his anxiety of public performance, he will be quite the singer. Sydney's preschool program was very cute. The teachers had the kids recite several things and sing lots of songs, all of which Sydney participated in. Again, proud mama. Jackson is making a lot of progress in kindergarten, learning how to read and write very well. He has a lot of friends and makes more everywhere we go. Sydney is a drama queen, but super affectionate and loving. She's very smart and we're all excited to see what she does with her quick mind. Right now, it's only used for trouble.

Kate is having a ton of fun un-decorating and re-decorating the tree over and over again. She walks around the house belting out Jingle Bells and making up her own verses.

Jake is being the most patient and loving father and husband a sick man can be. We've all been battling colds and his seems to be lasting the longest! He is patient with me and all my mood swings and bouts of impatience. He has even stopped commenting on my compulsive apples-and-peanut-butter habit. The kids seem to be particularly amped lately with all the Christmas excitement and we're both working hard to enjoy it without wringing their necks.

Me, well, I'm 35 weeks pregnant. The little email update from Baby Center tells me that at this point the baby has very little room to move around and will likely stop moving so much. Huh! This kid is all over the place, it's just more uncomfortable for me now! :) The cankles are here to stay and the most comfortable position right now is horizontal...which I don't get too much time in because of the 3 other munchkins. Jake has commented a few times, "I guess I just forget how BIG you get." Yep. I'm THAT big. I'll post a pic sometime just to prove it. I mean, this is about the time you lose all dignity anyway, right? :)

We do wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope you're all able to be with loved ones. We are blessed beyond measure. We're so lucky to be able to spend Christmas in a warm home with my parents and my brother's family. We're so grateful for the gift of our Savior and for this season to celebrate it. May you all be blessed too!

are you crazy?

2010-12-06T20:05:00.003-06:00

I know these were the looks I was getting at Wal-Mart tonight. You know that look...the one where they look at your children, look at your pregnant belly and immediately judge. I know occasionally it's a look of sympathy, but mostly it's a self-gratifying, "at least I'm not that stupid" look.

For us, the witching hour for the kids is between 4:00 and 6:00...they're out-of-control crazy because they're so tired, they yell, scream and fight each other if we attempt to leave the house...that is, if they're not asleep in the car. Obviously I know this and yet I still sometimes attempt a trip to Wal-Mart under these circumstances.

So am I crazy? yes.

Bad news? come January 13th, life is going to get even crazier!

Good news? these crazy, toddler years only last a moment and I get the rest of eternity to be with all these sure-to-be-amazing spirits.

Trust me on this one.

2010-11-12T13:27:00.002-06:00

Overheard on the baby monitor...

Sydney: "Kate, it's a girl. She needs her belt on."

Kate: "Give me my dee-aye" (deer)

Sydney: "Kate, trust me on this one."

Kate: "O-tay, I'll trust you on this one."

More work-in-progress

2010-11-05T08:14:00.000-05:00

I need some advice. Here we have photos of our living room fireplace. The frame in front is something Jake and I made to go around a mirror my friend gave us that will go above the fireplace. However, before I decide whether to actually hang it or "lean it" on the mantle, we need to beef up the mantle. It's something that's bothered me since we first looked at the house. It's a sorry excuse for a mantle on a fireplace this size. So the next picture shows the piece of wood I got last week from an Amish woodworking place...very simple, we're just going to paint it and put it right on top of what we already have.

Here comes the advice part. What color should we paint it? I don't really like the white that's up there now, but it would be easy just to stick with it. We could paint the whole thing dark, but then it wouldn't contrast the trim around the tile work. OR we could stain it similar to all the woodwork in the room, which you can see the color better in the picture of the thermostat and paint chips.

Lastly, I REALLY want to paint this room. You can see, it's a really warm brown right now, which it's not that I don't like the color, but the floors are brown and all the trim is brown and there isn't very good lighting in the room...so it just feels like a dirt cave in there. I'm thinking gray, which you can see in some of the pictures. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Love notes

2010-11-04T12:49:00.004-05:00

When I was younger and my Grandma Abbie was staying with us, she would often make my lunch for school. Each time, she would enclose a little post-it note in my napkin with some little words of encouragement or just "I 'heart' you". I will usually put "I 'heart' you Jackson" notes in Jackson's lunch and in turn, he brings me home these cute notes. They have rest time at school, when the kids are encouraged to take a nap or just rest quietly. Some are allowed to draw if they're not tired and this is usually what Jackson does with his time and scraps of paper. I love each and every one of them. It's hard to throw them away but my collection is getting HUGE! I have at least 50 or so now! I love my big boy...he has such a tender heart and I'm so glad!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!

2010-11-04T12:34:00.002-05:00

For the school's "Shade Out Drugs" Red Ribbon Week, all of the students made anti-smoking posters. During parent teacher conferences, the parents got a chance to vote on their favorite poster with no names (thus the "2" on Jackson's poster). Well, my little creative guy won first place in his class AND the grand prize for the whole school! He got 2 certificates, a water bottle, some sun glasses, a book mark, and a special bagel snack! (What more could a 5-year-old want?)

If you look carefully at the poster, there's quite a story behind it. In the bottom left, you see a guy throwing a cigarette in a trash can with a girl below him. Just above that, it shows the guy and the girl together with a heart in the middle because she loves him now that he's not smoking. (I got this all from his explanation...it's not completely self-explanatory!) I also really like the good lungs, bad lungs pictures. I think with Jackson's anxiety I probably won't have to worry about him smoking...he would worry too much about the color of his lungs!

I'm so grateful for these little victories that help boost his confidence.

Sydney's 4th Birthday...a LOT belated!

2010-11-03T13:21:00.002-05:00

Here are a few pics from sweet little Sydney's 4th Birthday in July. She wanted a rainbow and unicorn party...so Jake, not wanting to be too cliche (although for a 4 year old, I think cliche is acceptable) made this awesome tie dyed cake. Syd loved it! Especially the THICK frosting.
Notice the kitchen torch used to light the candles. Some were completely melted by the time the wick would stay lit!

The pint-sized party goers...Braden, Kate, Jackson, Charlie (neighbor), Aryn, Sydney & Gracie (neighbor). They had a ton of fun...but I don' think I'm going to be able to get away with these low-key family parties much longer. Eventually I will have to have an all-out, friend birthday...especially since Jackson has had 2 now!
Sydney is our sweet, affectionate, little devil. She is constantly vying for attention and affection through cuddles, hugs and kisses. I hear "I love you mommy" from her several times a day...though often times I think it's to make up for the mischief she's been making. She makes messes faster than anyone and she does super-naughty things like cutting her own hair, cutting Kate's hair, and cutting pretty much anything else...my little pony's hair, barbie hair, ribbons, ties, tights...you name it. I try desperately to keep scissors away from her but she's old enough and crafty enough to find them. She'll even use nail clippers in a pinch.

Sydney is a smart girl! I will be working with her and Jackson on letters and sounds and she will pick up on them as fast or faster than Jackson. Her teachers tell me she has an amazingly long attention span for her age, which will hopefully serve her well. She is really determined and independent and tries and tries till she figures things out.

I love our little Sydney. It will be so fun to watch this one grow and develop into a strong, intelligent woman. I just hope her need for affection doesn't result in a few dead boyfriends when her dad catches her kissing them!

Like mother like daughter?

2010-10-09T22:18:00.002-05:00

My mom found this old dress of mine that I had my picture taken in. It's more of a shirt on Kate now, but we tried it on anyway. I think there's a little resemblance there...

Wow

2010-08-24T16:41:00.002-05:00

You know when you haven't written in your journal for so long that you feel like there's too much to say so you just don't write anything because you feel like you'd have to write everything? That's where I am right now...feeling completely overwhelmed by all the months that have gone by without blogging and now there's just so much to do. So here's what I've decided. Tomorrow I leave for Portland, OR for one of my dearest friend's, Cara's, wedding to her sweetheart of forever, Rob. I'll be back next Monday. At that time, I will jump in...with both feet. Jackson is in school now and I usually have an hour or so in the mornings before the girls get up so I'm going to slowly spit out pictures and info. They may not be in the right order and you may not care about a lot of them, but I need to get them "on the record."

To be blogged:

1. End of preschool for Jackson and Sydney

2. Summer in Moberly...pool with cousins, family reunion, etc.

3. I'm pregnant! (with a boy)

4. Sydney's 4th Birthday

5. Trip to Utah and Bear Lake

6. Jackson starts kindergarten!!!

and many, many more random and fun photos...and maybe even a video of Kate singing, "You are my sunshine..." which is just the most adorable thing ever! :)

See you next week! xoxo

Kate's birthday

2010-04-09T14:12:00.004-05:00

Our little Katybug turned TWO on March 20. Though she doesn't look too pleased in this first picture, she was actually delighted and just upset that I took her away from her cake for the photo with the poster Brad made for her.

Kate is the happiest little girl. She is super smiley and has an infectious giggle. She is a little parrot and repeats the last three words of any sentence we say. She talks all the time and is always telling on Jackson, Sydney and Max...and likes to make things up too. The other day she reported, "Daddy spank me!" I knew it was a lie because Jake was on a campout. I think she just runs out of things to say so she makes stuff up. :) She loves Jackson and Sydney and wants to play with them all the time. She is also her grandpa's girl and wants him to walk around with her outside constantly. We're so in love with Kate and can't imagine life without her! Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Pre-Spring

2010-04-09T13:53:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago we enjoyed some early warm weather. The kids loved getting out on the swing set and in the playhouse with Max. I took some shots around the yard so you could see it before spring exploded...which as I write this...it has. Those pictures will be up next.

This is the magnolia tree....pre-buds.

This is the garden plot...anxiously awaiting its seeds. Can't you just see big tomatoes and cucumbers and pumpkins and strawberries...lots and lots of strawberries.

Yes...this dog is like 3 times bigger than the last time you saw him.

Kids, kids, kids

2010-03-26T23:18:00.002-05:00

My posts have been so few and far between lately that a lot has been going unreported. Mostly by the kids. First off, Jackson is growing and growing. All of his pants are too short for him! That's frustrating to me, but great for him. He's one of the tallest in his class and he loves being able to reach lots of things. He's also strong enough to man-handle Max, which is really helpful. Most of all, he loves to learn and explore and have fun. His favorite primary song is Follow the Prophet.

Sydney is in dance and getting ready for her big recital in May. Of course, at 3 they aren't really advanced, but they sure are cute and she's learning the building blocks for later. She loves her ballerina and tap shoes and follows directions really well. She's a headstrong little sucker but once she sets her mind to something, you can't distract her. She loves playing with Jackson and is quick to say "I love you" and give lots of hugs and kisses.
Kate is still our little sweetheart. She is so happy all the time! She occasionally gets upset about something, but is quick to return to her smiley self...even after Max has tried to knock her down! He loves trying to play with her! She is talking up a storm these days, though we only understand 2 or 3 words in her 10 word sentences. She also repeats everything we say...another good reason to watch our words! And yes, she just turned two. The next post will be of her birthday, but I have to get the pics from grandma!

Big J Turns FIVE

2010-03-26T23:02:00.002-05:00

In February, our big guy, Jackson, turned 5! Some days it seems like he's so much older than that and yet, I still can't believe how fast he's growing up.

Things Jackson has assured me he can do now that he's 5: buckle his seatbelt and Sydney's in the car, finish his own drink at Sonic (not a shared one with Sydney), sleep without the bathroom light on, shoot bb guns with daddy (actually, he thought he should be allowed to shoot without daddy, but I assured him that 5 years was NOT old enough for that), pick his own clothes to get dressed, put on his own socks, ride the bike daddy bought him last year, reach the cups on the top shelf in the cupboard.... and the list is updated every day.

Why I'm excited Jackson is 5: He is such a big help with his sisters and the dog, he tries really hard to do good things to surprise me, he can tell when I'm getting stressed and all of the sudden becomes really responsible, still has the most tender heart and loves hugs and kisses from me, he loves taking Sydney on adventures and they play for hours...and my list gets longer every day.

The cake Jake made...awesome again!!

The friends all gathered to partake of the cake!

The friends all gathered to "help" open the gifts!

Jackson super pleased with his superhero toys!

All of the kids finally coming down from the frosting high, watching Spider-Man.

Meet Max

2010-02-09T14:04:00.003-06:00

He is pretty much still a baby...but a big baby. He was born on November 21, 2009 but just joined our family on Friday. The kids have been so excited to get a dog and we didn't waste any time. New house...new dog. The kids love him. They are sometimes annoyed with him because he likes to sniff and lick and steal their toys, but we're training him and he's getting better. Anyway, right now I feel like a dog is harder than a baby. At least a baby goes to the bathroom in a diaper and stays in a crib. Why do you think animals learn to walk and run almost at birth and it takes humans so long? Anyway, we're having fun with Max and are fully aware that this bulldog is going to get BIG! But he's also lovable and lazy. A year ago our kids were terrified of dogs. Look at them now!

Happy Birthday Jake!!!

2010-01-26T13:03:00.003-06:00

Today is my sweet husband's birthday. OK, maybe "sweet" isn't the word to describe him unless you're saying it in a surfer tone "SWEET!" This has been a really big year for our family, all thanks to Jake. He took and passed yet another bar exam, got a job, bought us a house, and moved us into said house in the rain. (Slightly less miserable than the conditions of our UT to NYC move, but only slightly) He works so hard and sacrifices so much for us and I love him. The kids adore him! He can't get a moment's peace when they're awake because they're all clammoring for his attention.

Jake is a man who knows a lot about a lot. I'm so glad he knows how to keep our family happy and healthy! Happy Birthday sweetheart! 243

Picture Day

2010-01-03T13:38:00.001-06:00

Last year, our pictures were less than desireable. I brought the whole family to Jackson's school to get pictures from a professional photographer. Unfortunately, they had an elaborate backdrop that was mostly drab brown and the kids just got lost in it. This year, I requested that the backdrop be left out and that they just take a "regular" looking school picture of just their faces. I'm very pleased with the results...I sure love my cute kids!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-26T11:56:00.004-06:00

We started out our Christmas eve celebration with a short representation of the Nativity. My niece and nephew, Aryn and Braden, were Mary and Joseph, Jackson was a shepherd and Kate was an angel. (Sydney wasn't feeling well)

Then our family exchanges family presents. The first present Kate opened was this cute apron from her cousin, Jessica. It's so perfect and adorable...she loved it!
Jackson and Braden each got a Nerf sword. They loved them and Jackson will has his but it might not last the month...he likes to attack his sisters.
Evidence that Sydney was cheating...she's opening this present clearly marked To: Kate. Now, I know she can't read, but she knows an 'S' from a 'K.'
Jake relaxing after the craziness...getting ready for Santa's visit.

My birthday cake

2009-12-26T11:34:00.003-06:00

This cake really deserved its own post. Jake got the recipe off the cover of Bon Apetit magazine and it turned out perfectly. It's a dark chocolate, peppermint meringue cake. It was so yummy and isn't it beautiful?!

Happy Birthday Jen!

2009-12-14T11:57:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Jen!

Today is Jen's 29th birthday, for the fifth time. It started exactly as she and I had planned: with lots of sleep. And she needs it. Our kids keep her very busy. With any luck, today will also be the day we learn whether she and kids can destroy their own house, not Grandma & Grandpa's house (in other words, we should be finalizing a home loan sometime today).

I often tell Jen how amazing she is. But on her birthday, I want to announce it for all to hear. She is infinitely patient with me and the kids. We've been living in stressful circumstances for over a year and she is still all smiles and positive about the future. Just when I think her brain is getting mushy from dealing with kids all day, she snaps into a conversation about accounting and inventory with her dad, and I'm left in the dust, covertly thumbing my finance dictionary to figure out what she was talking about. At night, as soon as the baby monitor crackles with any sort of whimpering, she rockets from deep sleep to instant, attentive mother. She may even bed down for the rest of the night in the kids room to comfort them; either that, or I snore more than I thought. Though I freely admit my bias, I really think she has some of the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. She is getting more and more beautiful with age. When a hair cut is upcoming, she asks what she should do next. My reference point is always her eyes. What can we do that will frame her beautiful eyes?

She's been dreaming of pursuing graphic design lately. And she'd be good at it too. I think we're within mere months of beginning that new adventure. It's her natural designer's eye that also makes a wonderful home. She recently made some blankets that are cute (and I say that, hoping my manhood is intact). The kids are well dressed and happy. They love her. And though they run to me when I get home from work, they want her when they are hurt or sad. She is everything to her kids, even when Grandma & Grandpa Jorgensen are so close.

My ramblings are random because Jen is an overwhelming influence on me and everything I do. It's hard to separate her influence from everything else because she is so influential. And I love it that way. Perhaps that's what I do know very clearly: I love her. And I love all that she has done to my world (including ironing my shirt and pants - thanks - today's choice was nice). So, here's to Jen's latest successful year, another batch of priceless memories, and - most importantly - an eternity to come with the woman I love! (And married, because: Mom, I love you, but we're not married; and, Sydney, I know I say we can get married, but you have to grow up and find your own husband. Until then, I'll be your boyfriend.)

poser

2009-12-05T15:42:00.001-06:00

advent

2009-12-03T14:29:00.005-06:00

I know you were wondering what we finally did with all our 8 lbs. of leftover Halloween candy. Honestly, it sat in a Ziploc bag on top of the china cabinet for a month or so. But a week ago I realized I hadn't yet made the elaborate advent calendar I've been planning since last year after seeing this on my friend's blog. So I set out looking for some fun, simple homemade ideas. Not finding what I was looking for, I headed to the dollar store for inspiration. I came home with curly ribbon. Not helpful. Then I found some cellophane bags in the closet that I had big plans for (that never happened) and low and behold, there were 25 bags. So I decided to put some candy in each bag, one to be opened every day. Here's what I came up with...and yes, all the candy is recycled from Halloween. :)

Most of the bags contain 3 of the same candy but a few are assorted. Notice, I did use the curling ribbon

Each bag had a large number inside and were hung randomly on the garland.

Jackson loved helping me hang the bags on the garland

Final product, though I'm contemplating a couple red bows or something. You get the idea though.

Though not nearly as cute or heirloom-y as Brooke's, it's still a lot of fun and very cheap! I'm sure the kids will love it and we'll do it again...maybe even after I do the other one :)

houses

2009-11-30T13:07:00.003-06:00

We've been looking at a lot of houses lately, hoping to buy one very soon. Occasionally we bring the kids along to tour the houses. Saturday we looked at 3 houses with them. Each had fun things...one was ENORMOUS with lots of random closets that would be perfect for clubhouses and hide and seek. I think I could even hide pretty effectively in this place. Then there was another one that had a big pond across the street that Jackson was SURE would be the perfect place to catch fish for dinner. (which we've NEVER done) The other house has a swing set and a playhouse in the back yard and a big unfinished basement to ride bikes in. Each house we walked into Jackson would immediately start assigning rooms to certain tasks and deciding where we were going to put everything, including our dog that we don't own. Naturally, Jackson is having a really hard time deciding which house he wants to live in. Luckily, he has told us that he trusts us to pick out a good house...as long as he gets to pick the color we paint his room. I think that's a fair trade. We have made an offer on a house...we'll let you know in the next week or so which house we made an offer on...if it all comes out as planned! :) Stay tuned...

Family pictures

2009-11-12T13:28:00.002-06:00

I was so happy to see Jackson smiling so nicely...it gives me hope for some good family pictures someday...when all the kids will smile and look at the camera! Actually, I really love these pictures. Thanks to my friend, Sara, for doing such a great, fast & easy job.

In the car...

2009-11-04T09:56:00.000-06:00

Me: Jackson, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Jackson: A lawyer...like daddy.
Me: Oh good...you can go to work with daddy. Sydney, what do YOU want to be when you grow up?
Sydney: A fairy.

I texted this to Jake. Jake's response...
I'm just glad it's not the other way around.

So true.

Ode to an empty plate

2009-11-03T15:00:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, our neighbor brought over some AMAZING cookies. A week ago I made those cookies and planned to take a picture and blog about them so I could share the recipe with you, my friends and family. (Those who haven't given up on checking this blog since I never post!) But alas, the cookies were SO TASTY, the picture never happened...but for your sake I will not wait another day to share the recipe with you.

Oh empty plate of crumbs, how I wish you were still full of Gooey Butter Cookies.

Gooey Butter Cookies

1/2 c. butter (room temp)
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (room temp)
1 box butter recipe cake mix
powdered sugar for dipping

Beat butter, vanilla, egg, and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Mix in dry cake mix. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat cookie sheet with cooking spray (I didn't do this as I bake on silicone baking mats). Drop by teaspoonfuls in a bowl of powdered sugar, roll into balls. Bake 10-12 minutes. Makes 3-4 dozen. (Unless, like Jake and I, you eat about a dozen worth of the dough.)

You're welcome.

Running Scared

2009-11-03T10:53:00.002-06:00

Encountering an especially scary trick-or-treater...

pumpkins!!

2009-11-02T21:38:00.003-06:00

The kids are still a bit young for the pumpkin carving thing. They do have all those great little safety saws and things these days, but kids and cutting implements...especially MY kids, well, not always a good mix. Along with that, they both have strong opinions how they want their pumpkin to look in the end. Jackson especially is a perfectionist and gets very frustrated when he has a picture in his mind and what he draws or carves or whatever doesn't look right. He's very hard on himself. Anyway...this is where Jake and I step in. They kids decided what they wanted...Sydney=puppy, Jackson=werewolf (he's been SUPER obsessed with werewolves since he saw a 5 minute clip of Harry Potter 3 when Lupin turns into the werewolf). Jake took on the puppy project and I hunted on the internet for a werewolf for Jackson.

Sydney with her puppy

Braden with his Frankenstein and Jackson with his werewolf

All lit up!

Hello. Is it me you're looking for? Carved by Jake, of course.

ps...I did carve a little pumpkin for Kate on Halloween but she was asleep for these festivities. And after carving the werewolf, I was burned out and my pumpkin was never pierced. Maybe I will make some pumpkin roll with it.

H-A-double L-O-W-double E-N spells Halloween

2009-11-02T20:36:00.004-06:00

Halloween was a three-day event this year. Thursday we went to a Halloween Party at the Library, Friday we had our church Halloween Party and then, of course, Saturday was the big show. The kids were TOTALLY into Trick-or-Treating...and it paid off. We have more candy than anyone should ever eat in a lifetime! But that's what it's all about, right?

Jake rescuing innocent bystanders by capturing super-sticky Kate.

Sydney and Aryn "carnival-ing" at the church.

Trunk-or-Treating to Grandma's trunk in the church parking lot with our neighbors, Gracie and Charlie.

Jackson as the Mizzou Tiger (Telling people he was the Mizzou Tiger got him extra candy!)

Sydney as the misfit Fairy.

Katybug the Ladybug

Some of you may recognize these stairs. Many a game of "Red light, green light" were played here...and are now enjoyed by my kids.

After shedding her body and wings, Kate was "doing choreography" (a la "White Christmas") I also think she could pass for 3 or 4 in this picture. She's growing too fast.

BTW

2009-09-15T22:33:00.002-05:00

Lots of good news...Jake passed the MO bar...Jake is officially an associate at the firm he's been clerking at in Columbia...and he's already been in court TWICE!!! I'm so proud of my husband...the big ATTORNEY!! Congrats Jake! California...check. Missouri...check. Only 48 states to go! :) (Do it and DIE!) We love you, sweetheart.

Oh yes...and there are several new posts below. Please take the time to scroll down and check them all out. I've kept the dialogue to a minimum.

Preschool!

2009-09-15T22:26:00.002-05:00

Sydney AND Jackson started preschool last week. They're both getting so big! I'm so glad they're such great friends. They were so sad they couldn't be in the same class...but I think absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

Making Cookies

2009-09-15T22:16:00.003-05:00

Rainy days mean lots of time inside. So what to do? Make cookies...lots and lots of cookies. :) It's a great activity for the kids if you can turn your head on all the mess. Of course, for me...the worst part is trying not to eat all the dough. Why is it so good??? The vanilla-y, almond-y goodness...I just can't get enough!I love how Kate is kept so far away at first...and Sydney is wearing her cookie-baking outfit

Kate is loving finally being involved

thank you, grandma!

2009-09-15T22:12:00.002-05:00

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa Skousen! I love my new ballerina dress!

running through the sprinklers

2009-09-15T22:03:00.003-05:00

One hot night, the kids decided they couldn't take the heat any longer and ran through the sprinkler...no time for swimsuits!

Jackson is getting quite the physique! He IS the man of steel, after all.

Born to dance...or for musical theater...but something big.

Safari

2009-09-15T21:50:00.002-05:00

Bug-proof hats from Army Surplus store...canteens...pocket knives...tall grass at grandma's house. Braden and Jackson were on safari for hours!
So many days I really miss our days in NYC and all the craziness we left behind there for the simplicity of life here...not really intending to. But then days like this come along and I see how happy Jackson is...taking in all the fun of big fields and forests and the freedom he has to wander around here and I forget, even if it's just for a few minutes, how much we loved the city.

An update

2009-08-15T22:40:00.002-05:00

I feel bad that our blog is still asking for prayers. Don't get me wrong, we always need prayers. But the bar exam is behind us and we're waiting on results. We are still praying for a passing score. They should be available in a couple weeks and then Jake will be official...again. We'll keep everyone posted.

In the meantime, I have been taking photos but have yet to get them on the computer yet. That will come. I've been very uninspired lately and I think it's because I need to change my outlook on this whole blogging thing. It shouldn't be all about cute pictures of the kids...though that definitely adds interest. I think to be a true account of our family, all these weeks of trial and frustrations should be documented too...right?

Kate has been growing by leaps and bounds lately. She's trying to talk a lot more...calling around the house for the kids in the morning when she wakes up or wandering around looking for them when she wants to play. She's gotten several more teeth and eats everything in sight. She also got a haircut. I was sick of her pulling the pony tail on top of her head out to allow her bangs to cover her eyes so I gave in and cut bangs. Well, now she just has a mullet...so we'll need to cut a bit more off the back. It's so amazing how much a haircut can change someone's face! She looks so different! (Again...pictures to come.)

The kids have been having a ton of fun, between the new neighbors and Matt and family's visit. My brother, Matt, and his family visited last week from Minnesota and my kids loved playing with his kids. We never actually let the kids sleep together, but there's something exciting about knowing that the moment you wake up, there will be a playmate there.

Some new neighbors moved in across the street...to the same house where my best friend growing up lived. It's so funny to have my kids sneaking across the street to see their friends, the same way I did...to the same house! We've had a lot of fun getting to know them and having lots of playdates...or playdays!

Sydney is still slowly potty training, but making progress. Jackson has mostly given up his thumb, though occasionally I see him catch himself doing it. He's been trying really hard and I'm proud of him. Both will start preschool in a few weeks and Jackson will play soccer and Sydney will take dance. If the nights work out, she might play a soccer session for "Little Kickers" to introduce her to the game. I really don't want to fall into the trap of not letting her play sports because I want her to take dance and gymnastics. I want them all to try everything.

Jake and I are trudging along...constantly searching for the perfect job and dreaming about the weeks, months and years to come.

pray

2009-07-27T21:46:00.003-05:00

It's the 11th hour. All there is left to do is pray. So here is an unabashed request for a lot of them. Jake takes the Missouri bar exam tomorrow morning.

Good luck babe! We're all praying for you and we know you're going to do great! All of your hard work and studying is going to pay off...literally! Think hard...type fast...and if all else fails...pass a lot of gas to distract those around you! :) We love you Jacob. We're so proud of you!!!!!!!

And yes. This is the last time we're going to let you take a bar exam, so don't even ask!

syney sousen

2009-07-13T16:49:00.000-05:00

Sweet little Sydney (Syney Sousen, as she calls herself) turned THREE! Three years ago today we were here, in Missouri, welcoming our baby girl to our family. Her birth was surrounded by a lot of anxiety because she had some issues early on...issues that were completely normal for the child of a diabetic, but were new to us since Jackson's birth was pretty un-normal for the child of a diabetic. Three years later, and there is still a certain degree of anxiety around Sydney, but it's due to her antics. This year she cut her own hair...inspiring a very short pixie cut, and she got 7 stitches following a fight she lost with a very sharp wood chisel. There were other highs and lows, but all in all, Sydney is all heart. She is such a cuddly, sweet girl and we adore her. She is very dramatic, often throwing herself to the floor and wailing when things don't go her way, but she also is the first to jump into my lap, throw her arms around me and declare her love for me...several times a day. I'm sure she will be very affectionate with her boyfriends...we're going to have to keep a close eye on that girl!

This year for her party, we had another princess party...as Sydney is the quintessential princess. My dad took several pictures of Sydney at her party and we have a lot of video of Sydney caressing the Barbie's face telling her how beautiful she is, but here are some preliminary pics of the birthday set up.

And here is Sydney putting make-up on her dad...proving what a good, patient daddy he is!

Everything

2009-06-27T12:42:00.000-05:00

So this is where it began. Seven years ago today...an exasperatingly hot day and Jake in a full tuxedo! Can you imagine a more miserable experience? Well, not for me. I was hot, but so excited to start my life with Jake. And here we are...seven years later and I'm still excited! In seven years we've...lived in 5 different apartments, 3 different cities, 3 different states, had 3 kids, graduated college and law school, studied for and passed the CA bar exam (ok, technically YOU did that, but I was the backstage crew), studied for the MO bar exam, held over 12 different jobs (including internships), visited 23 states together, yelled a lot, cried a lot, laughed even more, and loved the most. I'm so happy to be going through all this with you sweetheart! I love you and can't wait to see where this road takes us...because I'm confident it will be an adventure with you! You're my everything.

painting

2009-06-25T23:44:00.002-05:00

The kids LOVED helping grandma paint her kitchen this week. Jackson is actually getting to the age where he can really be helpful and not just make more work for us. It's so fun to watch him grow up.Sydney was so proud of her work.

But where's Kate? Didn't you let her paint too? Nope. She was banished to the porch. "Please let me in mommy!" hehehehehe

Happy Birthday Grandpa...Good-bye Andrea...

2009-06-24T13:02:00.000-05:00

My dad turned 72 last week. Unfortunately for dad, his birthday is always sort of combined with Father's Day. This year, instead of celebrating with Father's Day...we combined it with a farewell dinner for Andrea. Andrea, my niece, has been home for a few weeks from BYU but had to leave us and head back for summer school. It's been so fun to have her home for awhile. We love you Andrea!!!

But back to dad...we were lucky enough to be here for his birthday again so we got to celebrate with him. Never in your life will you meet a more hard working guy than my dad...but you'll also never see a grandpa more in love with his grandkids. We so happy to have this time here with him and my mom. Thanks for being such a great example to us dad and for all you do. We love you!!!

Father's Day pampering

2009-06-23T12:55:00.003-05:00

For Father's Day, Jackson and Sydney treated Jacob to a lavish foot massage...with LOTS and LOTS of lotion.
Here they use a little-used rubber band technique to encourage ultimate relaxation.
We kids love their daddy SOOO much! We were so happy to celebrate Father's Day with him. Jackson asked me yesterday..."Do you think I'm a smart kid?" Of course, I answered "yes...you're very smart." Then he stroked his chin and said, "do you think I'll be as smart as Jacob some day?" I told him that if he worked hard and read lots of books and made daddy teach him everything he knows, he could be SMARTER than daddy. He said..."I don't think that could happen. Daddy is the smartest person in the world."

Weekends with daddy

2009-06-18T23:49:00.002-05:00

Jake has been staying in Columbia during the week while he studies for the Missouri bar exam. The kids ADORE Jake and have missed having him around all the time. Every time the phone rings, Jackson dashes to it to answer, hoping to chat with daddy. They attack him when he comes home on the weekends and monopolize every moment he allows them to. We try to make it down to Columbia at least once during the week for lunch. The kids understand,well--in their own way, what Jake is doing. Every night they pray that daddy will pass the bar. Yeah, they understand--but they'll sure be glad when daddy's done. Almost as glad as daddy will be to BE done! Jake, we're so proud of you! Thank you for all the hard work you're doing for our family!

a first...

2009-06-18T22:25:00.002-05:00

At least it was for Kate. Her very first day at the pool. We've always left her at home with grandma and grandpa...but not this time! Oh no...she was determined to come along...

Back at the Moberly Aquatic Center...this is the family slide...demonstrated by Brad's family...Braden, Allie, Aryn & Andrea (they usually only allow 3 at a time but made an exception for the picture's sake)

Cousins! Kate loves her cousins Andrea & Aryn

Kate didn't LOVE the water, but she did pretty well. We'll go again soon so she can continue to get more comfortable. Jackson and Sydney are doing great there now! I'm so glad...Moberly is starting to get REALLY hot. I'm excited to cool off there a lot more this summer.

happy father's day?

2009-06-12T13:42:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if this kind of gift is akin to getting a mom an iron for mother's day...a gift that eventually means more work. But I like to compare it to getting a new Kitchen Aid. Sure, it will make for some work, but it's also really cool. Jake loves to bike and we've always wanted a bike trailer so he can take the kids on rides. We finally found this lovely, half price on Nashbar.com. Now the kids are anxiously awaiting Jake's arrival...even more than before. Alas, Jake won't be home till tomorrow. In the mean time, it will be used as a rickshaw, a la mom.

Kate and Sydney test it out. They fit well together.

Though well within the weight limit, Jackson and Sydney are a little more crammed. Here they demonstrate the wind/rain cover. :)

Looking forward to many fun rides with daddy! (And maybe mommy too if I ever get a bike!)

when it's 90 degrees outside...

2009-06-01T23:20:00.002-05:00

Water..even cold water...sure feels great! Moberly recently opened a new Aquatic Center that is a modest water park. I took Jackson and Sydney along with my nieces, Allie & Aryn, and my nephew, Braden, to check it out today. It was a lot of fun! Jackson and Sydney were both nervous at first, but by the end both were having so much fun they didn't want to leave.

Jackson & Braden called this their "secret hideout" and invited Allie & Aryn to join them.

A shot of the 2 water slides. The yellow one is a family slide that everyone can ride together.

Jackson being an alligator in the water.

Sydney & Allie having fun in the shallow water.

Aryn & Braden hanging out on the floating dragon.

We're definitely going to frequent this place this summer to escape the heat! I'm positive by the end of the summer Jackson will be running to the slides...at least I really hope so.

one year down...one more to go...

2009-05-29T11:57:00.003-05:00

Jackson's preschool had it's closing program last week. They sang several songs and put on a little play called "Mary and Her Little Lambs". The play was mainly for the older kids while the younger kids sang the soundtrack...Mary Had a Little Lamb all the way through like 5 times. Enough said. I was really impressed that most of the kids stood up there for almost an hour and did what they were supposed to do. If Jackson learned nothing else this year, I'm grateful he can do that. But lucky for us, he did learn a lot this year. He learned a lot of Bible stories and manners and how to write all his letters and spell his name. He knows all the days of the week in order and has started to sound out words. He still doesn't like to pose for pictures though. I'm so proud of my handsome little Jackson! We have a little game that stems from that book "Guess How Much I Love You?" We'll say, "Guess how much I love you?" then name some distant land. Today I told him I loved him all the way to China. He returned with, "I love you all the way to Arctica...where the penguins live."

tea party

2009-05-28T22:26:00.002-05:00

Sydney and Jackson love sitting at this little cafe table on my parents' porch. It's their perfect size. Monday, Jake set up a tea party for Sydney and her Raggedy Ann doll. She was so proud.

Then Kate decided she wanted in on the action. The were having a ball! Nilla Wafers are a perfect tea party treat, don't you think?

Mother's Day

2009-05-28T22:02:00.004-05:00

Mother's Day was pretty low-key this year. Jake gave me a Sonic gift card...which I loved...and he helped the kids make this sweet race car for me! Almost better than that, I got to lay on the couch and watch Gilmore Girls and relax while they made it! Jackson made the card all by himself. Yes...that's Frankenstein...in case you were wondering.

Watch for a lot of new updates...because I put them off wanting to do a Mother's Day post that never happened. I was too busy being a mother...and so it goes!

Is this perfect or what?!

2009-05-13T11:38:00.000-05:00

Let's Go Fly A Kite

2009-05-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

Jacob and Jackson let out the kite. The wind was crazy (gusts of 25+). Our little kite was up to it, but you can see that the 20' long tail is straight out.

Jen remembers that flying a kite is like riding a bike. It always comes back to you, no matter how long it's been.

"Orange skin bitter? Noooo way."

"Mandarin, Schmandarin. That's enough orange skin for me. Oooooeeee. Bitter!"

It's a cool, brisk day, but Jackson (the Furnace) was a hot sweaty mess after reeling in a monster of a kite.

"Look Mom! I found a drink!"

Were it not for the smear of food and the Frankenstein stitches, this girl would be JCrew material! As it is, she's our Victoria Secret girl.... a real Angel.

Batgirl

2009-05-03T23:05:00.002-05:00

Batgirl flies at night.

Batgirl is fearsome, even in aqua polka dots and pink flats.

Normally, Batgirl can smell in total darkness.

the BIG swing

2009-05-03T22:46:00.002-05:00

Last year when we arrived in MO we couldn't BEG our kids to even WALK in the grass. They were such city kids that the wide open spaces, the grass, the lawn mowers...all such things terrified them. Well, not this year. Oh no...they run amok barefoot, no less, and both delight in the big rope swing in grandma's back yard.

Welcome spring! We can't wait to take full advantage of nature this year!

a quilt for kate...a year in the making

2009-05-02T15:44:00.005-05:00

While I was pregnant with Kate, one Saturday afternoon I conned Jake and the kids into a fabric hunting trip to Purl Patchwork in SoHo. I sweetened the deal for the kids and included a trip to Peanut Butter & Co. for lunch...gourmet PB&J's, carrot sticks, and chocolate shakes served with a curly straw...YUM!

Anyway, I was anxious to make a quilt for the little girl in my tummy, who at the time was nameless. I'm sure many of you can relate to the feeling that you need to be doing something while you're pregnant to prepare for the new baby, but after just having Sydney, it seemed like we were ready in most respects for baby. So a quilt seemed in order. I get to use my creative, sewing talents (using that term very loosely) and baby gets a blanket. Win win.

Well, Kate just won. I finished the quilt top before she arrived and then folded it up and tucked it away to finish later. Much later. A year later, to be exact. I'm really pleased with how it turned out though. I just wish I wouldn't have waited so long. I'm a HORRIBLE procrastinator.

o happy day!

2009-05-01T15:36:00.003-05:00

A few happy things that happened today...

kate and jackson found a dying beetle...

i made YUMMY coconut cream cheese cupcakes...

jake made this AMAZING baklavah...

and this wonderful box arrived...

with this great make-up to replace all the make-up destroyed by my daughter.

o happy day!!!!!

Easter Mayhem

2009-04-12T19:25:00.002-05:00

Last year, Easter started like this...we got up early, I helped get Jackson and Sydney ready for church, they each got some Easter candy we had set out on the kitchen table, then we all headed out the door and walked down Kane St. to Clinton St. The kids and Jake continued walking to church on Court St. and I hopped in a cab, headed for St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital on 59th St. and Amsterdam. Our little Kate was there in the NICU, and the drs. had given us hope that we might be able to bring her home that day. (That was on March 23rd...she arrived on March 20th) Jake had to be at church because he was to do a reading for the Easter Program. Upon arriving at the hospital, I couldn't go into the NICU nursery because the dr's were in there on rounds, assessing all the babies. If you've never been to a NICU nursery...here's a little glimpse. It is full of tiny cribs, some open and some incubators...and usually a few big aparatuses for the REALLY tiny babies that have lots of tubes and monitors and stuff. Kate and Sydney both spent some time in the NICU, but I always kind of laughed because most babies are in there because they are premature while my girls were there because I'm diabetic and they both had issues with low blood sugar and jaundice...oh yeah...and Kate was almost 9 lbs. and Sydney was 10!!! So they look gigantic compared to all the other babies there. And because of the jaundice, they were both BRIGHT RED and really swollen...sort of reminiscent of Jack Jack when he's on fire in The Incredibles.

Anyway, on that Easter morning, I sat in the parents' room with lots of other moms, waiting to get in to see my baby and hear the doctor's evaluation. Some of these parents had been there every day for weeks or even months. I felt so bad for them! But luckily for us, when we went in to see the babies, all of Kate's bili-lights (the treatment for jaundice is UV lights) and all the monitors were off of her and she was just laying there peacefully. The nurse promptly told me Kate could go home! I was so happy! I called Jake to tell him he could come get us (he wanted to ride home in the cab with us) but he was still in church, waiting to read. So we had to wait there another 3 hours while he finished up, got home, pawned the kids off on the neighbor lady, sweet Aurea, finish fixing the cover on the car seat that Kate was to ride home in, and take a cab to us! Around 4:00 we finally made it home in the yellow taxi with our little Easter bunny Kate in tow and the kids got to see her for the first time. They were so excited! It was so cute to watch them. If you want to remember what that looked like...click here.

This year, no baby, but we did have a fun Easter with all the kids...and they didn't even remember that we didn't really celebrate last year! (phew!) The kids had so much fun finding their Easter baskets and eggs around the house. It was fun for me to hide it all, using all the same hiding places I remember finding eggs in when I was a kid.

Kate's basket was the first to be found and inspected.

Kate loved the grass.

Jackson had so much fun finding eggs. I think we'll have to do this activity throughout the year!

Jackson and Sydney helping eachother open the eggs so they can eat the candy along the way.

Sydney spots her basket!!

Last of all, Jackson finally finds his...

in the fireplace!

Sydney showing off her loot!

Frankenstein Bunny

Kate playing with Sydney's make up. I love it when babies crouch like this and their diapers touch the ground!

In her own words...

2009-04-10T21:04:00.009-05:00

And if you can translate those last few thoughts, we'd really appreciate it...

Something about a shot...in the room...it made her bleed...it made her sad...in the room....

PS--Jackson was amazing through all of this. He felt so bad and kept apologizing over and over. He sat by Sydney and tried to comfort her, telling her it was going to be ok and that she looked beautiful. He helped feed Kate while I took care of Sydney in the ER. All night he has been extra nice to Sydney and has shared EVERYTHING with her.

UPDATE: after further analysis of the footage, I have also deciphered "I not see bugs outside...I not see ants outside." Btw...she is terrified of bugs and ants right now. That is a new thing since she recently had an ant crawling on her.

Sight for sore eyes

2009-04-10T17:56:00.003-05:00

Sydney - who, mere weeks ago, had a big black eye - now as seven good-sized stitches closing a very clean, three centimeter cut above her right eye. Fortunately, she also has her sight. Jackson was taking a gleaming, razor sharp, three-quarter inch, wood working chisel from her - precisely as I had instructed him on prior occasions - when she resisted, the chisel slipped from his hands, and it plunged across Sydney's eyebrow. Jackson dutifully held a towel over the wound and consoled Sydney while Jen dressed all the kids and they raced to the emergency room. The doctors strapped Sydney to a backboard, inflated the area with little pockets of Lidocaine from a hypodermic needle, and proceeded to stitch the area shut. I knew she couldn't feel a thing, but she was hollering at the top of her lungs; poor little girl. Just about every person I know has a cut in that very spot, but it's typically from falling. So, rather than wring my hands - which, come to think of it, wouldn't do any good even if this wound was rare - the doctor and I chatted about Grandpa's book, the Naked Communist.

He also pointed out to me that he was using Lidocaine without epinephrine. This is an important point for you parents. Epinephrine, aka adrenaline, is a vasoconstricter; it stops bleeding...and circulation. That can be good or very bad. Suppose you cut your stomach, a vasoconstricter can be good because that tissue has other sources of circulation. Now, suppose you cut your finger and the doctor uses epinephrine. Yup, you guessed it; when you take that bandage off your unbathed hand three days from now, as instructed, your wound will be healed AND your finger will be black and dead. It has happened too, so don't dismiss the risk. Watch when your kids get stitches. Lidocaine is for numbing all wounds. Lidocaine with ephinephrine - to stop the bleeding - is only appropriate for areas that have tons of alternative circulation.

She could have put her eye out. Her eye is still bruised from the black eye she got a few weeks ago. So, we're glad there is still sight in that sore eye.

Our New Bed

2009-04-03T23:35:00.008-05:00

We got rid of our waterbed.

That actually reminds me of a story that is really funny. Our waterbed mattress had a sponge in it to reduce waves. The problem was that you could never get all the water out of the mattress. When "empty", it still weighed at least 400 lbs. So, when we decided to get rid of the bed, I took it out on the patio of our Brooklyn apartment one night. I cut it into ribbons with a large kitchen knife. Innocent enough...until you consider the "Rear Window" perspective: a guy is on the balcony across from your apartment building. He is sillhouetted on the patio by bedroom lights. He is hacking at a large roll on the patio with the largest kitchen knife you've ever seen. Liquid is splashing all over. He's sloshing around in it. He is obviously struggling under the weight of these large hunks of stuff that you can't quite make out in the darkness. "Is that a body rolled in a carpet?" you wonder. I'm surprised the cops didn't show up. I'm also mad I went to all the effort to hack up my victims out on Long Island when my patio would have been just fine.

Anyway. I needed to get a new bed. We purchased a memory foam mattress - a "cool wave" memory foam mattress from Costco for $800. We love it, but it's a tiny bit warm. "Dang, Jen. Guess you'll have to sleep naked. "

To save money, I decided to build the bed platform. Two pictures inspired me.

A basic scandinavian, modern, teak platform bed frame

A clock that uses bright LEDs to display the time through wood veneer. The "block of wood" suddenly displays the time. "Hey, you means there's a clock in there! Cool!"

Tristan helps me do all the drilling for LED lights.

A close up of the light pattern. I call it "Milky Way Eclipse". Yup, cheesy. The idea was of a planet eclipsing the Milky Way.

I've never applied veneer before. Heaven knows why I choose a $110 piece of teak for my first try ever. Youtube is inspiring, you know? Here, Jackson is helping me work out air bubbles and glue the veneer back down. If you ever want to do this, call me. I'll give you the low down.

The finished piece without oil. Still had to make the footboard. Notice there are no holes. The holes are behind the veneer and awaiting several strings of LED Christmas lights which, hopefully, will light through the wood and create a great lighting effect.

We wanted storage. So, low and sleek wasn't exactly the goal. These voids are so large that BOTH Jackson and Sydney can easily sit inside one. Hide and Seek gets pretty difficult with this bed available.

It works! Execution was perfect. So the burden is on the design. It's pretty close to what I envisioned. I like the look. The proportions are off a bit because the headboard is too high. Jen doesn't want me to change it because, with pillows, it looks more proportionate. I'll fix that later, when I install the lights. By the way, not all the lights are installed. I got impatient. You get the idea.

Here you can get an idea of the intensity of the lighting with the night stand lights on.

Now you can see the footboard, the proportions of the whole project, and, most importantly, the stark contrast between lights and simple, elegant, unilluminated teak. That was part of the idea: to contrast the modern style of the teak with the cool gadgetry of the LED lighting inside the wood. It's tough to get a better picture of the bed. Our room is small and the lighting is your typical dungeon basement lighting. Our bed will feel less insecure when its been released into its natural habitat, a New York loft.

Sydney's shiner

2009-04-03T23:15:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago Sydney and Jackson were jumping on their bed in the dark. (That is never a good start to a story.) At some point, Jackson gets a flashlight and eventually shines it in Sydney's face, causing her to step back, and off the bed...catching her eye on the night stand corner. We hear screams....we come running...from the top of the stairs I can't tell what's wrong but see something on her face. It was a HUGE goose egg...and by morning the goose egg had gone down, but she was left with a black eye for about a week. (As some of you noticed in the Kate's birthday pictures.) Don't fret...she's back to normal now...and still jumping on beds.

This was taken that night

And these a couple days later

Sydney vs. Kate

2009-04-03T14:36:00.000-05:00

Ok, you're not supposed to compare...but this is a FUN compare, not a "why can't you live up to your sister" sort of compare.

This is our brother-in-law Tristan. For some reason we have these 2 really funny pictures of him holding our girls.

Sydney is a little younger than Kate in these two shots, but I thought it was fun because they're wearing the same outfit.

Mascara?

2009-04-03T13:23:00.000-05:00

Maybe if I told her it was made out of bat poo (as I was told at a young age) it would deter her from painting her body with it...

Kate walks...when she wants to

2009-04-02T11:20:00.003-05:00

So here is Kate, taking a few steps. She'll take more on occasion, but still prefers to crawl. Please excuse my high-pitched, annoying voice in this video. It helps me realize how ridiculous I sound to Kate. I need to stop that.

Also...this is the first of several posts I'm working on today. I'm going to post them slowly so cute ones like this don't get buried. It's been awhile since I've updated. I need to not do that. Then I just feel overwhelmed and don't want to do it anymore.

Our little Katy-bug is ONE!!!!

2009-03-20T11:37:00.007-05:00

New to the world Kate

Mischief-maker, sweet and sassy Kate

For Kate's first birthday, we celebrated with the family with a "katybug" cake. We also made a bunch of cupcakes for everyone else in the event that Kate destroyed the cake...as you can see, she did.

Aryn, Sydney and Jackson anxiously awaiting the cupcakes!

Kate was SO excited about the cake!

It didn't take her long to dive right in!

Sydney helped her little sister with the presents.

The whole family...well, minus Brad who was taking the picture and Sydney who was being stubborn...as usual.

Then on her REAL birthday, we celebrated with strawberries, cream and waffles...YUM!

And one of those important life lessons...fire is HOT!

Kate is such a sweet little girl! I'll admit, the first couple months of her life were pretty rough. She was a pretty fussy baby for awhile, but she's MORE than made up for it! She's happy and smiley and silly. She's trying really hard to walk, but prefers to crawl and she's really good at it. From the back she looks like one of those mechanical crawling dolls. She jabbers a lot and I often have to take her out of church for being too loud...even though she's not crying. She refuses to eat baby food, but loves to eat just about everything else. She was pretty scrawny for a few months, but now is a chubby, happy little thing. Her hair has always been out of this world crazy. To this day, she does not disappoint. Why just today, I took her to the dr. and I thought her hair was pretty tame, yet I still got 3 comments from the dr's staff about how her hair will calm down as she grows up...and they'd say things to her like "I LIKE your hair...don't let anybody change it!" Little did they know that this was a GOOD day! :) Kate loves to kiss me, but only me so far. We're working to add daddy to the list. Jackson ADORES Kate and Sydney has her moments. I'm sure they will be the best of friends in a few years. We love our little Kate and are so grateful to have her in our family!

Like mother...

2009-03-12T14:08:00.000-05:00

like daughter :)

Puddle jumping

2009-03-12T14:00:00.002-05:00

Yeah, after this jump, we had to dump out the boots. AWESOME!!!

Close Encounters

2009-03-05T12:41:00.003-06:00

Sunday, Jake was torn between taking a hike with Jackson or watching the classic movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Luckily, in this amazing age of technology, we were able to just "DVR" it to watch at our leisure. So last night, we watched it and Jackson got sucked in. I worried that it was too scary with the aliens and all, but he loved it and laughed at all the alien stuff.

In the beginning of the movie, a group of people have an "alien encounter" and all are left with a picture in their mind that they can't escape. Most of them obsessively draw pictures and sculpt a vision of the same image of a geological structure that we later learn is Devil's Tower located in Wyoming.

All these people are drawn to Devil's Tower. When they arrive, they find that this spot is the alien meeting point where aliens drop off several abductees and the star of the movie volunteers to leave with them.

The funny thing is that the next day, Jackson starts the very same obsessive doodling of Devil's Tower, just like the characters in the movie. He added in a picture of the alien with light streaming off its body, just like the movie. The spikey ball above the tower is the space ship and the movie depicted a long hike through bushes at the base of the tower.

Perhaps Jackson and I should be prepared for a close encounter of the third kind.

I'm not ready for how cute this is!

2009-02-26T01:28:00.002-06:00

Kate just GIGGLES whenever Jake or I enter a room. How can you not just love her?? She is the sweetest little girl. She's getting into everything these days as she's discovering the new world available to her now that she can crawl, stand and climb. It's a bit of a problem when it comes to the stairs, but we're trying to help her with that.

She has a fun little personality and I can't wait to watch her grow up. Her hair is super crazy these days and instead of trying to tame it, Jake has been embracing it and blow-drying it straight out all over. It's a show stopper all right...especially in church.

Neglectful

2009-02-25T00:46:00.002-06:00

Yes, I've been neglectful. The past month has been bleek on the blog front and even January was just shy of shameful. But now I'm playing catch up. Here is an onslaught of catch-up posts. Don't worry if you don't wade through them all. In fact, you'd probably have to scroll back a few pages. But I have to get them up. And there will be more catch-ups tomorrow. So hold on tight and at the end of the week, Jake will be back, the storm will end and hopefully I can renew my efforts to stay on top of this...because I really enjoy doing it and love looking back at it...but slightly less than spending time with my family...which is what I've been doing. (Not that those of you who are great bloggers aren't...I just haven't been managing my time!)

Captain Hook & TinkerBell's love child

2009-02-25T00:43:00.003-06:00

A Big Pirate Day

2009-02-25T00:13:00.004-06:00

Six 4-year-olds and a plethora of other children and parents...lots of candy and cake...two projects that involve goo and hand washing...all the makings for a really fun party. I don't remember exactly how we landed on "pirate party" but we did. Jackson wasn't particularly into pirates, but I wanted to make these treasure stones so we somehow went from that to this. No matter...it turned out really cute and fun and the kids loved it!

My scallywags

Walking the plank...a seemingly boring "game" but the kids loved it!

The finished treasure stones (see work-in-progress photos in previous post)

Breaking open the treasure stones with a hammer...a particularly satisfying activity

Pillage the Pirate--a pinata

Scurvy Dogs--Braden and Jackson

The treasure map money cake

In Jake's family there is a tradition they have of making a cake with money in it. Everyone gets a piece after accomplishing some task and they get to find the money in the cake and keep it. We thought the kids would have fun with this and it was definitely in keeping with the treasure map theme of the cake. So the kids didn't really eat this cake...for fear of biting into some coins, but they loved digging through it! We did give them perfectly delightful cupcakes to eat instead! :)

PS--A big thanks to my mom for all the help she gave us in preparation for this party and for surrendering her special day to accomodate this party. Yep---we had it on Friday, the 13th...my mom's SEVENTY-FIRST birthday!!! Happy Birthday Mom!!!! Don't worry...we celebrated her b-day too.

Valentines Ambush

2009-02-24T22:53:00.004-06:00

We really love my brother, Brad and his family. (Yes, I love all my brothers and their families, but this post is about Brad, in particular.) They are always doing cute things to make us feel so loved. This was the treat we woke up to last week for Valentine's Day...the whole front porch decorated with fun notes and treats for everyone. It was like Christmas!

Cute Valentines on the door

Individual treat bags for everyone

And these pictures are just evidence of how much my kids love their cousins. Every day they ask to go to their house or have them come over.

Thanks for all you do for us guys! We love you tons. You make living here so fun!!

Birthday preparations

2009-02-24T22:29:00.003-06:00

February 15th was Jackson's 4th birthday. In good, fourth birthday form, we threw "Captain Jackson Sparrow" a Pirate Party. So here are some of the pre-party preparations for the big day.

The invitation

Inside the treasure stones--made with coffee grounds, sand & flour

No...they're not what you think they are!!!

The money cake--to be explained

The EDIBLE treats--Jolly Roger cupcakes
Pin the eyepatch on the pirate

Braving the cold

2009-02-24T22:24:00.002-06:00

Jackson and Sydney have not gotten out in the cold very much this winter. One, there hasn't been much snow so there's not much fun in that, and two, I don't really enjoy being in the cold unless there's snow to play in. But when the snow hit a month or so ago, we braved it and played, snow-angeled, and shoveled. Oh what fun...

Fat baby in a little wagon

2009-02-24T22:22:00.000-06:00

pink cookies

2009-01-30T17:44:00.002-06:00

This one's for Kendra. Our freshman year, Kendra and I inhaled an insane number of Grandma B's pink sugar cookies. I'm not sure what it is about the pink frosting that makes them better, but it does. For a year or two after surviving the 95-96 school year, I didn't like looking at the pink cookie, but my love has returned and these, though not quite as good as those yummy treats from Hart's, we perfectly yummy. I only wish Kendra were here to share them with me!

Gifts I LOVE

2009-01-30T17:25:00.004-06:00

I never got to share some of the wonderful presents I got for my birthday and Christmas. They're worth sharing too!

This first one is a necklace Jake MADE me for my birthday! These are big, chocolate pearls that Jake bought here and then tied them together himself! If you look at the closeup picture, there is a tiny knot in between each pearl. It's hard to do and takes a long time, but my sister-in-law, Connie, taught him to do it and he painstakingly endured the process. It turned out beautifully!

This cook book was a collaborative effort. My sister-in-law, Cheryl, compiled recipes from everyone in the family and put together this cook book for us. It has all my mom's favorite recipes in it along with each individual family's favorites.

My mom and Brad's family each gave me a cook book for Christmas. My mom gave me the "Deceptively Delicious" one which has kid-friendly recipes that are healthy. The Cookies book...well, let's just say, it's not so healthy...but AMAZING!!! I'll post some of my favorites as I make them. They are so creative and yummy. Of course they are...it's Martha!!!

And last but certainly not least, my new enameled dutch oven. So far it has cooked some amazing roast beef and tender pork ribs. I'm anxious to make some of Heidi's Crusty, No Knead Bread (from the Jorgensen Family Cook Book) but I have to figure out what to do about the handle of the dutch oven. The bread needs to be cooked at 500 degrees and the handle is only good up to 400. I just need to think of something to put over the hole if I take the handle off. Any ideas?? The bread is definitely worth figuring this one out.

3-2 strikes back

2009-01-30T16:54:00.006-06:00

Monday Jake turned 32. Now, I could spend this entire post apologizing for not posting something about it sooner...and you could fill up the comments with apologies to Jake for not calling to wish him a happy birthday. But instead, I will tell you about the fun we had celebrating Jake's big day, and include a few fun facts about Jake, and round it off with some fun pictures of him. Sound good?

We celebrated Jake's birthday on Sunday with Brad's family. It was a James Bond theme...well roughly so. I made a couple signs and we all drank from martini glasses. It was fun though. We had roast beef with horseradish, mashed potatoes, rolls, salad, buffalo wings, and a chocolate fudge cake with chocolate mousse filling and chocolate ganache topping. All per Jake's request. On his actual birthday, I met Jake in Columbia and we went to Red Lobster for coconut shrimp and salmon, and that night, I made tiramisu...which was amazing and I will gladly share the recipe if you're interested.

Jake is such a fun dad. His kids adore him. The other day Jackson told me, "mom, I love you, but Jacob's my best friend." I love the relationship they have. Kate cannot get enough of her dad. She just quivers with joy at the sight of him. It's so hilarious. Sydney is Jake's girlfriend. She loves to cuddle and sit on his lap. She has him wrapped around her little finger...and she knows it.

As for me, Jake is a wonderful husband. He is thoughtful and giving. Why, just this morning, he grabbed Kate out of her crib and took her upstairs with the other kids and left me to sleep an extra few minutes. I tell you, there is nothing like those few stolen minutes! Jake has accomplished so much in his life this year...graduation from law school, passing the CA bar exam, just to name a few. He works so hard and the kids and I are so proud of him.

So happy birthday to Jacob! He's our hero...and everyone needs a hero!

sydney and jackson helped a lot with the gifts

some of our yummy dinner

the chocolate fudge, chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache cake

jackson toasting daddy with his milk

happy birthday to daddy

here's to another year

agent 032

the delightful tiramisu

Happy 2009

2009-01-16T16:22:00.002-06:00

Ever since I can remember, 4th of July and New Years Eve has been spent with the O'Loughlins...whenever I've been in Moberly, that is. Well, this year we were lucky enough to spend New Years Eve eating lots of yummy food with dear family and friends, the O'Loughlins, and rang in 2009, blowing up pop bottle bombs. Sydney and Kate weathered the late night well, Jackson did not...thus the crying picture with me. He slipped on the wood floor with his socks and a melt-down ensued. We all lived and are happy to be starting a New Year. On the docket for 2009: Jake catches up with me and turns 32, Jackson turns FOUR, Kate turns ONE, Sydney turns THREE, I will turn thirty three (the lower case letters were intentional), we will move SOMEWHERE, SOME TIME, we'll probably buy a car (or minivan), maybe even a washer and dryer (I know, a novel idea!!!), Jake will get a new job, I will hopefully start a masters program, Kate will learn to walk and talk, Jackson will probably learn to read and improve his writing, Sydney will learn to write...probably better than Jackson just to spite him, we'll learn to budget our money and save our money, and we'll decide whether or not to have baby #4 sometime in 2010. (That's not an announcement or any sort of committment...just a mention that we'll be thinking about it!) But most of all, we're going to enjoy this year and have more fun together as a family.

Little Stinker #2

2009-01-16T15:55:00.003-06:00

Jackson was a skunk for his first Halloween. Sydney never got to wear the skunk costume. But Kate...Kate was lucky enough to don the precious, monochromatic suit...and I think she made a cute little stinker!

The Big 3-2

2009-01-16T15:04:00.005-06:00

Is it ok to call each birthday "the big x-x"? I suppose I shouldn't call it that. After all, there is nothing big about being 32. It feels no different than 31. I guess I do like being a nice, even number. In general I like the number 32 more than 31, but as an age, it's not significant. It did occur to me that it's been 16 years since my 16th birthday. I remember that birthday was such a big deal and it couldn't come fast enough. And now I'm TWICE that! There is something still magical about a birthday, just as there is with New Years. I get to start a new year in history..."when I was thirty two I..." I'll let you know when I have something interesting to complete that sentence with...but it's gonna be great. At least that's my plan! (FYI...this post was another "catch up." My birthday was actually on December 14th and we celebrated it in these photos on the 7th because we were in Utah on the 14th.)

This is the amazing cake Jake made for me. It was FABULOUS!!!!

Here's evidence of the yumminess on the inside...chocolate cake layered with stabilized cream...all seven layers!!!

The kids LOVED it!!!! Are you surprised??

I know you're all wondering about the recipe for this delightful cake, so here it is:

Chocolate Cream Cake
from Lion House Classics Cookbook

1 package devil's food cake mix
Chocolate Frosting (below)
Stabalized Whipping Cream (below)

Follow package directions, prepare and bake cake mix in two 9-inch round pans. Cool and split layers horizontally. (the original recipe only uses 3 of the 4 layers of cake and instructs you to freeze the 4th layer but we used all 4 and had PLENTY of cream) While cake is baking, prepare Chocolate Frosting and Stabilized Cream.

Chocolate Frosting
4 T. cocoa
3 C. powdered sugar
4 T. butter, softened
2-3 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

In mixing bowl, mix cocoa and powdered sugar. Add softened butter, milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Stabilized Whipping Cream
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 C. cold water
3 C. heavy whipping cream
3/4 C. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

In small saucepan, combine gelatin with water, let stand until thick. Stir constantly over low heat until just dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly but do not allow to thicken. In large mixing bowl, whip cream, sugar, and vanilla until slightly thick. On low speed, gradually add gelatin, then beat on high until cream is thick.

To assemble cake: Place one layer of cake on serving plate. Spread evenly with half the Stabilized Whipping Cream, to within half an inch of the edge of cake. Place another cake layer on top of cream, then another layer of cream. Alternate cake and cream for a total of five layers (we made 7), ending with cake layer. Gently press down on top layer to set layers together. Frost entire cake with Chocolate Frosting.

Utah

2009-01-06T21:11:00.006-06:00

Jake's sister Wendy surprised us all at the end of October and announced she would be getting married December 12. Jake and I were able to take the trip our there with our kids to see it all go down, along with the birth of our nephew, Porter (Joe & Heidi), Josh's birthday, my birthday, a baby shower for Tricia and a Skousen family Christmas party. Whew. Yep...it was a fast and furious trip, but a lot of fun.

Me & Kate at the temple waiting for pictures.

Sydney posing in her new jumper grandma and I made for the girls.

Kate and Sydney riding in style.

Brittany and Jen wait with Sydney for Tim & Wendy to come out of the temple.

Aunt Liz and Kate at the Reception.

Kate and Ben, er, Ben's son, Reagan.

Edible Art

2009-01-06T20:53:00.005-06:00

Having kids is such a great excuse to make yummy sugar cookies. They love to decorate cookies with frosting and candy...and conveniently, I love EATING cookies decorated with frosting and candy. MMMMmmm....perfect.

One of our cold weather projects has been marshmallow/toothpick robots. Jackson thought it was very important that they be able to hold hands. It looks to me like he's been playing too many "Wow wow wubbzy" games on the computer!

We're not dead yet

2009-01-03T17:45:00.002-06:00

So yes, we've been MIA, but we're still kicking. Give me a couple days and we'll have a plethora or updates to catch you up on the Skousen family! I know you're on the edge of your seat....

Mommy look...

2008-11-22T13:21:00.005-06:00

I cut my hair! Harrowing words for any mother to hear from her 2 year old daughter with scissors in her hand. Sydney has always had super straight, wispy hair, but we usually kept it looking cute and girly. Well, she took care of that. I'm very proud of myself. I didn't yell...I was really just sad. I started to get a little teary and Jake immediately asked about my blood sugar, assuming that I had to be low to be so sad about this event he found so hilarious. I assured him my blood sugar was fine, I was just mourning the loss of my girly girl who loves pigtails and curlers. If it weren't for dang Gilmore Girls, this never would have happened! Jake and I were in the SAME ROOM with Sydney while she did this. I was watching Gilmore Girls and trying to explain to Jake why the Gilmore Girls are so wonderful. Sydney is very stealthy and snuck in and cut her hair all under our radar. I can't really blame Sydney...she sees me cutting my own hair all the time...and the hair of everyone else in the house. It was only a matter of time. It definitely could have been worse. Those are the things I keep telling myself. The resulting look isn't that bad...it's kinda cute actually...right?!

The carnage

Mom is NOT happy

Trying to fix it

Happy, cute girl...who will wear very girly clothes so no one asks how old my son is!

HE PASSED!!!!!

2008-11-21T20:05:00.003-06:00

After yelps and whoops and hollers...it's official! Now what?! Disneyland????? No...just Twilight with Jen.

In less than 30 hours...

2008-11-20T15:42:00.003-06:00

Some of you may have clicked on the title of this post on your blog readers thinking this would be a post about the "Twilight" movie. Of course I'm excited about that and I'll probably see it sometime this weekend. But infinitely more important than that...tomorrow marks a momentous day for Jake and our family.

You may remember this post. Yes, even though Jake finished law school in May and studied and took the bar exam in July, TOMORROW is results day. California consistently tops the charts for the number of people taking the bar exam. Part of that has to do with the fact that they allow you to take it over and over until you pass and since it has the lowest passage rate in the nation (therefore we deduce it is the hardest) they take FOUR, that's right FOUR months to get the results out. SO...tomorrow is results day. Tomorrow, everyone that took the California Bar Exam will be trying to log onto this one website all at the same time to see whether their name is on the list of those that passed. To top that, there is a disclaimer on that one website that says that the results on that website should not be relied on and that the only verifiable answer is sent in the mail. (Those letters go in the mail tomorrow too.) In fact, we've heard two stories of friends who looked at the website on the day they were to find out and their names weren't there yet when they checked again later, their names were on the list. So if Jake's name isn't on the list tomorrow, I will still hold a small ember of hope and await the letter in the mail. (And continue to check the website every 20 minutes or so!)

Anyway, I just wanted to take this chance, BEFORE results were posted, to congratulate Jake on all his hard work! I'm so proud of him for all he has accomplished over the past few years. If he doesn't pass the bar this time, he'll retake it in February. (UGH--and study that big stack all over again!) Not the best case scenario, but doable. I actually feel really good about all of it and I'm really excited to check the website tomorrow because I'm confident that Jake's name will be on the list. If Jake is not yet fit to practice law in California, it's only because the examiners couldn't meet him. If you've met Jake, you know he's perfect for the job. His intellect and engaging personality make him ideal for this profession. I just hope they don't make him take this stupid test again to prove it!

We're behind you 100% either way babe! x0x0x0x0

Christmas Coup??

2008-11-16T13:18:00.002-06:00

Every year, toy manufacturers advertise a few toys A LOT then they don't distribute as many of those toys to the stores so that the demand for those toys goes WAY UP. When I was little, it was the Cabbage Patch Dolls. My mom tells stories of looking at store after store for a Cabbage Patch doll that year and finally buying one from a neighbor who bought it at an auction. Now you can find Cabbage Patch Dolls everywhere...but don't expect to find the Playskool Tonka Bounceback Racer everywhere. This toy has been on "Jon & Kate Plus 8" and featured in the Wal-Mart and Toys R Us toy catalogs. We looked online and at store after store, only to be met with "currently out of stock" and empty labeled shelves. Finally, we found the LAST ONE at a Target 45 minutes from my parents' house. Jackson better like it.

Slacker

2008-11-16T12:53:00.005-06:00

If you've looked at my best friend Kendra's blog you've seen her quote on the side--" I just thought it would be a good idea to have one more thing I feel guilty about not doing...so i started this blog. " Unfortunately, this is also me. I have been feeling guilty for weeks now as I put off posting the pictures of the kids trick or treating. I even wrote a post that just needed pictures. Eventually I will post these pictures in that post so that it will be in the correct order and with a nice story about trick or treating in Moberly, but I thought I would do the kids justice and first post the pictures right up here at the top. Sometimes I wait so long to do a post that I figure it's "too far gone." Oh well. Here goes...

The kids really loved trick-or-treating and ask to do it every night now. :)

the kids ready for trick-or-treating

jackson the cowardly lion

sydney as dorothy (yes, the picture is fuzzy, but she was just so happy & excited I had to put it up!) with Aryn, 80's Barbie :)

kate the scarecrow

trick-or-treating in downtown Moberly with Connie, Aryn & Braden (we're so happy to be here with them!)

with the neighbor girls, Andrea & Megan

scarecrow & daddy

trick-or-treating at a particularly spooky house

jackson & his preschool teacher, Miss Sandy

jen & her preschool teacher, Miss Karen :)

My men

2008-11-06T22:21:00.003-06:00

I always thought there would be just one man for me. My whole life I dreamed of this one man who would come along and sweep me off my feet. Well, turns out there are 2 guys who can melt my heart...

That is, until Jackson goes off and melts some other woman's heart. Then it's just you Jake! ;)

Did You?

2008-11-04T12:34:00.002-06:00

Pumpkin Carvin'

2008-10-28T01:09:00.001-05:00

the back of sydney & jen's pumpkin "SKOUSEN"

jackson's pumpkin...he insisted on carving all by himself

the front of sydney & jen's pumpkin

jake's death star

jackson and braden workin hard on their green pumpkins

Chili Cook-Off and Trunk or Treating

2008-10-28T00:52:00.000-05:00

I finally figured out what I was doing wrong every year for the chili cook-off. You see, in the past I have made the chili and we have never been successful. This year, Jake was in charge of the chili and guess what...he won!! He made "Green Pork Chili" and it was really different and yummy. Here's the recipe

2 red onions, chopped
1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and halved
3 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and halved
2 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
5 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, toss the onions, tomatillos, jalapenos, and garlic with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Roast until soft and starting to brown, about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring twice during roasting.
Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and heat. Brown the pork, in batches, until well-browned. When browned, add all of the pork back to the pan and cover with chicken stock. Add the roasted vegetables, cover the pan and place in the oven. Cook until the pork is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (We didn't have a Dutch oven so we just simmered on the stove for 1 1/2-2 hours and it still tasted great.)
While pork is cooking, place the cilantro in a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons of water and puree. Remove the pork from the oven and stir in the cilantro puree. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve with warm flour tortillas.

After finding the ruby red shoes at Target, I decided I wanted the kids to dress as characters from the Wizard of Oz. I really wanted Jackson to be the Tin Man or Scarecrow so Kate could be a lion but I'm so glad he was stubborn about being the lion. Her scarecrow costume turned out SO CUTE and I thought he made a great lion. The kids are horrible at posing for pictures, but their costumes were amazing thanks to a lot of help from my mom. Hopefully we'll get some more cute shots of them when we go Trick or Treating on Friday. I'm glad they're going to get a few uses from these costumes.

Pumpkin Huntin'

2008-10-27T23:24:00.000-05:00

Saturday we had tons of fun going to Papa John's Pumpkin Patch with Connie, Aryn & Braden. The kids each picked a pumpkin and we got to see some ducklings, turkeys, cows, horses and a sheep. Jackson chose a green pumpkin hoping to carve the Incredible Hulk. (You'll see that didn't really happen.) It was so fun to "get a pumpkin from a farm, not just from a store" as Jackson had requested.

This kid LIVES to be outside!

Just Kate's size.

Sydney's find.

The chosen one.

Jackson tries the squatting method to claim his pumpkin

Aryn and Sydney choosing pumpkins