Let the Back-blogging Begin!

It's February 9th.  It wasn't a super exciting day.  A very average Thursday.  Big kids go to school, Layne goes to playgroup.  I hit the mall for those 3 precious hours a week I have alone.  Then it was school pick-up and gymnastics for the big kids.  We get home at 5pm and I begin to panic about what to make for dinner.  I'm pulling off tortellini soup tonight.  All the ingredients are staring at me from the fridge and it's a completed meal in under 30 minutes.  So typical.  Every Thursday I think that I should have pulled out the old crock pot and been able to walk into my house at 5pm and smell dinner, not panic about what it is we should eat.  I might just get this figured out some Thursday.

The week wasn't super exciting either.  Not blog-worthy.  My camera didn't get picked up once since the weekend!  And no photos means no motivation to add a post.

But, I have a few spotty months in the past where big things happened.  They didn't get documented here.  The photos sit in my iphoto and I really want to make sure that those stories are told.

So, I'll be backblogging.  I love it in order.  I love it to tell our story from beginning to end.  And, when I have a minute and no exciting stuff to tell about they day, I might just pick up last October and add our Halloween photos...they for sure need to be preserved for my all-grown-up kids to look back and laugh about!

To my faithful 5 followers:  when you jump onto this blog on that Wednesday night when there is no tv and you just finished your riveting book, look back.  There just may be an update.  It won't be in season, but it will tell our story.  Guaranteed photos of the little people and some adventure that we found ourselves on.

Surprises

My three little kiddies discovered a tissue-filled package just for them to open.

I wrapped it up and Royal and I were in on this one, but we didn't say a peep.  Or give any hints.  Or refute any of their crazy-wild speculations as to what the surprise gift would be.

They slowly opened it up.

Each one of them pulled out a special item.

A pair of baby booties.  A white onesie.  And then, an ultrasound picture.  Of the new baby that will join our family!

Abbey catches on pretty quick...you can see that smile break out!  Landen takes an extra minute to check out the items and figure it out.  Layne is still looking in the bag to double check there isn't something really fun in there that someone else missed!

They have been lobbying for a baby for a long time.  I think it began with Abbey and then all 3 of them decided it would be a great idea to have another brother or sister.  I would get a question here and there about baby number 4.  Is there going to be a baby number 4?  When in the world are we going to get around to having another baby?  Can the baby sleep in my room?  I didn't alway have an answer!  So, I was so excited to answer them all and show them this little baby that will be coming.  Soon.  For the pregnant mom and the 3 year old, not nearly soon enough though!

Surprises are the best.  I love a good surprise.  I loved these little faces as they realized what surprise we were so thrilled share.  I loved hearing their excitement.  They were bursting with funny questions and big plans for our new arrival.  By the 4th pregnancy, I realize there are not too many surprises for me, so I will be watching these little faces for 9 months to see the surprise in their eyes.

Announcing...

Another cousin!

After Abbey, Landen and Layne have held the title of only grandkids for some 9 years...this year they will welcome 2 new cousins!  The MacLaurin side is growing, and we couldn't be more excited.

Sean and Ashley will welcome a baby girl in early May.

And, Ryan and Whitney are expecting a baby (boy or girl?  we will find out any day!) in July.

SO SERIOUSLY FUN!!

Ryan, Whitney and I headed under the pier for a few announcing shots.

Rainy Day Schedule

At school, the kiddos have a rainy day schedule.  They are room-bound for recess and lunchtime.  To say they come home a little stir-crazy would be an understatement!

It was a rainy Saturday and it called for a rainy day schedule with the family...an alternative plan to keep everyone happy and un-stir-crazy.

BOWLING   It's a favorite sport (is it a sport?) among all family members!  My kids are especially entertained by putting on the fun shoes, picking out their bowling balls, we found one with flashing lights!, playing with the buttons on the screens, and checking out the arcade and vending machines...they had to try the dip 'n dots vending machine!  They also love rolling the ball down the lanes and waiting for those pins to fall...just a little!  

The big kids had it figured out.  No help needed.

Aunt Whitney helping Layne set her ball up

Layne was thrilled to be bowling, but wasn't quite sure how to go about it.  Pretty quick she had her own little system and kept everyone on track!  With Aunt Whitney's help, she lined her ball up.  She gave it a push down the lane.  She swung on the bars, then she squatted down below them, anxiously watching her ball make it to the pins.  Then, she had a victory dance when the pins fell over!  A few jumps up and down, a little strut back to the chairs, and then she would tell whose turn was next.  Again and again.  

 

Big smiles after a big score

Ryan and Whitney had a great time helping the kids and adding a little friendly competition.  Mimi signed up for a league.  Well, not really.  But she really does love a good game of bowling.  Royal's score suffered a bit from all the time lost monkeying with the pin resetting.  We had a few issues with our lane!  I lost a few turns taking pictures and flagging down the maintenance guy to help fix our pin-resetter.  I think the kiddos taking my turns probably helped my score!

  

It was a fun time.  

And one tired kid lying down on the bowling alley chairs=mission accomplished!

A Day at the Pier

It was our last day of Christmas vacation.  We headed to the pier for lunch...burgers and fries and fish and chips.  On this particularly busy day, we started lunch in the late afternoon, and by the time we were finished up, the sun was setting.  So...when you wait for food for a very long time and stuff yourselves silly when it finally arrives, you just have to burn off some calories in the sand.  We headed under the pier in the beautiful golden light.

 These 3 little people got a little chilly, so they zipped themselves up in Mimi's sweater to stay warm!

Then, one fell out.

These kids just eat up Mimi.  It's so fun to have her back.  She has taken up residence again in San Clemente, but she has not lost her celebrity status.  She walks through the door and 3 voices all begin talking at once.  They are dying to tell her the latest news...like what cereal they ate for breakfast or what board they passed on Marioland.   When someone can't get a word in, usually Layne, she resorts to more creative measures, like dancing around Mimi, or running circles through the kitchen.  It's a complete circus!  Everything is more fun with Mimi.  Like these outings.

And then the sun went down and it ended our last day off.  Tomorrow, school and work.  

Happy New Year

Spending the last day in 2011...as we Californians do.

sunny and warm poolside

In 2012, we will say goodbye to these numbers:

                         Abbey 8, Landen 6, and Layne 3 (although she is holding up 20 fingers and toes!)

Going to make a splash in 2012!

behind...

I'm a little behind around here.
It hasn't gone unnoticed.

I'm a little behind in some other areas of life as well.  Those areas have definitely not gone unnoticed.
  There is royal icing still stuck to a few parts of my floor...dated back from gingerbread house cooking
  camp early last week.
  The hall ledges are left unhung after taking them down, painting the whole house, and then as it seems,
  not hanging them back up.
  And there is very precarious trail that leads from the back door through the garage, to arrive outside on
  the driveway to safety.  You might not make it out alive.  We just use the front door.  Not to worry.

The undies and dishes cannot go unwashed.  The dinners must be made...but no guarantees as to what is being served.  And the kids must be bathed and fed as well.  The rest, like the blog here, might just be getting a little less attention!

Tonight, I just ran out of excuses.  The holiday madness is over.  There is nothing on tv.  And my husband has done the dishes every night this week.  take a breath.  it is rarity around here.  a most-appreciated, as good-as-it-gets kind of rarity.  i'm still holding my breath that this lucky streak of mine continues [wink]

So, I blog.  Good things are happening and they must be documented!  My little people refuse to stop growing, so I can't miss a thing.  And, I can't miss capturing it here.

Here's to 2012 and leaving 2011 behind.  And the slovenlyness of my blogging.  All behind.

And it's not even January 1st yet.  The New's Year's Resolutions have not officially begun.  Could I actually be ahead on something?