The Silliest Soren you have ever SEEN!

I have been capturing more video to send to Chris in Iraq and I just had to share this with all my friends. I hope you laugh as hard as I did! You'll have to tell me if Soren wins the funniest baby award!

Today we celebrated Tristan's BIG BOY party. He has successfully been potty trained!! YEAH! I was still a little nervous about BM's but right before dinner tonight he went on the toilet. He was still a little hesitant and nervous but I told him my arm had magic powers and if he held onto it he wouldn't be afraid and it wouldn't hurt. It seemed to help because he later said " I pooped and mommy's magic arm helped me" kids are so funny.

The babies are practicing sitting up. Barrett has a better center of gravity but Soren has more of a desire to be sitting up. I am thinking they will be sitting on their own within a couple weeks. Probably about the same time they really get the hang of rolling over.


The dogs are doing great. Thankfully not shedding as much. Bella is going to be Tristan's best friend. She lets him climb on her, lay on her, wrestle her and more. We are fortunate to have two very well tempered dogs.

We had the missionaries over for dinner and afterwards we sat out on the patio and played with the kids on the trampoline. Tristan got a hold of the hose and wouldn't listen the million times I told him to turn off the water. I told him to take the hose out of the patio into the back yard. He kept spraying through the screen so I went out to take it away and what did he DO??? He soaked his mother! Yes, the war was on...I chased him all over the yard and took the hose and soaked his little behind. Eliana wanted to get in on the action. We were putting on a fun little show for the missionaries and the grandparents. Ahhh, fun in the summer.

Momma's boy's

I just love these guys! I know every mom thinks their little ones are the cutest ever. I just happen to think that my children got blessed with cuteness. I have no idea where they got it from! Not mom and dad for sure!

Fantistic 4

Yes, I am referring to my children. I feel like I am already falling behind on documenting all the fun happenings with my kiddos. Life has been very busy with my parents here. However, the chaos levels have greatly decreased. I have a nanny (grandma) who had stolen my babies. I am actually missing the boys because she hoards them all day. No really, she has been wonderful to take such great care of my little ones so I can spend precious time with Eliana and Tristan. My older two have been feeling neglected and were acting out. I can tell a huge difference in there attitudes with all the individual attention I have been giving them.

Eliana constantly loves on the babies. She will be thrilled when they can sit up on their own so she can be more interactive with them. Tristan is finally starting to notice the babies and be sweet to them. But his interest is very limited. He still can not tell the babies apart. He just doesn't look at there faces to identify them.

The babies are growing in size, personality and dexterity. At their 4 month check up they weren't even on the charts. In the 0%. I stopped nursing and now at 6 months they are in the 50%. They are only a couple weeks behind on rolling over. They are SO close but only spinning around and scooting on their backs. Soren desperately wants to be sitting and it kills him that he is limited. He will be running before I know it. Barrett is my happy go lucky chillin' child. I will post more about these babies later.


I have to say...my kids are great at silly faces!

Check out this blog!

I just love to read my friend Charlene's blog. She is Witty, intelligent, funny, and always has topics of great interest on her blog. I especially like her latest and EXTREMELY long post titled Pistachios and female scorpions. Trust me, you will love this read.

Busy, busy, busy!

My parents came into town on July 3rd to stay for the whole month. I had an extremely long list of projects that I wanted to do while they are here. So not only have my poor parents been slaving around the house my mom has gotten a good dose of being full time grandma to these babies. She will hardly let me hold my own babies!! Not really, she is just helping to the fullest. My dad has helped with all the yard work and landscaping. Which is not easy on a half acre lot. We ripped out two trees and took a full load to the dump in the poring rain.


Reasons why I have been too tired to post:
-painted Eli and Tristan's room
-moved ALL toys upstairs to the new playroom
-cleaned out office, kids room and babies room to have carpets cleaned
-moved kids beds downstairs
-pressure washed patio, play set and play house then reassembled upstairs in the new playroom
-spent 3-4 hours organizing toys and getting the playroom just right

Tomorrow is a play day. I think i will take Eliana and Tristan to the movies. Tomorrow night we are expecting some good friends to come visit for the weekend. Lana Taylor, hubby Tommy and two girls, Jocelynne and Kaylie are our friends from Arizona. Jocelynne is Eli's very first best friend. Eliana is SO excited. Oh and did I mention that Eli is beside herself with EXCITEMENT!

Well, my list for the morning is to find out why our water bill tripled this month, call the IRS to clarify a tax amendment, make some (other)important phone calls and balance the checkbook. I guess the fun can't begin until the dirty work is done.

My next post (hopefully tomorrow) will have all kinds of fun news about the babies and how fast they are growing. Oh...and pics of our new dog Bella.

A day for the BOOKS

Today flowed smoothly until evening came. This morning I was a little sad because I had to take Lanie to the vet to be groomed and her new owner was going to pick her up. So I gathered her things and the kids and headed out the door. After sending Lanie on her way I dropped Eliana off at her friend Laurens house. They were headed to the HUGE water park at HAAF (Hunter Army Airfield). Tristan the babies and I hung out today playing on the trampoline and running around with toys. Our neighbor Christy invited Tristan to go to our local pool here in Buckhead. So I showered and got things ready for tonight. I was invited to a Pampered Chef party and my friend Kayleen offered to watch Eli and Tristan for me. Without all the silly details I was back and forth between picking up pizza, kayleens house, picking up Eliana, back to Kayleens house. Feeding babies then finally on my way to the party...30 minutes late! I get to Kayleens house around 8:30 to pick up the kids and she has a story to tell me!

Tristan was in underwear instead of his pull-up. He and Zachery were jumping on the trampoline and Tristan pooped! It ran down his leg and into his sandal. He must have thought it felt good because he proceeded to jump and squish poop all over the trampoline. You know...all the little crevasses! My heart sank as she told me about bathing them and cleaning up. I was pleased with how she handled Tristan. I hope he felt really bad. She said he kept apologizing over and over. What am I going to do with this boy! As usual it was a battle getting the kids to leave their friends house. Finally at 9:30 and on our way home when my truck starts to act funny. As I let off the break to turn into our neighborhood my computer chip starts to go on the fritz. The engine light came on and the truck was coasting. I managed to get into the neighborhood and pulled off into the grass on the side of the road.

The tears started to surface as I listen to two crying, hungry babies, grumpy kids saying "mommy why are we stopped?" and wondering if I was going to have to walk home. I try calling Robyn and went straight to voice mail. I called Bro. Sparks and got a machine. Called Muthu Alletto and she was coming to my rescue. Just as soon as I get Soren out and hold him I realize that I am being watched over! Bro. Sparks drives by and stops. 30 seconds later the Christensen's (my home and V.T) drive by and stop. What are they doing out at 9:30 at night! Then Muthu and her hubby (bishop) show up. I then had 4 cars to my rescue all at once. How amazing! I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father is very aware of me and my little family. He has provided so many mini miracles and this was one of them. Muthu, bless her heart, stayed to help feed babies and get kids to bed. Then she helped me clean my kitchen and wash bottles. I can't express how grateful I am for wonderful friends who are always there to help.

It is almost midnight and I just got done paying the bills and posting this blog. I think it is time for me to crash and hope tomorrow brings better fortune.

Dust storm

My DH emailed this morning with pictures of this massive sand storm. When he took the pics the visibility was poor but he said today it was well below that. I'm glad I don't live in Iraq! I have a hard enough time dusting my own house. That dust covers everything and every crevasse. Even through the dust and squinting eyes, it is GREAT to see pics of Chris. The kids just light up whenever dad sends anything our way. Thanks DAD...keep them coming. We miss you like crazy!

Four Things You May Not Know About Me....


Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Darkroom tech.
2. Waitress
3. Art Gallery sales and framer
4. Substitute Teacher

Four movies I have watched over and over:
1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Ever After
3. Youv'e got mail
4. Barbie The Island Princess (thanks to Eliana)


Four places I have lived: (These are my favorites, since I have lived way more than four places)
1. Sicily, Italy
2. Sacramento, CA
3. Norman, OK
4. Palmer, Alaska

I love to watch: (Had to narrow it down again - I guess I watch too much TV)
1. Lost
2. American Idol
3. Dancing with the Stars
4. The Oreiley Factor

Four Places I have been on vacation:
1. Switzerland (as a kid with my Parents)
2. Korea (to visit Chris)
3. All the ski resorts in the Sierra's!!!
4. Disney World in Florida

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Brownies, brownies and more brownies
2. cheese
3. Italian food
4. homemade chicken noodle soup

Four web sites I visit regularly:
1. Freinds blogs
2. shutterfly
3. craigslist.com
4. ebay.com

Four Places I would rather be right now:
1. ANYWHERE(other than Iraq) with my husband
2. Back in the california mountains
3. On our Italy 10 year anniversary vacation (soon to come May of 09)
4. In an all day Spa retreat!

Jen is in her PRIME! Happy 30th to me!

My first instinct is to say "I feel so old" but that is just the side of me that is influenced by a world that thinks we need to look 20 forever. I actually feel great for 30 years old. I am where I want to be at 30. I have a beautiful family, healthy lifestyle and a strong circle of friends that bring me joy and happiness.


My mom sent some money for me to get a babysitter and go out for the day. I rounded up my two friends Kayleen Olsen and Lisa Sparks for a great lunch on River Street and after we went on a Dolphin tour. We had a blast! The lunch was deeeelish! and I loved the wind in my hair as we cruised the river. We were lucky enough to find a number of dolphins playing around. After we watched them swim around the boat a while they had everyone go to the back of the boat so we could put out a massive wake for the dolphins to play in. The trick worked! It was SO much fun watching the dolphins jump and fly through the air so gracefully. They are beautiful creatures. By the way...(i LOVE my new camera). I was able to get some great shots while other people around me only got shots as they were diving back into the water. On our way home we got ice cream to cool us off from the 100 degree weather.


Shortly after I got home I was delivered beautiful flowers from Chris. So unexpected and they warmed my heart that he went to the effort to send me flowers when he has already done so much for me. He is truly great and an awesome hubby too!! thanks babe


The kids were eager to get out of the house and do something fun when I got home. So we packed up and went to the pool. Thankfully there are always friendly people at the pool who are eager to help me with the babies. They LOVE chillin' out in their floaties. This picture is of Eliana trying to drown her brother. She didn't realize she was pulling him down and I kept telling her to stop. She wasn't listening so everyone at the pool heard me yell at Eli as I was jumping in to lift him up. And of course he gagged and threw up. No surprise there. She got a little talking to after that. I am just glad my camera made it safely onto the stroller before I jumped in.

The kids are in bed and all is well. Except for the bottles I have to wash before bed...fun for me.:-) Thanks to all who made my birthday wonderful. A special thanks to Sister Sasser for watching my little ones for me. I am blessed to be surrounded by wonderful friends and family. My life would be complete if Chris were here with me. I keep reminding myself it is but a short span of time in the scheme of things.

Spinning Princess

Eliana has this beautiful dress that Grandma Elaine made for her last birthday and haloween. I finally sewed the flowers that had been ripped off and now she wants to wear it every day. I had to take pictures to show Grandma just how much Eli still enjoys her dress. Thank you Grandma!! (Do you think the background is TOO much, hard on the eyes? OR does it compliment the picture?) Post and tell me what you think.

Sweet loving Tristan

I forgot to mention how loving my little boy is. When Tristan saw me crying he got this sweet tone to his voice and said "I'm sorry mommy. Don't be sad. I will listen, promise." He loved on me and gave my lots of hugs. His sweetness lasted for about 10 minutes then he was difficult as I was trying to leave the house. It was hard to be as frustrated with his cute blue eyes staring at me.

Brought to TEARS

Today has been awful! The morning started out the same as most mornings. After I talked to Chris on the phone I went to the bathroom and as I was pulling up my shorts my phone that was in my back pocket fell right into the toilet. I immediately reached in and pulled it out, took it apart and blow dried it. With NO luck it wouldn't turn on and was making awful beeping noises. The screen was fogging over and I knew it was toast. The strange thing is that my mom dropped her phone in the toilet a few months back.

From then the day went down hill. Eli and Tristan were pushing all my buttons. I held on with as much patience as I possibly could. They were both being defiant, disrespectful and down right rotten. I was trying to leave the house so we could run some errands. When I would ask Eliana to put her shoes on she would flubber her tongue at me and laugh maliciously. Tristan and her were fighting all morning long and nothing I said or did encouraged them to stop or make correct choices. They simply wouldn't listen or obey me. When I told them not to do something they would do it anyway and laugh. If this is a sign of what the teenage years are going to be like then I am in serious trouble. I started to feel like a terrible mother. It must be my fault, some way of parenting that I am falling short. I feel so defeated and I am at a loss as to how I can turn things around. I am probably making things sound worse than they are. I do have descent kids and I have seen much worse. It is just hard to see things the way they are when I want something totally different. I am always trying to teach the kids to communicate better instead of acting out in the moment. I tell them optional things to say to each other that might get them what they want instead of screaming or being spiteful. When things are chaotic and the kids can't work things out on their own I ask them to both come to me so we can work it out. All I get out of them is a turned up nose and an uninterested audience that just can't see past their own needs and desires. I was sitting on the couch feeding a baby and just started to cry.

I guess I am allowed to cry every once and awhile. And MOM don't freak out! Remember I am Survivor house mom. Not all my days are so overwhelming. I am open for advice on how to turn my kids behavior around. When I have time I read my Dr Sears book but lately I have been in a dilemma about priorities. OK, I can't make this post too long or no one will read it.


So we finally got out of the house and I had to stop at my friends house to pick up Tristans shoes. I ended up leaving Eli and Tristan there to play while I went to get a new phone. Thankfully they just put in a new AT&T store just up the road. The lady working there was great! She was a manager who started the store and knew all the loops. She ended up getting me a technology upgrade with no fees. All I had to do was pay for the phone. It was $100 with a $50 rebate. I got the new Sony Ericson walkman in pink. My mother-in-law has the same phone and she loves it. I was excited about my new phone. When I got home I was trying to take the cover off the back and the battery came flying out. I put it back in and the phone wouldn't turn on!!! Without further details. The lady might come in to the store tomorrow when it is closed to trade it out or I might have to wait until Monday. As if my day couldn't get any worse.

I am alive and well. All my kids are in bed asleep. I am going to wash bottles and crawl into bed.

Play Dates

Yesterday we played at our friend Jill's house with her kids Evan, Lauren and Rylan. They have a massive blow up slide in their back yard. IT has two slides, a pool and water guns to squirt people as they slide down and play. Eli loved all of it. Tristan only played in the pool. I am waiting for the day he breaks out of his shell and becomes more brave. We stayed for spaghetti then headed home.

Today we played around the house in our jammies and the kids pestered me all morning. They really know how to get under my skin. I was trying to get out of the house after lunch but only succeeded around 2:30. We were off to walmart then picked up Lanie from the Vet. Then we picked up Lauren to come and play at our house. We got home, chowed on pizza and raced outside to play in our kiddie pool and sprinkler. The neighbor Christie and her kids Reed and Stephen joined the fun. Thankfully Christie was willing to help with the babies because when she came over I had two crying babies in my arms that were hungry while I was trying to get the kids swim suits on and setting up the sprinkler. After juggling babies and kids we sat down and watched the kids run wild. Meanwhile Diesel (dog) helped himself to the kids pizza on their little table. That dog...he just drives me crazy! With two milk cups spilling, food all over the floor, wet kids, sleepy babies and kids running a muck, I managed to round everyone up, give baths, put babies to bed and send friends home. Whew! life is fun around here. Now it is almost midnight and my bed is calling. I just know as soon as I fall fast asleep a baby will wake up to feed. :-)

Dog dilema...woried...what to do???

Lanie has been on my mind lately. Ever since she got into that dog fight and lost her eye I have been concerned about how she fits into our family now. I am always frustrated that she digs out of the back yard. She has attacked that poor dog Scout twice now. Thankfully the second incident didn't yield any damage. Tristan is always leaving doors open for her to escape out of. We have put massive amounts of money into her vet care over her 9 years of life and today I had to take her to see the Vet because she can't breathe. She has an upper respiratory infection.

My parents are driving out a new dog that my friend Trina is giving us. She is a beautiful yellow lab. I was planning on finding a new home for Lanie but is has proven to be difficult. My parents said they would take her but I don't know if that would work out. I have also thrown around the idea of putting her down but that just makes me sad. She was my first puppy that Chris gave me our first Christmas after we got married. She was the baby for 5 years before we started having kids. I feel guilty because she hardly gets any attention and Tristan taunts her all day. She has gotten pretty good at eluding him. Ahhh...I guess I will have to see how well she recovers from this infection to decide what to do.

So you think you can DANCE!

OK, most of you know that I am an American Idol fan. Can i just say that I think "So you think you can Dance" is SO much more entertaining. I personally think it takes much more training and skill to dance than to sing. Sometimes I find myself shakin' my thing on the couch. If there was a hidden camera I would probably be a great candidate for America's funniest videos.

Brief Update

The babies are getting BIG and fun. Barrett's whole face lights up when he smiles. It is simply contagious. Soren loves to laugh and is extremely ticklish.

Eliana and Tristan are missing their daddy. Honestly I thought the kids were going to act out more than they are. Don't get me wrong...Tristan is more of a handful than ever, but I find that if I keep a smile on my face then they feed off of me and somewhat behave themselves.

As challenging as it is to get out of the house with 4 little ones under 4 years, I make a valiant effort to get out and let the kids have fun. In these pics Eli is having a great time at the water park on HAAF, Tristan is being silly while eating watermelon, Eliana is flying like a butterfly on the trampoline and Tristan took a 4 hour nap today in my office closet with all the blankets.

Loving Arms

Spitty Sunday

I really wanted to get to church on time today. We have always shown up a couple minutes after things have gotten started and it is hard to sneak in with two kids and two car seats. This morning I had a plan to get out of the door on time and I failed miserably. Instead of being frustrated with my lateness and fussing at the kids I just accepted it for what it was...late again. To top it off I get down the street and realize I forgot to pack the babies bottles! Ahhh. Then I get to church and realize I have the jogging stroller in the back not the tandem. So I had to herd the kids and carry the babies in to church...late!

The babies decided to be difficult today. I think it is because I have changed their schedule. They were on opposite schedules and the benefit of that is not dealing with two babies at the same time. The drawback is not being able to go anywhere without having to feed a baby while I am out. SO I synced them up and now I am learning it is hard feeding, burping, comforting and putting to sleep at the same time.

Thankfully now that I am bottle feeding I handed Barrett off to Sis Jenkins to feed while I fed Soren. Barrett decided it was a good time to be EXTRA spitty. Just when I thought he couldn't spit any more he slimmed me. My dress was covered from shoulder to knee and he went through two outfits. I had Sisters cleaning up the chairs and floors when his aim missed me. So at 15 mins. till church was out I packed up the babies who were crying and extremely tired and put them in the truck. While the truck was cooling off I picked up Eli and Tristan and headed home.

I came home to find Diesel (dog) had gotten into all the dirty diapers and made a mess all over my newly mopped floors. So, the kids are eating popcorn while I catch my breath at the computer. Babies are still sound asleep in their seats. I hope for a while.

Still Surviving

Well, we have survived the first week! Tristan is acting just as I though he would. He is sad and always asking for daddy. He is being more defiant and rebellious. Eliana is acting out in smaller ways, yet more dramatic because she is my drama queen! We were reading a book and she was answering all the questions before Tristan could even open his mouth so I asked her to let Tristan do it and not to say anything. She got So upset and said "That's it" and stormed upstairs to her room. Lately both my kids have been having a difficult time expressing themselves and when they get angry or upset they act out by hitting, yelling or crying. I have been trying to tell them that using their words and communicating with each other is better. But explaining that to a 3 and 4 year old doesn't really sink in. I really have to watch how I behave and what I say to them. I have also been quick to anger and they imitate many of my actions. It isn't easy always keeping my cool under stress. Over all we are working through this transition period. I am hoping to slip into a rhythm with balancing the kids, babies, house and managing life.

The good news is that I am being watched out for and blessed in so many ways. Heavenly Father knows that I need help at times and he has come through with flying colors. Wednesday I packed up the kids to go swimming at our community pool. Thankfully my neighbor Christie and her kids were there. We had a great time swimming and splashing. The chaos started when we got home and I had two screaming babies and kids in the bathtub while trying to figure out dinner. Just then Bro. and Sis. Sparks showed up at my door. They offered there help any time. I said thanks and how kind of them and sent them on there way. After I closed the door I thought to myself..."what am I doing? I could really use the help NOW." I ran outside to catch them and they graciously stayed to help. What great and inspired timing. Then yesterday I went shopping at walmart with the twins while Eli and Tristan played at a friends house. I had two car seats in the cart and managed to stuff $160 worth of groceries in as well. Soren started to fuss so I managed to feed him a bottle and push the heavy cart with one hand. By the time he was done I was about to check out. He spit a fountain of formula all over himself and the seat. Just then Bro. Blackwell came up behind me and offered to help. He helped all the way out to the truck. I am grateful for these moments of service that have been a pleasant surprise. I will have to remember them on the hard days when I am telling myself over and over to keep my cool.

Thank you for being great friends and checking in on me. It is comforting to know that I am thought of and loved. I will try to keep posting but time is limited these days.