Oh Baby!!

I can hardly believe that Baby J is almost 3 months old!!  I felt like it took about 10 years to get pregnant and then I was preggo for another 10 years and then all of a sudden I have a baby!  A real baby!!  I won't lie - I was nervous.  Real nervous.  Having my Sweet Pea 5 years ago has made me forget...a lot.  They say having a baby...and bringing home a baby...is a lot like riding a bike - it will all come back to me.  Well if this is like riding a bike then the wheels are squeaky, the tires are flat, the seat is hard - real hard, and I'm constantly pedaling uphill all - night - long!  But I wouldn't trade this bycilce ride for the world!



Baby J

Born March 25, 2012

8lb 10oz

Oh my sweet baby...

Proud Daddy!!

Who's the Mama?  She thinks she is...

LOVE THIS!!

Little Man trying to figure out why Baby J has those cheeks!!

Mama explaining that we have to share the baby...

I am so in love with this face and that hair!!!

Kisses!!

He's gonna keep up with his brother and sister...just you wait!!



Happy Valentine's Day

Every year I have taken a Valentine's Picture of the kiddos. Some years I even sent out Valentine Cards - of said cute pictures - to family and friends...ummm...not this year. And I don't even feel guilty about it! Progress people - progress!!
So - I have this new fancy shmancy camera!! One problem - I don't know how to use it... I've read some of the manual...no luck. I guess to take really awesome pics one needs to learn how to use the "manual" settings...not automatic... dumb...
SO - until I learn - here are some pics of our happy valentine's...
Don't let the snow - fool you - we've had a dusting of snow...like 3 times... lame...
Oh - and I don't know where to take a "good" pic in my house... I don't have any good indirect light...or direct light...is that in the manual? Even my walls are lame... Help is needed here people - seriously!

Happy 5th Birthday!!

My little Sweet Pea turned 5! It's crazy that she is growing up so much quicker than my Little Man is. Isn't it funny how that happens?

Disney on Ice!

We celebrated the day by going to Disney on Ice!! Our seats were AWFUL!! Ticket Master TOTALLY misrepresented them!!! The people around us felt the same way!! So - it made me feel better that I wasn't the only one...but the kiddos didn't mind...so I guess that's good...

I love my baby girl - who is not so baby anymore!!

Some quirky things about her...

She LOVES school. Like she LOVES LOVES LOVES it...

She loves to do homework - any work book she can get her hands on...

She HATES socks that aren't turned inside out...and even then she hates them...

She wants to wear a dress...EVERY DAY...

She HATES boots - and she has some in every color... ;-)

She won't wear tights...hello - bare feet in her church shoes...

She barks like a dog...most of the time...she wants you to play fetch and pet her...awesome right?

But she is the sweetest helper I have. She will do anything to help!!

She loves to learn the primary songs and she says the sweetest prayers ever...She blesses EVERYONE...by name...ANY TIME she prays...even at mealtime...awesome right? I know...

I love this 5 yr-old Sweet Pea!!

Our little family...

Here is a recent pic of our little family. Our family will be growing soon...and I'm sure in a few years it will be weird to think back on our life when we just had 2...
If I was really cool - and knew how to use photoshop I would change the background...from the church building...to a really cool pinetree background...or just something better looking than the ugly brick. Oh well... At least we're all basically looking in the right direction with fake smiles...

Wildlights at the Zoo

This past Saturday we decided to take advantage of the 60 degree weather and check out the Christmas light display at the Columbus Zoo. I think EVERYONE in the Columbus area had the same idea!!! IT WAS PACKED!!! But it was oh so pretty! I have been pretty sick this past week but I don't think I'm any worse for going...so I'd say it was a success!!! It definitely put me in to the Holiday Spirit after such a...lonely...Thanksgiving!

WILD LIGHTS!!

We had a fabulous time!! But seriously...I think I need a camera that doesn't turn my kiddos beautiful blue eyes...vampire red...

Santa can you hear me?

Playing Catsup

I decided it was time to play Catch-up...some people spell it Catsup or Ketchup... If I really tried to play it fully - I would have to start back a ways... and you know how THAT goes - so - I think I'll just start when we moved here to the Columbus, Ohio...area.
I really didn't think the move here was going to be that hard. But...OH has it been more difficult than I anticipated!! I remember after I moved to IN that it wasn't for a year...that I thought that life was good. I guess I need to wait for a year...ugh...
Our house is becoming our home...it's just everything outside the house that I'm having a hard time with. I'm still looking for that one special person...that kindred spirit...because we all know that every Woman needs a Man...and other Women she can talk too... In ALL the other areas I lived I've made that kindred spirit before now...
I think the hardest part is - that I thought before coming here - I already knew who it was going to be...but that didn't turn out the way I thought...such is life.
SO... here are a few pics of the things we've done and the family we've seen lately...

In JULY...

The BIG-O Truck with all our junk...err...priceless treasures!

OH YEAH!!!! And Sweet Pea is going to be a BIG sister to a baby brother!!!

Not the best pic...

In AUGUST...

The kiddos took swim lesson at the YMCA.

Note to self: Next time pay for private lessons... ;-)

The kiddos both learned how to ride a two-wheeler in order...

...for us to buy them their own height-appropriate bikes...both of which still have the training wheels on...

The last few day of August Little Man Started the 1st Grade!! His bus picks him up at 9am and drops him off at 4pm...just like last year...bleh!!!

Can you see the excitement?!!?

But in SEPTEMBER....

Grandma and Papa came to visit for a few days over Memorial Day. The kiddos LOVE their grandparents!! They played, played, played NON STOP!!!
A little visit to COSI - a Children's Museum in Columbus.

Looking good in their Sunday best...

In OCTOBER...
Sweet Pea started Pre-school 3 days a week!!

Little Man played soccer for the YMCA league. He was a FANTASTIC goalee!!

My SISTERS CAME TO VISIT!!!

(they were tired to me calling home everyday crying...)

We went to Kirtland, Ohio to see all the church sites.

And we went to Time Out for Women in Cincinnati, Ohio. Oh fun!!

The kiddos carved pumkins - his is a bat and hers is a cat...

We went to a FANTASTIC pumpkin patch!!

We went to BOO at the ZOO. It was soooo AWESOME!!!

On Halloween we went Trick-or-Treating with our friends, the Peine's. Best trick-or-treating experience we've had!!! Except Paul lost Little Man's mask and cape...

We had so much fun with our little Cinderella and Batman!!!

6 and 4 are the PERFECT ages for Halloween Fun!

As we move on to November I hope to not have to play Catsup - as much. Hopefully I can keep the fam updated...enough...

On the Road Again...

The movers are here and the house is packed. Today we are on way to live in Columbus, Ohio.
I have promised myself and others that I would start blogging again...and I will...I hope.
One of the major reasons I blogged all the time in California was because blogging became my outlet. I could say anything about CA and the people because I was from California!!
But once I got to Indiana - the things that I found hilarious - natives...did...not. So I stopped. I started writing in a Journal...every day...
Now I am on my way further east. We are continuing our Michaelson Family Adventures with a little bit of "Confessions of a California Girl in the Midwest." I think it's kind of funny that I will go from being a Hoosier (which nobody can really tell you what it means) to being a Buckeye (a nut).
How appropriate!!

Update...

I tried to Update. Really. I have.
However it seems my site if full. Again.

I need to pay. Again.

Saturday is a special day...

it's a day where we play-ay-ay Soccer.

Little Man played on the WIZARDS!!!

(Part of the YMCA league)

(good thing - I also bought the professional pic - they had just started to move....)

My Man was the Little Man's Coach!

"Okay...now we're going to play Soccer."
"This is a soccer ball." Why isn't anyone looking?

Put your right hand on your heart and say, "I promise not to kick, hit, push, or cry."

"Bring it on!" Says the goalie!! 10 balls?! Psh!!

Hold me back coach!!

Proud Grandma even got to see a spectacle...I mean - game...

Friends on the Field...

and off!!!

Little Man had a fun time playing soccer this fall! We all enjoyed going to his practices and games every Saturday for the past few months! Dad got A LOT of exercise chasing all these young bucks up and down the field! This was a perfect way to introduce our Little Man to soccer.

Tomorrow we start Basketball....