It's a......................

I'm behind in posting this. But for those of you who do not have a Facebook page and who I've not talked to or mainly for my own record keeping purposes should I ever decide to put all of this into a book; we had our ultrasound on December 8th and are pleased to announce that we are expecting........ANOTHER GIRL!!!!!

It was a quick and kind of interesting visit. After the tech did the ultrasound and took all the measurements and told us the gender, the doctor came in and one of the first things he said to us was "Now you've heard the saying Don't shoot the messenger right?" We said yes and then he said something to the effect of us being ok with another girl and then stated, "Well, when you make them so well, why break the mold?" We talked about it on the way home. And both stated how though we were hoping to have a boy some day we were happy to have another girl join our family and we are glad that she is healthy as far as they can tell.

So come April Josh will still be extremely out numbered as the only male member of our family (with the exception of Ivan).

**edited to include the girls responses**

Abi's response was a little heart breaking. She really wanted to have a brother but after a little talk she is now happy to be getting another sister. I don't think she really understood that eventually she may get a brother but if not then that's ok. Hannah however....she was happy but imediately after we told her she said "Can I go play in the snow?" Not sure it really phased her much at all.**

Hannah is 4!

My little girl turned 4 last week! I can't believe it! She's getting so big!
The celebrations started the day before when she got to take the treats to pre-school and she got a balloon, a certificate and a crown from her teacher.

The actual day of her birthday was not that great of a day for her though poor girl. She started coughing the week before and we thought she was getting a cold. Then a few days before her birthday she got a low-grade fever but the next day it was gone. Well it came back with a vengeance on her birthday with a reading of 102 in the middle of the night. And since our neighbors had had strep over at their house for a few days before that I figured that's what she had so I made a doctor's appointment to take her in that afternoon. She spent most of the day laying on the couch with a blanket. Josh worked for half the day so he was home to go with me to the doctor.

The good news at the doctor was that the strep test came back negative for both girls (I had Abi tested too since she had been complaining of a sore throat). Then after listening to Hannah's breathing the doctor looked at me and asked if she had ever had pneumonia. My eyes got wide as I remembered the last time and I answered yes. She then said that she wanted another doctor to look at her then left the room.
When she returned with Hannah's doctor (she was helping him out on a busy day) he listened and told us that it was in fact pneumonia and they wanted to give her an antibiotic shot in each leg and send her to get some x-rays. They didn't think at the time that she was in a position where she needed to go to the hospital but that if she worsened at all during the night we were to take her straight in to Primary Children's. So after the shots we left to go get some x-rays and then went home. Before we made it home the doctor called me back to tell me the results of the x-rays. He said that they didn't see any pools of liquid in her lungs but that they did see some sort of virus which could mean that it was either viral pneumonia (what she had the last time) or that it was bacterial and they caught it early. So he wanted to keep her on the antibiotics and see her in the morning.
Then we went home and she was able to open her presents after she felt a little better.

I ended up taking her in the next morning to be checked and she was doing a lot better. I guess that's the advantage of catching it early enough!
So for her birthday Hannah received Pneumonia and an antibiotic shot in each leg! They figured she got the pneumonia from a cold. Who knew! Maybe next year will be better!
That weekend we invited some family and friends over for cake and ice cream! It was a lot of fun! Thanks to all those who came out to celebrate with us!

Happy Birthday Hannah! We love you!

Falling Behind

You know you need to update your blog when your husband makes a comment about an update. I haven't really felt too much like updating lately. For the past month and a half between morning sickness and the headaches I haven't really felt like doing much of anything. Hopefully the sickness stage is coming to an end (at least for me).

October

October was a fun month for us. Getting ready for Halloween. I wasn't so much excited for the cold weather though. I had the opportunity to go on a feild trip to the Pumpkin Patch with Hannah's class. She was so excited! I told her we were going to take a feild trip and she turned to me and said (with excitement) "to Disneyland!" I told her I wished it was to Disneyland but that was a little too far. That we would be going to the Pumpkin Patch and she could choose her very own pumpkin. She had a lot of fun! Then the girls each got to dress up in their costumes for Halloween Parties at school. I was able to go help out at Abi's class for her party. It was a lot of fun!


Then the night before Halloween was our Ward Trunk-or-Treat. I don't usually dress up for these things but my good friend Paige talked me into it. So much fun! I had Nic and Trevor that evening as well and Jen and her family came up to go with us. We decorated the trunk of the van too. Afterward everyone went in to the church for a fun movie and some popcorn!

On Halloween Josh wasn't feeling the greatest so he stayed home from work and rested. I took the girls up to see Grandma and Grandpa Coleman and Grandma and Grandpa Z. And when we got home Josh was feeling a bit better so he took the girls out to go trick-or-treating while I stayed home to hand out candy. This was the first year the girls went door to door. I think they really enjoyed it and they both came home with a lot of candy!

September

In addition to Hannah starting school in September, Abi played Soccer for 5 weeks and I think at first she wasn't so sure about it but finally decided that she liked it. Some of the moms in our neighborhood got together and arranged it. We had 4 teams in our subdivision. And all we had to pay for was 8 dollars to get a shirt. It was so much fun. No scores were kept it was just a fun thing for the kids to do.

First day of Pre-School!!!!!

Hannah started pre-school this week. She was EXTREMELY excited! That morning she asked me if I was going to put anything in her backpack. I told her no that her teacher would put some things in her backpack for her to bring home. She got all excited and asked "Homework?" Then after school we went to pick her up and she came walking up to the car saying "Mommy, I got some homework!!" It was so cute. Too bad it wears off all too quickly. Here's a few pictures of my big girl!

Outside her school.


With her friend Natalie

First Day of Kindergarten!!!!

Abi had her first day of Kindergarten yesterday. She was so excited! For weeks she would ask me "Mom when does school start?" Well the day finally came. We got her ready and went down to the Bus stop. After a few minutes of waiting the bus came and they got on. After which Hannah and I jumped in the car and headed up to the school to see her get off the bus and wait with her until the bell rang. I think I did pretty well considering she is my first to go to school. I did ok, until I was getting ready to leave her at the school. Then I started tearing up. Hannah on the other hand really misses Abi. We'll have to think of some things for her to do until she starts preschool in a couple of weeks.

She has two friends in school with her this year Paris, and Kelsey

Abi and Paris getting on the bus

Abi and Paris getting off the bus.

standing in line to go into her class.

Going in to the classroom.

This is when she met her teacher the week before. I knew the first day would be hectic so I asked to get a picture at her assessment.

Swallow this.....

Up until about a month ago Josh had been making Abi and Hannah a protein shake every morning with their vitamins mixed in so we knew they were taking them. Then Abi decided that she didn't want the juice any more so she began taking the pills (pictured above). Then a few days ago Hannah decided she wasn't going to drink her juice anymore either. So she started taking the pills. How many 5 year olds do you know who can swallow one of those? And better yet how many 3 year olds? They never cease to amaze me!

C-A-L-I!!! (Part II Suggs Family Reunion)

Now to the reason for the trip to California. My Mom's family Reunion. I love these reunions! They are so much fun! We had a little get together with dinner on Friday night and then those that wanted to watched a movie that was projected onto a white sheet at the Pavillion. Then Saturday we got everyone together for Family Pictures! My mom's family has not quite figured out that if you take a few pictures with one camera (rather than a few pictures with everyone's camera) then you don't have to stand in an uncomfortable position with a fake smile on your face for very long. Oh well, Good Times! After the group picture it was individual family pictures and then pictures with Grandma. We unfortunately had to leave early on Saturday afternoon due to the fact that I had to get home to do laundry and re-pack so I could leave again on Monday morning for girls camp.:) But the time we were there was great fun! Can't wait to see everyone again!

C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A!!!!!! (Part I Disneyland!)

2009 happened to be the year of the Suggs Family Reunion. My mom's family has their reunion's every other year and it rotates between siblings. This year it was in Diamond Bar California. Which means DISNEYLAND HERE WE COME!!!!! This is the trip we had been looking forward to all year! The girls were so excited! We packed up on Tuesday (July 7th) morning and headed out. Not too long into the trip (before we reached Beaver, UT) the girls started saying "Mom are we going to Disneyland?" Then the ever so famous line "Are we there yet?" followed by "I thought we were going to Disneyland!" After which we put a movie in the DVD player and the rest of the trip was great! Josh and I listened to the first Harry Potter book on cd, while the girls watched their movie and had LOTS and LOTS of treats! 11 hours and pretty much no naps later we pulled in to our hotel in Buena Park unloaded our belongings and headed over to see some of my aunts an uncle and my grandma. The next day we ventured out to the Happiest Place on Earth. We had a blast.

Day 1

The girls absolutely loved the Tea Cups (took daddy on them twice that day). And came off of Mr. Toads Wild Ride crying! :( We spent 1 1/2 hours waiting in line to meet Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Mulan. 1/2 hour in line to meet Tinkerbell and her friend and about the same amount of time waiting to meet Minnie! Crazy I tell you! At about dinner time we headed over to California Adventure park where the girls got drenched playing in the water and then took daddy on yet another spinning ride The Lady Bug ride! After which we went and had dinner then found a place to sit and watch the Electrical Parade. By the time that was over we were beat! We headed back to the hotel and visited with my parents and sisters for a minute before heading off to bed.

Day 2

Everyone (except Heidi and Mike :( we missed you two!) headed out as soon as we could get 7 kids and 7 adults ready to go (I think the adults took more time than the kids:)). When we got to Disneyland we met up with Alan at Small World where we managed to fit all 19 of us into one boat! We did not spend the whole day together (it would not have worked out very well to keep all of us together, but we did meet up several times to go on various rides. Mom rode the Matterhorn with Alan's and my family while dad went to Toon Town with the others. My girls did NOT like the Matterhorn but it was great to see mom having so much fun! Mom also rode Indiana Jones with us and it was almost our turn for Big Thunder Mountain when they shut it down. :( But Abi rode it with daddy earlier! We also got to meet Mickey! And a few minutes after we met him we were walking down main street and Abi saw him in the parade. She asked "Mommy are there two Mickey's?" To which I responded "Wow he sure is fast isn't he?" But I could also have honestly said "No honey there aren't two Mickey's." (there's really a lot more than two!) As for my Dad; he kept saying the whole day that the only ride he cared to go on was Space Mountain. Now keep in mind that my dad is 58 1/2 years young. When the time came to go on Space Mountain we got in line. Josh, myself, my mom, my dad, Desiree (my sister-in-law) and Lauryn (my niece). Lauryn decided about half way through the 1 hour long line that she didn't want to go anymore. So her and Desiree left the line to find my brother and the kids. When the ride was finished we started heading over to see the Fantasmic! water show. When we got to the castle my dad said he needed to sit and rest. So we left him sitting on a bench on Main Street and told him that we would meet him there after the show. When it was over we headed back to meet him and he was doubled over on the bench. Not feeling well we asked him if he wanted us to get him a wheel chair so he could make it to the car. He said no. We asked if he wanted to go to first aid. He said no. A little while later; finally realizing he couldn't go anywhere he decided to go to first aid. So I ran and got a nurse and they took him over to first aid in a wheel chair. Long story short...he's fine. Just got really nauseous. He is 58 after all. And he has decided that Space Mountain is still his favorite ride but he will NEVER go on it again! :)

Before the Ride! :)

Day 3

Our 3rd and final day at Disneyland we just went to a few of the rides we didn't get to on previous days, including Splash Mountain which the girls HATED! We did a little shopping and got to meet a few more characters and then headed out to meet up with the rest of the family at the Family Reunion.

Very Belated Birthday! :(

This Summer has been a very crazy one for us (to put it lightly). So crazy in fact that I just realized that even though Abi's 5th birthday had passed when I wrote the last 4 posts I never posted anything about it!

So here it is. Abi turned 5 last month. I can't believe she's 5! In less than a month she will be sporting a new backpack and off to Kindergarten! Riding a bus to school 5 days a week (even if they only are half days). It's going to be a major adjustment for me.

I can't believe how much she's grown! She's very helpful to mommy always asking to help. I think I'll miss that most when she gets older and realizes that it's not so much fun to help clean the house or do the dishes. But I'll take what I can get for now. ;)

And though she has her moments (as all children do); she is a wonderful peacemaker. So much that mom and dad have to tell her not to just give in all the time (her sister LOVES to take advantage of that.) And she loves to share.

For weeks before her birthday she asked constantly for a scooter. She had to make sure mom and dad wouldn't forget I guess. The night before her birthday she turned and asked "Mom, did you get me a scooter?" I laughed and told her that she would have to wait until morning to find out. She wasn't very happy with me. The next morning before breakfast she came downstairs, sat on the couch and said to me "Where's my presents?" She's such a cute little stinker!

She didn't actually get to open presents until that afternoon, and dad decided he wanted to play a little trick on her so we got out all of her presents but the scooter. When she was finished she kept looking around for anything else. When we finally brought it out she was pretty excited! We also bought her knee pads, elbow pads and gloves. She is way too fast on that thing! It freaks me out!

Then the Saturday following her birthday we had family over to have some cake and ice cream. And the following week we did a party with just her friends. We had a pinata, played some games and got to decorate our very own cupcakes! It was so much fun!

Happy Birthday Punkin'! We Love You!

We've been busy...

There's a few of posts to follow so read on. :)

Wedding!

My little sister got married on June 13th! She's been dating her husband for 4 years so he's already been a part of our family, but now it's official too! She looked B-E-A-UTIFUL and he looked very handsome! It was a beautiful day. Congratulations Mike and Heidi. We love you lots!

Air Show!

A couple of weeks ago we went up to Hill Air Force Base to see the Air Show. It was AWESOME!! We had a lot of fun with our good friends/neighbors. It had been raining off and on in the morning but we got up there as the sun came out and they were getting ready to start the show. the Thunderbirds were flying this year. When they got to that point in the show a string of very dark clouds could be seen behind us. A little after the Thunderbirds got in the air it started raining. So we got out our umbrella and pulled the kids close. The rain didn't last very long but we got DUMPED on!!!! 15 minutes later the sun was shining but we were drenched! And our umbrella was broken. Josh said when he went to throw it in the trash there were about 10 other umbrellas in there. Well because of the rain they had to stop the show until it cleared and they had good visibility then they started again. Here's a few pictures.
The show was LOUD but they LOVED it!

The Zoo

We were able to visit the Zoo 4 times in the past month. Thanks Grandpa and Grandma Coleman for getting us a Zoo membership for Christmas. My girls LOVE it. Me however, I'm not so sure. The zoo doesn't really change. So I get a little bored walking around the same place every time. But it's good entertainment for the kids right? As long as we have treats, lunch, and drinks we are good. Although we usually eat lunch before we go. Someday I will make it there in the morning when there's more activity from the animals (or so I've heard).
When we went a couple of weeks ago we went in to see the monkeys and this little guy was walking around right in front of the kids right up against the glass.

*Note: this is not a great picture. It's hard to take one when he was constantly moving.

When we went back a week and a half later we saw a sign saying that he had died! Sad. He was a little ugly looking but at the same time cute (he is a monkey after all). We had a lot of fun each time going to the zoo with family and friends. Thanks to all who came with us! We had fun!

Child Labor?

I've been thinking lately about how to go about chores for my kids. I figure it's about time I start giving them chores. The question is what chores? See I'm a little OCD. Most cleaning of the house gets done by me. I have a really hard time letting others do it due to the fact that it may not be to my satisfaction later. Things have to be PERFECT (although anyone who's been to my house lately will be able to tell you that it is far from perfect right now.) But I've decided there is NO WAY I can keep up with everything around the house anymore and it's about time my children learn how to do a few chores. Not only that but I'm thinking about putting the neighbor kids to work. Is that bad? Now before you answer you must understand the situation, see I watch my friend/neighbor's kids weekdays from 7:30 am-4:30 pm. All girls I might add. It's not too bad most days. It gives my girls someone to play with and I can help a friend out in the mean time. However, due to the fact that 5 days a week I have anywhere from 2-6 girls running around my house at various times of the day I now have lots of little smudges, fingerprints, and spots all over my walls, floors, mirrors, etc. So why not have them help to keep it clean and nice?
I'm not talking about keeping them busy all day. That would be cruel! It's summer after all. I just want a few things that can keep them busy seeing as though summer is upon us and school is (or will soon be out). I figure one or two "chores" won't kill them and then they can play outside, at the park, or in the water, etc. all they want for the rest of the day.
So what I'm looking for is ideas. What types of things do you have your kids do? I've thought of things like sweeping the floors, wiping down some walls, vacuuming, and dusting. Just looking for a few quick and simple things for children ages 3, 5, and 8 to do. Any suggestions?

Graduation!

Abi graduated preschool yesterday! I can't believe how fast my little girl is growing up. For the graduation ceremony her part was to recite Little Miss Muffet. She did such a good job. I'm so proud of her and all of the things she has learned this year in preschool. From new songs to letters and reading; even learning to tie her shoes. She's definitely learned a lot! Not to mention all of the flash backs mom had when Abi would come home and tell me what she was learning like a couple of weeks ago when she came home singing a Safety Kids song. I'm very pleased with everything she's learned and can't wait to see what types of things Hannah will learn next year!

Here's a few pictures of the graduate!

Walking to her chair.

Waiting to sit down.

Reciting Little Miss Muffet

With her teacher Mrs. Gray

With Daddy and Mommy!