Happy Birthday to L

The decision to have our second was around a crazy time. We were poor and still working through school. But just as soon as the thought crossed our mind, it was too late to take it back, we were pregnant just like that. I was miserably sick for three months which was a step up compared to the first pregnancy. I thought it must be a girl. Yeah right. Keep dreaming.
After laboring for a couple days, I thought maybe, just maybe we should go to the hospital. Since my contractions don't hurt to the last couple hours, it's hard to know. We went in with enough time to settle down before he was born three hours later. It was fast but still the epidural should of done its magic. Nope, not my lucky day. Ouch.

He was my chunkiest baby (7 lbs 11 oz). I remember thinking, "wow, he's so plump." It must of been the layers of pancakes with lots of melted butter, powdered sugar and syrup, I feasted on towards the end of this pregnancy. No doubt I was much bigger than the first time around.

The two above pictures remind me a lot of his older brother around the same age (2 wks to 1 month old).

Look at that belly!!!!

He was a breath of fresh air having had no health problems, and being a good eater and sleeper.

He was a binky boy. I weaned him off of it when he was a year old and we moved back here from L.A. I kept losing that thing and I was just as addicted to it as he was. I was so sick of stressing over them disappearing so I had to do it. After three very difficult days, he was just getting use to not having it to sleep when he found one underneath something. He put that sucker so fast into his mouth and began to run when he saw me.

He is also my fairest. Oh, how I wish I had beautiful baby skin.I thought this was a cute pic of Kate and Levi.

What can I say........he's a cutie! And look at that gorgeous hair.

This is a picture of Chris and Loyd as little boys. Levi looks more like an Ericson than my other two. But I am bias......he's much cuter.

His Big Day
(A special thanks to Collette. If it wasn't for her, this day wouldn't of been documented very well due to mass chaos. Thanks again!)


After bouncing off lots of birthday party ideas, we settled on Cars which was one of the few options at Walmart for invitations. Levi was happy anyways. Our pinatas are usually made out of our cereal boxes. Hey, it saved me 10-15 bucks.

This set up for opening presents was nice at first. But it didn't last very long. The kids get so excited about having their gifts opened first, we got eaten alive. It was precious.

Lets just say there were a lot of kids. I know, I know, I've read magazine articles about how many kids we should of invited. But, hey, I'm not perfect and I think am allowed to indulge a little sometimes. It's worth it when his emotional bank account is filled to the max. And the whole day he's so pleased that he's special, loved, and important.

New York last weekend

A big thanks to mom and dad for staying with the boys and working on the house.


I made Cafe Rio taco salads for them. Although the pork is tasty, anything with that much coke and sugar isn't healthy; so I'll try the chicken recipe next time.

On Friday, C and I went for a walk through Central Park. Where did everyone go? We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was awesome. That night we had dinner at an Asian restaurant. I've never been a fan of Thai food, but that night I was starving and now I've been craving some of that yummy food again. After a carriage ride pulled by a bike (well worth the $25.00 after walking all day long), we made it to Grand Central Station and headed back to where we stayed (Tarrytown House Estates).


We met up with Chris' parents on Saturday and spent the whole day together.
We saw the Statue of Liberty from here and called it good.
This is made out of Legos. It's so nice to go to the toy store and not have kids.
We visited Ground Zero, which was sad. We saw N.Y. from the top of Rockefeller . We went to Canal St. (at China Town) and I'm sure were close to being arrested for being in a van with counterfeit purses. Scary!




Wicked was absolutely AMAZING. Thank you to John and Setsuko for the birthday gift!!
It was a pleasant get away. Why haven't we done this before?

I'm Very Pleased With Myself Here

So what do you think, is this a look alike or "Napoleon Dynamite" ?

Seeking Sisters in Law

Desperately seeking two sisters in law. If you are interested in either of my brothers in law and are willing to accept some minor flaws, please contact me.

name: Loyd
age: 28
status: student
type: smart and beautiful, prefers liberal Mormon chick with a testimony (but who is not perfect) and who knows how to have a good time

selling points:

intelligent--could walk at an unbelievable 8 months, early talker and reader

still has a full head of hair (is able to manage stress very well or has a relaxed outlook on life)

is able to gain/lose 15 lbs. in a matter of weeks

future professor

multicultural

is good with kids

isn't fussy about food (so if you don't know how to cook yet, don't worry, he'll eat almost anything).

enjoys playing games (prefers the competitive type that keeps score)

enjoys reading and writing, biking, hiking, camping, snow boarding, and laying out

has a rich collections of books, music, and movies

return missionary from Hawaii (if you can call that a mission:))

studying philosophy

good with computers

heads up on the following:

likes to hang nephews upside down over the toilet

due to being a student, he is poor, but don't worry he has the potential to make money in the future (look at it as an opportunity for you to fulfill your career dreams)

narcissistic (has a club vowing him your favorite Ericson)

is unable to say "I'm sorry" (but don't worry, his older brother, my husband, was the same way and with a few tricks he's a changed man. Let me know when you are ready to talk)

suffering from "middle child syndrome" (still complains about never ever having his own room growing up)

makes monkey noises when seeking attention

is cynical when down

lactose intolerant

Name: Bobby
age: 25
status: student
type: taken (if you have a boyfriend already, he will be more than willing to work with you)

strengths:

tall , dark, and cute

cute, button nose

has amazing hair

life of the party

very active at church

did I mention cute as a button?

future nurse or doctor

owns lots of books, music, movies, and video games

enjoys eating, hanging out, making friends

is very social

good with kids

can hold down a job

has a large wardrobe and a nice car

heads up:

has nightmares

possible adult onset diabetes

has a hard time saying "I'm sorry" (but like I said, call me when you're ready to talk)

is attached to his cell phone and texting

doesn't wash his hands

baby of the family (spoiled, for example-- last Christmas his holiday was ruined because the dog ate his chocolate)

occasionally smells like dirty socks (at which point the nephews have said "bobby, go home and take a shower, you smell)

Random Pics

The boys were so happy to celebrate Easter. They hunted for eggs, and their baskets that Baba made. They loved coloring eggs and eating them.

L has not only removed the bubbly eyes off of his basket but has removed them from his brother's as well. So frustrating

Stitches

More Lego ships by the boys

My mischievous almost 4 year old

Last game of indoor soccer, they were undefeated.

K's testimony. He surprised me with this project.

How we travel. A good excuse to hold off on more kids? perhaps

Fried chicken for dinner. A few years ago making dinner was more of a struggle because of K's allergies. I had to improvise and stretch my imagination. For fried chicken, I crushed up cornflakes as a make shift bread crumb. It worked nicely for him since he was allergic to wheat. Now I use Ritz crackers, saltines, or as shown in this picture oyster crackers. This is much easier on the pallet since corn flakes as bread crumbs tend to come out really hard.

I've been Tagged

truthfully, when I answer these questions, I feel like I am divulging hints to passwords for important things. So, knowing my passwords, I am safe to answer these questions.

1. Two names you go by:
a. lucy
b. my given name

2. Two things you are wearing now
a. blue jeans
b. grey sweater with a hoodie

3. Two of your favorite things to do
a. crawl into bed minutes after my hubby has, when the sheets are all warm and toasty
b. cuddling with my kids

4. Two things you want very badly at the moment
a. a keyboard
b. a guitar

5. Two pets that you have or have had
a. parrot
b. dog

6. Two people who will fill this out
a. sara C.
b. amy T.

7. Two things you did last night
a. gave my hubby a massage
b. sat on the couch and talked

8. Two things you ate today
a. a Big Mac
b. homemade dumpling soup

9. Two people you talked to
a. Kristen
b. Debbie

10. Two things you are doing tomorrow
a. service project
b. working

11. Longest trip taken
a. Merida, Yucatan
b. with my family in a rented RV visiting landmarks and camping

12. Your favorite holidays
a. Christmas
b. Thanksgiving

13. Two favorite beverages
a. virgin margarita with extra salt
b. o.j.

Friday Outting

We took advantage of the day off of school and went to the local science museum. I think everyone had the same idea. There are a lot of kids in this state.

It gets easier to take three little boys on outings as time goes by. I'm learning as I go.

Beautiful LashesThis was a favorite for the boys. I'd love to have one of these in our house. hint, hint. jk hubby, like you already don't do enough for us.

Hanging out with friends makes everything even funner.

The boys loved playing with the water.

This is the best shot of D that I got, sorry Setsuko! I know how adorable this little guy is and how much he misses you guys too.

This activity didn't hold their attention at all but it was a cute shot.

I love having three boys even though I had always wanted more daughters than sons. I've said in the past that I would try up to 5 times for a girl. (I know that's not how it should work). I would love to have more kids even though it's stressful and hard work. I worry a lot, so having more kids would just tack on more worry for me. However, to have a house full of kids is nice. I imagine the future with the grown up boys returning with their wives and kids to visit us. There would be more noise, more activity, and most importantly more to love and live for.

There's my baby. I love snuggling up to this little monkey even though he has cold feet like I do. In this household the two that have nice, warm feet are my hubby and L. They are alike in so many ways. Music to my ears. I love hearing my kids sing. I hope for them to be musical.
The day didn't end here. C and I went out to dinner and a play. Many thanks to C's work for the free date, minus taxes and to our very cool babysitters, Loyd and Angela. Sorry there was no food in the house (slim pickings) but glad the boys were good for you.