Ahhhh Bliss....

Right now my two older kids are upstairs sleeping, my baby is draped across my lap drowsily waiting for me to carry her to her cradle, by husband is doing the dishes and Swiffering the kitchen floor, and I am happily blogging by the light of a Christmas tree lovingly decorated by my family. Bliss......

Gloriously Random....

Do you remember that commercial a couple of years ago with the little boy stuck in mid-cannonball above the swimming pool begging his mom to let him out of the digital camera? That's me. The whole downloading process has occasionally been a big pain in my derriere in the past, therefore I avoid it now and only seem to download when there is just no more room in my camera. (I usually discover this at very inopportune moments---like when I'm finally going to capture a picture of Alyssa smiling---didn't happen--"Memory Stick Full")

For this reason I present a delightful array of random pictures for your viewing pleasure.


Awww.....Look at my gorgeous family. No really, look at them. I am the luckiest, most blessed human being ever. Yes, ever!!!


Carsten's favorite way to watch the Science Channel. Seriously, the kid would rather watch the Science Channel than cartoons (unless we're talking Phineus and Ferb.) He is the sweetest big brother. His little sisters are so blessed.

Overheard just prior to taking this picture -- "When you're bigger, maybe you can have the purple cup, but the pink stuff is always mine." That's it Abrielle, tell her the rules while she's too young to argue.

Halloween 2008. Carsten wanted to be a fire-truck. Not a fireman. He was very clear on that. He wanted to be a fire truck. The lights of his fire truck actually work and flash red and blue. (I'm so cool!!) Abrielle wanted to be the "biggest prettiest pink flower." Alyssa has a matching costume, but it made her very, very angry. I guess she agrees with her dad and thinks you should be scary on Halloween, not cute --therefore she was a ghost, thanks to Aunt Marne'.

Sunday afternoon. Similar scenes play out upstairs. I love Sunday afternoon.

Thank you Melanie!!!! I love holiday stuff (I have socks for almost every holiday) and due to Jason's nagging I had resisted buying her anything for Thanksgiving. I was so excited when you sent this. (Jason just rolled his eyes.)

When in Rome......Texan Santa wears a ten-gallon. Where is Abrielle you ask? Running as far away from this dude as possible. Carsten asked Santa if that put her on the naughty list.

Blessing Day!!! Or as Carsten put it "Official Alyssa Day" Yes, I know the bonnet is a bit old-fashioned, but it came with the dress was had this really intricate ruffling and beading and was so cute. The place Grandma bought the dress from threw in matching fancy, lacy, beaded socks. Hand-Wash only socks. Seriously, the tag said "Hand-Wash Only" is large bold letters. Have you ever seen hand wash only socks before?

The Fam......I am so blessed!!!!


Did I mentioned blessed? (Blessed that occasionally they all look in roughly the same direction for a picture.)

Jason's birthday cake. Eight Layer Chocolate Mousse Cake with 4 layers of milk chocolate cake brushed with chocolate laced simple syrup, 2 layers of bittersweet chocolate mousse, 1 layer of white chocolate mousse, topped with dark chocolate ganache and garnished with white chocolate shavings. I love my husband!!!

He was very, very happy with the cake!!!!! I love you handsome!!!!!


There you have it, folks, a conglomeration of random pictures now allowed to escape from the confines of my camera and float out into the great web abyss. Enjoy!!!

'Ere you leave your bed.....

Special request to all my blog readers....Please pray hard for me Tuesday!!! I am taking my board recertification exam. It is a nasty little thing that I have to do every 6 years...this is my first recert. I am praying for a baby that sleeps well tonight, doesn't mind the bottle tomorrow, and enough pumped milk to meet her needs. (Bad mommy didn't start pumping until last week. After all the pumping I did while working with the first two, I just couldn't bring myself to pump sooner that I had to....One week of strep throat later and the freezer isn't exactly full...)

At this point I just want to take the test and call it done. I don't even care if I pass, I just want to be done. OK, so that's a lie, but something about saying it makes me feel more in control.

Here's to multiple choice!!!

Fluorescent Musings.....

Have you ever wondered how somethings that go in one end of a tube a beautiful, pure, soft white, can come out the other end fluorescent yellow? I mean really, imagine the physical and biochemical principles that must be taking place here. I'm not talking about some hideous huge machine either. I'm talking about my sweet, tiny, little daughter who is right now sleeping oh so sweetly on my lap, smiling those sleeping little dopey smiles. However, an hour ago, she was a demonstration of magical biochemical phenomenon as she took 3-4 ounces of white, pure breast milk and turned them in to glow-in-the-dark fluorescent poop. I won't even get into the physic of the explosive emptying of her colon (in the diaper, up the back, down the leg, ... in her hair!?!?) NASA should study how infants accomplish this transformation of matter....we could probably use the same principle in reverse and turn nuclear waste into gasoline....

Time keeps on tickin'...

So I have blown my goal of blogging at least twice a week. Perhaps I will make that one of those on-going goals.....

We took some pro-pics of Alyssa a couple of weeks ago and they are gorgeous (of course!!!) Our package luckily came with a disk with ALL the pics they took. And I do mean ALL.


First, some out-takes.....Goofy...

Goofy ... (and yes, I am too lazy tonight to go back and rotate the image)

Goofy, yet teetering on the edge of cute (yet again, too lazy to rotate)


Just cute...I love pics like this.


And now, the gorgeous.....

This is just her personality...Just hanging out in whatever location or position she finds herself in with an attitude of "I'll just make the best of it." She is the most easy-going, contented baby ever.

Jason's personal favorite. He loves how sweet and peaceful she looks. He had it made into a black and white for his office. (Yea, she already has her dad wrapped around her finger..)


First pic of the shoot. She's here, she's warmed up, she's reading for her close-up...



The close up!!! This was the day after she started giving some real smiles...I so glad we caught a little one.


That's that.....More later......

Now with pictures!!!!

Ta-Da.....We have released the many pictures from the rouge camera and are now able to post them for your viewing pleasure. So without further adieu.......


Alyssa's Birthday Photo....She looks very intent.

I love this picture!!! She just looks so peaceful.

The Tremendous Trios first meeting!

My girls. Aren't they gorgeous?

Alyssa's coming home outfit. We took the kids to pick it out and there was a heated debate. Abrielle wanted pink, purple, and frilly, Carsten wanted brown. It's his favorite color--brown like the chocolate in harlie and the Chocolate Factory. This was the diplomatically chosen happy medium. Too cute!!


Aaahhhh Sunday morning. Aren't they clean? Aren't they pressed? Don't they look like little angels? (Doesn't Alyssa look a bit squished?)



Happy Halloween!!! As Carsten put it "My pumpkin is the scary one, Abrielle's is the happy one, and Alyssa's is asleep."

At the pumpkin patch. I have no idea what is in Abrielle's hand...maybe it's a ghost!!!


I had to throw this one in. Able to reach fruit snacks three shelves up, drink chocolate milk in a single gulp, and carry 7 stuffed animals friends all at once....This is "Super Princess!" She can be spotted at various locations around Round Rock including the grocery store and Target as she insists on always wearing her uniform as to fully protect her secret identity.

More pics to come......

The Young and Jaded....

Ok, so I'm still having technical difficulties, so no pics, but I had to get this off my chest. Carsten lost his first tooth yesterday. He has been complaining of it hurting all week and yesterday it was so loose I told him I could probably just pop it out of there. (I was half joking.) He, however, was intrigued and told me to "go for it." Yes, that's a quote---"Go for it." So I reached in with a paper towel (because that's what my dad did), gave it a little wiggle and twist, and out it came. We then held pressure on the hole for minutes (man did that little thing bleed) and called the grandparents and dad. I then proceeded to remind him to put it under his pillow tonight for the tooth fairy.

"Mom, the tooth fairy's not real." Gasp, skipped heartbeat, halting of the universe.
"Of course the tooth fairy is real."
"No it's not mom."
"Why do you think the tooth fairy isn't real. Did someone tell you that?" ('cuz if they did, boy am I going to let them have it....)
"No, I just know it in my head. The tooth fairy isn't real."

Long pause......

"Carsten, the tooth fairy is just as real as Santa Claus." (This was said in the my most firm and resolute voice.)

His response...pause, smirk, walk away.....

What would you have said? This is my first child and his first tooth. What about the far reaching implications this could have---the Easter Bunny? Santa's Elves? the Great Pumpkin? the Monster that takes toys that aren't put away at night?

What the Tech????

So....I know you are all anxiously awaiting for photos of my sweet little Alyssa, however......I am currently encountering technical difficulties. My sis-in-law Deana was kind enough to let us borrow her super nice digital video/still camera to record every moment of Alyssa's first month, but I don't have the books on how to download everything onto my computer. I keep trying to schedule my personal tech assistant (Jason) for the job, but it just hasn't happened yet. So...until then I will tell you what I love about my Alyssa!!!

1- She has the brightest, most alert eyes EVER!!! Even when she was first born, her eyes have been bright!!!

2- When she is in the state between sleep and awake, she makes the sweetest and silliest facial expressions--usually including a big huge grin which seems like a preview of grins to come and gets me excited.

3- She loves to be held. Ok, so this one also frustrates me sometimes, because I really do mean it. She LOVES to be held---as in she frequently HATES to be put down. But when I hear about friends who swear their babies weren't cuddlers and didn't really like to be held and snuggled, I am really grateful for all the snuggling I get to have, everyday, at all hours of the day and night, while trying to multitask and make dinner/dress toddlers/pack lunches/brush my teeth/apply deodorant.........

4- Her spit-up doesn't stink. If you have ever had a baby with reflux you will also appreciate this. Carsten and Abrielle both had reflux as infants and the smell can be pervasive. Rotten curdled breast milk smells roughly like rotten eggs. However, my sweet Alyssa's spit-up does not seem to stink if less that 24 hours old (don't take a whiff of the laundry hamper) and I really appreciate that given #3 above. She spends a lot of time near my nose and all I get is sweet baby scent.

5- She makes me a quieter person. I can't yell at my other kids when she's in my arms and does not like the loud noise. I have found myself yelling a lot less, especially during the dreaded bedtime rituals.

6- She makes me remember where we came from. Just a few weeks ago her spirit was in the pre-existence. I think she was excited to come to our family; that she was anxious to have a body, that she was nervous to leave the beauty and peace of heaven. I also think about how much she was relying on us to teach her and help her return.


7- She has long curly eyelashes. They really frame her bright eyes and...Gorgeous!!!

8- She brings out the soft and calm side of Carsten. Yes, said calm. He'll sit and hold her hand for hours. He naturally lowers his voice when he's close to her. He's the best big brother ever!!!

I will have to post more later---Alyssa must have sensed I was blogging about her and is demanding my attention. I had the nerve to put her down so I could type with two hands.

Forever and Ever and Ever and Ever and Ever......

There is a very bad thing about having your children early. Ok, so medically speaking there are a few very bad things. But psychologically speaking for subsequent pregnancies there is one very, very bad thing........if that one goes to full term you are pregnancy forever!!! Carsten came at 35 weeks, Abrielle was 36 weeks. I am now at 38 weeks and counting. My feet are having a competition with my belly to see who can get the biggest (score 1 for the feet today) and I'm getting a little irritable. Ok, a lot irritable, but only after 5:30 pm. It's my witching hour. Watch out. I will post comparative pics soon so we all can have fun.

On the good side, the kids are getting sooooooo excited for the baby. When the doctor walked into the exam room today, Abrielle looked him right in the eye and said in her stern little estrogen laced voice "Are you gonna get that baby out today?"

I Don't Like Ike!!!

My husband has accused me of praying for hurricanes to hit Houston this year so some of my friends would come visit. I would just like to say this is not true. I am in no way responsible for the 200 mile wide swath of fun heading your way. If I was, I would never have named it Ike. It would be something far more creative and harder to make a rhyme out of ... like Ichabod or Ignatius.

To further my defense, it would also be rather silly of me to pray for hurricanes in Houston, since we still own a house there. A beautiful 2 story on a corner lot at the entrance to the subdivision with nothing by fields and rural what-nots behind it. Also known as a "storm-shield" for the rest of the neighborhood, or so my neighbor said during Hurricane Rita. Figured his one story across the street (towards the inland side) was quite safe as our house would block anything blowing his direction. I didn't not think he was funny, but then perhaps he wasn't trying to be. For now, good luck to everyone hunkering down for their own private hurricane parties. (Enjoy your "Emergency Food" Emily!!!) We are praying for you!!!

Where'd we go......

So, I'm not the best, most consistent blogger around. No one should be surprised considering it took me about 1 year of "I should do that today" plus many friends prodding to even get this far. Not to mention a pregnancy in need of creative announcing.

Just so you know, we have not dropped off the proverbial edge of the earth. We are still in Round Rock, far from the edge, though on some days I feel a little closer than other.

So to update you all, here is a quick summary of the last few months.

My original OB/GYN was, shall we say, less than stellar and really let my Thyroid get screwed up, which landed me on the couch for the 1st 3 months of this pregnancy due to exhaustion. Fired her. New OB/GYN is awesome. I've referred 6 people to him. BIG FAN!!! Now off the couch I have been enrichment committee chair and planned 4 activities this year. Carsten was in a home based preschool which I taught about 2 days a month. Abrielle is dancing and singing through it all. Summer time was spent trying to keep cool (Record temps!!!) and doing a few fun things around Austin. Carsten has now started Kindergarten. Abrielle is lonely without him and told mommy she wants the baby to come now to play. Jason has been working....and working... and working, pausing only for meetings as 2 weeks ago he was called as the 1st counselor in the Bishopric of our newly formed ward. We say hi to him as he exits every morning, except when he leaves too early, then he claims to give me a kiss, but I'm unconscious still, so I can't confirm that. The lease is up on the house we initially moved to, but with everything going on, we just don't have the time or energy to put into buying a house, plus the cities we were planning on moving to around here are now off the menu since the Stake Presidency "strongly counseled" us to stay within the new ward boundaries (see the bishopric thing above). There aren't a lot of places in the new ward I know enough about to want to move to, so we are renting a different house and will be moving 10 houses down the street at the end of the month. (Before baby, after baby, during baby, who knows.) Tuesday I spend 4 hours in the hospital with everyone thinking labor was starting, but then it stopped. Now I'm home again timing contractions. Carsten LOVES Kindergarten. He loves running around at recess with his new friends...except for today when two of them collided and Carsten fractured his clavicle. He is now in a sling, which Abrielle is obsessed with and keeps patting. Patting the sling of a fractured clavicle does not feel very good for the fracture-ee. Mommy has declared it a movie night. It's possible that we're having cold cereal for dinner. That about sums it up for now. I will really try to be better about the blogging, but......... : )

INTRODUCING.....

Carsten

aka "Karate Man"

(yes, that is a 2nd place medal he is wearing)

Abrielle

aka "Pretty Princess"

Sweet, Sassy, likes chocolate milk and bananas

?????

aka The New Kid

apparently likes bland food, cold cereal, and long naps

Welcome to Gallini Tales !!!

Due to the prodding of several friends (yes Melanie, I am talking to you) I have finally gotten around to starting our family blog. Therefore, here's the family!!!