The Bakers of Lodi, CA

Christmas fun!

2011-12-28T15:41:00.000-08:00

We had a busy but very fun Christmas with lots of time spent with family. We also were able to ride on the Lodi Firetruck around town as it took Santa to see lots of local kiddos! What fun!

Christmas 2011 and Firetruck ride

May 2011 Family Photos

2011-06-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

Thought we'd share these with you all! There isn't an individual one of Lorelei because she has already had her 4 year and in about three months she'll have her 5 year photo! It was perfect timing for Ellie's 6 month and Charlotte's 3 year photo in May!

Family photos May 2011

7 month old Ellie!

2011-06-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some (or a LOT) of photos of our 16 pound 5 oz, 7 month old bundle of smiles: Ellie Kate! She is learning to clap, loves to eat mashed peas, pumpkin, squash and cheerios, plays peek-a-boo and has started babbling "ma-ma-ma" when she wants me or to eat! She is so much fun!

Ellie Kate 7 months

Ellie 7 months old

Ellie shy of 7 months

A (White) Memorial Day Weekend to remember!

2011-06-15T22:06:00.001-07:00

We spent Memorial Day weekend up in Tahoe (Incline Village) and stayed with my parents at a time-share condo there. It was beautiful and SNOWING! Who would have thought that a Holiday weekend known for water sports and summer-kick-off BBQ's would be dominated by massive snow flakes and freezing temperatures this year! It was even darn cold in the valley! Oh well...we had a blast anyway. And more importantly it was Charlotte's Third Birthday weekend as well! We celebrated with both sides of our family the week before as well. Is it really true that our little Charlotte is now three? When did that happen? She went from my baby to another one of my "big girls" overnight! *sniff, sniff* Since the weather was so un-summerish, we hunkered down in the condo for a few days of game playing, yummy food, drinks and naps whenever we wanted! The girls had a blast playing on the stairs in the condo and Ellie was her usual easy-going self (except for the fact that she has to have me in view at ALL TIMES!) We ventured out several times for meals and some shopping but we mostly hung out and it was wonderful. Not having the chores from home staring you in the face is quite liberating! Charlotte's Birthday (our second day there) was low-key and nice. She helped Grandma frost her cake and we all had fun playing with her new toys. She was one happy camper! It does not take a whole lot to please this little gal! We even fit in some time for a snow ball fight (the girls ate their snow balls) and some mini snowman building! What an unexpected treat for Memorial Day weekend!

Memorial Day weekend 2011 in Tahoe

Charlotte's 3rd B-Day

The best Mother's Day Ever!

2011-05-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

What could be better than spending Mother's Day with the little beauties who gave me that title and the guy who made my "Mommy dreams" come true. San Francisco with our little family was a blast! We had lunch in North Beach with my college roommate Brandie (AKA: Auntie Brandie); drove over to the Marina District then had some fun at Crissy Field; took a drive through the Presidio; checked out Golden Gate Park; hit the beach at Ocean Beach on the Pacific and explored the Palace of Fine Arts! The day was topped off with a kid-friendly meal at the Rainforest Cafe at Fisherman's Warf! What awesome memories from this day. I love you girls and thanks so much Matt!

Mother's Day San Fran 2011

iPhone protege!

2011-05-05T13:50:00.000-07:00

Lorelei giving Ellie an iPhone lesson

A special day at Preschool...

2011-05-05T13:32:00.001-07:00

Officer (Uncle) Kyle comes to Preschool!

A lot of fun with a box

2011-05-04T12:37:00.001-07:00

Fort with the girls, May 4, 2011

More photos of the "big sisters" and Ellie Kate sitting at the beginning of May!

2011-05-04T07:57:00.001-07:00

big girls beginnin of May 2011 and Ellie sitting

Ellie's playdates!

2011-05-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

We have two close family friends who have little baby boys that are around Ellie's age: Cruz Espinosa is 2 weeks younger than Ellie and Travis Harbin is 8 weeks older. Here are some photos of Ellie enjoying some time with each of her little buddies this weekend as well as some adorable photos of our big girls playing too!

Ellie and Cruz 6 months, May 1, 2011

Ellie playing with Travis...6 months old, April 31 2011

Easter-palooza!

2011-04-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderfully busy Easter weekend! Ellie enjoyed her "first Easter" and the girls loved everything about it! The bunny didn't even scare them this year! We had a great weekend of family and friends and the rain even held out so that we could do some Easter-egg hunts! Fun, fun, fun!

Easter, April 24, 2011, Ellie almost 6 months

Easter MORE 2011

Ellie is "sittin' pretty"!

2011-04-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

Well, Ellie beat the clock and decided that she would sit by herself before her 6 month birthday! She does pretty darn well considering how much cloth diaper fluff she is trying to balance upon! She topples over every few minutes which is both sad and hilarious all at the same time...she never seems to mind it. Instead she just grins and uses the opportunity of lying prone to soak up a new view of the room and to just"chill". She is such an easy going little girl! And boy oh boy does she look like her Daddy in these photos!

Uncle Kyle stopped by today while on duty. He was working our "beat" this shift and came by for the girls to play with his cool police car and all of the noisy buttons! We love you Uncle Kaka!

The big girls are in pre-Easter-excitement mode and are looking forward to a weekend filled with egg hunts, family and wonderful food...and one of our favorite things about Easter weekend: Fr. Kelly's song and guitar playing during the Homily on Sunday. We'll be sure to post photos and updates after the craziness of the weekend subsides. We hope you all have a joyous and blessed Easter weekend.

April pre-easter 2011

Dirt is always better than good clean fun!

2011-04-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

I think that these photos will explain themselves...the big girls had a blast tonight playing in Daddy's freshly tilled dirt in the backyard! First they were digging with shovels, then their shoes came off and the next thing we knew they were diving in the dirt! What fun! And what a lot of work for Mommy at bathtime!

Dirt play mid april 2011

Mid-April sunny weather!

2011-04-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

There was finally a break in the rain over the last week so we were able to spend some much needed time outside with the kids! The walls were closing in on them so to have some time to stretch their legs outside was GREAT! Ellie Kate enjoyed some time in the sun and her first feel of grass and Daddy tackled the "ivy sticks" in our front yard (dead birch trees with ivy covering them) and yanked them out with the family tractor. Everything is more fun with a tractor, right? With the help of Grandpa Chad, Uncle Kyle and our neighbors, the four trees were chopped up and hauled to the backyard for future firewood in NO time! Thanks guys! The girls sure enjoyed watching Daddy work on the tractor and loved climbing on it while it was parked in front of our house. We spent some fun times with our friends the Morenos and Daddy and his buddy Mando hauled 5 yards of compost to our back yard...the start of changing our back yard from a barren waste-land to a green escape (hopefully). (Mommy and Chrissy escaped during the dirt work for a shopping trip!) We know the backyard-makeover process will take some time but it was nice to get a start on it! Ellie is now five and a half months and is growing and changing by leaps and bounds! She cut her first bottom tooth the other day and is working hard to get the second one through. Soon she'll be sitting on her own! Spring is in the air and Easter is right around the corner! Where is 2011 going??

Mid April 2011

Ellie Collage at 5 months!

2011-04-10T22:27:00.001-07:00

5 month Ellie collage

More Baptism Photos from talented Larry!

2011-04-01T15:15:00.001-07:00

Ellie Baptism Larry photos

Ellie's Baptism!

2011-04-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

Ellie Kate Baker was welcomed into the Catholic Church this past weekend! Here are photos of her special day and all of the wonderful friends and family who were there to be a part of it. Auntie Alice and Uncle Brad are her adoring Godparents. Lucky little girl.

Ellie's Baptism March 26th 2011

Our little Ellie Kate is 5 months old today!

2011-03-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

Time goes by so quickly. Ellie is FIVE months today. Wow. We love her to pieces and each day she shows us more of her sweet little personality. Here are some photos of her and her sisters over the last week and on the day she turned 5 months old!

Late March 2011 Ellie 5 months!

20 week Ellie; Brandie's visit and more girlie fun!

2011-03-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

Ellie is changing so fast and is turning into quite a little chub (much to our delight since we always had bean-pole babies before!). She's so expressive (especially with her eyebrows) and talkative! She especially likes to hear her own voice when it is quiet in church! She has started using her exer-saucer and loves all of the simulation of the toys that surround her! Ellie's back is becoming a lot stronger and she can sit if we prop her up on her own arms out in front of her! On the downside, she is teething hard-core! She always has her hands/fist/finger in her mouth and seems be experiencing a bit more discomfort with the teething than the other girls did. Hopefully we will only have about one more month before those first pearly whites pop through and offer some relief. She loves her bathtime and her big sisters and continues to be a joy to our whole family!
"Auntie Brandie" also came for Ellie's Baptism at the end of this month (photos to follow shortly) and the girls enjoyed playing and cuddling with her...and Matt and I enjoyed some quality time with one of our favorite people in the world. Brandie, you rock!

Late March 2011 girls

Mid March photos of the girls and G-Gma!

2011-03-27T21:32:00.001-07:00

The girls had been so excited about "G-Gma's" visit in the Spring. "G-Gma" is my (Dana's) Grandma on my Mom's side from Kansas City. The girls had last seen her two summers ago and though I am pretty sure that Lorelei remembered her I am pretty sure that Charlotte only remembered her from photos and from Lorelei "talking her up". The girls LOVE her and we are sad to be seeing her go tomorrow.

Here are some other photos of the girls from the past two weeks...Ellie was about 19 weeks here.

Enjoy!

Mid March 2011 Ellie 4.5 months and GGma visit

Our Humbold Trip!

2011-03-22T23:35:00.000-07:00

We spent a WONDERFUL long weekend (March 11-15) in Eureka visiting our ol' "Gang" of friends and their offspring! We did all of the things that we missed about Humboldt: favorite shops, favorite restaurants, Sequoia Park, the beach, the Cookhouse for breakfast and even the mall (because it was pouring outside and the kids were antsy!) What a great time we all had catching up with old friends and showing the girls the place where Mommy and Daddy first called "home". The kids did a fabulous job tolerating both the hours in the car and the winding road on 299. Thank goodness we had a DVD player! Even little Ellie was a trooper! When can we go back???

Humboldt trip March 2011 Ellie 4.5 months

Ellie in cloth diapers...17 week update!

2011-03-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

The cloth diapering of Ellie has been easy as pie and we wish we would have done it with the other two kiddos as well! Here are some photos of her in her various cloth diapers, happy as a clam! The diapers are so cute and she has only had 1 diaper rash despite popular belief that cloth diapers cause more of them. We have loved the experience and we think she has too!

March 2011 cloth diapers

I now hate the color Pink...

2011-03-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

"Pink" eye STINKS! Happy Birthday week to me! A double dose of a childhood infection! Nope, the girls did not give it to me. I picked it up all on my own. Curse you bacteria!

pink eye March 2011

The three sisters and more photos of Ellie in her cloth diapers!

2011-02-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

Miracle, oh miracle! I managed to snap some shots of the three girls that are actually good of all of them! I thought I'd share this monumental accomplishment! Also some photos of Ellie at 15 weeks old modeling her cloth diapers again for her fans!

Three girls and Ellie 15 weeks Feb 2011

A few more of Ellie...

2011-02-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

Ellie is now 15 weeks old...almost 16 weeks and almost 4 months! Here are a few more photos from the last week and several random ones of the big girls and my Punkiboo shirts!

Ellie almost 4 months, Feb 2011

Some snow time over the long weekend!

2011-02-22T12:50:00.001-08:00

Over the past weekend we spent a lot of time in the car! On Saturday we took a drive up to Davis for Matt to check out some "handy-man" work he'll be doing for a friend and on Sunday we headed up to the Roach cabin with Brandon, Laurie, Brenden and Travis Harbin for some snow play! Pam and Ted Roach are always wonderful hosts and we had a LOT of fun. It was the perfect situation for snow-time: the snow was three feet deep around the cabin, ready for sled-run grooming and the toasty-warm cabin was just steps away to defrost little baby toes and cheeks! Charlotte did not really remember her last trip to the snow and was cautiously optimistic when it came to sledding but she DID not like her hands getting cold. She opted to head into the cabin after about an hour in the snow and hang out with Pam, Mommy, Laurie and the babies. On the other hand, Lorelei and Brenden (along with the other "Big Kids": Matt, Brandon and Ted) spent an additional two hours in the powder perfecting the sledding run, having snow ball fights (thanks Ted for allowing the kids to make you their target!) and snow-eating! Needless to say, the kiddos slept well on the way home! What a great day spent in beautiful weather with good friends in a picture-perfect setting!

Check out photos from our snow day, an evening with the Harbins and some photos of Ellie being a good little baby and taking Pedialite to try to get over some diarrhea last week!

February 2011 snow with Harbins etc

Photo Collages of the girls!

2011-02-18T07:19:00.001-08:00

Girls Collages

February cuteness from Ellie (3.5 months), Charlotte (33 months) and Lorelei (4.5 years)!

2011-02-16T15:35:00.001-08:00

Time for another batch of photos to share! These girls are growing like weeds and make us smile every day. Ellie is now 3 and a half months old and is perfecting her social interaction: smiles, coos and almost giggles. She is now in the 13 pound range (the largest of my girls for this age) and is an absolute sweetie pie- and so EASY! Lorelei is loving her second "semester" (haha) of Preschool and is quite the social butterfly. She has a very best friend named Peyton and lots of other little buddies (girls and boys alike). She continues to be a very articulate, curious and loving little girl who has a mind of her own! Charlotte has been enjoying jumping into the preschool activities when we take and pick up Lorelei. She'll be starting Preschool in September too! She loves her time with Mommy and Ellie on the days Lorelei is at school and she continues to make everyone laugh with her quirky personality and antics! So, things are busy around here but that's the way we like it!

February 2011

Ellie February 2011

Eleven and Twelve week old Ellie Kate!

2011-01-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

Our little Ellie is 12 weeks old now! She is an angel. So sweet, so happy, so mellow! She has carved out her spot in our family and in our hearts. She "talks" a lot to us now and gives BIG smiles to her sisters! She is a strong little gal and has discovered how fun kicking her legs can be! Ellie has had several colds over the past month but is a real trooper through the nasal suctioning and temperature-taking. She is doing much longer stretches of sleep at night now (AMEN!) and is a go-with-the-flow baby on mornings when I am racing to get Lorelei to preschool on time. We love her and are so blessed! Here are some recent photos for you!

January 2011 Ellie month three

There's something wrong with this picture...

2011-01-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

Our crazy dogs amuse us every day. Take a peek at their recent antics...we blame this all on Bailey!

Queen Bailey

Some great photos of the girls!

2011-01-08T08:40:00.000-08:00

Matt was asked to take a new Nikon camera home for the weekend from his work to "figure it out". We took the opportunity to take some great photos of the kiddos! Here they are!

Random photos of the girls

Some more Ellie!

2011-01-07T12:19:00.001-08:00

Here are some more shots of Ellie at 9.5 weeks old on her changing table (her favorite place) in a cute onesie made by our friend Sara!

more Ellie smiles and Dronkers shirt Jan 2011

Awake

2011-01-06T16:05:00.001-08:00

The other night Ellie decided to be awake for an hour and a half: from 3:45-5:15am. She was content but wide-eyed. I was trying to kill some time and so I snapped a few low quality photos on my iphone! Here they are!

awake

Better late than never! Christmas 2010 photos

2011-01-06T15:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry it took me so long to put these up! Here are photos from our wonderful Holidays! We hope you all have a very happy and blessed New Year!

Christmas 2010 Ellie 8 weeks

Smiles from Ellie Kate

2011-01-06T15:51:00.001-08:00

Ellie is 9 weeks old now but has been smiling for over a week. I finally captured a few on camera and wanted to share them with you! We just love this little girl!

Ellie 9 week smiles!

Ellie is 2 months old!

2011-01-03T22:28:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not being better about posting updates on Ellie! She is now 2 months old (where does the time go?) and is 10 lbs 4 oz, 22" long. She has great chubby cheeks and is a sweet, easy baby! She sleeps fairly well at night and Mommy's biggest success is that ALL THREE GIRLS NAP AT THE SAME TIME IN THE AFTERNOON! I am totally giddy about this. We are in love with our Ellie Kate and she has fit into our family perfectly. The "big girls" love their little sister and are a huge help to Mommy. Ellie coasted through the holidays totally un-phased by the chaos around her. She was able to meet lots of family and was hardly ever put down! Now if we could just get rid of her nasty little cold! Poor baby. Our whole family has passed it around. I'll try to be better about posting photos of her- she is growing and changing so fast!

Ellie 2 months

Ellie Kate is 1 month old!

2010-11-30T21:16:00.001-08:00

Our little Ellie is one month old today! Time flies when you have an easy newborn. She is a piece of cake! We love every minute with her and look forward to what the next months will bring...but we hope they don't go too fast!

Ellie 1 month!

Ellie at 2+ weeks!

2010-11-17T20:26:00.000-08:00

This past week has been a smooth one...Ellie has fit in perfectly and is so content to just sleep or to just quietly observe our household's crazy happenings that we are shaking our heads in disbelief! We've never had a baby like this! She is sleeping much better at night and gets up about every three hours to feed, burp, poop and then goes back down. She is very tolerant of her big sisters and LOVES to lay in Lorelei's arms as she sings songs to her from the Disney movies. Charlotte has been holding Ellie more too if only for a few seconds. Ellie is starting to get a lot stronger and holds her head up quite well and turns towards our voices and reacts to our movements. Today was her due date...November 17th, so as of today she is officially "fully baked"! We are having lots of fun with her and are so blessed to have three beautiful little girls in our life.

Ellie and girls November 2010

Halloween 2010!

2010-11-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

Here are photos of the girls on Halloween this year! Matt and I were trying to get home from the hospital with Ellie to see some of the festivities. The girls enjoyed their night of trick-or-treating with family and looked adorable too!

Halloween 2010

Ellie's first week!

2010-11-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some highlights from Ellie's first week home. It has been a fun, smooth ride. We love how she rounds out our family!

Ellie Kate first week, Nov. 2010

Ellie Kate Baker

2010-11-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

Our new addition has arrived and we are tickled pink. Thanks to all of you for your love and support!

Ellie Kate's Birth, Oct 30, 2010

Almost 37 weeks!

2010-10-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

I am close to the point in my pregnancy where I delivered Charlotte! This makes the impending arrival of baby number three feel very real and close! (lets hope). Here's to making it to almost 37 weeks (and hopefully meeting the baby soon!)

Just shy of 37 weeks pregnant!

Kyle and Aimee's Halloween Party 2010

2010-10-24T12:15:00.001-07:00

Here are some fun photos from Kyle and Aimee's Halloween Party the other night...they really did it up right! Lots of fun costumes, great company and good food! (and no kiddos which was nice). Thanks guys!

October and Halloween party 2010

Cousin Time

2010-10-24T12:13:00.001-07:00

Here are some sweet photos snapped at a spur-of-the-moment afternoon visit to the Elrods! These kiddos are so cute!

cousin fun Oct 2010

Sleepy-head readers

2010-10-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

Right after waking up the other morning, Lorelei offered to read a book to a grouchy Charlotte. Here are a few photos I snapped. These moments melt my heart!

Book worms Oct 2010

4 year checkup

2010-10-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

Lorelei did great during her 4 year checkup today. She came home with 6 bandaids (two on each arm for shots, a TB test bandaid and a finger-prick bandaid) and LOTS of stickers. She is a whopping 29 pounds and is 37.5" tall. What a peanut! She did great and was very chatty with the nurses and Doctor but was not too keen about going potty in the cup.

Lorelei 4 year checkup

36 weeks, 36 weeks, 36 weeks

2010-10-21T22:54:00.001-07:00

A fun look at my belly at 36 weeks...three times!

From Baby #3 pregnancy

Pumpkin Farm Preschool Field Trip

2010-10-20T22:34:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday Lorelei's preschool took a trip to Fog Willow Pumpkin Farm for a fun little field trip! Grandma ended up taking both girls and Mommy stayed at home (too much walking for me at this point...I am pretty darn uncomfortable!). Grandma took LOTS of photos and the girls had a blast petting animals, climbing hay mountains and learning about the farm.

Pumpkin Farm 2010

The Joaquins to-be

2010-10-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was my sister-in-law Ali and her hubby-t0-be, Brad's engagement party at the Baker house. What a beautiful night it was in so many ways. First of all the Baker's house and yard was done up to the nines and looked as if it could have been the site of a wedding! There were beautiful table decorations and linens along with fabulous food. The weather was beautiful: cool, not much wind and we lucked out because the next day it poured! The guests were a lot of fun and we all enjoyed getting to know Brad's side of the family as well as the rest of the bridal party. I feel so short next to all of these gorgeous, statuesque gals! Gonna need some spike heals to blend in with this group. The dinner was an adult-only affair and it was so nice to be able to have full conversations with people instead of having to keep an eye on the kiddos! Alice looked amazing in her "engagement dress" that she had been holding onto for the occasion and Brad looked to be glowing and was dressed-to-impress. They make a beautiful couple and we cannot wait to see them wed! (next July) Brad is a stellar guy and I could not be prouder to call him my brother-in-law. Matt and Brad have become great buddies and often eat lunch together at PG&E where they both work. It is so fun to see our family continue to grow and we wish Brand and Ali nothing but what they deserve: the best. Love you guys!

Ali Brad Engagement

Sisters

2010-10-20T22:08:00.001-07:00

I decided to put together a little collage of the girls...the original "sisters"....before the new little sister comes along. They make us smile!

sisters

Pregnancy Time Lapse photos

2010-10-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

Hi Family and Friends!

Now that I've made it to 36 weeks (FINALLY!) and will probably be delivering soon, I thought it would be fun to post an album of my pregnancy in time-lapse! My oh my, what a journey.

Baby #3 pregnancy

36 weeks pregnant!!

2010-10-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

Some good news: I am officially released from modified bedrest after 10 weeks of it! Thanks to my super helpful hubby and my Mom who has been helping me out a TON each day with the girls along with the rest of our families and friends I have made it to almost full-term! I had my doctor appointment yesterday and after doing a sonogram on the baby and seeing that she was a good size already (6 lbs 7oz) and that she looked to be doing well, Dr. Hickox said that I can go off of my anti-contraction medication and do what activities I feel like doing! I am starting to dilate and efface so things appear to be beginning to move towards deliver. Since I delivered both girls at around 37 and 38 weeks I am thinking that we may very well have a baby before (or on) Halloween! Thanks to all of you for your encouragement, prayers and well wishes over the past few months. We are very much looking forward to meeting our new baby girl.

Here's a photo of me, just shy of 36 weeks at my sister-in-law's engagement party:

pregnancy number 3, almost 36 weeks

Belly-watch 2010

2010-10-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

Ok...for all of you out there that enjoy a freak-show every now and then, here's a sideways shot of me at almost 36 weeks pregnant at my friend Kassi's baby shower. I feel like I might tip over. This baby has to be bigger than Lorelei and Charlotte were. I have a checkup tomorrow with my Doc and I will update you again then!

October 2010 Pregnancy #3 35.5 weeks

Bounty

2010-10-17T23:16:00.000-07:00

Here is our wagon-o-plenty. We took it around the neighborhood to try to off-load some produce on our neighbors!

October 2010 bounty

Girls were at it again...

2010-10-17T23:11:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember the notorious "caught in the act" photo of my girls with maker all over their face in a "mugshot" after they were caught. Stickers all over their faces is a whole different story. No problem! And what's funny is that my Mom had as many stickers on her face as they did!

October 2010 girls

YIKES!

2010-10-10T20:55:00.001-07:00

The girls LOVED this inflatable tunnel at the Pumpkin Patch, but it slightly disturbed Matt and I. Take a look.

From Bounce Tunnel FAIL!

October Pumpkin Patch Fun

2010-10-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

We took the girls up to an obscure Pumpkin Patch in Auburn over the weekend and were pleasantly surprised with the set-up and the girls had a blast! Here are photos from our day (perhaps one of our last little family day-trips with just the four of us!)

October 2010 fun with the girls!

Week 33 of baby #3 pregnancy!

2010-09-27T20:37:00.001-07:00

I had not posted a belly shot in a few weeks but here I am! All 33 weeks of me! Crazy belly, huh? This baby must be a true "Baker Baby" ! I go in tomorrow for a checkup and will post any significant news then. My contractions are becoming stronger and are lasting longer, even on the medication. So, I have a feeling that something is changing. We will see! I am getting pretty darn tired of my couch and bed but the girls keep me smiling and my helpers keep me sane!

Pregnancy number three 33 weeks

Mommy and her girls...photos over the past 4 years

2010-09-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

As the birth of baby girl number three quickly approaches I wanted to post some of my favorite photos of me with my FIRST two girls over the past several years. They will be wonderful big sisters but they will always be my babies.

Mommy and girls favorites!

A collage of Lorelei's 4th year...

2010-09-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

Every year I try to compile a photo collage for the kids birthday. Here is Lorelei's "4th year collage"! I can't believe that four years have passed.

From Collage of Lorelei's 4th year

Ethan's 4th Birthday!

2010-09-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

Our little nephew (and Godson) Ethan Elrod turned 4 on September 14th (just 12 days after Lorelei). We celebrated with dinner and cupcakes at the Elrod home and the kiddos wore themselves out on the trampoline in the heat of the sun. What a great day!

Ethan's 4th Birthday 2010

Chrissy's 30th Birthday Surprise!

2010-09-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

Back on August 21st (Chrissy's 30th Birthday), her husband Mando arranged a surprise evening of fun! We took a limo ride up to the John Mayer Concert in Marysville with 13 of us! What a blast. Chrissy was very surprised and everyone had a wonderful time!

Chrissy's 30th Birthday, Aug 2010

Daddy-daughters camping trip

2010-09-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

Matt decided that it would be fun to take the girls up the mountain for a camping trip one more time before it became too cold and before the new baby came. Mommy had a very nice, relaxing (strangely quiet) weekend to herself but was ready for their return! Daddy's good buddy Brandon Harbin joined them with his oldest son, Brenden while his wife Laurie stayed at home with their three week old son Travis. They all had a blast and came back very tired and very dirty!

Here are photos from the weekend courtesy of Brandon Harbin!

Matt camping with kids late Sept 2010

Lorelei's First Day of Preschool

2010-09-07T20:59:00.001-07:00

Yes, the day finally arrived. After seven months of hearing, "Mommy, when do I have preschool", (ever since we sat in on the preschool class), Lorelei finally had her first day! She was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She wore the new dress from Granny and Poppy, her new shoes, her new backpack and had her hair done "pretty". We were so excited for her to start this phase of her life but at the same time we had a sort of sadness in our hearts as we realized that it was the end of an era. For the next 12+ years she would be attending school and would never again just be home with me. It was a precious time having her all to myself but I guess its time to let her spread her wings!

She had a wonderful first day and met lots of new friends. She is already counting the minutes until Thursday when she goes to preschool again!

Lorelei's first day of Preschool 9-7-10

Memorial Day Fun!

2010-09-07T20:57:00.001-07:00

We had a blast in the pool on Memorial Day with some of our friends. The girls were in the pool for hours and had so much fun playing on the tubes! What nice weather and great company!

Labor Day 2010 pool fun!

Lorelei's 4th Birthday Party at the park!

2010-09-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a very fun and warm Birthday celebration for Miss Lorelei at her favorite park! It is hard to believe that she is 4! She had a blast with all of her little friends. I think we had about 18 kiddos there and close to 30 adults! What a blast! We love you Lorelei! "4" is going to be a big year! Preschool starts Tuesday and then a new baby sister will be next!

Lorelei's 4th Birthday partyA

Ultrasound photos from about 4 weeks ago

2010-09-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten to post these when they were taken! Here is baby Baker girl at 26 weeks. The sonographer captured some great photos!

26 week baby number 3

Little Divas: On Lorelei's 4th Birthday

2010-09-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

By far, the two favorite gifts given to Lorelei by Mommy and Daddy! I just love these photos. Dress up is their favorite activity and they were in 7th heaven wearing these new outfits! Lorelei was nice enough to "give" one to Charlotte to use!

Today Lorelei had her Preschool Open House! We met her teachers, classmates and explored all of the fun activities. Lorelei had so much fun showing Daddy and Charlotte around since she and Mommy had already been for a visit. Lorelei starts this coming Tuesday and is SO excited. She keeps asking, "I get to go by myself, right?" We'll see if this confidence lasts!

Happy, Happy Birthday our darling little girl! Four years has sure flown by.

Charlotte Lorelei early September 2010

Matt's Surprise 30th Birthday river float!

2010-08-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

What a day! Thanks to all who joined us for Matt's surprise day of floating down the Mokelumne River in tubes! Boy was it cold! A high of 75 with a chance of rain in late August? What? Regardless, everyone sucked it up and put their butts in the water in honor of Matt. Everyone had a blast and we hope to make this an annual event (but with warmer weather next year!).

Matt's 30th birthday

Almost 29 weeks!

2010-08-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

Here are a few belly shots from almost 29 weeks! We're getting there! I am trying to take it easy to keep this little one in a bit longer! "Bedrest", modified or not, is not my idea of a good time. But this little gal is worth it!

pregnancy 3, almost 29 weeks

This scares me...

2010-08-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I have a small business, Punkiboo Designs. I hand paint fun and funky images on organic cotton baby onesies and try to sell them at a reasonable price: $25. My onesies are available on etsy.com at www.etsy.com/shop/punkiboo.....but so are other "hand painted" onesies. Most are amazing. But here is one that sells for $14. Yikes. First of all, puff paint is no longer a "must have" in the world of art supplies(or wardrobes)and secondly, it looks like a really badly decorated Safeway birthday cake! I don't mean to sound like a jerk or to sound like I am a critically acclaimed professional artist (which I am not) who sells hundreds of pieces of clothing every week. I am SO far from that. I am just a stay at home mom who loves art and creating one-of-a-kind baby apparal (while making some money) selling what I believe to be a quality product. I only mean to avoid my "hand painted" shirts from being grouped with preschool arts and crafts. Take my advice...pay the extra 11 dollars. Yikes.

puff paint nightmare

Caught!

2010-08-10T11:03:00.001-07:00

A simple little coloring session can become quite interesting around here... especially if Mommy turns her back.

trouble

Sisters playing

2010-08-06T21:13:00.001-07:00

For as much as our girls argue and annoy one another, they really are great friends and playmates!

Charlotte Lola playing early August 2010

More summer stuff!

2010-08-06T07:59:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more photos from the past few weeks...what a nice summer it has been! Not too hot which is perfect for me!

last of swimming lessons July 2010

24 weeks and growing!

2010-07-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a "Battle of the Bellies" photo of myself and my friend Laurie who is ten weeks ahead of me! She is expecting her second boy, and of course you know that we are expecting our third girl!
All is well with the Baker clan...Matt started his new job at PG&E and LOVES it! We are so thankful! The girls are finishing up their last week of swimming lessons. Lorelei is a little fish! She does a great freestyle stroke and is working on her side breathing. Diving for rings is her favorite activity in the pool! Charlotte is still mastering the art of closing her mouth when she goes under the water but she LOVES to "monkey crawl", working her way around the edge of the pool hand over hand. She also is quite good at floating and jumping to her instructor. Matt and I celebrated our fifth anniversary this past week and enjoyed a kid-free "stay-cation" this pas weekend! The kiddos were shared between the grandparents and Matt and I spent the mornings sleeping in and the days filled with whatever we wanted to do! We saw a great movie: Inception, and had some great dinners out in downtown Lodi. We even sat in a Boarders Bookstore with our coffees and read for hours....because we could! What a nice time it was but it was even nicer to get our girls back!
A couple of weekends ago we took the girls camping for one night out in the delta. We went with our friends/neighbors the Espinosas and their two girls Kloee and Annalisa! What a blast we had. Even though it took quite a while for our girls to settle down and go to sleep in our tent, everyone had a great time roasting marshmallows, playing down at the river and digging in the dirt!
Tyler, Matt's best man from his wedding came to visit us several weeks ago from Manhattan where he is an FBI agent. We LOVED spending time with him even if the visit was short. The girls fell in love with him (typical reaction of females to Tyler's presence). We were sad to see him go but are hoping to take up his offer for a free place to stay in New York soon!

Times have been busy but fun...and they will only be getting busier I expect!

24 weeks pregnant #3

Swimming lessons both girls July 2010

Camping with Espinosas, July 2010

Charlotte Lola early July 2010

Belly photos from week 21 and 22

2010-07-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

We've rounding the 20 week, "half-way" mark and are flying through our fifth month of pregnancy! WOW. In less than four months we will be meeting our little baby girl. Hard to believe! Another thing that is hard to believe is my belly! Man oh man. I don't remember being so pregnant looking at this point during my other pregnancies. I am starting to worry about where the next 18 weeks are going to fit! I posted some photos here of my belly during week 21 (self-portraits in the mirror) and some very brave swimsuit belly shots from this week (into our 23rd week now). I may regret these. Oh well. Anyway, I am feeling well and despite some heartburn and tossing and turning during the nights while trying to find a comfortable position for both me and the baby, things are going well! We will keep you posted!

21 weeks pregnant #3

22 weeks pregnant #3

Kristen Gould's visit!

2010-06-21T09:05:00.001-07:00

Our dear friend, Kristen Gould (one of our Humboldt friends) visited us on Father's Day evening when cousins April and Larry brought her by on her way to the airport to return to Humboldt! Lorelei had not seen her since she was 10 months old and Charlotte had never met her! The girls took to Kristen quickly and enjoyed sitting on her lap and showing off for her! It was such a nice visit with Kristen, April and Larry. We hated to see them leave. We hope to get up to Humboldt for a long weekend trip in the next several months. See you then!

Kristen's visit...Father's Day 2010

19 weeks pregnant!

2010-06-21T09:03:00.001-07:00

Well, we are approaching the long-awaited 20 week mark and are 19 weeks pregnant now! Wow. These past several weeks have flown by. In another week we will hopefully find out whether Baby Baker #3 is a boy or girl! We will keep you "posted"!

Pregnancy number 3, 19 weeks

17 weeks and growing!

2010-06-08T13:34:00.001-07:00

We are now in the second trimester (well, actually 4 weeks into it) and things are going really well! We are starting our 18th week and I have my next checkup in about 6 days. Then I will schedule my 20 week sonogram, otherwise known as the "gender scan". So, exciting news to come! Keep checking back with us!

17 weeks pregnant #3

13 weeks!

2010-05-12T20:52:00.001-07:00

Hello all! Well, here is a photo of me, pregnant with Baby Baker #3 at 13 weeks. The baby is sure making itself known in my profile now! I am feeling pretty good (energy level is rising) and I have my next checkup on Monday. About 4-6 weeks later we'll have our gender-scan! Exciting times for the Baker family!

13 weeks

11 weeks pregnant!

2010-04-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Well, we are a week shy of being out of the first trimester! (Thank Goodness). Although I have had hardly any nausea I have been dealing with freqent, intense migraines. These usually lessen in frequency as I enter the "teen" weeks of pregnancy. My energy level has picked up a bit and I am sleeping better at night. Lorelei is quite excited about being a BIG big sister to a new little baby- although she has put in her request for a boy. Don't know if I'll be able to deliver on that one. We still have eight of so weeks until we can find out the gender of the baby but until then I am having fun imagining life with EITHER a boy or another little girl. Matt and I have started to browse baby name books again and the "girl name" sections of our books are well-worn. Perhaps we'll be able to flip through the crisp and brand-new looking "boy name" section with this baby?? I have found that baby #3 makes its presence known a bit earlier than baby #1 or #2 as my pants are already tight and a little belly is starting to show. Oh well. We are focused on enjoying this pregnancy and savoring each moment in case it is our last. I have another checkup in a couple of weeks...it seems strange to go so long between visits since I was going every week for the first 8 weeks! We will keep you updated on all things pregnancy. Keep your prayers and positive energy flowing as we continue this journey with Baby Baker #3!

week 11 of pregnancy #3

April...so far!

2010-04-11T22:05:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from the past week or so. The girls had a blast on Easter (those photos to come) but here are some photos of their Easter Egg Hunt at the Lange Twins Winery from the day before. What a blast! And here are a few more photos of the girls posing together outside. Such hams.

Charlotte Lola April 2010

Three's company...

2010-03-30T13:17:00.001-07:00

Hey all! As most of you probably already know, we are pregnant with Baby Baker #3! What a blessing to be pregnant again after losing the twin pregnancy in December (one regular miscarriage and one ruptured ectopic pregnancy). My Doc is doing weekly scans to monitor the baby and for the past two weeks now we've been able to see a hearbeat- what a relief. Wanted to share this week's ultrasound with you. It is not much to look at but it is proof to us that there is hope after loss.

Our due date is November 17th- strangely enough it is the exact same due date as the baby we lost between Lorelei and Charlotte. But, knowing my pattern with my last pregnancies, the baby will probably come during the first week in November. I am usually 1-2.5 weeks early and my water breaks at home. We will have to see if this one follows suit! We will keep you informed!

Check out the little bean:

7 week ultrasound

Doggies spooning

2010-03-25T18:51:00.001-07:00

This should make you smile. These two are such entertaining little monsters.

Doggies spooning

Time lapse of Lorele's Hemangioma (birthmark)

2010-02-24T18:05:00.000-08:00

Well, now that Lorelei's birthmark is hardly noticeable (in comparison to what it was), we thought we'd post photos of Lorelei's "hemangioma journey". When we first learned about it and saw the rapid and dramatic changes that occured over the first weeks and then months of her life, it felt like we would never reach a time when it wasn't a daily concern. But now we have. She calls it her "butterfly" and thinks that it is pretty special. And we think that she is pretty special as well.

Check out the dramatic change:

Lorelei's Hemangioma journey

Some February photos of the girls

2010-02-23T09:38:00.000-08:00

February has been a pretty wet month so we have spent LOTS of time indoors playing. Here are a few photos of the girls from this month. I can't believe that I have a three and a half year old and a twenty-one month old! Where does time go?

February 2010 photos of the girls

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Punkiboo Designs Website Up and Running

2010-02-21T12:04:00.000-08:00

For everyone that has been following my recent endeavor with Punkiboo Designs, I am pleased to announce that my webiste, www.punkiboo.com, is now up and running. It is set up using a blog-style format similar to what you see here on The Bakers of Lodi and you can easily subscribe to updates over there to stay up to date on all things Punkiboo. Also, I now have a shop up and running on Etsy.com, a website dedicated to the retail of all things hand-made. Please check out my Etsy.com shop at www.etsy.com/shop/punkiboo.

"Humboldt" Girls weekend in McCloud, CA

2010-02-08T23:42:00.000-08:00

This past weekend a group of 9 of us ol' Humboldt gal-pals converged upon McCloud, CA (near Mt. Shasta) for a snowy, estrogen-filled weekend of catching up with one another. Two of us came from the central valley (April and I), one from the Bay Area (Julie), one from Colorado (Petra) and five from Humboldt. I had not seen most of these gals in over two and a half years. I really miss them and found our weekend to be good for my soul and not nearly long enough. What is funny is that this weekend had been planned months and months ago but as it got closer, we realized that we were all leaving our men with the kids on Super Bowl weekend! Oops! They were all really good sports about our timing though.

Here are some photos from our weekend!

Girls Trip

Punkiboo Designs Baby Shirts

2010-02-04T23:25:00.000-08:00

I know that you all receive my Punkiboo e-mails about recent shirts that I have completed, but I wanted to post a collection of "collages" of the shirts for you to view on the blog as well. Here they are! I have been quite busy with orders and have had a lot of fun creating custom shirts recently. Thank you all so very much for your business and your support! With your help our Haiti relief fund is growing!

Punkiboo

Yeah, we're still here...

2010-01-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

Ok. So a New Year's resolution of mine (among many others) is to keep up with my blogging! I have been so bad! Please forgive me and hopefully you still remember who we are.

We are all doing well. Matt started a new job recently after being unemployed for SEVEN LONG MONTHS. He is really enjoying it and we are all thankful to still be in our home after such crazy times. In his "free" time he enjoys tinkering around the house and his new goal is to get our hot-tub leak patched and the spa working before winter is over! We are getting close. He also enjoys "farming" in our winter garden with Lorelei.

After a medically rocky December of 2009 when we experienced a twin pregnancy that resulted in a miscarriage and a ruptured ectopic pregnancy that required surgery, I am back feeling like me again. I have taken on a new venture in life: I have started my own business as most of you probably know. Punkiboo Designs is my new baby and I am having a blast hand-painting baby onesies in my "free" time (AKA: 8:30pm-midnight). I hope to have my Etsy shop and website up within the next two weeks (another goal!) I am still blessed enough to be a stay at home Mom and the girls are my little buddies during the day. We play hours of dress up, rock out to old 1980's records of the children's band "Greg and Steve" and cook lots of yummy meals at Charlotte and Lorelei's new play kitchen. Life is good.

Lorelei is 3 years and 4 months old now. She is a very verbal little girl with a fabulous imagination and burning need to "mother" her little sister whenever possible. Most of the time it is with good intention. Lorelei is a sensitive and empathetic little soul and she enjoys baby dolls and art as her activities of choice. She will be starting preschool in the Fall and Mommy is on the hunt right now for the perfect one for her. Tot soccer starts in a month or so and Uncle Kyle will be coach. We are looking forward to watching an amorphous blob of 3-6 year olds zig zag its way across the field in a perfect rendition of "bunch ball". It should be fun and hilarious.

Charlotte or "Charby" as she is most often called is a bundle of energy from sun-up to sun-down. She has started to show an inclination for speech after 19 months of grunts and gestures. Two and three words are now being grouped together as she frustratingly tries to convey to the world her point of view. She is a raspy-voiced little bull-dozer who shadows Lorelei in everything she does. But man, can she cuddle. What a little love she is.

The dogs, Baxter and Bailey are still up to their old tricks: shedding, barking, wrestling and licking kids. These two creatures crack me up.

We hope that 2010 will be a year of adventures (only good ones please) and prosperity (lets hope) after a tumultuous 2009. Check back from time to time and we will try our best to keep you up-to-date with the lives of the Bakers4.

Here are some favorite photos from the last 6 months that we've been M.I.A. on blogger!

Favorite photos since last July!

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Lorelei Fun!

2009-07-11T20:50:00.001-07:00

Lorelei has been learning and doing a lot of new things lately. She is such a curious little gal. Here are some photos of her recent adventures.

Check them out here:

Lorelei's new adventures!

Lots of summer fun

2009-07-09T19:51:00.001-07:00

We've been having a great summer. The girls are at really fun stages and are both very active! Lorelei is taking swimming lessons with her cousin Ethan and despite the tears, they are learning a ton and are doing very well. Charlotte no longer walks... she now runs. It is really had to keep up with her. She is now finally SLEEPING THROUGH THE WHOLE NIGHT! Praise God! Getting full nights of sleep has been a blessing after a year of getting up with her every few hours! Charlotte says several words now: Mama, Dada, Dog, LiLi (Lorelei), up, milk, no, stop. Some of these are in a language all her own. Lorelei is a bright little gal and amazes us daily with the things she knows and the things she says! We've been having fun enjoying summer activities and LOVE our pool. We are also really looking forward to Uncle Kyle and Auntie Aimee's wedding in a few weeks! Every day Lorelei asks, "can we go to Kaka and Aimee's wedding today?" and then says, "oh, the doors aren't open yet?" after hearing my answer. The girls will be the flower girls and we ask that everyone start praying now that they actually go down the isle! Hope all is well with everyone and we'll keep you "posted"!

Here are some summer photos:

Summer fun

Memorial Day and Birthday photos from Grandma Barrow

2009-06-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

My Mom sent me some great photos from Charlotte's first birthday party as well as fun photos from the memorial day BBQ at our house. We wanted to share them with you!

Memorial Day and Charlotte's first birthday 2009

I wish pets could live forever...

2009-06-04T23:47:00.001-07:00

Today was a sad day for my Mom, Dad, Kyle and I. We had to put our beloved cat Tugger to sleep. He was shy of 16 years old and was fading fast. Over the last few months he went from being the slightly-portly but healthy, beautiful cat we loved to a shadow of his former self. His balance was failing him as were his kidneys and quality of life. Kyle and I opted to not attend the appointment today and said our goodbyes yesterday with a few scratches under his chin and kisses on his nose. This left Mom and Dad to be the ones by his side as he slipped away but they assured us that they didn't mind. He left his body peacefully and he gave the gift of peace to my parents by his willing surrender. We had made the right decision and we knew that he would be happy to see his old pal PeeWee as his paws padded across the threshold of heaven. There they would be agile once more, romping together in their nightly wrestling match.

Our beloved pets live for a fraction of the time that we are on this earth leaving us to experience the full cycle of their life and death...and then the void they leave behind. But the joy they brought by their uncomplicated and unconditional companionship makes the pain of their loss more bearable. How sweet it must be to live such a simple existance. We only hope that in their blink-of-a-life they found joy in our presence as well.

We'll miss you Tugger.

Love,
your family

Turning ONE is so much fun!

2009-06-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

Well, our little Charlotte is now 1! It really is so hard to believe. Was it only a year ago that we were just a family of three? Becoming a family of 4 has been so awesome and we count our blessings daily for our little Charby.

We had a great little party for Charlotte last weekend complete with ice cream cookie sandwiches. YUMMY! Thanks Grandma Barrow! Charlotte loved observing all of the action and looked cute in her birthday crown. She totally dug in to her ice cream and picked up chunks of it with her little hands until they froze! She received many nice gifts and was very attentive during the gift-opening session. What a nice day!

Charlotte also had her 1 year "well-baby" checkup with our pediatrician. Her stats are as follows: 17.5 lbs, 29 and a quarter inches. Overall, she is a peanut although her build is much more solid than that of Lorelei at the same age. She is taking steps on her own quite often now and even stops and changes direction! She still only says about 6 words, but why talk when Lorelei can do all of the talking for her?! Charlotte still gives us heart-attacks with her climbing and she can completely disassemble a room in a split second! But that sweet smile and personality continues to melt our hearts. What a joy she is.

Here are some photos:

2009-05-29 Charlotte 1 year old, may 29, 2009

2009-05-30 Charlotte 1 year old, may 29, 2009

Late May Fun

2009-05-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well, the end of May has roasted us with some very hot weather and we've been enjoying the pool...(all except Charlotte). Lorelei would love to live in the pool along with Baxter! The girls have been up to their normal antics of playing and fighting. Charlotte has become very willful lately and lets her sister (and parents) know how she feels by ear-piercing screeches. Oh boy. We'll be putting a stop to that! Lorelei is still a very tolerant and sweet big sister but once she reaches her limit, all bets are off. As a result she's become quite a regular in her time-out spot. And because practice makes perfect, she is now able to articulate very well the reason she was placed there each time! Hug-and-kiss apologies are often not well received by Charlotte but Lorelei feels that until her little sister is smothered into submission to receive the hug and kiss, her debt has not been payed...then Charlotte gets irritated and the vicious cycle continues! Despite the drama, for the most part the girls play together very well. Charlotte loves to imitate EVERYTHING Lorelei does. She cut two new teeth and she has been working on her first independant steps this week. Soon she'll be running behind Lorelei without the use of the push cart! Lorelei has been making up songs left and right and she entertains us in the evenings until we nicely ask her to quit. May has been a fun month and we know there will be many more memorable moments to come in June.

Here are some photos:

Charlotte Lola late May 09

Charlotte our little spider

2009-05-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

Just like the spider in the movie "Charlotte's Web", our little Charlotte is quite the climber. Here are a few shots of her in action. Yes, she causes us a heart-attack at least once a day.

Check her out...and hold your breath!

Charlotte the climber 11.5 months May 09

Goodbye dear friend

2009-05-06T21:55:00.001-07:00

Many of you will remember the dear friend of ours who stood guard on the porch of every place that Matt and I called home: our beloved cast-concrete E.T. Matt "acquired" him from a college buddy and ever since he has been with us through each move and change. He traveled with us from Sacramento to Eureka where he adorned two different porches...and then on to Orange County and then to each of our houses in Lodi. But last night he was taken. We are so sad. We had hoped that my brother had taken him as a joke but no...he is gone. We knew we were taking a chance by having him in our front yard but everyone knew our place by our E.T. I will be posting an ad on Craigslist if we can come up with some sort of "reward". Maybe we'll wake up tomorrow and he'll be back in our front yard. That would be cool. I just hope some dumb teenagers didn't steal him to shoot at him with a BB gun or smash him in the road somewhere. If they did steal him, I hope they were on bikes and I hope they put him in a basket on the front. He would have liked that. But instead, I would like to think that maybe his spaceship just came to take him home. If that was what happened, we're ok with it.

Here are some photos of our dear E.T.

11 months old!

2009-05-06T21:53:00.000-07:00

Well, Charlotte is now 11 months old. How can this be? Her new trick is that she blows kisses...it is so adorable. Here are some photos of her:

Charlotte 11 months

April photos

2009-05-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

Here are photos from the rest of April. Overall it was a good month and the girls are growing and changing by leaps and bounds! Charlotte is running all over the house behind her push cart chasing her sister everywhere she goes. She loves to feed herself finger foods and now waves, shakes her head "no, no", says "Mama", "Dada", "Dog", "naw, naw" (no, no) and gives hugs and kisses on demand. She climbs anything in her path and loves to sneak over to our indoor plants and eat the bark and dirt whenever she can. Poor Lorelei...she is having to learn to deal with a very grabby baby sister who claims things with her slobber and chews on all of her coloring books! But overall, Lorelei is a very patient, loving big sister. She is very helpful to Mommy and loves Charlotte to pieces. Lorelei's vocabulary never ceases to amaze us as well as the clarity with which she speaks. She has great little sayings like, "oh dear" and "hey there Mommy-o" and "no way Jose!" She is potty trained (#1), but we are still working on #2. Lorelei is a dancin' fool and will move to the beat of anything! She loves spotting police cars on the road since Uncle Kyle drives on of those cars and she lives and dies for time at the park. Lola also loves to help clean and works alongside Daddy when he mows the lawn or tends the garden. What a big girl she has become! We are so proud of her. Our girls keep us busy and we love them to pieces but Matt and I find enjoyment in the little moments we have alone after the girls are in bed!!!

2009-04-16 Charlotte Lola April 2009

2009-04-17 Charlotte Lola April 2009

2009-04-22 Charlotte Lola April 2009