Baby girl has been scratching herself in the face.

Hand mitts and socks aren't working!

Personalized (I'm a big brother) Shirts.

Shirt by- BittyBraille

I think it's high time to get DJ one of those very cool 

"I'm a big brother shirts"

I need a company that accepts paypal.

Please, post links for these types of shirts (Boys sizes 6-8) in the comment section.

Thanks!!!

Flashback Fridays! Kiss the baby!

Flashback Fridays!  Kiss the baby!

Annaliza-One of a Kind!

My sweet friend Annaliza stopped by last week to see Gracen and DJ.   Gracen slept through most of the photo shoot, outfit changes and all.  

I am in the process of getting all the photos uploaded and I can't wait to share all the gems she captured.

Here's one of the photos from the shoot:

What a great shot!

Isn't she the cutest baby ever? Is that OK for a mommy to say? Oh well...too late! HaHa!

I've said this before and I'll say it again. I am truly blessed to have true friends that shower me and my family with all the love and support!

When I arrived home today, there was a CD of all the photos and birth announcements that she created for our Baby Gracen. I am more than humbled and in awe that she did all of this for our family!

Thank you again Annaliza!  

You are truly one of a kind!

Where did I get Gracen's hairbows?

Question from my comment section:

I love her bows! Where did you get those from? She looks like a mini-DJ in this picture! Gorgeous Kids Tanyetta! 

My friend Colleen made all of Gracen's bows!  She's so talented and everyone should have a Colleen in their lives!  

Thank you for the compliments.

Tim Hawkins (Comedy)-Chick Fil A Song.

I've been living under a rock.  I just found out about the funniest guy ever!

Tim Hawkins.  

His comedy is clean, funny and have very catchy tunes!

I vote for:

The Wife Song:

and

The Chick Fil A Song:

He has a YouTube Channel. Check out his other videos!

Sibling on Sibling LOVE.

DJ is really fascinated with having a baby sister.  We're still working on the fact that he has to be 'gentle' with her and must be very careful not to rough house so closely to her face!  

He loves his baby sister so much.  

Texas Longhorn

Wordless Wednesday (She's so Fly)

Random photos of my first born!

Pick your favorite pose!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

Pick your favorite pose in the comment section!

Gracen Ahlia

Photo by Annaliza

Half Shaven Head!

DJ's been complaining about getting his haircut at home. He likes going to our local barber but, at $12 a sitting, cutbacks have to be made. 

Daddy bought some new clippers and got creative to distract DJ from focusing on getting a home haircut. 

He couldn't stop giggling when Daddy only shaved part of his head. 

He wanted to get down from the sink to go and show his sister!   Thankfully this little bit of a distraction made the process run smooth! 

Anyone watching jon and kate plus 8?

Anyone watching jon and kate plus 8? What are your thoughts about this episode? I hope things get better for all of them! They have 8 kids, marriage and a lifetime commitment! I wish them luck!

What happened to my food?

Ever have a taste for something you left in the fridge, only to realize someone in the house ate or drank it?--;)I love my family!

Other People's Children-Gary Drevitch

Other People's Children-Gary Drevitch

Have you ever read an article and just bust out laughing so hard, people around you want to know what is so funny but, you can't even catch your breath to explain.

You find yourself just pointing at the screen, giving air high fives and nodding your head in agreement! This is what happened when I came across the following article penned by Gary Drevitch.

And Then There's Dad: Other People's Children


My favorite part of the article is when he's describing how his children's friends parents notice every thing about his kids.....

***But I do feel bad that I have no compliment to pay them back about their own kids. Somehow, I just haven’t been paying attention.***


HaHa!!! I love it.

He also wrote this article: Proud to wear the crown-This dad is naturally better at parenting. Just ask his wife

Enjoy!

Update as of 5/30/09 (Elijah passed away)

Elijah passed away 3am this morning in his sleep.  Words cannot express or explain what the family is going through right now.  A parent should NEVER have to experience burying their babies.  I am so saddened by the news.  

Thank you to everyone that reached out to help this family.  Please, keep them in your prayers as they go through this very difficult time.

In an instant of time, you arrived

And just as quickly you have now departed.

We can’t make sense of it, nor understand,

the immense sadness, as our newest friend.

Your smile so bright, your eyes aglow…

E- Every moment was a blessing to have with you

L- Life is precious, and there is joy in knowing yours continues

I- Into peace, you have begun…

J- Jesus holds you now in the best place you’ll ever know

A- Always in our hearts

H- How wonderful it will be to see you again…

Update received on 5/27/09

Dear ones, HI! Thanks so much for being interested, concerned, and prayerful for this little boy...

(Below is Rick's latest message to all of you, plus pics from our visit last Sat...)

Please remember to forward, cut/paste this update your facebook, blog page, website, etc. with this info! 

First, to all of you: They can not BELIEVE that people they don't even know, care for their situation so deeply...it has touched them beyond words of gratitude, they are AMAZED, and teary eyed at your response...THANK YOU.

Elijah had an appt in LA last Friday with a FANTASTIC doctor who is ordering more testing/"partnering" with Kaiser to help Elijah. The radiation was the worst path taken thus far, (as noticed), enlarging the tumor, and temporarily disrupting their sons' inability to walk or smile (half of his face paralyzed). 

Despite all that, last Sat he was able to get on his 2 feet (as he had been for a few days) and even out of the house for a bit- it was so encouraging for the family...and a wonderful miracle compared to the weeks up until that moment~ things seem to be getting better, then a setback, repeat. (Eli got his smile back, too!)

This LA doc hopes to see things reversed through a chemo treatment that is predicted, (if successful), to prolong Elijah's life...pray for the cooperation and ease of Kaiser and this doc, funds necessary to test/treat, and the stamina of this sweet boy and his family...thanks.

In the meantime, WORD OF MOUTH WORKS!! Through a "friend of a friend" thing, there is a man who practices alternative medicine, and helps families all over the WORLD, whose main office is literally one city over from the Lindsey's (in Santa Ana). They are going to get his opinion on their sons health, as well. This man is VERY conservatively known for his gifts and knowledge. We pray this experience is successful, as well... 

It may take up to another week or so for me to get back to you on how all these things mentioned above progress, but I will do it!

As far as our visit?! What a BLAST! Sean and Gabriel picked up just where they left off, Patrick and Rick caught up, Eli showed Kevin and Clara his hamster, and Melanie and I embraced and shared memories...Our other son, Bryan, especially enjoyed looking through albums filled with picks of the bigger boys as young babes!

Elijah is DEFINITELY a fan of the movie "Bedtime Stories"! GO ADAM SANDLER!  This movie brings him great relief and joy. And, as observed, he gets frequent headaches, and though he smiles when addressed, his poor body seems tired and fatigued...Oh, and he'll even watch it without sound, as I'm pretty sure he must hear all the dialogue in his head, considering how many times he's seen it! ")

He is 5, I was off on that (my apologies) but he knows his birthday is coming up! (Aug 8)

The whole family enjoys doing magic tricks. We all participated in that, as magic is for all ages, and brings smiles and fun to their very difficult day-to-day circumstance.

And now from RICK:

Hi Anna,

Thank you for everything you have done for us. Dr. Umbricio is in Germany but returns on Monday, I am still waiting to hear from his office to see if I can be waiting for him at 9 am on Monday when he is scheduled to be in. After a couple weeks of Elijah progressively getting better, the last couple day's have found him doing rather poorly. Mel and I were very concerned as he has not wanted to get out of bed all day, was constantly nauseated and feeling like he was going to vomit all the time. He also lost his appetite and was refusing to eat or take his medication. Melanie called Leah Stroud, Pastor at St. Andrews and I called Father Dan Lackie at St. Judes to request that they come by and pray with us for Elijah. By coincidence, they both showed up at the same time and we prayed for about an hour and to our amazement, Elijah seems to be doing much better this afternoon, He has regained his appetite and is up watching his favorite movie,

Bedtime Stories, he has watched that about 100 times in the last 2 weeks.

So we are in Full Prayer Mode, Please forward to as many as possible to not let up and step up the prayers like never before. Our faith will not waiver, we will thank God for blessing our child for we truly believe that God's Miracle is in full effect and although we cannot see it yet. It will be revealed when our Lord chooses to reveal it to us all.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all their support, encouragement, meals, donations and PRAYERS. The response has been overwhelming and we will not be able to physically call or send Thank You's to every one of you, but please know in your hearts, the gratitude that we have for each and everyone of you that has helped, prayed, donated and touched our lives and that of Elijah's in a very special way. 

PLEASE BE SURE AND FORWARD THIS TO ALL THAT GOT THE REQUEST FOR DONATIONS AND PRAYERS, GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

Rick, Melanie, Gabriel and Elijah

ps- The meals were taken care of through Jessyca's PTA group until June 1, and if you want to still participate or have sent her a reply, but not heard back, it's because she has passed the torch for June 1-14 to me, so please respond to annabooth27@aim.com if need be~

and...

The Elijah Lindsey Cancer Foundation is set-up through Wells Fargo. The easiest  way to make a donation is on-line through Pay-pal. Please go to Elijah's website  at: http://sites.google.com/site/helpelijah/.  You can also do it through your on-line banking. The account routing number is  1220002477835049144. or you go to any Wells Fargo and make a deposit directly to  his account #7835049144.  Or, Please make checks payable to Elijah Lindsey Cancer Foundation and mail to  2178 Canyon Drive, #C, Costa Mesa, CA, 92627.

Sleep Patterns (Newborns)

My (18 day old) baby went to sleep at midnight, didn't wake until 6am! Is this a dream? Is this normal? Will it happen again? *crossing fingers*

My husband and I jumped up at the sight of the sunrise wondering did we sleep through her screams. Did she wake and we missed it? Did I breast feed in my sleep? She slept through the night? Huh? Really?

Next thing you know......30 minutes later, her brother runs into our room, jumps in the middle and falls fast asleep. Amazing how the kid wakes up, goes to pee and jumps in the bed all with his eyes closed!

Gotta love it.

Awesome Dads taking care of the kids and the house!

My husband has been home on "my wife just had a baby leave" for 3 weeks STRAIGHT. He's taking off the entire month until June 8th to help with DJ and the baby and around the house.

He said, "How do you handle DJ everyday? I am worn out!"
My response: HaHa!!! I love it. Feel my pain dear. Feel my pain.

He's been doing EVERY SINGLE THING! Am I complaining? Of course not. Never, nope, I love it all. I am going to cry when he goes back to work.

He takes his hat off to all the stay at home moms all around the world.

Thank you Sweetie! Thank you!

If you've given birth, do you miss being pregnant?

I  miss being pregnant!

If you've given birth, do you miss being pregnant? 

Don't get me wrong, I am so happy to have Gracen here in my arms and not swooshing around in my belly and putting pressure on my hips but, I really miss feeling her inside of me and that being our one thing that we shared together! 

It's like I knew exactly where my baby was at all times and we had this bond that was just between the both of us. Now that she's here, I have to share her and worry if I'm doing a great job as a mom! Let the roller coaster of post pregnancy emotions begin. 

Sounds Crazy? Anyone else ever miss being pregnant? Anyone ever felt this way after giving birth?

Favorite Children or Favorite Parents! That is the question.

If you have more than one child, do you love one child more than the other?

I have to admit, I love all my kids, this is true. It's just that my first born has my eternal heart and soul. Does this mean I love her siblings any less? Of course not. It's just that she was our first baby for 16 years before we had more kids so, yes, she has our hearts and souls eternally! Is she our favorite over the others? Maybe. Maybe not. Is our relationship different from the others? Of course.

Before you send hate mail, check out MY SECOND FAVORITE SON

What are your thoughts?

Do you think it's possible to love one child more than the other, etc...????

Please, explain.

-----

Lindsay has a question too:

The question i have is, if you can have a favourite child, do you think your kids have a favourite parent? Not that they love one of you less, but do you think theres a parent they favour?

What to use when cleaning laminate floors!

Help!
What do you use when cleaning laminate (fake wood) floors?

What type of mop?
What type of cleaning solution?

How often do you use it? Any residue?

Baby Trend Sit-‘n-Stand Stroller with Parent Tray--Perfect for Babies and Preschoolers!

Our friends gave us this very cool stroller (Baby Trend Sit-‘n-Stand Stroller with Parent Tray) for Baby Gracen and DJ at my baby shower to make it easier for our outings on the town! What? I have great friends? I know this! I know this!

The funny part, I didn't want to nag too much to get sweetie to put it together, I just dropped little hints here and there and well, he finally broke down and put it together.





As you can see from this photo, he was THRILLED that out of all the things I could have found to do, I decided to sit and take photos and tell him what a great Dad he is. Check out his facial expression on this one! LOL



Yeah....I put the camera down and left the room after that. Didn't want to push my luck! Hah!

Thanks Sweetie!


Our first trip to the Mall with Gracen! This is the coolest stroller ever!

Check out Gracen! She was a trooper. She slept the entire time!

Fun times at Disneyland/California Adventure!

Check out Danyelle having a blast at Disneyland/California Adventure!

She's sending photos from her camera phone to show us what a great time she's having.

How's your weekend so far??

I've been enjoying my weekend!

Yesterday--bday celebration for anna our sweet friend!!--

Today--Celebration of me day---Hair, pedicure, lunch, new outfit, cute sandals all for me! The best part, my husband told me to take my time! He can hold down the fort!

What, What! You don't have to tell me twice!

I am truly blessed. Great way to recharge and to have a little 'me' time since giving birth. How sweet!

Question: How's your weekend so far? What are you up to?

My Gym-Come meet Elmo!

My Gym Sponsored an event to Open House-Come Meet Elmo!

DJ had a blast! The place was packed, there was fun for all and the best part, he won a raffle prize! Winning streaks run in our family! Gotta love it :)

Nine Out of Ten Couples Compromise on Comfort.

For more than 15 years, the Better Sleep Council has declared that May is Better Sleep Month.  A recent Better Sleep Month survey revealed that more than half of Americans are unlikely to take some basic steps to improve the quality of their sleep. To promote “better sleep between couples”,  sleep expert Pete Bils, from Select Comfort, offers tips: Nine Out of Ten Couples Compromise on Comfort.

 

Plus, Select Comfort is having special deals on beds and bedding accessories in honor of Better Sleep Month.

 

Special deals Include:

 

o   The Sleep Number Performance Special Edition Bed is $750 off

o   Natural Foam Pillows for $39.99

o   30% off Down Pillows

o   20% off Pima Cotton Sateen Sheets

 

To get the deals: Go to www.sleepnumber.com and place an order. No need to enter a special code at checkout. The discount is automatically applied.  

Click HERE for $50 Gift Card that can be used on a purchase of $100. 

Melanie Fiona

Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest (ends June 30)

In this economy, what people need is a new “perspective” on summer travel – the chance to look at a trip from a different “angle,” in a fresh “light” with renewed “focus” … the perfect solution: a budget-friendly photography vacation. While many people will be enjoying family “staycations” this year, why not make an outing to your local zoo look like a safari to the Serengeti or turn a backyard camping trip into an adventure to Shangri-La.

To add to the fun, enter your photograph in the second annual “Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest” for a chance to have your photo appear in an Energizer® Ultimate Lithium ad in the venerable National Geographic Magazine and a trip of a life-time – a National Geographic Expedition for two to the Galapagos Islands.

Whether you are digital photography novice, a proud picture taking mom or a long-time photo enthusiast, all skill levels are encouraged to enter.



The contest runs until June 30 and photographers can visit nationalgeographic.com/lithium to enter a photo in one of six thematic categories: animals/wildlife, nature, travel, people and cultures, weather and inspiration/Keep Going®.

Click HERE for more information about the National Geographic Energizer Photo Contest 2009.

Nicole's Savings Advantage! (2 free gift cards)

Nicole's Savings Advantage has a promotion to try their website for 30 days (trial offer) and keep the 2 gift cards and magazine offer!

You can save up to 90% on the brands you buy every day with your Nicole's Savings advantage membership.
Try it for $1.95 for the first month!

FROM THE WEBSITE:
Nicole's Savings Advantage harnesses the power of more than 700,000 shoppers nationwide - women buying the same thing as you. We are shoppers too, and we designed these discounts to use every day!

That's why we're offering you TWO FREE $25 gift cards just for trying Nicole's Savings Advantage for 30 days.

Even if you are not absolutely delighted with Nicole's Savings Advantage after your trial period, keep the gift cards with my compliments!

Click HERE for more details.

Sleeping Beauty

Sweet Sweet Baby Gracen Ahlia

Sleeping so peacefully..........

then, big brother DJ decided it was time to change her diaper (he sniffed her diaper and says peeee-yew, Grace made a stinky mommy) 

and as you can see, she was NOT a happy camper after that.

I couldn't resist taking the photo because she was SCREAMING at him as if to say, 

LEAVE ME ALONE!  

HAHA!!

Happy Friday Everyone!

(REGAL THEATERS) Free Family Film Festival Beginning June 2009!

REGAL THEATERS! Free Family Film Festival Beginning June 2009! When school’s out, kids around the country visit selected Regal theatres for the Free Family Film Festival. It’s a fun-filled nine weeks of movies for kids and parents. Since 1991, Regal has provided this service to the community, and best of all it’s FREE!

Selected G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. First-come, first-served seating is limited to theatre capacity. The Free Family Film Festival is safe, lots of fun and a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer.

Tickets for our 2009 Free Family Film Festival are exclusively available at select theatres’ box office on the day of the show. You can also select a state from the list below to see participating theatres in your area!

Click HERE for details.

Lands' End Sweepstakes (ends May 31)

Lands’ End has launched a sweepstakes offering a trip for four to Barbados. Visitors can enter daily for a chance to win at www.landsend.com/getaway  beginning on May 4th and ending midnight (CST) on May 31, 2009. 

The prize package also includes a Lands’ End Swimwear package for four, round-trip airfare and transportation, and meals. The official contest rules and entry form can also be found atwww.landsend.com/getaway .

To celebrate the launch of The Island, Lands’ End is providing a promo code for free shipping starting Monday, May 4, and ending Monday, May 25. Simply enter the promo code and pin number below at http://www.landsend.com/ checkout and you will get receive free shipping off your entire order.

 

Promo Code = ISLAND

PIN = 5262

Great looking couples! (Barack and Michelle Obama)

I nominate this couple (Barack and Michelle Obama) as this year's best looking couple of the year. Well, right next to me and my sweetie of course! HaHa!