coming down

Our family is finally finished with the holiday...not that I am glad it is over, it was just extended for days beyond the norm. We actually never got around to the stockings, so I am considering just putting them back in storage, packed, ready to open next year. Brad has been out of town for a couple of days and gets back tomorrow night, so the kids and I have been keeping very busy, while recovering from Christmas travels. I must say that it brought joy to my heart to see my kids (Jaeda & especially Brice) appreciating what Christmas is all about...Baby Jesus, family, etc...they are still singing Christmas carols and playing with the nativity (why don't we keep it up year round anyway? Something to think about :) You can view some pictures from our Christmas travels here http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=fgez5zq.71kde8xu&x=1&y=ymijoi
Hoping your holiday season has been wonderful too!

cookie makin'

merry christmas!

baby girl has a name

Well, we are going with Brice on this one for now because his little heart was broken to hear that there will not be a baby brother named Buster coming this spring. Many of you have asked, so here is the scoop on Brice's reaction to the news. I showed him the ultrasound pics and told him how exciting it is that we found out we are going to have another little girl in the fam...he looked straight at me and said, "No, I wanted a brother...we have to go pick out another one." I walked into the other room where my good friend Aimee was, and we tried our hardest not to laugh...I also wanted to cry because I sensed his little broken heart through his voice. I did not know what to say to him. He's three and a half. Seriously, why was this so hard?
At dinner, he announced that we should just go get 10 babies, and that one of them has to be a girl. Then further let Kaitlin know that she could now be his little brother and that he will call her Kaitlin Buster.
I just finished tucking him in for bed, and during his prayers, he prayed for baby Tigger (this was the first I have heard of this). That's right, he has decided that he will call our new baby girl, "Tigger." That is fine with me. Definitely a step up from Buster, not quite the correct gender, but you can't step on a little guy when he's already down, right? Brice, Brice, Brice...sweet.

Pink Wins!

That's right! We are proud to announce that we are having yet ANOTHER baby girl!! She is perfectly healthy and we are so thankful to God for this! My due date is still May 31st, so for those familiar with my history of going over, you can expect her arrival on June 3rd or 4th. We are so excited, just haven't broken the news to Kaitlin yet about her having to be Brice's little brother when this one arrives (refer to previous post http://thepavlichfamily.blogspot.com/2007/12/we-might-have-little-problem.html).

dressed for the occasion

While looking down to journal this morning, I noticed that I am wearing two pink shirts...and am having our ultrasound this afternoon and will hopefully find out the sex of our precious baby. I thought, "How fun if we are having a girl, that I am wearing pink!" A few minutes later, I went back to our bathroom and Brad had just showered and put his clothes on, and he was wearing baby blue! Now, I am not superstitious at all, but find it very fun and cute that we are "subconsciously" festive for our baby's special occasion today! Brad said, "Only you, Sweetie." But readily took a picture for the memory...please ignore my bedhead and swollen nose from blowing it for the fourth day in a row!

2 down, 2 to go

Just wanted to announce that Jaeda is in big girl undies (except sleep time, tried it, not ready yet) and is doing AWESOME going on the potty on her own all day long! Even without us having to tell her to go, most of the time. So excited to have two out of diapers! Thank you God!!

gingerbread men & broken christmas tree ornaments

This morning our weekly playgroup had our Christmas party up at our house. The girls are so adorable...they are best friends and the mommies are too, so we have a wonderful time together. The party was a compilation of casseroles, way-too-yummy cheese bread, mac n cheese with water instead of milk, two potty accidents, one broken Christmas ornament requiring two vaccuums to clean it up, and gingerbread men decorating! What fun!!

Mikela and Bella getting ready for decorating!
Kaitlin just needs to taste test before getting started

Mikela is serious about her decorating...and eating!
Rylee is so curious and getting around everywhere!

we might have a little problem

I was at the playground with my kids this morning and Brice kept calling Kaitlin his little brother as he helped her around the jungle gym...he would say, "Come here little brother, this way little brother Kaitlin." So I asked him why he was calling her his brother. He said that he is just getting ready for if Buster is a girl. He explained that he needs a brother and that if Buster isn't a brother, then he will just make Kaitlin be his little brother. This boy has his heart set on a brother, but I know him well enough to know that he will be great with either. :)
Kaitlin testing the berries on the wreath

No, I don't usually hike her skirts up like this, it is a result of her squatting


Jaeda loves her flowers


Brad and I take KJ on a weekly lunch date while B & J are in preschool

sharing lisa's table

K & J's Pretties at the Edna Valley Ranch Christmas Show...thank you Hoyt Family for hosting this amazing event in your gorgeous home.

Last night, I was totally honored to share a "table" with my dear friend Lisa Leonard, at the most elegant, amazing Christmas boutique I have ever been too, or been part of! I know that this may embarass Lisa, but this woman is wonderful...she is so unique, talented, business savvy, and positive...I LOVE spending time with her. And her jewelry reflects her heart in a big way...her love for her family, friends, and the Lord. We had so much fun last night, laughing, chatting, selling our goodies, and taking turns leaving the table to check out everyone else's!


Brad wanted me to bring home some pictures from the night, the setup and everything, so here I am with part of the K & J display.
Thank you to my best friends who set aside their night to come to the show...I really appreciate their love and support so much. Thanks for making me and my business a top priority in your busy week!


I know that Lisa's hair is in my face, but isn't it the greatest hair you have ever seen? Seriously. Natural too, wow.
I was also really blessed to have gals from my MOPS group come out just to see me and purchase some clips for their little princesses! So sweet and wonderful to see and visit with you!

back in business

Thank you Brad for my new camera (and that it is pink!). I am so happy to be back in the realm of blogging...ahhh...it feels so great!
This picture is an excellent example of life around our house...I came home from the grocery to find all three kids modeling a pair of Brice's new undies. I am tired of looking at the "skid marks" in his old ones (for those of you with young ones who are potty-trained, particularly boys, you probably know what I am talking about), so I splurged and bought him 18 new pairs, all in his favorite characters, Cars, Bob the B., Pirates of the C., and something else I can't remember...needless to say, the girls got in on it...I came in on the tail end to take pictures. They make me laugh so much! Thank you Lord for such a good sense of humor these little people bring!
Oh, and here is a back shot...
Oh! I must mention that Brice has ALWAYS (for the past year, since he became potty trained) worn his undies backwards because he says that HE can see the picture better that way, which totally makes sense (observe: Brice's are on backwards and the girls' are on correctly...he has an excellent point!)

The kids have a new game...the girls take turns sitting in front a Brice on anything (legos box, in this case, toilet paper) and he pulls them off backwards. They love it, and crack up the whole time! They are super creative in their play, even when it makes me nervous that someone is going to get hurt! But they usually don't, thankfully!

Not Sure How to Begin

I feel crippled when it comes to blogging these days because our trusty OLD digital camera has given up the ghost...finally after five years. We bought a new SMALL digital camera last year and lost it at the pumpkin patch almost immediately after purchasing it the month before, so we went back to the big bulky digital. The thing about this camera is that it took wonderful pictures, though a little slow, we always ended up getting the shot that we were going for or better, so after getting over the initial disappointment in losing the little bitty new digital, we adjusted just fine to the bulky one again. But now that we are shopping for cameras again, I am finding that I am at a blog standstill...of course I have plenty to write about, but so many of my writing inspirations stay forefront in my brain because I have a picture from the day to prompt my writing. So for now I guess I will tell you about things that I reached for the camera to capture on "film," but it wasn't there, things you may have seen pictured on this entry had I had a camera handy.
1. A two year old princess Jaeda walking out the door to go to school with speedo goggles on her head and a ballerina tutu.
2. Brice wearing a sweatsuit with dress shoes and his new spikey hairdo that he does himself-watch out.
3. Our kids and the Harrisons' kids SWIMMING in the middle of November (only in CA)
4. Kaitlin's little rash on her cheeks (small bumps that come and go)...any advice? If not gone by Monday, I am calling the dr.
5. Jaeda and her new pink sparkly shoes she got for going on the potty again and again by herself. (yay Jaeda!)

Hope you had fun using your imagination...hopefully I will have visuals soon!

Oh, The Things We Say

I often laugh as words come out of my mouth, especially when talking to my children. They are so literal, so I speak to them as such. They are things that I absolutely mean, but after saying them, I realize how ridiculous they would sound in the adult world.
Some things that I have said so far today are
1. We don't stand on the kitchen (the play kitchen)
2. You may only swordfight if you are gentle.
3. Please keep the food out of your mouth (playfood)
4. Give Sissy a kiss but remember that she's sickie (to a 2 year old???)
5. Seriously, Brice, how many times do I have to ask you to put your shoes on? His response..."Just five more times! No, just four more!" He really doesn't understand, bless his heart. Or you know, maybe he does. Maybe he needed a few more reminders.
I have really had to start watching what and how I say things, because Brice and Jaeda look up to EVERY WORD that comes out of my mouth, and repeat it to each other! This morning Jaeda looked at Brice during breakfast, and for no apparent reason said, "Don't even think about it, Bricey." And he said back to her, "Just forget about it, Jaeda." I felt like they were having their own little conversation about something of which I had no clue.
And Brice told me that he is tired of 'this whole thing' when I asked him to get his blankie and lunchbox for school. I asked him what that meant, and he said that Mommy says it, so he says it. I was thinking back to when I said I was 'tired of this whole thing' last, but could only recall a conversation with Brad yesterday about dealing with our auto insurance! I haven't said that to the kids, but they certainly listen more than I think they do!!

A LONG day

I know, you were expecting to see pictures of the kids dressed up, but here are pictures of the biggest kid in our family...Brad dressed up as a female swimmer from the silent film era for his youth group event, so I thought I would scare you with that first this morning.




Our Halloween started with the girls' music class, it was their last class and they all dressed up! They were all so adorable. KJ and Jaeda were Fairy princesses...Jaeda said that she was Tinkerbell even though that was not my intention at all...but she did look like her. Jaeda decided not to participate in class because she had her fairy wand and was not able to play drums with the rubber mallets or use the shakers.
After class, I rushed to preschool to drop Jaeda off for her Halloween party (Brice was already there). Then last night we went to the Naz church up the street for their HUGE halloween party. It was by far the best place for little kids for Halloween. They had trick or treating, a petting zoo, face paint, awesome bounce houses, and lots of games for the kids. We are definitely going back next year! I will post more pictures from that when I get them (I used my mother-in-law's camera because mine was acting up). Brice was the BEST pirate around! Hope your holiday was super fun! Click here for more pictures from ours

Dance Dance

Here is a fun little video from last Friday night...enjoy! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4127383056177152773

Brice Says...

"Dear Jesus, Thank you for Buster and please help him to keep growing bigger and bigger, and please don't let him get smaller. Help him to look like Mommy and have purple eyes because that would be really neat. I would like that really a lot. And if he's a girl, we'll call him 'Tink,' and Kaitlin and Tink will share a bed and be really excited and bonk heads. Amen."

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

Well, our pumpkin eater is actually named Kaitlin Jane, and she is serious about her pumpkins. Instead of apples, she has been walking around the house chomping on pumpkins, it is really funny. What can we say, she is really festive!

Oh, and update on the rat we exterminated...it is an endangered kangaroo rat...oops!

We Caught The Rat

We have had a few mice in our house in the past year, but they have always been very teeny. So the last couple of days we have heard the scurrying again (in the walls behind the kitchen), so we set up our traps, and charged the rat zapper. This morning, Brad went to check on the zapper, and sure enough the light was blinking so we were thrilled to have caught the mouse, only to find it was actually a huge RAT! It not only took up the length of the box, but it's nasty tail was hanging out the end.
More update...the latest on Kaitlin. I have followed her trail and have figured out one of her routines. She watches at the door to make sure that Jaeda is "really" gone for school, and then she hurries into her room, climbs on sissy's bed and takes down all of her pictures that I have hanging on a clothesline. Then she takes all of Jaeda's babies out of their crib and the stroller and plays with them. These are two things that would not be so easily done without interference if Jaeda was at home. I think that Kaitlin likes taking advantage of the "free reign" that she has over the house for the few hours that her siblings are at preschool.

Buster Ache Remedies

I am officially in the fun of the first trimester...little Buster is making it known that he is growing fingers and toes, and has been sucking the life out of me to achieve his whopping size of a single blueberry. But thankfully, I have found some little remedies that have helped to take the edge off of the nausea. And either I am super lucky, or they are working, but either way, I can say that I have not thrown up yet (WAY more than I can say than my other pregnancies-by this time I was already blacking out or in the hospital, no joke). I have so many prego friends right now that I thought this would be a fun blog...please share your ideas too!!!
One of my best friends Katie gave me an adorable gift basket last night full of fun teas and "remedies" that I think are so helpful.
1. GINGER TEA-Yogi from Trader Joe's is a good brand. This tea is my favorite, as I have been using it for 2 weeks now and found it successful. Now, you have to get over the bite because it is strong, but sipping on it throughout the day definitely makes a difference.
2. Papaya enzyme supplement-these are (I think) yummy chewables that you take after you eat and they ease digestion and I feel like they clear my nauseous head.
3. B6-I am not sure yet because I have only taken one. In my last 3 pregnancies people always recommended them and I wouldn't try them, but I am giving them a try this time.
4. Glaceau Vitamin Water-I really love the lemonade flavor that Katie gave me and I feel happy because I am getting extra nutrients since the prenatal vitamins make me gag!
5. Raspberry Tea-Helps strengthen the uterus, etc...and it tastes great. I crave tart things when I am pregnant, so if you don't it might not be a good idea for you.

OK, hope these help. PLEASE give me any hints that you have...I would love any suggestions!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

(Below) So this was the first time she had attempted this foot thing on the table, so before telling her "No" I had to take a picture of her because she was so cute and proud of herself.

I know that I am just like my mom in doing this, but I LOVE taking pictures intentionally, to show progress, or to compare and show similarities. I am just a "tradition" junkie in general. When my mom was a toddler, her mother took a picture of her in the dryer, so when I was a toddler, she took a picture of me in the dryer. So because we were both firstborns, I also took a picture of Brice in our dryer last year. These things make me smile. So I am posting a picture that I took of Kaitlin last night hanging on the dishwasher (that is her daily goal, to get up there and hang out), because Jaeda did the exact same thing this time last year and I took pictures of her doing it! Jaeda is in the pink dress, in case you didn't know by her blond hair :) What about you-what ways are you like your mother, or what traditions have you kept in your family?

K & J's Pretties

Kids' Cut Hut just opened today and it is awesome! A lady named Kim, the owner, just opened our first kids salon in town and I have never been in such a great place for kids! She has a play structure for the kids and babysitting when mom is getting a haircut, massage, or facial! Kids can get a haircut, and make their own shampoo (there are over 20 colors and scents to choose from!) for under $20!
Anyways, I just set up my displays with my bows, clips, etc yesterday and shop opened today! Here are just a few samples of items that I custom make and am selling in the salon. They are a little crumpled because I took these while running out the door with Kaitlin on my hip!


A little bit of Halloween