I'm going to Disneyland

We leave for California in just 2 days for the much-anticipated trip to Disneyland. There are some reasons not to go: predicted earthquake and Arizonans don't much care for California boycotting us. I guess the earthquake is the principle concern here. If my parents read this blog, they'd be calling and asking us not to go! We won't tell them until we're actually there.... So, we're meeting our friends, the Myrums, in LA, and then bringing them back to the Arizona heat with us next Wednesday. We are excited to have them visit for 8 days and do some relaxing. They have 2 kids with similar ages as our 2 older kids, so it should be a fun time! Lauren is excited to meet Disney princesses this time, especially Tinkerbell and Sleeping Booty (how she says it). Grant swears he is going on Tower of Terror. We think it's just too scary for him, but so far he's adamant. Maybe he'll change his mind once we're out front. We're staying at a hotel right on the park property so kids (adults) can take naps if needed. It's gonna be fun!

Of course, with all that comes frantic cleaning, straightening, packing, etc to make sure everything's in shape for our visitors. I actually made myself a little schedule of things to get done this week. The schedule makes me feel more organized and purposeful, and less CRAZY. I tend to get frustrated thinking of all the things I need to do before a certain time, but I'm in a little more control this time. Yay me!

Disney and Myrums, here we come!

Reese pictures

Here is an update of the youngest Tammany via pictures...

music

So I'm hanging out with Reese in the kitchen listening to some old tunes. So I NEVER listen to the radio in the car. I just don't. I used to all of the time. I think since I had kids I just stopped, just like that. So I've been back to listening to all of the cool songs Sean has on his itunes. It's fun to dance around the kitchen to old school stuff and it puts me in a good mood. Love it. That's all - just a rambling post about some music and how I'm loving listening to it. I'd forgotten how music can change your mood and how it really affects people. Plus, I like Sean's music style - he's got some good tunes. Well, I did marry him, so I'll take some of the credit there.

Lauren Nicole

Lauren also deserves a post since she turned 3 last month! She visited a nail salon for the first time and her fingers and toes painted. She wore a little tutu skirt and looked just adorable. Both grandmas, Aunt Aileen, and Reese were able to join her at the salon. It was a regular girls' day! Afterward Aileen, mom, Lauren and Reese went to California Pizza Kitchen and the mall to complete the girly fun. She also had a birthday party the following Saturday and had lots of friends come over to decorate jewelry boxes and jump in the big jumper outside. Lauren loves being 3 and LOVES to talk. She often opens her mouth to talk before she even knows what to say, so it's interesting hearing the things that do come out! She loves to talk about Jesus and has much of Psalm 100 memorized (her brother has the entire thing memorized, thanks to Grandma Laux). Here are pictures of her in March.

Reese Elizabeth

Our newest baby girl, Reese Elizabeth, has joined us. Yes - I am 6 weeks late in announcing this! She is very precious, sleeping right now, while her older brother and sister are watching a movie at the theatre with their Aunt Aileen. That means I have time to write here!

Reese arrived on March 16, weighing in at 7 pounds and 19 inches - I think everyone always wants to know statistics...... Labor was a little longer than with the other two, but pushing was the shortest I believe. One big push, lasting about 15 seconds, according to the nurse. We were VERY surprised she was a girl, although we didn't know either way. Sean thought for sure she would be a boy. I thought she was a boy too, until about a month before I delivered. We are delighted she is a girl and Lauren's excited to have a little sister to teach (yikes). Grant and Lauren are amazing with her and not jealous in the slightest.

Having Reese means I can finally do some things again! I can sleep on my back and stomach (oh the joy!), blow dry my hair without stopping to rest my arm (it always fell asleep and cramped), eat sushi, wear my normal clothes (I feel like I have a whole new wardrobe), tie my own shoes, etc. I didn't realize all the things I couldn't do! Now I just can't sleep, but that will hopefully pass soon enough.

Getting ready

We are getting ready for the new little one set to join us any week now. I'm 37 1/2 weeks pregnant and ready to have this baby! We don't know what it is, so I do have more of a feeling of being unprepared, but it's exciting too! Lots of friends and family are having babies too, so this one will have lots of little friends!

I also took Grant's 5-yr-old pictures today and they turned out pretty well. Here is a little sampling and a bonus one of Lauren. She turns 3 at the end of this month.

Life is going well here. My parents have been here well over a month now, helping and waiting for the baby to arrive. It's been such a blessing to have them here and I'm a little nervous about them leaving me all of the household chores to do when they go back to Missouri!

my little bro's visit

Ryan, Tiffany and Cadence came for a visit last week and we already miss them dearly! These are some photos of the fun time we had together. The kids were cute and loved playing with one another. Grant and Lauren even got a little taste of Christmas! The Lauxes brought their gifts for the kids so they could see them open them. Lauren loves her shoes and likes to wear them around the house. She's wear them everywhere else too if I didn't stop her. As you can see from the picture of her in the pink dress, she's wearing pink dress up shoes (and she kept falling). Hopefully we'll see the Lauxes again soon, but right now they're busy building their new house. Check out their blog here.