Beach Day

Our beach babe!
Auntie and Addie
The boys building a sand castle
Waiting for the waves
All clean!
My sister has been bugging me to put pictures from our latest beach outing up- so here you go. We went to Pico Beach (San Clemente) with a couple friends, my sister, a little guy she watches and my kids. It was a beautiful day and we saw a bunch of dolphins! Days like that remind me why we moved back to CA!

Thankful Friday

I know it's usually "Thankful Thursday", but I felt the need to switch it up a little. I had such a fun, enjoyable, pleasant day with my little ones, I just had to be THANKFUL!

With three kids, 4 and under, it's pretty hard to run errands, as you can imagine. I have good kids, don't get me wrong, but they are not really what I would call "perfect" or "easy." They are a handful! The boys are like puppies, always wrestling and rolling around together. Having said that, I always brace myself for days like today, when there's lots to do and no babysitter in sight!

Off we go to do some visiting teaching. No luck! She's either forgotten or hiding behind her couch when she sees me and my 3! Next on the schedule: storytime at the library. Because of our last appt. (or lack of) we are early. I am embarrassed to say this is our first visit to the library since we've lived here. My only excuse is that we have SO many kids books at home. Anyway, the kids were way excited. They each picked out some books and DVD's. We made our way to the Kids Room for storytime. Storytime went great, even Addie toddled around and had a good time. The librarian read 3 books, sang lots of songs and they even made these cute 4th of July fans to keep them cool. They sat quietly while I signed up for library cards and checked out our new books.

Lunch time! Off to Quizno's. Going places like that is always funny because everyone stares, whispers and points. Most popular comment: "Wow- you have your hand full!" True, I do. Kids were very good. We even sat at the tall table with the barstools. At first I kept waiting for someone to take a dive and fall on their head. Didn't happen! They have a nice common area outside that the kids love to run around. The boys were so cute with Addie and held her hand to help her up the little sidewalk and then made sure all the gates
were locked to keep her away from the street. We then loaded up to head home, via the strawberry stand. We came home with a flat of strawberries and lots of fresh zuchinni for $10!

I consider this day a success because everyone made it home with dry underwear, no serious injuries and we were all still smiling. Days like this make me happy and thankful. I like my little kids. They are interesting people, each with their own individual personalities and they are fun to be around (most of the time!) As hard and trying as it is to be a mom sometimes, I love these little guys so much. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with all the different things I need to accomplish each day, but this day I am glad I got to do it with my babies!

Jake: Another Exciting Adventure

Here's a little comedic drama for your enjoyment. Non-fiction.

Wednesday, June 27- Edmonds Home
4:45 am

(Enter Tyler and Jake, crying, screaming, running down the hall.)
(Mom and Dad jump quickly from bed and run to screaming children.)

Mom: What's the matter? Is someone hurt?

(more crying, more screaming)
(Mom takes Tyler aside and tries to calm him, Dad picks Jake up to investigate further)
(Tyler calms down, mom and dad suddenly hear that between Jake's cries, he is violently gasping for air.)

M: What? What is that sound? What's going on?
D: Jacob, you need to calm down and take some deep breaths.

(Dad tries to walk around with Jake and calm him down, Mom starts getting worried and follows them into the bathroom, Jake has his chin up and is still gasping for a breath)

M: (starting to panic) I think something is really wrong. Jake, try to breathe through your nose.

(Mom starts to cry, without even knowing it.)
(Tyler is standing in the corner with HUGE eyes, observing the drama)

D: He just needs to calm down. Jake take a drink.

(Jake tries to drink but can't, neck is constricting and now he is starting to panic.)

M: Um, I think we should call 911.
D: Let's give it a minute.
M: No minutes, I'm calling.

(Mom tries to dial, hands are shaking too hard, tears are blurring vision.)
(talks to 911 operator and they dispatch help)
(Mom and Dad scramble to put some type of regular clothing on and rush Jake downstairs. Jake's wheezing continues, but is subsiding.)
(Cue fire truck siren)

Tyler: Wow- I hear a siren.
D: Yes, they are coming to our house.

(enter fire fighters and paramedics- hair disheveled, eyes swollen)
Emergency Team: What's going on?

(Mom explains problem, Jake miraculously sits up and smiles at the sleepy men who were just pulled from their warm, cozy beds.)
(They take oxygen level, listen to Jake's breathing, write lots of stuff down)


ET: Jacob, are you feeling sick?
J: Nope.
ET: Are you having a hard time breathing?
J: Nope.
ET: How do you feel?
J: Fine.

(Mom shrugs her shoulders and looks at Dad.)
(Dad is conveniently sitting on the couch far ACROSS the room holding Tyler.)
(ET pronounces that Jake is fine, probably croup, definitely wheezing but 100% oxygen.)

M: So sorry to call you, but I was really scared.
ET: We understand, we would have been scared too. Give him a treatment of albuterol and take him to his Dr. in the morning. Call us if it happens again, have a good night.

(Tyler continues with large eyes and is staring at the numerous strangers now filing out the front door, Dad is still very quiet.)
(Mom disappears to garage to find sleeping daughters asthma medication and nebulizer.)
(Mom walks into the family room, discovers 2 boys and 1 dad laughing hysterically.)


J: Watch this Ty!

(Jake takes a large, gasping breath, mimicking earlier startling breathing behavior.)
(Ty erupts into a laughing fit, mom stares at boys in unbelief, Dad is trying not to laugh)

M: NOT FUNNY JAKE, STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!!!

(Naughty boy does it one more time, more laughter.)
(Mom gives breathing treatment, wheezing is still apparent, but better.)

5:15 am- (everyone returns to bed)
(Mom tries to fall asleep while the following thought keeps running through her head- "Dang- why didn't I get a picture of Jake with the firefighters for my blog???")

Wednesday 8:45 am- Dr. Tsai's Office
Dr. Tsai: Jake's fine. Probably croup. Nothing we can do, have fun at the beach.

THE END.

Good Bye Wildings

Yuck, I hate goodbyes. I hate watching other people say goodbye and especially hate when I have to say goodbye. My dear, dear friend, Karen Wilding, is moving tomorrow morning. There are headed to Idaho (temporarily) and then off to Utah. My friend Keri and I went over tonight and said goodbye and, of course, we all cried.

I love Karen! She is such a good and loyal friend. I am going to miss her so much! We see each other practically every day, between church stuff, walking at night, play dates, park, etc. She is the kind of friend that is always up for anything, even if it's going to McDonalds just to chat and watch the kids play. We relate well to each other and have spent many hours walking laps around Creekside, talking and trying to solve our mothering dilemnas. What's even better is that our little boys are the bestest of friends. Her son Andrew, is Tyler's first best friend. They literally hug every time they see each other.

We love you guys and wish you the very best in your new adventure. Please keep in touch and let us know how you all are doing! It just won't be the same here without you!!!

A few of us got together to have a little girls night and say goodbye to Karen. We got pedicures and then had dinner.
Left side: Keri, Karen, Wendi
Right side: Amber S., me, Amber J.



Tyler and Andrew- best buddies!

Some Fun Pictures

Another Year Older and Wiser, too!

Today is Aaron's 30th birthday! I just wanted to tell him Happy Birthday and I hope he has a wonderful day. He went on a Father/Son camp-out with the boys, so he wasn't even around for his traditional birthday breakfast of pancakes and strawberries! Although, last weekend I threw a big surprise party for him at Dave & Buster's. He was totally surprised (as you can tell from the pictures) and we had lots of fun playing games and visiting. So we kind of already celebrated, but hopefully we can get out for some sushi tonight. I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband and father to my kids.

Here are 10 fun things about Aaron Wade Edmonds:
1) He falls asleep on the couch every night.
2) He always smells good.
3) He is extremely disciplined and always eats healthy.
4) He is very ticklish, especially under his neck.
5) He loves his Jeep almost as much as he loves his kids and wife!
6) He is good at everything he does that involves a ball- ping pong, bowling, tennis, you name it- he's good at it.
7) Last year at this time, he decided to start running and complete a marathon. He is doing the St. George Marathon in October and just completed a half marathon. He's amazing!
8) The first thing he does when he gets home from work (after kissing me and Addie) is go outside and play with the boys, usually baseball.
9) He always thanks me for the dinners I make and tells me that I look nice when I dress up and go somewhere.
10) He's the best father and husband ever!

All in a days work.

Walking into the party- SURPRISE!

We love you Dad/Aaron- have a Happy 30th Birthday!!!

Oh, Rise and Shout the Cougars are Out!

Congratulations to my "little" brother, David! He graduated yesterday from Capistrano Valley H.S. He went from our graduation party to grad night and then left early this morning for BYU. Good luck, David! We are so proud of you and will miss you here in California!

Jake: Home Safe & Sound

Some of you may have not heard, but Jake was admitted to the hospital recently for a pretty bad infection on his right leg. We were there for 3 (very interesting and long) days. If we ever have a minute together, remind me to tell you about our oh-so-interesting hospital roomies. Can we say "Ghetto?" Anyway, his speedy healing can only be described as miraculous. Really, it was amazing. Some of you asked for pictures from the hospital, so here they are. Since Jake was in isolation, he wasn't allowed to touch anything in the pediatric unit or play with any of the toys that were in the peds playroom. Since he felt fine, this was the hardest part. He had all of his regular energy and couldn't release any of it.

Despite dirty looks from the nurses, every hour we would unplug the IV and take a couple laps around the floor. (he had to walk straight down the middle of the hall and couldn't touch the walls) This was his only physical exercise, so needless to say, both of us looked forward to this hourly ritual. He got pretty good at pushing his IV thingy down the hall. One time, before I could grab him, he took off running, pushing the IV, and jumped on the legs of the thing and went sailing down the hall. The poor maintenance man walking down the hall almost had a heart attack! Once we recovered from the shock, we laughed so hard. I shouldn't have been surprised though. . .typical Jake!

Nice healthy hospital food!

Taking a walk.

Can you tell we were bored? Let's take a picture!

Chillin' with a chocolate chip cookie and a Bob the Builder DVD.

YEAH- we're outta here!!!

Addie Beth

Here's our little girl- Addison Beth. For those of you who don't know- Addie came into our family on March 22, 2006. We just celebrated her first birthday in typical Bewsey fashion: big party, lots of food, all the family- or as Aaron reminds me, he has married into the family from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." It was so nice for all of my siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, g-parents and even Aaron's parents from out of town, to be here to help us celebrate!

Addie (or as we affectionately have renamed her , "The Goose") is everybody's favorite. She is tiny, but there sure is a lot of personality in that little body. She is a great walker and climbs the stairs like a pro. We have a few fruit trees (peaches are her first choice) in our backyard and her favorite thing to do is go out and find the fruit that has fallen to the ground. She then carries it around under her arm, like a little treasure. She periodically takes a nibble and then tucks it away again. After a few hours of this, she very proudly presents me with the pit and goes out for another round. She has almost all her teeth in, lots of curly hair and big blue eyes. The boys adore her. They are constantly trying to pick her up, hug her, kiss her and play with her. Aaron can't get enough of her. He thinks she is so cute and always says "Danielle, look at her. Just look how cute she is." I then say, "Yes, I know Aaron. I look at her all day, she is very cute." Then he says, "No- really look at her, she is SO cute." This goes back and forth for awhile until I actually stop what I'm doing, go into the other room and actually look at her face. It's pretty funny! He also loves to go in every night and watch her sleep.

She is so fun and every day I am thankful that I have a little girl. We love our little Goose and are so glad she's part of our family!

My Boys

TYLER AND JAKE

Those 2 names are synonymous with several things: fun, laughter, trouble, best friends, wrestling, lots of tears, dirt, more fun and more dirt!

Tyler turned 4 in January and just finished his first year of preschool. He is a little bit shy, but doesn't take long to warm up. He is very sensitive and thoughtful. He is obsessed with his little sister and always wants to "take care of her." His favorite things are digging in the dirt, playing with Jacob and eating snacks. He knows how to write his name and is such a good little boy.

Jacob turned 3 in March. He is, hmm. . . not quite sure how to describe this one! He will be starting preschool in the fall with his brother. He is very smart and curious and super outgoing. He'll talk to anyone, about anything. He was potty trained at 2 years old (thank you!) and talks like he's 4. He is very athletic and is always moving, jumping, climbing and running. He is so much fun and always is saying something that makes us all laugh!

Here we go!

We finally made it! I've been interested in starting a blog for some time now, but honestly, the whole thing just intimidated me! I decided to give it a try since scrapbooking has definitely taken a back seat in my life. It's nearly impossible to get a decent picture of our our kids, let alone our whole family. So, here's the latest of the kids. (Note: the only reason we got this pictures is because they all have candy!)

I don't really know if our little family is really that interesting to other people, but wow, it sure keeps us entertained. Hopefully you'll enjoy a little bit here and there!