Yes, I am finally updating my blog

OK, so I'm a little behind on my blogging. You know... like 3 months. Once I got behind, there was so much to catch up on that I got overwhelmed and didn't want to blog at all! But I'm repenting of my lazy ways and trying to get caught up. I will just warn you that this is LONG, but don't worry, I'll never know if you just skip to the end.

Here are some highlights from our fun summer vacations:

In June we went to Disneyland with my sister Kristen and her adorable family, and also my wonderful parents, Bob and Julie. I love Disneyland, but I love seeing my sister even more! She lives in OOOOOOOklahoma! (where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain), and we don't get to see each other nearly enough. Rachel adores her cousins, Tressa and Corbin, so at least there was one thing she liked about our vacation, because she sure didn't like Disneyland. Wait, let me rephrase that. She HATED Disneyland. I mean hated it. She was literally begging not to go back. I think it was sensory overload for her: the heat, the noise, the crowds, the waiting, the flashing lights, etc. We survived two excruciating days, but finally, on the last day she had a great time. That day the weather was cooler, and it wasn't as crowded which helped a lot. Her favorite ride was Splash Mountain. She loved it! I think she could have done that one ride all day long.

Ethan was such a good sport, because he hates Disneyland too, but he stayed with the kids so that I could go on rides and wander around browsing the shops and people watching. My parents were a huge help with all of the kids, too. The spent a lot of time watching sleeping babies in strollers, and waiting in long lines with the grandkids. It was so fun having them there. After Disneyland, we also hit the beach for a couple of days, and that was the highlight of the trip for both Rachel and Ethan.

In July we embarked on The Longest Road Trip Ever, beginning with a Pemberton family reunion in Copalis Beach, Washington. We celebrated Ethan's mom's 65th birthday, and had one last family gathering before his parents left on a mission to England. It was so much fun to see everyone; we're scattered all over the place and it's awesome when we can all get together. We spent some time wandering up and down the (very cold) beach, visiting tide pools, and playing with cousins (Rachel's favorite thing, of course). We also got to spend a day in Bremerton, WA with my Grandma Spratt. Rachel adores Grandma, and loved visiting her. We played at a park near Grandma's house right on the Sound, and Rachel got to work out some of that pent-up road trip energy. It was also the first time Grandma met Zeke.
After Washington, the next leg of The Longest Road Trip Ever was down to San Jose, California, where Ethan would be working for a week. While he was working, I would stay in Santa Cruz with my sisters-in-law Krysta and Jeannie and their families. HOWEVER... halfway between WA and CA, we hit a deer. Actually the deer hit us. It looked Ethan right in the eye and then jumped into our car. Well, not so much into our car as onto our car. We were so lucky that no one was hurt, but our car was a mess. We got to know Medford, Oregon really well over the next 5 days while we waited for our car to get repaired. The first couple of days were the most painful, because we couldn't even rent a car. The rental places were closed on the weekend, and so we were stuck in our hotel. Thank goodness there was a pool, or I don't know what we would have done with Rachel. It was such a stressful week; we were cramped in this small hotel room, and we had no idea how long we would be stuck there. That was the worst part, the uncertainty. I finally got a grip and tried to make the best of it, and hey, on the bright side, we did discover the BEST PIZZA PLACE EVER. We ate at Abby's three times in the five days we were there.
Finally, our car was running again, and on my birthday (best birthday gift EVER!) we left Medford and resumed The Longest Roadtrip Ever. We arrived in San Jose early on Thursday morning, so Ethan was able to get in two full workdays, and Rachel, Zeke and I spent those days at the beach house in Santa Cruz. It was my first time in Santa Cruz, and it was really beautiful, plus it was so much fun to spend more time with Krysta and Jeannie.
We were so ready to go home that the last leg of the The Longest Road Trip Ever was the least painful. We have pretty much perfected the art of road-tripping with kids, so if you are ever as crazy as we were (3500 miles and 7 different hotels), here are my tips:

Leave at 3:00 AM. That way you have driven for at least 4 hours by the time your kids wake up, and the drive will go by a lot faster for them (and you).

Pack plenty of new toys and activities to keep them entertained.

Watch movies in the car, but not too many. Rachel gets cranky when she watches too much TV, so we limited it. We brought lots of children's books on tape, though, and Rachel really enjoyed those.

Bring lots of snacks, mostly healthy, and try to avoid stopping for fast food. Junk food is another thing that makes Rachel cranky, so I packed a whole suitcase of mom-approved snacks that I knew she would eat.

Plan on stopping every 1-1/2 to 2 hours. This was a huge sanity saver for me and for my kids. We let everybody out to run around and play for a good 30 minutes before we'd pile back in the car again. It makes the trip longer, but you left at 3 AM, so you can afford to take your time, right?

Truth in Advertising

So the average American child will watch about 30,000 commercials a year. Fortunately, we don't watch the "average" of 4 hours a day, and thanks to our trusty DVR we skip through most commercials. That's why I was surprised when Rachel worked these into casual conversation:

"Mom, you should take Zyrtec. It starts working 2 hours before other medicines do."

"Mom, you'll never believe this, but there are these bags. They are green. And they keep foods fresher longer. If you don't put them in green bags, the food goes bad."

"If we ever have a plant in our house, we HAVE to get an Aqua Globe. You have to fill it with water and press it into the soil, and it will water your plant for over two weeks [yes, those were her exact words]. It gives plants just the right water."

I guess it just reinforces the fact that kids are like little sponges who absorb everything they see and hear; you have to be sooooo careful about what you expose them to.

Weigh to Go, Mom!

I guess I should have seen this coming, since every time Rachel steps on the scale I praise her for being such a big girl. The other day I weighed myself and Rachel said "Wow, Mom, I'm so proud of you! You weigh so much! You are getting bigger and bigger every day."

She was just so cute and excited, that I couldn't help but smile and thank her.

I am definitely doing Weight Watchers again...

Zeke's Newest Milestones

May was a big month for Zeke.




He has 2 new teeth and is chewing on everything, including himself. His first tooth surprised us because he never cried or fussed. He was his normal, happy, easygoing self. That second tooth was definitely not as fun...







He also figured out how to sit up on his own. He LOVES his new skill and seems so proud of himself every time he does it.

Zeke is a terrific baby. He is such a joy, and I'm so grateful that he's in our family.

Rachel is not quite herself when she is sick

Rachel does strange things when she is sick. Like a couple weeks ago she had a fever, and I told her I'd meet her up in her room to read a story after she turned off the TV. I got out the book and waited patiently in her room, but she didn't come. I called to her a few times, but when she didn't answer I went downstairs to see what was taking her so long. This is how I found her:


She gets pretty cranky, too. She's been fighting off a cold this past week, and on Sunday she had a really bad day. Here are a few direct quotes:

“I’m gonna say please until you say yes. Please please please please please PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEAAAAAASE!”

“If you don’t put ice in my sippy cup, I’ll hate you forever.”

“Meanie head!”

To Ethan: “Put me down, you horrible filthy beast!”

When I took Rachel outside the church building because she was screaming and running down the hall, I told her that we could go back inside if she could stand quietly by the wall and show me that she could be reverent for 3 minutes. Instead, she started dancing and spinning. I told her that I would start the 3 minutes as soon as she came to stand by the wall. She spun around on her toes and said “I’m just going to keep dancing until you give up.” “I’m not going to give up,” (I managed to say this calmly) “we’ll just stay out here until you show me that you can be reverent.” Then she started singing “You’re gonna give uuuuh-up, you’re gonna give uuuuh-up, you’re gonna give uuuuh-up!”

And my personal favorite:

When I told her I only had time to tell her one story tonight, she screamed “Why don’t you spend some time thinking about your daughter instead of YOURSELF and cleaning your KITCHEN!”

Geez, I thought I had another 10 years before I'd start hearing comments like that last one...

Pemberton Family Rules (According to Rachel)

So the other day I asked Rachel what she thought our family's rules are. This is the list she came up with:

1. Don't hit your head on the ceiling when you jump on the bed.
2. Babies can't climb on big huge ladders in the house.
3. Don't pick your nose.
4. Don't kiss people you don't like.
5. Don't push or hit or slap or pinch or bite.
6. Don't watch TV while you eat.
7. Don't drink coke if you're a kid, and don't drink coke all the time if you're an adult. It's bad for you.
8. Wash the dishes for your mommy and daddy and brother.
9. Don't color on the wall or the floor.
10. Don't eat junk food all the time.

April

Rachel adores preschool. Her teacher, Miss Dawn, is amazing, and there are so many fun activities. This is a picture of Rachel dressed up for Cowboy Day. She made a lasso out of pipe cleaners that she was excited to take to school with her.



Rachel is a terrific sister. She takes her role as big sister very seriously, and feels responsible for her brother's happiness and well-being. She loves to hold him and play with him, and she has a special talent for making him laugh.




Rachel was so excited to go to Kids 2 Work day with Ethan. She even packed her own "lunch", which included granola bars, fruit snacks, peanut butter cookies, a chocolate milk, and a piece of gum. She loved walking to work with her daddy.

There were lots of fun activities, and Rachel brought home a whole bag of loot, including a t-shirt, an eBay badge with her name and picture on it, an eBay personalized water bottle, a sticker book, and lots and lots of treats.

Zeke's big milestone this month was learning to roll over. I was in the kitchen when Rachel squealed that Zeke had just rolled over "all by himself". I wasn't sure whether to believe her, since she has helped him roll over all by himself before. Later I saw it for myself! He rolled from his back to his tummy, and he was very proud of himself, but he seemed annoyed that his arm kept getting stuck underneath him.



Within a couple of days he had learned how to go from his tummy to his back, and he'd figured out that whole arm thing...






I'm not sure that I'm ready for him to be mobile yet!









Rachel has been taking violin lessons from her Aunt Kayleen and had her first concert. She and the two other girls in her class (ages 3 and 5) performed Pop Goes the Weasel. Kayleen played the song on her violin, and on each "pop", Rachel and the other girls plucked their E strings.


Rachel had a lot of fun performing, and was so excited that Grandma and Grandpa Jennings and Uncle Tony came to watch her.

Practicing has been kind of a struggle. I'm still trying to figure out how to do it without either of us having a tantrum :)