Well, it was a good seven months...

But Kate and Addison can no longer share a crib.  We have gone this last week without any real naps and they have had a hard time getting to sleep at night.   I thought, maybe teething, maybe getting used to new foods, but it wasn't until I separated them for naps one day that I realized what the true issue was.  Kate likes to roll around like crazy while she is sleeping and Addison gets mad and then kicks her in the head.  I guess I wouldn't sleep either!  I will always remember...

 

 

Don't even go to the bathroom

 

Because you might come back to find this.

Actually he was climbing back in after I had taken him out when I saw the girl's faces.

 

No, our camera is not funny, these are milk drops all over Kate and Addison.  Nathan thought it would be funny to give them a milk bath.

First Day of School!

 

Our 3rd grader and Kindergartner.

As tall as Emma gets, Bailey just gets taller.  

 

  

Back to the grind!  The kids had a great first day of school.  We have minimum days the rest of the week, so they especially like that because they can come home and still play.  Today, play group was around the corner, so they changed into bathing suits and played extra today.  I was so not ready for school, but it comes at one time or another, so might as well get going.  Nothing too eventful to post about school so far, but I'm looking forward to this school year for them.  They always have fun and go on lots of field trips.  Now, if I can just get up early every day and get a shower before I wake them up, we should be good to go! 

Pictures To Be Posted

 

Emma and Bailey are obsessed with getting the girls to sit up on their own.  Kate was doing pretty well, so Emma begged me to take a picture.  Kate can sit up for a little bit, but the bed makes it easier and  B&E don't quite understand that.  Every time Kate or Addison sit for a second, they say "one down, one to go!"  

 

This is Nathan's favorite thing to do lately.  He likes to climb in the girl's crib and play.  I have had to explain that you can't jump on the crib like you do a bed.  Funny seeing him in this crib now is quite odd when it has only been eight months that he has been out of it!

 

Bailey took this picture of his Bakugans.  Yup, we are still knee deep in Bakugans at the Oram house...

 

Addison practicing with a sippy cup.  

 

Kate was mad at the mac n'cheese.  It didn't go in her mouth fast enough.  Then she was even more mad that I took a picture.

Oh, Toodles!

 

This is Toodles, from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I took this picture from an online search and it was the only one I could successfully get.  Some mommy is very talented and made this cake.

 

This is Nathan, calling for Toodles.  Toodles holds certain tools that help the gang in Mickey's clubhouse.  He comes as soon as they call every time.   Now, Nathan also thinks that by yelling down the hall way "Oh, Mo-Mmmmmmmyyyy!" I will come a running. Well, lately, if it's for the potty, I guess I will. 

Jelly Belly Fun

 

Ready to go!  

We were originally going to go to free Wednesday at the SF Exploritorium, BUT I found out it was a two hour minimum wait.  Both my friend, Tana, and I had already gotten someone to watch our babies, so we still had to find something to do!  Can't waste a baby free day:)  We decided (at 9:30 p.m. the night before!)  to head to the Jelly Belly Factory with the Bradfords and Thompsons.  Neither had been there and it is a must at least once in your life.

Bailey and Sean, waiting in line.  These two have played together (even though they don't remember) since they were toddlers.  8 years later, they are best buds.  

It was Mascot Day at the JBF.  Chuck E. Cheese came by for some high fives.  Plus, we got coupons!

Kaci, Kristen and Tana Plus 8

We could be our own reality show. The picture of the three of us is on Kristen's camera, and I am faster than her today getting these pics up an blogged.  

Here is the pic!

Nathan was pointing to the candy, reminding me it was there.  Well, it was everywhere, so he was very excited.  He also did great with the bathroom.  Plus he announced to everyone in the bathroom that I also went pee-pee.  Yay, Mommy!  The joys...

 

We'll call him Mr. Jelly Belly.  Although "he" had super super skinny legs...

Even Dinger was there.  The kids were excited since mine only see him at baseball games.

This is for our friends the Davis'  If you can read his tag, his name is Officer Davis.  He posed for the picture and we told everyone it was Ellie's dad... (he's a CHP officer for those who don't get the joke)

Ready for the tour.  Hats or hair nets required.  Because you get SO close to the candy with the big wall and window between you...Of course if I ever found a hair in my belly flops, I'd be irritated.

 

I love his faces!  I told him he had to keep the hat on to get the candy. It worked almost all the way to the end.

These are the faces you get when you pull your kids away from their friends to take a sibling picture.

The only picture I took on the tour because, well, you aren't supposed to take pictures.  Tana reminded me as soon as I took it.  Guess she was listening. Glad someone was!

Outside, getting the sugar out.  Emma and Emma, lip gloss girlies.  They both picked lip gloss in the JB store.  I think Emma (mine) put about 10 coats on!

  

After some driving around and a few freeway exits, we found a TGIF.  We bombarded the restaurant with our 8 children, telling them weren't they glad we didn't bring ALL our kids?!  But the kids all did really well, and we didn't have any crazy outbursts (until the parking lot when Nathan finally decided he had had enough and was tired)

CHEESE!  

On the way home, Kristen noticed this crazy tree that we have probably both driven by a million times down Sunrise.  I took a picture while our car was stopped.  

After a nice gourmet, Papa Murphy's pizza, some baths and showers, Kate and Nathan are asleep.  Addison is almost ready and Bailey and Emma are lounging on our bed.  I did forget to mention that Kate and Addison had a wonderful time at Grandma's and were angels!  They even spent the night, which made getting ready this morning SO fast. 

Bailey's Baptism and A New Tradition

 

August 1, 2009

San Juan Stake Center Building

Bailey was baptized last Saturday!  He has been so excited and waiting until he turned 8 for quite a while now.  A few weeks ago, we bought him his own scriptures, which he also loves.  He was able to pick them out, along with the carrying case.  We had lots of family and friends join us, which made Bailey break out in his sheepish grin. Our friend, Brian Sprague is the high councilor over Stake baptisms.  It was nice to have him put the entire thing together.  His daughter Wendy played the piano and she was so amazing.  We will probably have her start teaching Emma piano in the next few years.  Even though we had to get to the Church by 9 a.m. to set up for the lunch, etc... all the children were great. We had lunch afterward at the Church building and I forgot to take pictures!  

Then, later that day....

Around 5 p.m., I was avoiding cleaning the house, laying on the bed that probably had clothes that needed to be folded on it.  Ben came into the room and I said "I want to be at the beach"  He said "Well, then let's go!"  Umm.... Well, in one hour, we found a beach, the time of sunset, packed up five kids including two sleeping twins who wanted bottles, and a potty training two year old.  We had to move fast since this logically is crazy.  We made it to the beach after two different drive thrus for dinner.  (Kids don't like In and Out and we do!)  It was cold, foggy and almost dark, but the kids were so excited.  Nathan held his pee the entire way there, crazy kid (we had put him in a pull up just in case).  Now why can't he hold it on the two second drive home from Church, I ask you?!  

 

Almost there!  It was a great foggy (August?! evening)

 

Kids in the back, ready to go to the beach!

 

Nathan wanting to see the picture as soon as I took it (the age of digital!)

 

  

The boys, walking down to the beach.

 

Bundled up! Why did I wear a skirt?!

Well, after 45 minutes of playing Red Light Green Light and Mother May I, we were done.  We had brought the laptop, but both forgot a movie.  So we promised the kids we would stop and buy one.  Well, after driving around for a while, with a two year old who's legs were going up and down trying to hold in his pee, we looked up and saw...

 

I guess we had landed in the Castro district.  Thankfully, they have very nice Safeways.  Ben took Nathan in the bathroom, but could not finish getting a movie and some water.  I guess when a two year old is holding it, the second you take off the pull up and put them on the toilet, um, I was not there, but I am guessing you could compare it to a fire hose gone crazy.  Ben eventually went back in, got a movie for now just Bailey since Emma had passed out in the back.  We fed some crying twins a bottle, tucked them in and started back on our merry way.  Luckily, my husband is quite the navigator and has a weird GPS in his head and we were back on the freeway very soon.  We got home around midnight, tucked some sandy kids in bed with the promise they could shower in the morning!

We decided this will be our new baptism day tradition.  Although, all the rest of the children have winter birthdays, so the location might have to be adjusted.  When you do these spur of the moment things, they can end in disaster quite often.  But all of us had fun, and it was a great way to end the summer.