It's beginning to look a lot like...

CHRISTMAS!!!

Cousin Susan came to help decorate Christmas for her FIRST time! She was so cute about it... we love our Chinese cousins!

Immediately, Allison wanted to do her Christmas workbooks. "Christmas school!"

We only broke 5 ornaments this year... sigh... I need a better plan next year!

Allison and I sang through the 12 days of Christmas while decorating this tree. She was so cute about it! She would tilt her head towards me, and got all into it. I think Daniel took a video...

Of course, we enjoyed our first hot chocolate of the season. Yummy William Sonoma! Thanks, Gabie!


And, we finished the night watching "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer." The girls now wear these hats to bed every night! Too funny!

Thanksgiving Day

We celebrated our very first traditional Thanksgiving... and it was WONDERFUL! Thanks to blog land, I found several fun ideas that helped us along the way. From "This Little Project" we found the game "Don't eat Tom Turkey," which my girls LOVED. From "Family Fun," I got the Thanksgiving Activity place mats, as well as the pumpkin name cards. Finally, from "Be Different Act Normal" I got the idea for "turkey toe jars." Of course, my girls loved munching on those!

The girls also did the traditional "trace your hand" turkeys, which I always remember doing as a kid. But, I did come up with one original idea. We took mini terra cotta pots, painted them in chalkboard paint, turned them upside down, glued them to cardboard circles that we painted black, and painted white belts to make them look like pilgrim hats. (Allison kept saying she wished the pilgrims had worn pink!) We then stuck our place card name holders in them. I set them on the table with a piece of chalk, and we all wrote what we are thankful for on them. We then read Linoln's Thanksgiving proclamation about how we are to give thanks to God, and read Psalm 100. The girls really seemed to understand, and it was very meaningful.


Allison not only helped Daniel with the cooking, but insisted on setting the table, including the centerpiece. So, I had to forego any thoughts of fun or fancy centerpieces, but it was beautiful anyway!

Tea Party Picnic

Perhaps I shouldn't have done a collage for this entry because the pictures are too small to capture the details... So, let me tell you about them!

Today, Allison decided to have a tea party picnic with her friends. She set it up completely on her own, and it included the following:

• flower/ berry centerpiece. (Isn't it pretty?)
• name tags for Natalie and Ella, (my doll from when I was a kid!)
• "favors" (pretend blueberries and chocolate cookies)

I was so impressed, I had to blog about it! When the neighbors came over to join them, they tied a jump rope, (completely on their own), so poor little Nathan couldn't "mess it up." Awww...

Today I am thankful for precious little girls and their tea parties! Now I'm off to get ready for Thanksgiving!

Rebecca Irene Photography

Thanksgiving week!

It is Thanksgiving week, and we have SO much to be thankful for! I often wonder why God chose to bless us so much! Traditionally, we haven't been very "traditional" for Thanksgiving... But, this year we will be. It will be our first Thanksgiving with turkey, (we usually do Chinese hot pot, or duck, or sushi!) And, our first Thanksgiving where we teach the girls the history of the holiday. So, we will spend this week doing some Thanksgiving crafts to prepare. Yesterday, we did sponge paint plate turkeys, and fall rub-ons. I thought the turkeys would be fun, and they were... but the girls LOVED the rub-ons! Something different, I guess! Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving week, and I hope to post more of our activities to come!

November in Cali

Yesterday Daniel got forced to work overtime, so I had my first solo day as mommy of 3. I'm not going to lie to you... I was tired! But, overall it went really well. The big girls didn't even come to my bedroom until 8:20am!!

We spent most of our day outside, as it was so beautiful! Honestly, I kept asking myself what do mothers of multiple little ones do when it's freezing outside all winter?!?! Here's what we did...

Thanksgiving watercolors...

Picnic lunch outside...
Attempted laundry... (will finish today!)

And played "beauty spa" with chalk and water... (bath immediately followed!)

She came!

Look! I got to meet Jeanne Winters! She did a wonderful job speaking at our MOPS meeting... I always love to hear how God works in peoples' lives! What a talented, beautiful lady. Thank you SO much for coming, Jeanne! You are an inspiration, and I feel blessed to have met you!

Don't forget to check out her Etsy shop... what a great place for Christmas gifts!

She's here!!!!

I love MOPS for so many reasons... the fun crafts, the food, the fellowship, and of course the inspiring speakers. Speaking of inspiring speakers...

If you've read my blog at all, you know I am a HUGE fan of Jeanne Winters from "Inspiring Ideas." Guess what?!?!? She's HERE! I invited (begged) her to come speak to our MOPS group, and she is now here! She spoke to our Thursday group today, and I get to hear her at our Friday group tomorrow.

Ask me how excited I am; I am giddy!

In the meantime, here are a few pictures of the crafts we did at our last two meetings. (Ideas for your MOPS group, Melissa!) We painted these cute flower pots with wires for pictures, and we made these recipe blocks with rock magnets. We were given a choice of words to put on them, and I chose "faith." Rather than using it for recipes, I think I will put the girls' memory verses on it!

Can't wait for tomorrow!

Pinecone Turkeys

We're back to crafting! This was a pretty simple project... Just a little glue, and the girls transformed their pinecones into turkeys! I have a few more Thanksgiving projects in mind, so hopefully Sierra will allow us some more free time!

Becoming a big sister...

Sweet Natalie...

Before Sierra was born, I was most worried about how you would react to becoming a big sister. Would you be jealous? Would your personality change? Would I still get those sweet smiles and precocious eyes?

My, have you surprised me! You are the same goofy girl! Your joy is contagious! And, you are so sweet and gentle as a big sister! I am so proud of you.

Oops...

Poor Allison... Just 3 days after Sierra and I returned home form the hospital, Daniel found himself making his first trip back to the hospital; this time to the ER! The poor girl slipped while doing "gymnastics" over the tile floor, and her complete weight landed on her chin! I watched the whole thing happen, and shudder to think about it!

Luckily, the ER trip went extremely well; no wait, and Allison was calm. They used dermabond to glue it back together, and then Allison returned home for our popcorn and movie night. I'm so glad the cut is below the chin and not really visible straight-on. And, blessed that Daniel was home to take her! (Of course, he was also the one teaching her the gymnastics move... :))

One Week Home...

Just one week ago today, Sierra and I came home from the hospital to this cute sign on the door made by the big sisters; (with a little help from Grandma, of course!) They were so proud to not only show me the sign, but to tell me they had cleaned the front porch and the front door!

Inside, all the Halloween decor was put away, and all Thanksgiving items displayed. It was a wonderful homecoming!

While in the hospital, Sierra underwent 2 tests to try to determine the cause of her severe hydronephrosis. It was determined that her right kidney is partially blocked, and she will need to see a pediatric urologist. This was actually "good" news, in that we were afraid it might be totally blocked. She has an appointment for the end of this month, and I will be sure to keep you updated!

For now, Sierra is such a content, sweet baby. She eats , sleeps, and fills diapers very well! To be honest, I had a total peace about her kidney right up until she was born, and the doctor was telling us about the procedures to determine what was wrong. Suddenly, and unexpectedly I felt fear start to creep in. Perhaps it was because I could finally hold this precious gift, and was already so in love.

As soon as the doctor left, God reminded me to go to His Word. Almost as quickly as the fear came, it left, and I was once again covered in peace! I am so thankful for God's Word. As Psalm 91 says, "...His faithful promises are your armor and protection..."

First Bath...

What a good girl!!!
She didn't even cry.

Introducing...

This is my first post from a foreign computer! I am posting from the hospital on Daniel's laptop. We are so excited and blessed by the arrival of our third daughter,

Sierra Nicole Yeh

7 lbs. 9 oz.

19 1/2 inches

November 2, 2009, 8:22 am

Here you go, Melissa! I told Daniel he had to get a picture of me pregnant for you, so we made it just in time!

I will post more comments in the days to come. For now, I will let the pictures do all the talking! I am off to walk my lap, and am excited to go home, tomorrow!

Costumes!

I should be packing for the hospital, but instead I'm blogging...

I hope you had a wonderful Halloween! We had a wonderful day... lots of fun recipes and pictures, but I'll have to leave you with just this one, as I am just hours away from heading to the hospital for Yehbie's c-section! Here are the girls: Natalie, (Rosetta - Tinkerbell's friend), Sophia (our sweet neighbor dressed as a pig), and Allison, (Fancy Nancy). Good night, all! I hope to post pictures of our new arrival as soon as possible!