Of course!

He adores her and of course she adores him!

Life with 3....

Am I tired? Of course.

Do I feel overwhelmed? Of course.

Can I get it all done? Of course not.

Do I think I can get it all done? Of course.

Am I loving every minute our sweet newborn cuddles up and sleeps on me? Of course.

Do I love watching how much Dylan and Emma love their new baby sister? Of course.

Has this child blessed us beyond anything we ever imagined? Of course.

Do I sometimes what to cover my ears running from all the whining, crying, and arguing? Of course.

Do I love my family more than anything? Of course.

Would I trade any of this for anything else? Of course not.

Is having a newborn a ton of work? Of course.

Is it all worth the snuggles? Of course.

Are Dylan and Emma the best of friends and worst of enemies? Of course.

Do they take care of eachother no matter what? Of course.

Does my heart overflow with love repeatedly? Of course!

Carly Elizabeth

More pictures to come soon.... :-)

Blast from the past....

Just thought I'd share this picture that my mom just emailed me of my sister and I when we were younger. I would guess that it was around 1982 with me being around 4 1/2 or 5 and my sister close to 2.




It made me think about how fast time truly does go by with our little ones. Now my parents are grandparents! After looking at this picture of me, I'm not sure if Dylan and Emma really look that much like me. :-)

We had a fun dinner with our neighbor friends tonight and let the kids stay up a little later than usual. They were great, until we got home of course. Isn't that how it always goes? :-) Emma was sobbing that, "I'm really not tired mommy!" Yeah right, we can tell! Just yesterday Emma and I were watching a cartoon together and she told me, "Mommy I like Curious George." Me: "Oh really, why?" Em: "He makes naughty choices sometimes just like me." I was laughing out loud.

Someday these memories of my kids will be a "blast from the past" as well, as they grow up so quickly right before my eyes. I hope I can always remember to cherish every moment, even the screaming and crying and tantrum filled ones, as much as I possibly can.

Resolutions for 2009...

Two new posts in two days? Gasp! After I haven't written in months, literally. I guess this mini two week vacation has motivated me to be more productive, and let's face it, I am more rested on vacation and not falling asleep on the couch at 8 each night! My wonderful children have been sleeping in to 7:30/8:00 each morning, and we have all been enjoying naps or "rest time," Last week, my husband was off all week Monday-Sunday which was a huge help for me! The kids were in heaven! Ryan works alot so this was a real treat for all of us. (Well, not for the bank account as he was on a furlough and not getting paid, but he has a job and we are thankful!).

So, what will you resolve to do in 2010? One of my resolutions is to enjoy as much time as possible with my three (soon to be four) superheros....



Aren't they just adorable? They were so fun this past Halloween and trick or treated for an hour and a half, running from house to house. Dylan was enamored with his "ninja" of a dad. Did I dress up? Of course I did. I went as Ryan! :-) Complete with golf shoes, golf club, hat, shirt, the works. He thought it was terrific.

I guess mine is more of a hope than a resolution for 2010. I hope that we continue to have as many wonderful family memories as 2009 blessed us with. Not a day passes that Ryan and I don't find our selves laughing out loud or under our breath at our silly children. We are bonded in so many ways. We can't wait to add another little girl to our crazy, loving, fun family. 2010 is sure to bring great memories!

I'll be home for Christmas (If only in my dreams....)

Looking back on 2009, we have had so very many wonderful memories and blessings! One of my fondest memories will always be having four generations in my house for Thanksgiving at the same time. Grandpa and Grandma from Florida, Mom and Dad from Washington, my sister and I, and our children. Here is a picture of all of us that I will always have fond memories of!




Dylan and Emma with their cousin Kaili, my sister's little girl.



Grandpa and Grandma with their Great-Grandchildren! :-)



My parents with my family!



So although I could not be home for Christmas this year because of being 33 weeks pregnant, I was there in spirit, and have wonderful memories of my times my family spends together. My dad is always so wonderful at pointing out how important it is that we create our own memories and traditions as the Harlow family in Aliso Viejo, CA. He is right. I try to carry on many of the same traditions that I loved as a child. But most importantly, as seen from the Thanksgiving pictures above, my greatest love in life is my family. Cherish the times together, no matter how crazy they may seem as you are living them, because those moments don't happen near enough or last long enough. Family is forever.

Only my kids...

So yes, in the wave of the "flu epidemic frenzy" I jumped aboard to get my kids vaccinated ASAP. My OB was very concerned with my pregnancy being "high risk" (which it really isn't anymore...) and wanted all of us in my family to be vaccinated for both the flue and H1N1 as soon as possible. I already got my regular flu shot and am awaiting the other to arrive at the OB's office. D and E were supposed to get theirs today. Supposed to. However, just like most of the pediatricians' offices in Orange County, they ran out of the shot. The nice lady at asked me, "Would like them to have the flu mist instead? We still have that." Ummm, yeah, of course. Actually I was so uptight about it, I had to tell her the short abridged version of my current life story, "Yes that would be great. I have a high risk pregnancy. I teach in the public schools. My kids are in full time preschool. I am pregnant with my third child." Poor lady, much more than she asked for. "Yes, that would be great." Her reply,"The insurance doesn't cover it, so it will be $50 a child." Me: "No problem." Was I crazy? $100 for two flu mists? No, I was completely rational at this point. Considering our circumstances, this was the best $100 I could spend on my kids. Who wants their children to get sick? Definitely not me. Not at his point in our crazy, "roll with the punches" lifestyle.

I, being the naive mother that I am, thought my children would be SO happy to get the mist instead of the shot. I was off. WAY OFF! We were the only patients there screaming from getting the flu mist. "I want a shot!" Yes, those words came from my sweet son's mouth. Seriously? Dylan went first, cried and yelled. For Emma, this did not make the experience any more enticing. I had to HOLD her down. Yes, for a mist in her nose. After leaving the exam room, the receptionists were looking at us with such bewilderment, knowing we had the mist since the shots were all out. At home, both children proclaimed, " I never want a flu mist again." Emma: "Mommy, I don't like the flu! I like the medicine in my arm!" Only my kids........

Where to start?

Wow...so much has happened since my last post....yet I have not accomplished that much. Today was a big turning point. My husband left work early to meet me at my ultrasound/doctor's appointment with the "at risk" doctor. I know, "how sweet," and, "he's so supportive," and, "wow, he still goes to the appointments and this is the third baby!" Yes, your sentiments are all correct. But there was MUCH more at stake for him at this appointment than previous ones. He was hopeful that I would be moved from the "DL" (disabled list) to the "staring lineup." Stay with me here, the sports analogy is only the beginning. Since being diagnosed with complete placenta previa 8 weeks ago, I have been on "pelvic rest." Yes, hold your laughter, but my husband HAD to be at this appointment to hear if I would remain on the DL. Well, all the praying he did must have worked because my placenta moved 2 cm. It is no longer considered a complete previa. My odds of needing the hysterectamy went down significantly today! I couldn't believe it! Who knew that my placenta could bring such joy and happiness to my life? :-) Well, it brought much more to my husband's. He could barely finish asking about my "starting lineup" odds when the doctor finished his sentence, giving me the all clear. Hmmmm...maybe I should have kept this appointment a secret? :-) Just kidding! I am very happy that this final pregnancy of mine will now be a less stressful and easy going affair. It's the small things in life that really make a big difference!

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We have been very busy lately. I entered the world of being a "soccer mom" and being the "team mom." That could be a ten page post of its own. Let's just say that soccer for four year olds has proved to be much more intense here in Orange County than I was mentally prepared for. Snack schedules, emails, team banners, emails, team mom meetings, emails, trophies, emails, end of the year parties, emails. You get the idea. Seriously? The kids are FOUR!!! Yes, four! This is very serious business here in Orange County. I really shouldn't be that surprised. Everything is serious, competitive business in Orange County. It builds character. We aren't sure what type of character we're building, but we know we're developing some. Reassuring, I know.

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We've had visits to the apple orchard to go apple picking of course! We've visited the fire station for their open house, been to the craft store to make pumpkins, gone to the pumpkin patch, had fevers, watched movies, played outside a lot, and just hanging out as much as possible. I will post pictures soon of the above events to share. Life is crazy, busy, fun and all ours!