Olivia, Sophia, and Victoria

Blog is Closed

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Tue, 28 May 2013 17:05:00 +0000

School is out for both Olivia and Sophia next week! We have passes to the local waterparks and fun centers to look forward to. Might even take a road trip to Las Vegas or California if everything works out. Olivia has a horse camp coming up in June where she will sleep over for two nights. She is so excited.

I have decided to put the blog on hold indefinitely. The feeling for now is that I will not be blogging anymore but knowing me, never say never. I have thought about this for some time and going forward, I plan to preserve our family memories and photos through a different format.

Thank you to my readers for following me all this time. I will post occasionally on Instagram and Facebook. Happy journeys!

BBQ Night

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:43:00 +0000

http://instagram.com/p/ZT_WoUgZyf/

It was a hot and beautiful day. We enjoyed the slow sunset with a BBQ dinner on our deck with local produce from our CSA pickup. It is so wonderful to be able to eat fresh vegetables just picked the same day.

Saturday Night Weekly Review

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Sun, 12 May 2013 04:26:00 +0000

I am looking forward to a day of sleeping in and not cleaning anything tomorrow! It has been a long week. Do I say that every week? Kyle volunteered at the CSA farm on Monday morning; Olivia had her school art program on Monday night where her entire Kindergarten level sang two American patriotic songs. She showed off her artwork in the hallways. On Tuesday, Olivia had her six-year-old well check (which I totally forgot to schedule this year), and is placing off the charts again for height and weight. But we are not worried because she is very active, eats lots of vegetables, and is very proportional. Wednesday was the busiest with piano, ballet, and a Build-A-Bear activity for Olivia's Girl Scout troop. That was their last event for the year.

Kyle submitted his recipe for a local baking contest (with natural yeast starter) and his winning submission will be included in a cookbook soon to be coming out. We went to the author's house on Thursday morning for the photo shoot It made the week even crazier because Kyle had to make several perfect loaves of whole wheat and white Pain de Mie's for the picture, as well as an extra batch of dough to show the "step-by-steps" of making this kind of bread. Baking with natural yeast is an overnight process so there was very little time to mess up and have do-overs. On Friday and Saturday the girls had their dance recital photo shoots I got a tube of fire engine-red lipstick for this special occasion. They loved it!

The weather was wonderful today so after I returned from a 3-hour women's event at church we took the girls to the park to catch the last bit of the Draper Art show, and then back to church for Saturday night family pizza and service.

Eating the last of her cupcakes from her party.

Singing at her school's art show and program.

Olivia's starry night original!

Not sure if this was Van Gogh or Monet.
Looks good either way!

Bear getting stuffed.

Olivia's very first Build-a-Bear!
This was the Thin Mints version, even scented with mint.

Group picture at the photo shoot. I am very proud of Kyle for winning!

Olivia looking like a princess.

Keeping this girl quiet with a lollipop during Olivia's photoshoot.

Olivia doesn't look six! She gets prettier everyday.

Sophia's group picture.

She is too cute!

Sporting bright red lipstick.

Coloring a turtle at the art show.

Olivia's Birthday Bash

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:32:00 +0000

We threw Olivia's party today with fifteen girls! It got a little insane at times but everything went smoothly and was a lot of fun. Despite predictions for rain we got to do a lot of games outside -- thank goodness. The pictures tell the story below.

Can't wait for the party to start!

Neat idea of mine to stick the sun-catchers in a notecard to be labelled.

The party schedule.
We managed to do only half the activities.

Painting sun-catchers while waiting for all the guests to arrive.

DIY themed bottled water.

Funny spoon race - everyone drew a weird spoon from a bag and
had to carry an orange with it across the driveway.

Looks like Victoria is racing too!

Musical chairs - a party classic.

Musical chair squeeze.

First up at bat.

Everyone cheering "hit it hard!"

Kyle finishing the job.

Scramble for candy.

My goody bag.

Sidewalk chalk.

Balloon knee race.

Back-to-back balloon pop is a lot harder than it sounds.

The Topping Tornado - absolutely fantastic at parties!

Anxious to get a turn to use the Topping Tornado.

Opening presents.

Balloon diving!

Olivia is Six!

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Fri, 03 May 2013 05:44:00 +0000

Our beautiful daughter turned six years old today! She got to wear the birthday crown in school, and received a book of drawings of her by her classmates today. She handed out treats in class, and will be celebrating again with friends on Saturday. She opened her birthday presents from long-distance friends and family today. We had a leisurely late lunch at Red Lobster at Olivia's choice since she wanted to eat crab.

Watching herself on the computer.

Heelies! Watch out everyone.

This girl wished for her very own "real" lipstick...
and got it this time!

Cool books from cousin Cherie and Bart.

A lovely birthday card from Aunt Rosa and the L.A. Gang.

Fun card from Grand-Uncle Steve.

Lovely nameplate from Betsy and Anthony.

Grandparents Mike and Linda with their grand-daughters.

Definitely the more goofy picture but I like it!

Wheeler Farm Field Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Sophia's grade took a field trip to Wheeler Historic Farm this morning. I came along for the fun. Imagine taking five classes of seven kids aged 3-4 years old to a farm! Sophia's teacher was happy that I could assist.

On a side note the school audiologist conducted an intensive assessment of Sophia's speech development and found that although she is on target for her "hearing" age, there are still significant gaps in her chronological age development. So significant that she qualifies for services in this school's district. In a way I am relieved because I want as much help as possible, whereas I felt before that we had been cast aside by our home district. I think this test is more accurate and representative of Sophia's true abilities, because while she is impressive in many ways, there are some delays that need to be addressed. For now we will definitely continue one more year of this preschool for the deaf, and then transition her to a regular preschool the following year.

With Jane, her carpool buddy. They get along....most of the time!

One mean goose.

Victoria at 16 Months

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Wed, 01 May 2013 02:21:00 +0000

It looks like it has been a whole month since I blogged. A few people have been anxious as to how we have been doing, and I can reassure everyone that we are doing just fine. It was just very busy these last few weeks. But first of all, here is Victoria's monthly update. She is taking a big interest in the potty so I'm hoping to go diaper-free this summer.

Victoria's hair is so long that we like to do a top-knot each day. And her clothes are always stained in the front since she likes to feed herself without a bib. She is such a hearty eater. She often eats more than Olivia and Sophia combined.

We've taken an interest in organic and natural foods. We signed up for a CSA and Kyle is also volunteering to work once a week on a farm for a couple months in exchange for a summer share. I learned how to make my own yeast starter and breads, pastries, and cakes with fermented dough. Slowly but surely we are becoming true do-it-yourselfers. We just need to move to our own farm someday.

There's only one more month of school left for the girls. Olivia's piano lessons are going great. She's such a fast learner. The grandparents arrived last Friday in time for Olivia's birthday party. She is so excited about her upcoming celebrations. I am not sure if I can get through two hours with 10 little girls.

We're struggling a lot with Sophia's naps. She needs extra rest but is so cranky when she wakes up. Then she has a hard time going to sleep at the end of the day. If we make her skip her nap, then it's even worse for everyone. It feels like we're going through the terrible threes forever! However, Sophia is still very cute when she is happy. Now only if we could make her eat regular food with us. I remember that even Olivia went through a phase where she ate nothing but macaroni and cheese and string cheese.

Victoria at 15 Months

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Well-check update: Victoria is 15 months old, and at her last exam, she was 25th percentile for weight, 50th for height, and 80th for her head. She's just so active and despite her big head, she has remarkable balance. Her hair is almost long enough for pigtails.

Our annual membership at Thanksgiving Point is about to expire so we are going to try to fit in some more field trips to there next month. Here are some pictures from our excursion to Farm Country on Friday.

Victoria in the playhouse.

I believe this was Sophia's first time riding the horse all by herself!

Victoria got to ride too!

Observing the bunnies.

Baby lambs are here.

We had to keep her fingers away from the cage so she wouldn't get pecked.

Pat the cow...moooo!

24-Hour Bug

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:41:00 +0000

It has been a weird week. We had some surprise snow and then all of the kids got sick. First it was Sophia who threw up Sunday night. Then the baby the next night. This afternoon Olivia threw up. She has been feeling ill since her spring break started on Monday. Also, Sophia's teacher threw up during her class yesterday and even the mom we carpool with for Sophia's school also threw up last night.

Kyle and I wonder if we are next. We hope not.

Victoria playing in the church's playground after nursery.

Getting ahead on her piano books
although lessons will start in April.

Sister shot.

Going to a pirate birthday party.

Lessons and Cooking

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 21:03:00 +0000

Olivia is psyched to be starting piano lessons next month. She keeps asking if she's having piano lessons this week. I have to remind her it starts first week of April. She's also anticipating the overnight horse camp we signed her up for this summer at the Girl Scout Trefoil Ranch nearby. One of girls in her troop is attending so it's likely they'll be able to share a room.

We've been on a cooking spree, introducing one or two new vegetables each week and making everything from scratch. If something takes me more than four hours to make, I honor my efforts with a picture of it.

Bierocks (Beef-and-Cabbage Buns with Cheese)

So delicious! A real hamburger bun.

Slow-cooked BBQ beef brisket (grass-fed and organic) with eggplant,
yam mash, and honey & molasses cornbread made from scratch.
Sadly, the eggplant was not well-received.

I think Kyle may regret his choice to get the 25 lb bag of carrots even though
it was only $7.50. We are starting juicing soon and stocking up on green veggies. Some of the carrots had to go in the garage since the fridge wouldn't shut.

Two Years CI Activation Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:18:00 +0000

Today marks the beginning of Sophia's third year using her cochlear implants. We are so proud of her! She is a smart cookie and continues to impress us with her abilities. She is starting to mellow out a little from the terrible twos and moving into the terrific threes, partly in thanks to the preschool she is attending. I believe it gives her a sense of independence and breathing room!

Dentist Visit

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:55:00 +0000

No cavities!

Needing a diversion to cooperate.

Getting x-rays. Her back molars are coming in.
Still hoping for a loose tooth soon.

Cookie Delivery Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 01:53:00 +0000

Cookies are out for delivery! Olivia has been working very hard.

Last week she fell in love with a pair of pretty dress shoes from Target; I made a deal with her so she could earn them. She completed a 60-page Grade 2 math workbook (fractions, multiplication, division) in just five days. I was very proud of her. She is very focused and driven in working towards goals. We picked up the shoes yesterday. She has been wearing them in the house to break them in. Why were these so special? They have low heels...imagine a 5 year old wearing heels! Better than my heels though.

February Endings

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:03:00 +0000

Olivia attended her first gymnastics event ever at University of Utah's meet last night against Stanford. We braved the big snowstorm (with double driving time both ways) to get this experience. It was really fun! This meet started late at 8pm so I went with just Olivia, but next time we'll bring the whole family.

Being from the Bay Area I was cheering for Stanford....
but also rooting "Go Utes!"

Eleven rows away from the action.

Victoria is almost 14 months old! She has been saying new words: "bone" (for phone), "out", and "ow" a lot. She is crazy about my phone. She definitely has a sweet tooth like Sophia, but also loves her broccoli and green peas.

One thing we were struggling within the last couple of months was her eczema-like dry skin. The usual creams and lotions just weren't working and even though she was down to 1-2 showers a week, she had rough skin all over her body. We tried some other lotions and soaps and the skin on her face was just getting scalier. Finally, I switched her to almond milk and soy milk last week, and by the second day, her skin was back to being buttery soft all over. Because of the instant recovery, Kyle and I believe that she may have had an allergy to something in the cow's milk. I'm just happy to have fixed the problem without needing steroid creams.

Let's hope this is our last big snow for the season! This afternoon we went sledding on our neighbor's lawn...even Victoria and I got in on the action.

Needing an extra push from a friend.

Whee!

Why do kids think shoveling is so much fun?

Victoria's turn to sled.

Kyle's always game for sledding!

Look, no hands!
I didn't have gloves on so I managed the best yoga pose (?) I could.

Playtime

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 04:06:00 +0000

On Saturday Olivia's skis were mysteriously lost at the end of a day of skiing black diamond trails. Luckily they were turned into Lost and Found today at the Park City Ski Resort. We're so thankful! Otherwise we were bummed that she might not ski for the rest of the season.

Today, just to see if she could, I asked Olivia to read a chapter book (without pictures!). I bribed her with a Slurpee from 7-11. She read "The Littles" from start-to-finish in about one hour. She was so focused that at one point, Kyle found her under her bed, so that she could read without sisterly distractions. Now I'll be keeping my eye open for more chapter books that I can buy cheaply because it's really a pain to drive to the library and keep library books out of the hands of her sisters.

I took Sophia to the pediatrician this morning for her 3 year well check. She is 50th percentile for weight (at 30 pounds) and 60th percentile for height (at 37 inches). Everything looks great.

The following photos represent about five minutes from this morning:

Reading her first true chapter book.

Entering the tent.

Hilarious time trying to hide from mom and her camera.

Sneak peek

Getting a fast ride.

Even ignoring a tempting game of Monopoly.

Round and round...

Scenes from Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:14:00 +0000

The girls started the day off by opening Valentine's Day presents from Grandma and Granddad. I'm starting to get a glimpse of what the holidays are going to bring each year with Sophia's birthday being the day before Valentine's. It's one non-stop party!

I said goodbye to my aunt and cousin this morning. I will miss them a lot. The girls had so much fun with them and their visit was very nice. After I dropped them off at the airport, I went to go pick up Sophia early and ended up staying for her class party. This girl just has so much fun.

A birthday muffin for my dear Auntie Rosa!
Happy Birthday!

With her good friend and classmate

Assessing her loot.

Let's get this party started!

Can hardly get this girl to stop moving!

How I did Sophia's hair today.

Sophia Turns Three

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 04:57:00 +0000

Happy Third Birthday to Sophia!

Us with Auntie Lan Fang and cousin Lucy

Sophia with Lucy

Homemade pizza for birthday dinner. We celebrated the night before
because we were having a party at school the next day.

Makeshift muffin for birthday blowout. Cupcakes to come the next day!

Opening presents with glee!

Loving her Kitty dress.

And a beautiful twirly dress from Grandma!

And a beautiful fluffy dress from Auntie Lan Fang and Lucy!

Celebrating at school.

Feeling so special on her birthday.

Ballet Lessons

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:58:00 +0000

I love ballet because of how cute the girls look in their leotards and tutus. They had their first ballet lessons of the season tonight. I worked extra hard at creating Olivia's enormous ballerina bun today. I asked her if it felt like her head was going to fall off -- she said no.

Post-Birthday Reflections

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:29:00 +0000

There's something to be said about sharing your birthday with the Superbowl XLVII. We spent a quiet day at home, with KFC for dinner. Kyle and the girls made me a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Yum! I did have a great day for my birthday, and was happy to spend it with my husband and my forever presents -- the girls. I wanted to count my blessings here before I forget:

Victoria is my darling. She is a great eater. She is starting to plump up with her voracious appetite. At dinner the other night, she was eating broccoli straight up, and begging for more! I hope she continues to try new foods. She has an adventurous streak but quite a bit of common sense and she knows how to safely get off the couch or get down the stairs. I am enjoying this last baby very much. I am so thankful she sleeps so well that I don't have to wear my implant anymore through the night, so I finally get to recover from my years of sleeping with sound.

Sophia is always surprising me. Sometimes I look at her and see my reflection. She is very sweet and tender to her baby sister and they can play together for hours. She is so stubborn and independent, qualities I know will serve her well as she gets older. As independent as she wants to be, this one always creeps into my bed in the middle of the night, followed by an older sister who doesn't want to be by herself! I am always amused by how detail-oriented Sophia is. She does not like to make a mess and always screeches if a crumb or drop gets on the table. I often catch her singing lullabies as if she were putting on a grand performance. I think she will grow up to be an artist, with her sensitive and creative nature. Lastly, I am happy to report she is about done with potty-training, just in time for her 3rd birthday.

We were so lucky to have Olivia. She is a perfect older sister to Sophia and Victoria, and is well-suited at leading the way among the three. I remember I always wanted an older sister or brother when I was growing up, but had to figure things out on my own. She is just an awesome daughter. She is the kid that people invite to come to their houses to play with their children. She gets along with everyone, likes to stay neutral, and always wants to be fair. Just for fun, yesterday we started on a grade 2 workbook for fractions. Olivia wanted to keep going, page after page. She really enjoyed it. It is incredible to see how far she can go, given the right tools and encouragement.

If it wasn't obvious yet, I am proud of all my daughters and cherish them dearly.

Madeleines

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:59:00 +0000

It feels like ages since I last posted. It has been raining/freezing/snowing for the last week and we have been trying to stay home as much as possible. With the bad weather I try to avoid driving more than necessary, just shopping for food and taking the kids to school.

About two weeks ago nursing Victoria suddenly became very painful. It felt like she was chewing on my breast. I think that I developed an infection or had some mastitis, but whatever it was, after two full days of agony I decided to stop nursing cold turkey. For Victoria it was a surprisingly easy process...she didn't ask to nurse anymore and she started sleeping through the night like a little angel. Just before that she was still waking up every few hours to nurse through the night.

Stopping breastfeeding was much harder on me. My body is still adjusting to it. I'm suffering a chest rash, still feeling the effects of the infection, and waiting for my milk to dry up completely. I was so sad when I decided to stop nursing, like I was taking something away precious to the both of us. We had such a good experience from the start with breastfeeding, compared the first two, that I didn't expect to end this one so early. I am grateful that Victoria was ready to move on anyway. She still sleeps with me in bed and is such a cuddly baby; we are so close.

On a lighter note, Kyle has mastered his petites madeleines recipe. I can't imagine paying for a box of these anymore because our homemade ones are so good and easy to make! These cookies go great with our tea, which the girls love to drink too.

Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 01:20:00 +0000

From ski girl to...

Girl Scout Daisy cookie seller!

Olivia finished out ski school on a high note. She is looking forward to skiing the rest of the season, and luckily it promises to be a snowy winter this year. This week she was working hard on selling Girl Scout cookie orders (her favorites are Savannah Smiles, Trefoils, and Thin Mints). We went out door-to-door in the neighborhood today and got a great response from our neighbors. Even those that I didn't expect to order cookies surprised me. You just never know unless you ask!

Victoria's Official One Year Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 05:06:00 +0000

We had another amazing photo session at our local photographer's studio tonight! I know we had taken quite a few pictures last year, but I felt that I owed it to Victoria to have a family portrait done at her one year session, just like I did with her older sisters. I sincerely vowed to Kyle that from now on we're doing this only once a year.

These are my favorites.

Flashback time! These are the family pictures we did when Olivia and Sophia were 1 year old.

May 1998

January 2011

Sophia's First Day of Preschool

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 22:31:00 +0000

January 2, 2012

This day came a lot sooner than I expected! Today was Sophia's first day of preschool at the school for the deaf. I stayed the whole morning to observe and help out as needed. Sophia did so well, so that tomorrow I plan to only stay for the first 15 minutes to get her settled in. I was worried that Sophia might get lost in the shuffle but they were right on target this morning. The teacher to student ratio is 2 teachers for a maximum of 7 kids; so far Sophia is one of five kids in her class this year.

She did awesome! I think I was more nervous than she was. Sophia got to help make a gingerbread man, eat snacks, play in the water table, exercise in P.E., and play with the other kids. She did only three hours today, and will start going the full 4 1/2 hour days with lunch starting next week.

January 3, 2012
2nd day of preschool (1st day without Mom)

Victoria is ONE!

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 21:49:00 +0000

Our darling baby girl is one year old today! I am in love with her, same as the day she was born. As she moves into exciting toddlerhood (she has been walking for 3 months already) she is still the same sweet little girl that likes to cuddle and play.

We celebrated with long-life spaghetti noodles and a homemade cake at lunch.

The kids were so excited to eat my melting cake.
Clearly, I do not have the patience to do much better than this!

She is down to about 3 breastfeeds a day (with eight teeth!), although she still wakes up 1-2 times a night to nurse back to sleep. Lately I have had such an easy time putting her down to bed for naps twice a day and at nighttime. After I nurse, I just hold her in my arms, and sing a lullaby. For months we have been playing a white noise CD, a recording of ocean waves, every single time she goes to sleep. Then I put her on her back in the crib, tuck her in with a blanket, and she doesn't even protest. She even smiles and giggles. It makes the whole process very peaceful.

She enjoys walks on the couch.

Reading books.

Especially sweet and tender with baby dolls.

Always a happy baby!

Her hair is thick and long enough for clips.

Very good at eating out, as long as she is properly entertained.

Well Check update from 12/31/12:

Victoria is meeting all her targets for her age. She can say "up, mama, dada, no, and na-na (milk)" which is more than what some babies say at one year. She weighs 21 pounds, 1 ounce (50th percentile), is 29 1/2 inches long (75th percentile), and her head circumference is 18 inches (80th percentile). Since she has been walking for several months, her pediatrician is expecting an explosion of language in the next few months.

End of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Erika Smith) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 17:46:00 +0000

On December 30th last year I was in the hospital having Victoria, and ended up spending New Year's Eve there. You know what they say about what you do on New Year's Eve being a predictor of what the rest of the year will be like. It certainly was true for us. I spent a lot of time in the hospital this past year...our cochlear implant surgeries (both Kyle and me), my laparoscopy, Olivia's RSV episode, Kyle's balance therapy, and lots of remapping sessions. Let's hope that 2013 is more fun!

Grandma and Granddad concluded their Utah stay today. We all enjoyed the visit very much. Here are some highlights.

Christmas dinner at Michele's house.

Victoria loved to play with baby Wyatt.

Eating gingerbread cookies.

Three generations!

All three having floor time.

Some extra loving here, mmmm!

So many toys to play with!

Olivia's favorite game - UNO.

Reading with Granddad.

Playing Candyland with Sophia.

Having cupcakes for Victoria's early first birthday celebration.