Ella and Ruby

Ella loves to hold Ruby and would do it all day long if I let her. She is so great and such a big help! Ella has helped make the transition to three kids a lot easier just by being an overall good kid.

My baby girl

Fall Garden

I have been talking about planting a garden forever.  Then my hubby built me a gorgeous redwood garden box for our anniversary, so it was time to make my first attempt.  I know absolutely nothing about gardening and to be honest I am pretty sure were starting a bit too late in the year to actually get any vegetables, but I figured what the heck!  Hoping to boost our chances we bought pre sprouted vegetables and seeds, filling the garden with: bell peppers, hot peppers, lettuce, carrots, pinto beans, cilantro, zucchini, and spinach.  Guy installed a watering system and now we are up and running!   Now we just cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Boys day out

Guy is home for an amazing five weeks!  It has been so great to have him here.  He is such a huge help, especially with the big kids!  I'm happy that he got a day to get away and have some fun with his baja bug.  Guy, Alphonso, and Chad all made the drive up to Big Bear on dirt back roads.  From the pictures and the stories, it's safe to say they had a good time!

Hesperia Lake

To get out of the house, we took the kids over to Hesperia Lake to feed the ducks. Who knew that ducks could be so mean and scary!  Guy and the kids had to head to higher ground to avoid the attacks. Afterwards the kids played at the park for a while. It was great to get out of the house and I am happy to report that there were no serious injuries.

Feeling the love

After coming home from the hospital, Ruby had quite the flow of visitors.  Everyone was so great, bringing dinner and clothes for the baby.  We feel really grateful for our family and friends that made sure we were well taken care of.  Ruby is a lucky lady to have so much love surrounding her!

1st Day of Pre-School

We have had a lot of excitement around the Thomas household! A new baby, Jack is now potty trained (YAY!), and Miss Ella started Preschool! Switching her from her beloved Miss Kim was a hard decision, but we wanted to help her adjust to a new teacher and a larger class setting before she jumped into kindergarten next year. When I go back to work, she will still see Miss Kim two days a week. =)

Ella is no longer a toddler, looking more like a little girl every day. She is smart, funny, and easily makes friends. This girl is not shy and enjoys hearing how fabulous we think she is. She loves Jack and Ruby and is so sweet. I can't say enough how much I love her!

Amber is here!

Alphonso and Valerie welcomed baby girl number two into the world. Little Amber Grace Moreno was born on August 12, 2013; 8lbs 11 oz and 19 inches long. Labor was rough for Valerie, to say the least, and Amber was delivered via c-section. We are all thankful that Amber and her Mommy are both doing well.  Congratulations Moreno Family!  We love you!

Grandma's Helper

Ella and Jack love to help Grandma!  She is so patient and I love watching them enjoy each other.  On this day, Jack was helping Grandma put together enchiladas for Chad's 29th Birthday.

Big Sister....Again

My girl Ella makes me so proud.  She has such a kind heart and is a really good big sister.  Jack and Ruby are both lucky to have her.  She sings to Ruby and wants to hold her often.  She is always rubbing her head and holding her hand saying "She is such a sweet little angel".  While I know there will inevitably be arguments between them, my hope is that they can be each others best friends as they grow older. 

Happy Birthday Chadie!

The kids LOVE Uncle Chadie and were very excited that he let them help him blow out the candles.  One more year until he hits the big 30.  Enjoy! lol Love you!

Big Brother

I have been so impressed with Jack, and how well he has adjusted to having a baby in the house.  I wasn't sure how he was going to handle all of the change and he has been amazing.  He is so great with her!  He wants to hold her and is always concerned with where she is and if she is okay.  We got home from the hospital very late and Jack was already asleep, so when he woke up in the morning he was excited to meet Ruby.  He is going to be a great big brother! 

Family of 5

Our first official picture as a family of five. Wish us luck!

Ruby's Birth Story

On July 30th, I woke up at midnight having contractions and with in a few hours was having a contraction every four minutes.  Guy and I loaded up the kids, dropped them off at Kim's house, and made the drive down to Loma Linda.  Unfortunately we made the drive for nothing, because I was only dilated to two centimeters and was sent home after contractions stopped.

The next night, July 31st, I woke up to use the restroom just after midnight and my water broke.  This time Grandma came over and stayed with the kids and again, Guy and I headed down to Loma Linda.  We arrived about 3:30am, and were admitted right away.  At 4:30 the nurse offered me an epidural, however my contractions were still not regular so I refused.  I knew that the epidural had stalled my labor previously and I didn't want that to happen again.  Pitocin was started and what felt like immediately I was having contractions every 3 minutes.  After a couple hours I was checked and had progressed to 5 centimeters.  YAY!  At that point I said bring on the epidural.  The epidural worked fabulously...for a few hours.  Then slowly I started feeling the contractions and eventually I could feel my right side, leg, and all of the contractions.  The nurse called the anesthesiologist, but of course they were busy.  I waited and waited, while the contractions became more intense.  The nurse eventually turned town the pitocin and offered to give me some pain medication through my IV.  When that didn't help she checked me and realized that the baby was down and I was ready to push!  I couldn't believe it!! Of course that is when the real water works started because of the fear of pushing with out an epidural.  The doctor came in, and twenty minutes of pushing later she was here...Ruby Lynn Thomas.

Guy and my Mom were both in the room.  When the doctor said it was a girl we were all so excited and the tears were flowing.  They put her directly on me for skin to skin contact.  I felt like she was having some trouble breathing and needed to be looked at so the nurses took her to check her out and Guy went along.  Everything was great, she just had a little trouble with the transition.  Overall, she was perfect. 

We are so excited to finally have her here!  I am excited to see the relationships grow between the kids and looking forward to seeing what our new routine and family dynamic will be.  With every baby my heart grows and right now I feel the love overflowing.  I am so lucky!